The study identifies the soil physical properties most influenced by long-term fertilizer application, offering valuable insights into sustainable agricultural practices. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the effects of fertilizer application on soil physical properties by identifying key properties that require monitoring for improvement. A long-term field...
With rising climate anomalies and deterioration of ecological balance, water shortage has emerged as a major environmental problem faced by mankind, which has considerably limited agricultural productivity worldwide. Drought stress generates an insidious hazard by destabilizing global hydrological cycle and due to its increased frequency, severity and associated adverse impacts...
This study aimed to determine the plant-available forms of macronutrients (P, K, Ca, Mg, S) and micronutrients (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, B) in neutral and alkaline soils using multiple nutrient extraction methods. It also sought to evaluate the correlations between these methods and routine soil analysis techniques through the TOPSIS multi-criteria decision-making approach. The study...
Crop production in tropical soils is often constrained by inherent infertility, acidification, and phosphorus sorption, challenges that can be addressed with empty oil palm fruit bunch (EFB) biochar. However, its use in small-scale farming in Ghana is relatively new, and there is limited information on safe application rates for different soils. This study aimed to determine the...
This study investigates the potential of sheep wool as an organic amendment to alleviate salinity stress and enhance the productivity of Lavandula officinalis in arid and semi-arid regions. A two-factor factorial design was employed under greenhouse conditions with five replications. The experiment tested varying levels of sheep wool fertilizer (SW) at concentrations of 0...
Inconsistent yield responses to inorganic phosphorus (P) fertilisers in tropical rice paddy soils remain a challenge. This study investigated the contributions of applied P fertilisers to soluble soil P and P transformation mechanisms in P-added paddy soils. An incubation study was conducted on three rice-growing soils (Ultisol, Alfisol, and Entisol) in Sri Lanka with and without...
This study provides insights that blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus L.) ecotypes grown in different eco-edaphic conditions can be targeted as a potential source of health-relevant phytochemicals linked to their antioxidant and enzymatic inhibitory activities. Agronomic productivity, phytochemical contents as well as cnicin concentration and phenolic profile linked to the...
This study investigates the impact of soil erosion-induced topsoil dilution by subsoil admixture on the input and turnover of recently assimilated carbon (C) in soil during crop growth. A pot experiment was conducted with three admixture levels (0%, 12%, and 24%) of subsoil (Bt material) mixed into topsoil (Ap material) of an eroded Nudiargic Luvisol. Spring rapeseed (Brassica...
Arsenate (As) pollution poses severe health issues due to its non-essentiality and mobility through food chains. The current investigation was conducted to study the stimulating capacity of aqueous garlic extract (AGE) to impede As toxicity in fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of AGE revealed the presence of...
Agriculture serves as the fundamental support system for any growing nation. Broad beans are the predominant staple food crop in many countries, among various other crops. Various abiotic stressors, including waterlogging and salt, negatively impact the quality and quantity of broad beans. Salt stress is a significant limiting factor affecting broad beans’ physical, physiological...
In arid and semi-arid zones, iron (Fe) deficiency represents great challenge for banana cultivations. There is no available standard table for fertilization program of banana in these areas. Therefore, the current study aimed to test the in vitro culture technique as a more rapid methodology for screening the appropriate Fe level and its relation to the activity and isozymes...
Effectively managing and transforming organic waste into a valuable resource is critical for minimising environmental impact, conserving resources, and mitigating climate change. Anaerobic digestate of solid food waste has high ammonium (NH4+) concentration and discharging it into the environment after nitrification may cause eutrophication. This study aimed to characterise (i...
Overcoming the effects of soil salinity and maintaining agricultural productivity requires innovative technologies such as using novel organic formulations (NOFs) consisting of agricultural wastes, including compost of green bean plants (LCT) and maize silk (MS), with humic acid (HA). The effect of NOFs (HA + LCT, HA + MS, LCT + MS, and HA + LCT + MS) as soil remediators on the...
Soilless cultivation facilitates efficient and intensive crop production, without the need for soil, making it an effective method for urban agriculture applications. However, soilless cultivation systems predominantly rely on the use of synthetic fertilizers. Therefore, the current study was conducted to evaluate struvite, produced from the digestated effluents of anaerobically...
Application of nitrification inhibitor (NI) is considered as an efficient tool for optimization of N management. The main purpose of this study was to examine the combined effects of N-NH4 level and NI on the performance of blueberry plants grown in low and high pH-buffered substrates. Three levels of N-NH4 (20, 40 or 80 mg L−1) were applied, with or without NI, to southern...
Purpose: Soil degradation, exacerbated by agricultural practices that ignore soil spatial variability is a critical threat to sustainable agriculture and food security. Management zones (MZs) delineation is a promising approach that has been used to manage soil spatial variability, and tailored agronomic inputs to optimize crop yield while mitigating soil degradation. Methods...
To investigate the effect of different depths of film-bottomed tillage (DFBT) on soil physical and chemical characteristics, agronomic traits, and yield of dryland spring wheat in arid regions of China. A two-year field experiment was conducted to assess soil and plant responses to varying depths of film-bottomed tillage for spring wheat cultivation. Measurements included soil...
To promote the use of legumes for the alleviation of sodicity in small-scale irrigated sugarcane plantations to reduce the cost of soil amendments for small-scale sugarcane farmers. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted by growing Canavalia rosea (Sw.) DC. in high sodium (Na+) concentration/sodic sugarcane plantation soils over a period of seven months. Plant material and...
This study aims to biosynthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) by using the metabolites from the cell debris of Arthrospira platensis. ZnO NPs have reduced copper toxicity (Cu2+) in Vicia faba (L.) seedlings, and antibacterial, antibiofilm, and anticancer properties were investigated. The ZnO NPs were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning...
Soil tillage practices and fertilization are the backbones of potato crop production system. Sustainable agricultural practices are essential for enhancing potato production in the Mediterranean environment and addressing the food security challenges. The main goal of research is to evaluate the efficacy of different soil tillage practices in combination with different...
Soil-plant indicators are useful to select tree species suitable for the urban conditions and to maximize the benefits provided by green infrastructures (GE). To identify effective indicators for GE, soil-plant nutrient interaction and related physiological responses were assessed in evergreen (Cupressus sempervirens L.) and deciduous (Acer opalus Mill., Acer rubrum L., Tilia...
Cadmium (Cd) stress considerably reduces crop yield. The use of biostimulants, like humic substances (HS), is a research strategy for increasing Cd tolerance. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a HS-based product in improving Cd tolerance in lettuce. It was selected for its ability to enhance growth through improved photosynthesis and antioxidant capacity although...
Bokashi is the product of an anaerobic process using beneficial microorganisms, molasses and water, in which a wide range of organic materials can be used. It has advantages over compost and other organic inputs on soil fertility due to its special properties. However, studies on bokashi compost are limited and much less is known of how bokashi compost affect properties of dairy...