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The knowledge, perception, and behavior of young people toward ecotourism are important for the sustainable development of this sector. The purpose of this research is to evaluate and analyze the knowledge of young Romanian students about ecotourism and the main ecotourism destinations in Romania, their behavior in relation to the practice of this form of sustainable tourism at the local level in the last 2 years (2020 and 2021), and people’s use of the Internet for planning holidays and digital applications while traveling in nature. A quantitative research was conducted based on a self-administered questionnaire, structured in 13 sections on ecotourism, to which were added the sociodemographic data of the respondents. The conclusions of the research are that young people know well the main ecotourism destinations in Romania; they choose them according to the beauty of the landscape, multitude of outdoor activities, and the hospitality of the hosts. In the last 2 years of the pandemic, young people have visited several times the main existing ecotourism destinations locally, with an average vacation duration of 1–3 days. The Internet remains the main source of information, and in the field, they use mobile applications that allow the download of digital maps and recognize different plant species. By integrating various activities in nature, in close connection with the local culture, ecotourism can contribute to the sustainable use of local tourism resources. This study provides a detailed and realistic picture of the knowledge and the type of ecotourism experience that young people want. The implications are theoretical and managerial, highlighting the importance of assessing the preferences of young ecotourists, as a basis for developing ecotourism strategies, sustainable use of local tourism resources, and management of protected areas.

Within the Oltenia surface mining region of Romania, 14,890 ha have been disturbed and only 1,002 ha have been reclaimed. The majority of this disturbance has involved agricultural land (12,208 ha), of which only a small amount has been reclaimed (552 ha). Forest land disturbed by surface mining in this region amounted to 2,682 ha, of which only 450 ha have been reclaimed. Therefore, huge land areas remain unreclaimed. Two experiments for the recultivation of sterile dumps were conducted: one without fertile soil covering on Garla dump and another one on Cicani dump which was covered by 30-40 cm of fertile soil. The study took into account 10 crops: Lolium perenne, alfalfa, Lotus corniculatus, winter wheat, maize, soybean, pea, mixture of barley or oats with a leguminous plant, sunflower, and sorghum. Three fertilization levels were applied: N 0 P 0 K 0 , N 100 P 80 K 60, and N 200 P 160 K 120. Yield gains obtained in the case of fertilization with N 100 P 80 K 60 on the Garla non-covered sterile dumps were 48% Lolium perenne, 22% alfalfa, 200% winter wheat, 300% maize, 50% soyabean, 80% pea, 122% mixture of barley or oats with a leguminous plant, 60% sunflower, and 164% sorghum. Higher yield gains were obtained with N 200 P 160 K 120 on the Garla non-covered sterile dumps (74% Lolium perenn, 37% alfalfa, 46% Lotus corniculatus, 264% winter wheat, 366% maize, 75% soyabean, 150% pea, 146% mixture of barley or oats with leguminous plant, 180% sunflower and 252% sorghum). The yield gains obtained on the Cicani dump which was covered with 30-40 cm of fertile soil with N 100 P 80 K 60 were 60% Lolium perenne, 30% alfalfa, 19% Lotus corniculatus, 171% winter wheat, 550% maize, 50% soyabean, 58% pea, 117% mixture of barley or oats with a leguminous plant, 83% sunflower, and 118% sorghum. High yield gains were obtained by applying high rates of fertilizers on the Cicani dump. The highest yield gains were obtained for maize, sorghum, sunflower, winter wheat, pea, and mixture of barley or oats with a leguminous plant, and the lowest yield gains were obtained for alfalfa and Lotus corniculatus. In both cases, the first crops do not change their order, the best results being obtained with the mixture of barley or oats with a leguminous plant, alfalfa, Lotus corniculatus, winter wheat, and maize. In all cases, the highest yield was obtained when the highest fertlization rate was applied.

The paper aimed at making a comparison between conservation agriculture and conventional agriculture on wheat yield, in a three crop rotation (wheat, maize and soybean) system. A three factorial experiment based on the split-plot model and variance analysis was set in the Transylvania area of Romania, as follows: A factor-agriculture system: A1-tillage, A2-no-tillage, B factor-fertilization: B1-N40P40 kg/ha. B2-N40P40 kg/ha+N50P30 kg/ha; C factor- treatments: C1-4 treatments, C2-3 treatments, C3-2 treatments at heading, C4-2 treatments at blooming. Fertilization applied in its B2 variant in conservation agriculture brought 460 kg/ha production gain, significantly and statistically ensured. Under conservation agriculture, two treatments applied at blooming determined 318 kg/ha production gain, statistically and significantly covered. The interaction fertilization-treatments produced the highest wheat yield 5001 kg/ha in case of the B2C3 variant, in conventional agriculture, and 5272 kg for the same variant in conservation agriculture, the difference of 953 kg compared to the central variant B1C1 being statistically ensured. Under the conditions of Transylvania, farmers could adopt conservation agriculture as a solution for increasing wheat production, reducing the number of treatments and applying more fertilizer upon blooming. The advantage of the implementation of such a system resides in its beneficial effect on soil structure, water reserve and biodiversity, as well.

Conservation agriculture is an alternative to conventional agriculture and one of the most efficient systems for sustainable agricultural development, stimulating soil biological activity, increasing organic matter and humus content. In order to evaluate the impact of the conservation agriculture system compared to the conventional agriculture system on wheat yield, a bi-factorial experiment on wheat crop based on split-plot model was organized in the Transylvania Plain, Romania, where there are a few research results in the field and the area has a high potential for the implementation of conservation agriculture system. First factor (' A') was agriculture system, having two levels: ' A1' tillage (classic) system and ' A2' no-tillage system, and the second, 'B' factor was fertilization, with three levels: 'B1' no fertilization, 'B2'-N 80 P 40 kg/ha, which is the average level practiced by farmers in the area and 'B3'-N 150 P 75 kg/ha, which is the recommended level for obtaining a high production performance specific to ' Ariesan' wheat cultivar used in this experiment. The results pointed out that, in comparison with conventional agriculture, the application of no-tillage system determined a lower wheat yield by 353 kg per surface unit. Fertilization assured a significant increase by 610 kg wheat grains per ha. In the case of the conservation agriculture system, the highest production gain was 1,260 kg/ha for 'B3A2' level compared to 'B1A2' level, where the highest fertilization level was applied. The lowest production gain was 410 kg/ha registered by 'B3A1-B1A1' which was the highest fertilizer dose in case of conventional agriculture. In conclusion, the application of no-tillage system increased the efficiency of fertilization in terms of wheat yield compared to the classical agriculture. As a result, it is recommended as farmers dealing with wheat cropping in the area and also in other regions with similar soil and climate conditions to implement conservation agriculture.