Proceedings of the II. Alps-Adria Scientific Workshop [antikvár]

PREFACE Nitrogén is of special importance because plants need it in rather large amounts. The functions of nitrogén in plánt and animal life are many. Essentially all life processes depend directly on it. Nitrogén occurs chiefly as protein and nucleoproteins with smaller and widely varying amounts of amines, aminő acids, aminő sugars, polypeptides, and many miscellaneous compounds. An abundant supply of the essential nitrogén compounds is required in each piant cell for a good rate of reproduction, growth, and respiration. Evén clorophyll, which enables plants to use the energy of sunlight is a nitrogenous compound. Higher green plants cannot utilize gaseous nitrogén directly. It must first be combined with other elements. The processes in which nitrogén is transformed gradually into various forms of substances are comprised in the nitrogén cycle. Plánt and soil relations therefore are essential in providing a framework for ammonification, nitrification, denitrification and nitrogén fixation. This conference is organized by two committees of the Hungárián Academy of Sciences; the Crop Production Committee and the Soil Science and Agrochemistry Committee. The workshop is iniciated by the Alps-Adria movement. The aim and scope of the conference is to overview research activities and experimentál results in the field of plánt nutrition. A decision was taken by the organizers to make each Alps-Adria conference strictly thematical, therefore this event was dedicated to a most essential life element - the nitrogén. The conference venue in this year is the Medena Hotel in Trogir. May be there are no other settlements along the central Dalmatian coastline which have so strong links to all historical and cultural components of the region. The Greek and Román ancestors of Tragurion, the dawn of Croatian christianity, the mediaeval Trau providing a refuge to the Hungárián king Béla IV, the Venetian and Turkish war centuries, flourishing sea trade and renaissance art have all förmed today's Trogir to be a most spectacular place of the World's heritage. We do hope, that all participants of this conference will benefít intellectually concening both science and leisure. Trogir, March 2003 The Organizing Committee