Research on urban climates has been an important topic in recent years

A b s t r a c t. Due to the absence of a suitable method and standardized procedures, the root systems of plants have been evaluated to a much lesser extent than aboveground organs. The aim of this article is (i) to provide a detailed description and thus standardization of an upgraded procedure of electrical capacitance measurement for evaluating the size of the root system of plants in situ, which allows for a reassessment to be made during the growing season and subsequent harvest of seeds for the planting of selected progenies, (ii) to demonstrate, through a standardized methodological protocol, the applicability of root electrical capacitance measurement as a field phenotyping method for the selection of superior root systems to improve crop abiotic stress tolerance and resource efficiency, (iii) to suggest a standardized methodological protocol for the application of electrical capacitance measurements in breeding nurseries, and (iv) to discuss the methodological aspects, development and limitations of this method. A methodological overview of the use of electrical capacitance to measure plant root systems, which emerged from working groups directed by the author of this unique method, is presented along with a standardized protocol. An overview of the application of electrical capacitance measurements of roots in breeding is shown along with some examples of successful applications.K e y w o r d s: root system, drought tolerance, varieties, yield

The paper summarizes the results of wind velocity measurement in different distances from windbreak in combination with optical porosity (OP) determination in different periods. Experimental data were obtained by direct measurement of wind speed and OP analyses of images of four windbreaks in Southern Moravia (part of Czech Republic). Wind speed at 2 m above the soil surface in a defined distance from windbreak had been measured since 2006. Thirty images of different phenological stages of selected windbreaks from 2006 to 2010 were analyzed. Windward or leeward images were converted into black and white spectrum. All available measurements were used for a map creation. The highest values of OP (up to 50%) are achieved in non-vegetation period. Due to the high OP variability in height of terminal tree branches "OP reduced" was also assessed (just squares to 2/3 height of windbreaks were evaluated). The wind speed reduction on the leeward side relatively strongly correlated with OP value. The highest correlation was found out when the wind speed measurement at 50 m on leeward side was used. The dependence decreases with increasing distance. Full foliage in summer (10% OP) reduces a wind speed about 60% at 50 m and about 30% at 150 m on the leeward. These values for non-foliaged windbreaks decrease to 80 and 90%. Maximum distance of windbreak effect on wind speed reduction was found out by the extrapolation of the curves constructed using the regression equation of wind speed reduction in dependence on OP and different distances from the windbreak. Regardless of OP value, the reduction effect disappears at a distance of 250 m. The quietest zone of evaluated windbreak with an average height of windbreaks 15-18 m was detected in the area about four times the height (4H). The effect of windbreaks decreases with increasing porosity.

Air temperature and humidity conditions were monitored in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, by

The aim of this paper was to assess the impact of heatwaves on mortality in ten Czech cities, using data recorded during the summers of 2015 and 2016. Temperature-related mortality during heatwaves was investigated by comparing mortality figures on heatwave days and those on other days by means of the Mann-Whitney U test. Results for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases (CVD+R) mortality, as well as for mortality in the over-65 age group, show statistically significant differences (p <0.05) during heatwaves compared with other days in seven of ten cities investigated. The effect of heatwaves on mortality did not reach statistical significance in Olomouc, Plzeň and Liberec. The results suggest that further studies addressing spatial patterns of mortality during heatwaves in urban areas are required to assess the vulnerability of the urban populations in particular cities and types of neighbourhood.