Proceedings of the III. Alps-Adria Scientific Workshop 2004 [antikvár]

PREFACE Dihydrogen oxide. A most essential substance of life. Colourless, transparent, tasteless, scentless compound of oxygen and hydrogen in liquid state, convertible by lieat into steam and by cold into ice. Our vocabulary has countless words concerning the form, appearance and like of this material; ice, snow, hail, hoar, rime, moisture, dew, vapour, steam - and sea, ocean, lake, pond, river, creek, brook, stream, fluid, drop and droplet - and also such phenomena as cloud, fog, rain, shower, tide, flood or on the contrary, words that may indicate the lack of that, from wilting to drought. Any of these words has a certain meaning providing us with information about this substance. The history of mankind is also a history of struggles to control and regulate water. Soil is the link between the mineral core of the Earth and life on its surface. It consists of decomposed mantle rock and organic matter, with spaces for water and air. Soil moisture varies with the structure and texture of the soil, as well as with precipitation-evaporation factors. Soil is the place where water is retained and stored. When there is too much water in the soil, some of it must be drained off Where and when water is in short supply, irrigation is needed to make up the deficit. This conference is organized by three committees of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; the Crop Production Committee, the Plant Protection Committee and the Soil Science and Agrochemistry Committee. The workshop is dedicated to the Alps-Adria movement providing a bridge to science and people of the region. The scope of the conference is to overview research activities and experimental results in the field of agri-environment. The main topics to be discussed will be related to the role of water in the plant and soil system. The conference venue is at the Hotel Neptun in Dubrovnik. Dalmatia is a unique region of natural beauty, historical and cultural treasures, and the famous Croatian hospitality. Our series of Alps-Adria conferences serve science and leisure, as well touristic and intellectual demand of the participants. Have a good time with us, and take this book with you as a hopefully valuable collection of research results to be kept on your bookshelves for future use. Dubrovnik, March 2004 The Organizing Committee