Allotment gardens have played a significant role in Czech and Slovak society for decades, building upon a rich history of gardening. This article elaborates on Czech and Slovak allotments in the European context and identifies their core functions, services, and benefits. We provide a thorough historical review of allotments in this region, reaching back to the eighteenth century to trace significant periods and historic events that shaped society in general and urban gardening in particular. We analyze the development of allotments until and after 1989 and illustrate key aspects of their present situation using case studies and examples. The article provides a complex historical narrative as a good basis for discussions on contemporary trends, challenges, and visions for the future of urban allotment gardening in both countries.

Adaptability of Acer platanoides L. to deteriorating urban conditions was assessed through qualitative parameters describing crown destruction, assimilation organs efficiency, chlorophyll a content, and content of alochtonous elements in leaves. The adaptability assessment was based on comparison between study trees growing in an environmentally loaded town area and control trees in a historical rural park, both localities in Slovakia (Central Europe). The results of visual assessments performed in 2015 and 2016 showed higher crown and leaf quality ( Qns ) for the individuals growing in the rural park ( Qns ₂₀₁₅ = 0.44, Qns ₂₀₁₆ = 0.43) compared to the individuals in urban conditions ( Qns ₂₀₁₅ = 1.44, Qns ₂₀₁₆ = 1.56). The values of chlorophyll a content index ( CCI ) were higher in the trees growing in the rural park ( CCI = 25.914) than in the urban environment ( CCI = 16.290). The performance of assimilation organs was evaluated through the maximum fluorescence yield ( Fv/Fm ) and electron transport rate ( ETR ) at both sites. During the years 2015 and 2016, there were measured higher values in the rural park ( Fv/Fm ₂₀₁₅ = 0.828, Fv/Fm ₂₀₁₆ = 0.820) than in the town ( Fv/Fm ₂₀₁₅ = 0.823, Fv/Fm ₂₀₁₆ = 0.772). Higher ETR values were measured on trees in the urban area ( ETR ₂₀₁₅ = 47.345, ETR ₂₀₁₆ = 65.284) and lower in the park area ( ETR ₂₀₁₅ = 36.832, ETR ₂₀₁₆ = 59.495). The urban locality demonstrated higher contents of Cu, Zn, Fe, Pb, Na and Ca elements in tree leaves compared to the rural park. The adaptability index ( Ia ) values indicate an average adaptability of the Norway maple to the urban environment ( Ia ₂₀₁₅ = 1.93, Ia ₂₀₁₆ = 2.13) in comparison with a good adaptability in the rural park ( Ia = 0.8–1.6).

Development of vineyards landscape structure with regard to historical and cultural values

The aim of this paper is to assess the structural changes development of vineyard type of cultural agriculture landscape in Čajkov cadastre. In landscape space out of built up rural settlement Čajkov the vineyards create a specific landscape segment which covers 6% of the whole cadastre area. Two time development periods are compared, i.e. 1896s and 2010s, or 2011s with emphasis to land use form changes and area size changes of vineyard parcels. The result shows that vineyards represent more than 100 hundred years continuity of historical valuable cultural landscape which was not influenced by agricultural collectivisation processes within the second part of the 20th century. The second part of the paper is aimed to assess cultural value of the vineyards by using 9 different criteria such as: age of vineyards, area plots and mosaic structures, archaic vine technology, anthropogenic relief, old vineyard’s buildings and sacral architectural elements, old large and rare fruit trees, traditional and local vine sorts, archaeological locality and finds. Assessed vineyards landscape of Čajkov cadastre is unique, has well preserved historical continuity in landscape structure and a high cultural and historic value.

Urbanised landscape represents composed structures of technical and biotic elements where social and economy activities create living space for human society but with strongly changed environment. To dominant characters belong climate changes with increased air temperature, drought and emission load, which has developed wide spectrum of stress factors influencing the urban vegetation. For the assessment of plant growth and adaptation response, we have used Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) as study model woody plant. In the framework of visual characters, we assessed the following indicators: (a) assimilation organs (leaf necrosis); (b) crown quality (degree of foliage and degree of dead tree crown); (c) trunk and branch quality (mechanical damage, incidence of wood destroying fungus and trunk cavities and callus healing of trunk wounds). Each indicator was assessed in five-point scale, and in the end, the common index of quality was calculated. The quality index achieved 9.33 points in the first and 10.33 in the second evaluation periods in the Nitra city and 2.66 at the both assessed periods in the comparable rural park. In the group of physiological indicators, chlorophyll a fluorescence marker and its F_v/F_m parameter were used. Within three repeating assessment during growing season (June, August and September), the average values reached F_v/F_m = 0.814 in the city and F_v/F_m = 0.829 in rural park. The results confirmed statistical significances between loaded city conditions and relatively clean rural locality. Used markers have shown as appropriate tools for growth response measurements of street trees in a changed urban environment.