The paper presents the current situation of the existing land improvements in Timis County, Romania. The research has focused on the current state of these land improvement arrangement, taking into account the importance of land improvement works on agricultural land. In recent years, the increased interest shown by landowners, small and large farmers, rehabilitation and maintenance of land improvement works raises both technical and legislative issues. The maintenance and operation of these facilities must comply with the applicable national legislation on environmental protection, water management, land improvement and land use. The possibility of financing these works can be done with state support from budget funds, through European funds or through private investments. The land improvement arrangement in Romanian are public patrimony and are managed by the National Land Improvement Agency, an authority that approves and manages the investments in the field.

There have been significant changes in the types of economic activities in the industrial area of Oradea during the last few years. Economic objectives with significant environmental impact have been closed down and other economic objectives with far less environmental impact have been opened during these years. To establish the evolution of the level of environmental pollution, air, water and soil determinations have been made in the last years. The current paper shows the investigations made upon the impact area to determine the intensity of pollution by sampling and physico-chemical analyses of environmental factors water, air and soil.

The aim of this article is to provide a description of soils from Braila Forest Directorate, an area characterized by a plain relief. The work material is represented by soil analysis reports from Braila Forest Directorate. Furthermore, these reports are part of an extensive national database realized by INCDS “Marin Dracea” based on forest management plans from after 1980. As a total, 116 soil profiles were analyzed for this area, with a sum of 334 genetic soil horizons. As such, the soils from Braila Forest Directorate are specific to the plain area: the most common types of soils are fluvisols, solonchaks and gleysols; these are soils moderately supplied with humus, weakly acid to alkaline and eubasic.

The present paper reunites the morphological and ecological description of the main species belonging to Potentilla genus present in "Alexandru Beldie" Herbarium from Romanian National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry "Marin Dracea" (INCDS), Bucharest. Furthermore, the paper systemize the herbarium specimens based on species, harvest year, the place from where they were harvested and the specialist that gathered them. The first part of the article shortly describes the herbarium and its specific, together with a presentation of the material and method used for elaborating this paper. As such, the material that was used is represented by the 276 plates that contain the specimens of 69 species belonging to the Potentilla genus. Besides the description of harvested Potentilla species, the article presents the European map of their harvesting locations, together with a synthetic analysis of their harvesting periods. The paper ends with a series of conclusions regarding the analysis of the Potentilla genus species and specimens present in the herbarium.

The aim of this paper is to realize a description of forest soils from Bihor County, on the basis of the soil analysis data from forest management plans made in the period 1988-2015: 474 soil profiles and 1240 pedo-genetic horizons. The common types of forest soils from this area are luvisols (moderately acid soil, with a high total cationic exchange capacity, well supplied with nitrogen and intensely humiferous), eutric cambisols (moderately acid, mesobasic, with a very high total cationic exchange capacity, well supplied with nitrogen and moderately humiferous), dystric cambisols (strongly acid, oligomesobasic, with a high total cationic exchange capacity, very well supplied with nitrogen and intensely humiferous) and preluvisols (moderately acid, mesobasic, with a high cationic exchange capacity, well supplied with nitrogen and moderately humiferous).

According to the data of KSH (Hungarian Central Statistical Office) sowing area of cereals in the crop year 2016 was over 2.56 million ha, on which winter wheat and maize were produced in a rate of around 50-50%. Regarding these data it is obvious that the domestic sowing structure has been simplified and become unilateral. This unfavourable crop rotation system causes several problems. Due to the unilateral plant production soil conditions may deteriorate, several nutrient supply, plant protection and water supply problems may occur. It has to be added that the number of Hungarian livestock decreased in the past decades. Amount of manure was 24 million tons in 1960, but only hardly 4.5 million tons of organic manure was applied in 2016. According to the data of the Research Institute of Agricultural Economics it can be stated that the production area of green manure crops was less than 40 000 hectares before 2015, but after the introduction of the new subsidiary system their sowing area was doubled in Hungary. The targeted sowing area of green manure crops in 2017 was over 86 000, 26 000 ha of which was planned to be sown in the Southern Great Plain region (AKI 2013, 2017). There are several methods for the recovery of organic matter. One is if plant organic substances and by-products are tilled into the soil, the other is if different green manure crop species and/or their mixture are sown directly

The present paper reunites the morphological and ecological description of certain species belonging to the Veronica genre and present in Al. Beldie Herbarium from Marin Dracea National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry (INCDS) from Bucharest. The Herbarium contains 107 plates of this genre that belong to 15 species. In this paper, some representative species of this genre are described (Veronica austriaca L., Veronica gentianoides Vahl., Veronica hederifolia L., Veronica longifolia DC., Veronica officinalis L. and Veronica montana L.). Furthermore, statistics and diagrams concerning the place and year of harvest are also present, together with annotations made by the botanists that have gathered them.

Ammonia monitoring in the city of Satu Mare is performed at two sampling points. The first one is in the centre of the city, at the venue of the Satu Mare Environmental Protection Agency (APM Satu Mare), and the second one in the north of the city, at ?oimoseni Platform, where the industrial area is located, with a high pollution potential. The variation of ammonia concentration in the city of Satu Mare was monitored from 2014 to 2016, at the sampling points mentioned above. Although the maximum permissible daily ammonia concentration (100µg/m3) was exceeded nine times (2015-2016), it was not exceeded by the annual and monthly averages. In 2015 the maximum permissible concentration was exceeded 4 times, and in 2016, 5 times. Excesses over the reference value were recorded mainly in the warm season of the year and the major pollutant was the chicken slaughterhouse.

The paper presents the main hazardous weather phenomena in the warm period of the year (hail, thunderstorm and windstorm) in the area of Oradea. The study covered a period of 45 years (1970-2014). The most frequent event was thunderstorm, with a multiannual average of 36.3 days/year. In 55.6% of the years the number of thunderstorms was below the multiannual average, while in 44.4% of the years the number of occurrences was above it. Thunderstorms occur mainly in summer, when intense convection leads to the formation of thunderstorm clouds. The multiannual average of windstorm days is 1.9 zile, with a higher frequency of the event in the summer. Hail occurs rarely in the area of Oradea, the multiannual average is 1 day/year, but still, it is a dangerous phenomenon, as it can cause serious damage when the hailstones are big. It usually occurs in the warm period of the year, due to intense convective processes, which lead to the formation of vertically high Cumulonimbus clouds.

Research programme “Exploitation of the Irrigation and Drainage” of the Research Institute for irrigation and Drainage Baneasa – Giurgiu had research fields (30) in the all the areas of Romania. Crop coefficients “Kc” are used in the irrigation scheduling and it is obtained like report between water consumption and pan evaporation determined daily at 800 o’clock. In the 12 location (Oradea, Suceava, Podu Iloaiei, Tecuci, Braila, Valul lui Traian, Dor Marunt, Baneasa – Giurgiu, Caracal, Siminic, Malu Mare and Maglovit) were placed the research fields and the research results obtained in winter wheat, maize, sunflower, soybean, sugar beet, and alfalfa are presented. The daily water consumption of crops differs depending on the month and the locality. Whereas Romania, in all the areas of interest for irrigation, has an impressive database for irrigation scheduling using the pan class A, is recommended to improve the current situation by using the variable depths for irrigation, depending on the growth rate of the root canal system and not of a fixed depths as at present.

Plant species from Amaranthus genus are extremely important from many points of view: from an historical point of view, they were mentioned in ancient cultures such as Inca or Ancient Greece; from a nutritional point of view, they have many usages as food sources or drinks in many cultures from all around the globe; from a cultural point of view, they have been an inspiration source for numerous poets; from an economic point of view, some are used as natural pigments. The present article shortly presents the mythology associated with Amaranthus genus, the usages of its different species as well as the inventory of plates present in INCDS Herbarium from Bucharest.

Among the technologies used for the bioremediation of agricultural land polluted with petroleum residues, phytoremediation is considered the most environmentally-friendly and most economically-efficient due to reduced costs. The objective of this paper is the statistical analysis of the variables that affect the yield differences (YD) made during the phytoremediation of a controlled polluted soil, with 3 % crude oil, obtained in 10 years of experimental observations in the field from the Agricultural Research and Development Station Oradea. The yield differences made by the polluted variant in relation to the unpolluted variant provide information about the concentration of crude oil remaining in the soil at some moment of the phytoremediation process. These are correlated with the time, T (years) and the mean temperature from March – August, MT III-VIII (°C). The second-order polynomial correlation with two factors and their interaction, very significant statistically, between YD as a dependent variable and the independent variables T and MT III-VIII allow the establishment of very important characteristics of the phytoremediation process. The duration of the ecological reconstruction differs from 8.5 - 9.5 years for MT III-VIII of 16 °C to 4-5 years for MT III-VIIII of 18 °C.

Bihor County is renowned for the quantity and quality of the non-wood forest products (NWFPs) harvested over time. Even if the potential of marketing of NWFPs is high, the focus is on timber production, that represents the main source of revenue for the forest owners. The aim of this research was to highlight the most important NWFPs from Bihor County. Four categories of NWFPs and nineteen criteria proposed within the FP1203 COST Action European non-wood forest products network were taken into account. An Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to evaluate the performance of selected alternatives by means of pairwise comparisons. The analyses were performed by using the Expert Choice Desktop software package. The non-wood forest products with the highest potential for Bihor County were the truffles (Tuber spp.) and the pheasant (Phasianus colchicus L.), while the less important ones were the flowers of the black elder (Sambucus nigra L.) and bear’s garlic (Allium ursinum L.). Based on the results of this study, we conclude that Bihor County has a great potential for NWFPs mainly due to its great biodiversity as regards the forest ecosystems.

Among the technologies used for the bioremediation of agricultural land polluted with petroleum residues, phytoremediation is considered the most environmentally-friendly and most economically-efficient due to reduced costs. The objective of this paper is the statistical analysis of the variables that affect the yield differences (YD) made during the phytoremediation of a controlled polluted soil, with 3 % crude oil, obtained in 10 years of experimental observations in the field from the Agricultural Research and Development Station Oradea. The yield differences made by the polluted variant in relation to the unpolluted variant provide information about the concentration of crude oil remaining in the soil at some moment of the phytoremediation process. These are correlated with the time, T (years) and the mean temperature from March – August, MT III-VIII (°C). The second-order polynomial correlation with two factors and their interaction, very significant statistically, between YD as a dependent variable and the independent variables T and MT III-VIII allow the establishment of very important characteristics of the phytoremediation process. The duration of the ecological reconstruction differs from 8.5 - 9.5 years for MT III-VIII of 16 °C to 4-5 years for MT III-VIIII of 18 °C.

The purpose of this study is to provide a complex analysis of the monthly and annual air temperature regimes in the area of Sacueni over a period of 45 years, that is, from 1970 to 2014. The multiannual air temperature average is 10.6ºC. There were more years with annual values below the multiannual average, 51.1%, while in 42.2% of the cases the values were above it. The lowest temperature is recorded in January, with a multiannual average of -0.8ºC, and the highest in July, an average of 21.3ºC.

In Bukovina, north Romania during Austro-Hungarian empire reign, were built wooden bridges representing the connection between communities. Most of the buildings were made of hardwood in the case of supporting pillars in order to offer a higher stability. The lower part of pillars remained the evidence of these buildings, because the top part was damaged in the period of the two world wars. From the wood material identified it was sampled one slice from each piece and dendrochronological analyses were performed to establish the exact period when the trees have been cut. In addition, it was evaluated the possibility that wood used in constructions could be reused since ancient times. Finally, it was established the oak wood provenience and the year when the bridge was built with an error of about 1 year, based on observations of anatomical elements of wood sap. For cross-dating were used various statistical indicators that capture with high finesse the similarity traits between dendrochronological series.

Monitoring the ecosystem evaluated with GIS instruments, measures its spatial and temporal structure and functions at different scales, resulting in information regarding the trend and change in quality due to anthropogenic influence. Observations of ecological indicators make it possible to reveal the types and mechanisms of distribution, changing phenomena, natural resources and their links with the environment. The object of research in this paper was the generalization of data on the appearance and analysis of the territorial state of Negrea village. The aim of our research, using the digital model, is to assess the existing situation and solve ecological problems in the future, already at a qualitatively new level. The preliminary method of the initial information used is based on the digitization of the researched area, being possible to evaluate the digital models of the slope map, the exposure of the slopes, the elevation, the relief depressions, etc., which represent the overall state of the ecosystem. The practical implementation of this methodology has become possible in the last 10-15 years only on the basis of geographical information technologies. The results of the research are presented visually in graphical form.

The forest ecosystems of the Republic of Moldova constitute a strategic natural biotic potential, which through their structural and functional diversity include the most valuable associations of natural vegetation. Degradation of forest resources influences the state of other natural resources and can be a limiting factor in the development of the local and national economy as a whole. Thus, there is a need to carry out a detailed analysis of the dynamics of forest landscapes using modern research methods and means, in order to develop possible measures for their ecological reconstruction, which, along with other activities, would ensure the sustainable development of society. In this context, for the installation of a forest crop it is very important to use high quality reproductive forest material that is compatible with the planting area. A current example of the research presented evokes the purpose of this paper. The objective of this study was to organize the ecological reconstruction of the stands in the Singerei Forest District. The monitoring of the afforested lands by natural or artificial way in the respective area, was carried out practically from the period 2018-2021 for: a) meadows or gaps destined for afforestation - 185.97 ha, of which only 92.97 ha have been afforested so far; b) degraded lands destined for afforestation - 96.81 ha, of which only 50.88 ha have been afforested so far. Overall, the main species is the White Acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) then the Pedunculate Oak (Quercus pedunculata) and the Red Oak (Quercus rubra). As a methodology for the collection and processing of primary materials, the method applied to eco-logical landscaping and reconstruction works was used according to the technical norms in force. The scientific study carried out in spring and autumn, regarding the ecological reconstruction in the Singerei Forest District has its investigation from 2018- 2021. The competitiveness of these totally derived works during the last years, has obtained forest crops with a very good success of the main species, being thus, possible to obtain new stands and at the same time, defending understood and unregenerate gaps.

The forest ecosystems of the Republic of Moldova constitute a strategic natural biotic potential, which through their structural and functional diversity include the most valuable associations of natural vegetation. Degradation of forest resources influences the state of other natural resources and can be a limiting factor in the development of the local and national economy as a whole. Thus, there is a need to carry out a detailed analysis of the dynamics of forest landscapes using modern research methods and means, in order to develop possible measures for their ecological reconstruction, which, along with other activities, would ensure the sustainable development of society. In this context, for the installation of a forest crop it is very important to use high quality reproductive forest material that is compatible with the planting area. A current example of the research presented evokes the purpose of this paper. The objective of this study was to organize the ecological reconstruction of the stands in the Singerei Forest District. The monitoring of the afforested lands by natural or artificial way in the respective area, was carried out practically from the period 2018-2021 for: a) meadows or gaps destined for afforestation - 185.97 ha, of which only 92.97 ha have been afforested so far; b) degraded lands destined for afforestation - 96.81 ha, of which only 50.88 ha have been afforested so far. Overall, the main species is the White Acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) then the Pedunculate Oak (Quercus pedunculata) and the Red Oak (Quercus rubra). As a methodology for the collection and processing of primary materials, the method applied to eco-logical landscaping and reconstruction works was used according to the technical norms in force. The scientific study carried out in spring and autumn, regarding the ecological reconstruction in the Singerei Forest District has its investigation from 2018- 2021. The competitiveness of these totally derived works during the last years, has obtained forest crops with a very good success of the main species, being thus, possible to obtain new stands and at the same time, defending understood and unregenerate gaps.

Knowledge of the soil hydro-physical properties of any irrigation site is crucial in soil quality assessment and its management. This study was conducted to assess the aforementioned properties in the Jibia Irrigation Dam of Katsina, a Sudano-Sahelian region in Nigeria. After employing the grid soil sampling approach 144 samples were obtained and analyzed, the data obtained were subjected to descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and maps were created using the kriging technique. Findings were used to conclude the higher presence of sandy textured soils (loamy sand to sandy texture), Average Moisture content at Field Capacity (FC) of 0.332 %, Permanent Wilting Point (PWP) of 0.222 % and Available Water (AW) of 0.192 % were observed to be low with high Hydraulic conductivity making the soil require frequent irrigation. Semivariogram analysis showed that moisture content at FC and AW had weak spatial dependence (nugget-sill ratio > 75 %), moisture content at PWP had moderate spatial dependence (nugget-sill ratio, 25 – 75 %) while Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity (Ks) had strong spatial dependence (nugget-sill ratio <25 %). Linear, Gaussian, Exponential and models were used for hydraulic parameters based on nugget. Mean prediction error and root mean square values it was found the exponential model was the best fit for moisture content at FC, PWP and AW. While the quadratic model was the best fit for Ks. Sound management practices were recommended in terms of agricultural use of the soil in the study area.

The dwindling supply of timber in the wood markets in Ghana, demands increasing focus on promoting the utilization of lesser-known species (LKS) or lesser-used species (LUS). Six major wood trading markets in Ghana were captured in this study in June 2021. Untreated and thermally modified G. arborea (Rox. ex. Sm) wood was largely unknown and unavailable in all the six major timber markets. Respondents who expressed interest in selling or working with G. arborea wood, based their acceptance on good aesthetics (40.5 %), good weight-to-volume ratio (25.6 %), and high durability (16.4 %) as the most important characteristics. A majority (73.9 %) of respondents in all six markets accepted to sell/buy the timber species of dimension 4 cm x 12 cm x 243.84 cm for US$ 11 – 15. About 73.9 % and 52.8 % of respondents indicated an appreciable affinity for the light color and weight-tovolume ratio of the untreated wood, which were regarded as good wood qualities. In all, 76.1 %, 73.3 %, and 67.7 % of respondents considered darkened color, improved dimensional stability, and improved durability of thermally modified G. arborea wood respectively as significant and preferred properties. The respondents emphasized that reliable market supply and affordable pricing of G. arborea were the major challenges to overcome. Potential patronage for thermally modified G. arborea wood was indicated by 13.6 % and 76.7 % of respondents who significantly agreed and agreed respectively that, a price increase of 15 % for the thermally modified wood compared to the untreated wood, could be well accepted and accommodated by the markets.