AN EVALUATION OF SELECTED SOIL PROPERTIES AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF SOILS IN ORGANIC FARMING IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Abstract - In our research we have evaluated a series of soil indicators to determine the correlation between individual soil properties in organic farming. Regression analysis has proven that the biological activity of the soil on organically farmed areas (grasslands) as expressed by respiration is mainly influenced by the bulk density, moisture, porosity, humus content, the proportion of cation exchange capacity and total nitrogen content. The multiple regressions have proven the important dependency of basal respiration to the moisture, bulk density and total nitrogen. The supply of organic matter to the soil environment, thus greatly influences the studied soil biological activity. Similar dependences were visible in the results of both conventional and organic farming on arable land.