DOI - Mendel University Press

DOI identifiers

DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7701-098-6-0025

Changes in Land Use and Diversity of Agricultural Landscape: A Case Study of the Tribeč and Žitava Upland Interface (Kolíňany, Žirany)

Peter Petluš ORCID...1, Viera Petlušová ORCID...1, Renáta Klimanová1
1 Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia

The presented study analyses the spatio-temporal dynamics of the agricultural landscape at the interface of the Tribeč Mountains and the Žitava Upland across three key periods: 1949 (pre-collectivization mosaic), 2018–2024 (large-block management), and 2025 (implementation of strip-cropping). Quantitative analysis using landscape metrics (e.g., SHDI, Edge Density, Patch Density) documents a radical transformation of the area, where initial high diversity (138 patches) declined due to collectivization into extreme homogenization (3 patches). However, the introduction of strip-cropping in 2025 demonstrated a significant increase in edge density (from 107 m/ha to 447 m/ha) and reached a historical maximum in the evenness index (0.876). The research confirms that although temporal crop diversity (TDCI = 0.625) did not numerically increase with the introduction of strips, a fundamental qualitative optimization of the landscape's spatial configuration occurred. This approach enhances ecological stability, creates mechanical barriers against water erosion, and restores the functional texture of the agricultural matrix.

Keywords: landscape diversity, landscape metrics, strip-cropping, TDCI (Temporal Diversity Crop Index), land use changes

pages: 25-37, online: 2026



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