Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 2026 (vol. 74), issue 1-2
Thinning Strategies for the Possible Robotization of Columnar Apple Orchards
Luděk Laňar, Klára Scháňková, Lukáš Nývlt
Acta Univ. Agric. Silvic. Mendelianae Brun. 2026, 74(1-2), 11-17 | DOI: 10.11118/actaun.2026.001 
Columnar apple varieties, which have a genetically determined slender growth pattern, are seen as a possible solution for simplifying and unifying the structure of orchard canopies. This makes them well-suited for the upcoming robotization. However, columnar varieties usually have very strong tendency to alternate bearing. We investigated the possible thinning strategies for columnar apples to avoid this tendency, maintain high production, and facilitate future robotization. Several treatments were designed in young orchard of the columnar apple variety 'Redspring'/M26. Three different main strategies that could be partly or fully carried out by robots...
Performance of 'Gala' apple under chemical thinning or precision crop load management
Tomáš Kiss, Ivo Ondrášek, Eliška Zezulová, Jan Náměstek, Luděk Laňar, Tomáš Nečas
Acta Univ. Agric. Silvic. Mendelianae Brun. 2026, 74(1-2), 19-26 | DOI: 10.11118/actaun.2026.002
In Europe, the most common measure for crop load management is chemical thinning. Nevertheless, its effect is influenced by many variable factors, thus difficult to control and predict. Precision crop load management is a possible strategy to avoid use of chemical thinning and it provides consistent predictable crop loads. Objective of the research was to test the influence of fruitlet thinning timing on final yield performance when precision quantified crop load management is applied, compare it with chemical thinning, and assess its practical feasibility in current standard spindle orchards. Artificial spur extinction in balloon stage to set 6 flower...
EXPERIENCE WITH THE RESILIENT MODULUS DETERMINATION FOR FOREST ROADS DESIGN USING CYCLIC CBR TEST
Aleš Florian, Lenka Ševelová, Petra Machová, Michal Kraus, Luboš Podolka
Acta Univ. Agric. Silvic. Mendelianae Brun. 2026, 74(1-2), 27-37 | DOI: 10.11118/actaun.2026.003
The design and assessment of road pavement structural layers made of natural and recycled materials requires careful determination of their physical-mechanical properties. The resilient modulus Mr , which characterizes the stiffness of the material under cyclic loading, is considered to be a fundamental parameter for characterizing material properties. The standard test for its determination is the cyclic triaxial test. An alternative solution is the cyclic CBR test, which uses a standard California Bearing Ratio device. The paper presents the experience and results obtained by its long-term use. Studies show that resilient modulus increases...
The fourth addition to the sedge flora (Carex, Cyperaceae) of the Czech Republic
Radomír Řepka, Jan Řepka
Acta Univ. Agric. Silvic. Mendelianae Brun. 2026, 74(1-2), 39-51 | DOI: 10.11118/actaun.2026.004
The article presents two Carex nothospecies new to the flora of the Czech Republic found in 2025 in the field and one rare nothospecies discovered in herbaria, previously mentioned in the Czech Republic. In a locality with exceptional microclimate and vegetation near the Břehyňský rybník pond (northern Bohemia), we found the hybrid Carex aquatilis × C. elata. It was previously reported from Finland and Sweden only as a combination of the parental species names. This is the first find of this hybrid in the heart of Central Europe, far from its nearest localities in northern Europe. In this article we formally described and named the hybrid as C. ×aquosa,...