The three most important life quality criteria are: healthy and good-quality food, clean water and pleasant environment. All three are closely related to the sustainable management of natural resources; conservation of soil and water resources; rational land use and landscape preservation. Soils are conditionally renewable natural resources, consequently, their rational use, conservation, and the maintenance of their multipurpose functionality have particular significance both in the national economy and environment protection. The main soil functions are: integrator (transformer) of other natural resources; most important media for biomass production; storage of heat, water, nutrients, pollutants; buffer of various natural and human-induced stresses; huge natural filter (preventing groundwater pollution); detoxication media of various harmful substances; habitat for soil biota, gene-reservoir, media of biodiversity; conservator of the natural and human heritage.

The maintenance of these functions is the key-element of sustainable development on all levels of the decision-making process: Globe → continent → region → country → subregion → settlement → farm → field. The EU Strategy for soil protection focuses attention on 8 environmental threats, for their prevention, elimination or moderation:

– water and wind erosion;

– decrease in organic matter resources;

– compaction and structure destruction;

– soil sealing;

– the increasing frequency, duration and degree of extreme moisture events: flood, waterlogging – drought;

– point and non-point (diffuse) soil pollution;

– salinization/alkalization/sodification;

– decline in biodiversity (decreasing number and activity of soil organisms, narrowing their species spectra).

The EU-conform Soil Conservation Strategy of Hungary was elaborated during the last decades on the basis of long-term soil survey, soil analyses, soil mapping and soil monitoring activities. It comprises three main tasks:

– the prevention, elimination or moderation of soil degradation processes;

– the reduction of the unfavourable economic, ecological, environmental and social consequences of extreme moisture regimes;

– the control of the biogeochemical cycle of elements: optimum nutrient supply of plants; prevention of harmful soil pollution and contamination of the „food chain”.

Grassland management has to play a significant role in these actions. In addition to fodder production, rational grassland management can considerably contribute to the storage, buffer, filter and gene-reservoir functions of soil, to the improvement of soil moisture regime, to the moderation of extreme moisture conditions, and to the reduction of soil losses caused by water or wind erosion. In spite of these favourable impacts grasslands (covering about 12% of Hungary) have never been in the focus of Hungarian agriculture.

Grasslands were always restricted to marginal lands (sands, salt affected soils, peatlands, floddplains) with low and risky (highly weather-dependent) biomass production and low animal carrying capacity. Relatively productive grasslands were upturned for corn in large hilly areas (resulting serious erosion losses and landscape deterioration); the huge floodplain grasslands were used for other agricultural crops after flood control and river regulation; peatland grasslands were also considerably reduced by the drainage of these areas and used (not always successfully and efficiently) for arable crops. Huge areas became seriously degraded wastelands or „weedlnds” due to irregular grazing, lack of weed control, plant nutrition, water management. Under improper management not only the biomass production decreased considerably but the soil conservation functions of grassland were also deteriorated, sometimes dramatically. The poor and degraded grassland vegetation were not able to prevent (or at least moderate) water erosion losses in hilly areas, wind erosion losses in the dry sand regions or „over-drained” ameliorated peatlands, and even their gene-reservoir functions are sometimes threatened seriously.

Rational grassland management is an important element of both the European and Hungarian Soil Conservation Strategy. Its scientific bases are well-known. The details have to be determined by further research and scientific programs. The existing knowledge should be broadcast using all available information channels: teaching and education on various levels; demonstrations; media programs, etc. A proper system of stimulating economy regulations should be developed and formulated in various-level legal documents. But first of all an environment-friendly moral must be developed accepting the concept of sustainable grassland management.

1. The 2^nd year effects of fertilization at Cserkeszőlő site were not proven statistically in hay yield. However, the NP-fertilization and the sheep manure gave 1-1.5 t/ha hay surpluses at Bakonszeg farm. The mineral composition of the hay did not change significantly as a function of treatment neither at Cserkeszőlő, nor at Bakonszeg site.
2. Elevated, in some cases extreme high K, N, Ca, P, Mg, S and partly Sr, Cd, B concentrations were found in the above ground plant tissue on the resting hump; as well as Fe, Na, Al, Cr and Co concentrations on the driveway. Plant samples were not cleaned or washed so surface pollution could also contribute to the abnormal composition.
3. According to soil analyses the organic matter content increased in the 0-40 cm layer at watering-place and screen wall. The NO₃-N content can reach 250-300 kg/ha level in the 0-1 m soil layer under the watering-place. The potassium rose more fold in the 0-40 cm layer at passageway, watering-place and near to screen wall. The NH₄-acetate+EDTA-soluble P content of the whole 0-1 m layer showed 2-fold excess at driveway, 4-fold at resting hump, watering-place and screen wall, as well as 23-fold at passageway.
4. The resting hump and passageway showed Zn pollution/accumulation. This phenomenon needs to be cleared by more examination. The soluble Fe increased in the topsoil near to screen wall, while soluble S in the topsoil of the watering place and around screen wall. The 0-20 cm soil layer had 72 mg/kg NH₄-N and 25 mg/kg NO₃-N, so N load can reach 300 kg/ha. The rear, suffering grass stand on this place can not use this N-pool, so here point pollution can be significant.

In this study a comparative relevé was conducted in the Transdanubian Central Mountains (Tihany Peninsula, Bakony, Keszthely hills). We evaluated the changes of species composition and ground cover, the measure of possible regeneration or degradation, and we evaluated the changes of these factors in the point of view of feeding value. We surveyed that how extent the main grasses and the papilionaceae appeared or disappeared, how changed the proportion of those species which can tolerate overgrazing, and what is the composition of the weeds on grazed and ungrazed areas. Accordig to results, the grasslands under survey have unfavourable species composition due to the bad management practices and insufficient technological conditions. The distribution of the nature protection value categories of the plant association’s species varies with the associations. The period under survey the closed grassland association near Lake Belső turned more valuable, where the meadow was converted into pasturing lands for Hungarian Grey Cows by changing cultivation methods. The quality of former (over)grazed grasslands near Sóly and pasturing lands near Vad parlag, where grazing was finished also turned more valuable. However the ground cover of species with best feeding value reduced, but feedig value of grasses increased due to the increasing of the cover ground of grasslands. In those grasslands, where the cultivation was finished, after initial increasing of number of species many shrubs appeared on the area, and this process will accelerate in the future. Because of this grazing is necessary with appropriate animal density.

The authors made plant pathological investigations and data collections on grass species important in their seed production areas in Hungary (Keszthely) and Austria (Irdning). The aim was to determine species diversity and dominance relations of plant pathogenic fungal species found on the cultivated grasses of the two ecologically different locations. The present work details only the leaf spot causing fungi and does not inform on rust causing fungi, powdery mildew, and smuts. The work gives information on fungal incidence on grass species, their importance and symptoms of disease caused by Cercosporidium graminis, Ramularia pusilla, Drechslera spp., Bipolaris spp., Mastigosporium spp., Septoria, Ascochyta spp. and Colletotrichum graminicola.

The successful life of Tessedik has been studied for about two centuries by the researchers. From among his activities of public utility the modernization of agricultural production is extremely outstanding.

His theoretical and practical work covers the main elements of farming of that time period. His results can be studied in the comprehensive system of fooder production, grassland farming and animal husbandry by the analyses of his papers. In his theoretical works he describes the practice of fodder production and feeding of his age as well as the possibilities of more successful farming. His recommendations could be applied only partially among th given economical conditions.

2007. szeptember 3-6. között rendezte az Európai Gyepgazdálkodási Szövetség (European Grassland Federation) 14. szimpóziumát (14th Symposium of the EGF) a belgiumi Gentben. A szimpózium témájául a rendező szervezetek (a Belga Gyep- és szálastakarmány Társaság – Belgian Society for Grassland and Forage Crops; a Ghenti Egyetem; a Mezőgazdasági és Halászati Kutató Intézet – Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Research) a Szövetség Végrehajtó Bizottságának (EGF Executive Committee) jóváhagyásával az „Állandó és időszakos gyepek – növény, környezet és ökonómia” (Permanent and temporary Grassland – Plant, Environment and Economy) témát választották.
A tudományos program a szövetség alapszabályában rögzített módon bonyolódott. Hétfőn egész nap, valamint kedden és szerdán délelőtt zajlottak a szekcióülések, kedden délután pedig a szakmai tanulmányút (mid-conference tour) tette kerekké a programot.
A szimpózium címéhez és a várható érdeklődéshez igazodva a rendezvény tudományos bizottsága 3 szekcióra bontotta a programot.
1. A gyep termése és annak minősége
(Production and quality)
2. A gyepgazdálkodási mód hatása a környezetre
(Impact of grassland management systems on environment)
3. A gyepgazdálkodás társadalmi-gazdasági következményei
(Socio-economical consequences)

A lejtős területek és köztük a gyepterületek hátrányos helyzete évtizedek óta ismert és tudományosan is kutatott területe a közgazdaságnak. A lejtés miatt kialakuló vízeróziós károkat korán felismerték, s egy idő után talajvédelmi tervezéssel, a tervek megvalósításával igyekeztek a károkat mérsékelni. A 60-as évek elején elindított országos mozgalom egybeesett a nagyüzemi gazdálkodás feltételrendszere kialakításával. Ez bizonyos mértékig előnyére vált a talajvédelmi intézkedések megvalósításának, az észszerűbb földhasználat kibontakoztatásának.
Közel 10 éves üzemi adatfelvételezéssel és elemzéssel egyértelművé lehetett tenni, hogy az észak-magyarországi térség szövetkezeteinél jelentősek mind a szántó, mind pedig a gyepterületeknél a lejtőmeredekségből eredő hozamkiesések.