This paper presents the main characteristics of Eutric Cambisols, their productivity potential expressed as land-rating, and their spatial distribution in Slovenia. Differences in soil properties ...were evaluated among the six predominant groups of Eutric Cambisols; classification was based on the parent material. In addition to individual characteristics affecting soil quality (texture, soil depth, amount of plant available water, pH, base saturation, cation exchange capacity), a comparison of land-rating values between the groups was also performed. We analysed 200 profiles excavated as part of the Slovenian Soil Mapping or other soil surveys conducted by the Center for Soil and Environmental Sciences, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana. Our results show that Eutric Cambisols cover 15.5% of the area of Slovenia. Most Eutric Cambisols are on flysch (19.3%, 600 km²), followed by Eutric Cambisols on marl (12.7%, 398 km²). Eutric Cambisols on sandy gravel alluvial sediments, an important soil for crop production, cover 295 km² (9.4%). They have a favourable loamy texture and optimal pH. The flat terrain also contributes to this soil’s highest average weighted land-rating value (70 points). The average weighted land-rating value of all Eutric Cambisols is higher than the average weighted land-rating value of all agricultural and forest land in Slovenia, which is 36 points; this must be considered in spatial planning, as this type of land has a small share and above all, it must be protected from various degradations.
The beginnings of the agricultural and woodland valuation in Slovenia date back to the time of the Austro-Hungarian state when the cadastral classification of land was established. After 1953, the ...conditions of land management and taxation in Slovenia changed. Expert groups and individuals prepared proposals of land valuation based on site productivity and the economics of the land management. With the publishing of the rules for soil assessment in 1984, the first professional conditions for a new land evaluation were established.
Agricultural soils are a non-renewable natural resource, and substitute land can only be acquired at the cost of losing other resources, such as forest ecosystems or restoring degraded land. An ...alternative is to improve soils of poorer quality through topsoil application and meliorative measures, thus increasing the production potential of existing agricultural land. In this paper, we present the measure of topsoil addition for maintaining production potential and the method of calculating the agricultural land equivalent (EKZ) to evaluate the impact of topsoil addition. The EKZ method was tested on hydromorphic and automorphic soils and on fragmented and consolidated agricultural land. The examples of EKZ calculation presented show that the addition of fertile topsoil can be an appropriate measure to mitigate the effects of soil sealing on the loss of production potential of agricultural land but not to the same extent for all soil types. The effect is greater when we improve low-quality soils such as gley soils or shallow soils with coarse particles. The EKZ method is objective, taking into account the original extent, land rating value, shape, and fragmentation of soils, as well as soils after topsoil has been added. The method also supports the rational use of the removed fertile soil and thus the conservation of a non- renewable natural resource.
The land-rating value of agricultural land is one of the most important records/inventories of agricultural land quality, on which spatial planning and agricultural land protection decisions are ...based, as well as land assignment in land consolidation processes. Land valuation was established state-wide in Slovenia in 2008 by a conversion of cadastral classification data into land-rating values. However, some questions regarding the reliability of the data arise, as can be seen by the requests for the change of land-rating value based on the field examination results. This article presents experiences and findings of comparison between official information from public data bases and land-rating value based on calculations with precise data on soil characteristics, obtained from analyses of 44 soil profiles, located within different pedosystematic units. On average, the difference between land-rating value based on precise calculations and official information was 5 points. Bigger differences were determined on agricultural land with lower production potential, on agricultural land with higher production potential differences were lesser.
KLJUČNE BESEDE urejanje prostora, začasna uporaba, namenska raba, kmetijska zemljišča, odškodnine, boniteta ABSTRACT Easement of agricultural land for a fixed period for various construction and ...other non-agricultural purposes can influence soil quality, temporary decreases fertility or even permanently changes the value of the propriety. In severe cases, proprietors halt agricultural land use, which leads to overgrowing, the spread of invasive plant species and general cultural land degradation. The article reviews legislation covering compensation for easement of agricultural land for a fixed period and the influence of various fixed period easement cases on soil quality and offers methods of rehabilitation as basis for determination of compensation for fixed period easement. KEY WORDS landscape planning, fixed period easement, planned land use, agricultural land, compensation, land rating value 1UVOD Uporabnost kmetijskih zemljišč je zelo široka ter vpeta v tako rekoč vse sektorje prostorske rabe (Willemen et al., 2008; Montanarella, 2015), saj so v tleh pod vrhnjim, rodovitnim slojem lahko mineralne surovine, ki so zanimive za gospodarske panoge (Malucelli et al., 2014; Montanarella, 2015; Montanarella in Panagos, 2015), prostor se uporablja za turistične in rekreativne dejavnosti (Mastronardi et al., 2017).
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