Recultivation of Agricultural Land Impaired by Construction of a Hydropower Plant on the Sava River, Slovenia

Hydropower plants on the lower river Sava, Slovenia, were developed without sealing the underground upstream. As a consequence, without the countermeasures of elevating and recultivating, the agricultural land on the river banks would be inundated because of the water‐table increase of the river. To remedy this, the fields were elevated and recultivated. The goal of this study was to assess soil quality and production potential after land raising and recultivation and to answer the question whether it is possible to recover soil quality and crop yield after large‐scale mass manipulation, such as land raising. After recultivation and after the second year of land reuse for the two cultures grass–clover mixture and corn on two sites, Middle Pijavsko and Lower Pijavsko, soil physical and chemical characteristics and crop yields were evaluated. Mixing of topsoil with the second horizon during removal and during backfill with filling material resulted in uneven soil fertility, plant growth and decreased yield. Driving on the refilled second layer with heavy machinery caused soil compaction in the Middle Pijavsko in spite of favourable soil texture (loam, 38·7% sand). On the areas with very high sand content (over 55%) and low clay content (10%), soil compaction was not as severe or persistent. Recultivation measures restored the agricultural land almost to the production potential prior to powerplant construction. Immediate intensive land use (corn) showed less favourable effect on soil characteristics. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.