This study aimed to apply statistical response surface models (RSMs) to evaluate morphological parameters of plant root system changes in response to humic acid (HA). The study was carried out in a growth chamber. Experimental treatments consisted of HA extracted using IHSS methodology at increasing doses: 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 110, and 150 mg HA L−1. Seedlings were collected at 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 and

Understanding the influence of tillage and fertilizer management on soil physical properties, and their roles in soil stoichiometry are critical for estimating the ecological implications of agricultural management. The study investigated the 3-yr effects of tillage and fertilizer management on soil physical properties, nutrients, and stoichiometry. The study included two tillage methods: rotary tillage

Thermal conductivity of saturated soil (λsat ) is a critical parameter for environmental and engineering applications. A wide variety of models used to predict λsat have been presented in the literature, but there is a lack of systematic evaluation of their performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of available λsat models with a compiled dataset containing λsat measurements

Phosphorus (P) recovery from wastewater using biochar is an alternative to P recycle and reuse. However, the impregnation of cations for biochar production is needed to enhance P removal. We aimed at studying the P adsorption and release capacity of biochar enriched with magnesium (Mg2+) and its potential use as fertilizer. Biochars were produced from poultry litter (PLB), pig manure (PMB), and sewage

Ridge irrigation is a water-saving irrigation technique for paddy fields. To obtain a suitable mode of ridge irrigation in increasing rice yield and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields, taking conventional irrigation (CI) as a control, the effects of ridge irrigation (RI) with different ridge widths on rice yield, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, global warming potential

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play key roles in nutrient cycling and supporting agricultural productivity. Although both phosphorus (P) fertilization and plant-plant interactions can induce changes in the AMF community, if and how their interaction effects can affect the AMF community remain unknown. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate plant growth, P concentration and content

Crop monoculture affects soil microbial community structure and diversity, but it is unclear which differences occur in microbial functions after the alteration of the bacterial community during crop monoculture. We investigated the diversity, functional groups and metabolic functions of bacteria under soybean rotation (RS), 2-year (SS) and 27-year (CS) soybean monoculture systems using high-throughput

This study investigated the impact of compost amendment on fungal structure of the replanted apple orchard in comparison with the original orchard without compost improvement. The V4 region of the fungal 18S rRNA gene was sequenced using high-throughput 454 pyrosequencing, and the data were analyzed using the Mothur pipeline. The results showed that the compost amendment modified the fungal community

The quantification of soil organic carbon (SOC) and N fractions under the influence of long-term fertilisation is useful to understand soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization mechanism and to develop optimal management practices. This study was to investigate the responses of different SOC and N fractions to long-term fertilisation and their contributions to the total change in the bulk soil under

The effectiveness of organic manures (pig, poultry and farmyard manure, compost and vermicompost) as acid soil amendment for addressing Al toxicity and P deficiency was investigated using groundnut (cv. ICGS-76 crop) in comparison with conventional liming agent (CaCO3). The organic manures’ ash alkalinity and calcium carbonate equivalent varied from 5876 to 9506 K mol H+ kg−1 × 10−6 and 236 to 476

Imbalanced use of chemical fertilizers can deteriorate soil quality; however, it can be reversed by organic matter management. Substituting fertilizer N by farmyard manure (FYM) without correcting for extra phosphorus being added could pose an environmental problem. A long-term experiment on rice-lentil cropping system was examined were N was substituted through FYM without correcting for the P being

Understanding the spatial characteristics of soil properties would be helpful in recognizing their relationship and the development of site-specific management techniques. The paper aims to identify any spatial heterogeneity of the P-related properties in a plot scale and to explain the main mechanisms influencing this variability in the upper layer of arable Luvisols. Samples were collected from the

Soil erodibility is a key parameter to measure soil susceptibility to water erosion and thus to soil erosion modelling, introduced as K factor in the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). However, subject to soil spatial heterogeneity and data availability, large-scale K value acquisition has not been properly addressed. In this study, authors aimed

Chemical fertilizers are often applied to increase soil nutrient contents and improve crop yields. However, the impact of chemical fertilizers on abiotic and biotic characteristics of soil is unclear. Here, we investigated the variations in soil chemical properties and bacterial communities of sugarcane soil after a five-year chemical fertilization period with five different regimes, namely, Control

Soil total nitrogen (STN) and the carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N) influence both crop production and microbial activity, but their distributions under different tillage practices are not clearly understood. This study investigated the effects of tillage practices on the vertical and temporal distributions of STN and the C/N ratio as well as on the distributions of STN fractions in a double rice cropping

In southern Iran, intensive tillage operations and residue removal increased soil compaction, which reduces soil porosity, crop development, and yield. While conservation farming combined with crop residue retention showed encouraging results. A 2-year field experiment (2016–2017) was conducted to evaluate the effect of tillage methods (conventional tillage, CT; reduced tillage, RT; and no tillage

A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of potassium on sucrose metabolism in the root system and its relationship with storage root formation in sweetpotato. Edible varieties Yanshu 25 and Beijing 553 were treated with K2O at 0, 12, 24, or 36 g m−2, and the number and length of adventitious roots in early growth stage, sucrose and hexose contents, and related enzyme activity

Efficacy of polyacrylamide (PAM), a water-soluble soil conditioner, prepared with poor quality water (low salinity, higher sodicity) commonly available to farm managers, is unknown. We studied the effects of treating aggregates of four soils with predominant smectitic or kaolinitic clay mineralogy with PAM solution prepared with poor quality water (low salinity and high sodicity). Impact of PAM on

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a key role in the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Anthropogenic land uses have a great impact on ecosystem processes and services. In this study, we estimated the diversity and composition of the AMF communities of five land use types, namely corn field, woodland, grassland, wetland, and paddy field, in a new established campus of northeast China by MiSeq

Three-year multi-location field experiments were conducted in soils of varying inherent nitrogen (N) supply in diverse agro-climatic zones for improving productivity and mitigating N2O emissions in timely sown and late sown wheat. The biomass, total N uptake (TNU) and spectral properties were monitored at different growth stages. Biomass production and TNU statistics of only 0.76% and 3.4%, respectively

Nutrient-use efficiency in pasture-crop rotations is not well understood. The hypothesis of this research is that nitrogen (N) cycled from the corn crop to the following pasture is not enough to supply the N demand of the pasture, independent of pasture height management. Our goal was to assess the carryover effect of N-fertilization from corn crop to a mixed pasture of black oat and ryegrass managed

Controlled-release urea (CRU) and fulvic acid (FA) could improve nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) and crop yield. This study aimed to reveal the synergistic interactions between CRU and FA on NUE, soil nutrient supply, and maize (Zea mays L.) yield. Here, we used no fertilizer for the control; low- or full-strength regular urea with or without FA (urea (U), U2/3, U+FA, U2/3+FA); and low or full-strength

(2020). Effects of different organic nutrient solution formulations and supplementation on tomato fruit quality and aromatic volatiles. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science. Ahead of Print.

Planting at wide spacing is one of the reasons for low yields of Asiatic cotton (Gossypium arboreum L.). Yield levels can be improved by high planting density (HPD) through close spacing. Field studies were conducted with different rows (0.30, 0.45 and 0.60 m) and plant-to-plant spacing (0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 m) vis-à-vis recommended spacing (0.45 × 0.30 m). Plant-to-plant distance of 0.15 m had significantly

A two-year field experiment was conducted to examine the effects of interseeded green manure (GM) legumes in maize (Zea mays L.) cropping systems and their termination time on yield of maize and soil chemical properties in southern Ethiopia. Maize variety, BH540 was planted as the main crop while three GM legumes cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp), lablab (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet) and hairy vetch

Weed control in rice fields has become particularly difficult because of the increased occurrence of herbicide resistance. The objective of the study was to assess in field conditions, in Italy, if repeated applications of the same herbicides on Echinochloa spp. populations already showing an initial level of resistance would increase their level of resistance over a short time. Repeated applications

We investigated the effects timing after reclamation with imported soil on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), aggregates, and crop yield of farmland converted from grassland. Soil samples collected in farmland plots after 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, and 20 years of reclamation were ananlysed. Maize yield was also measured. The SOC and TN content slightly decreased initially, and then increased up

A study was conducted in lab for synthesizing and characterizing the behavior of the nanoclay-polymer composites (NCPCs). Furthermore, greenhouse experiments carried out to investigate the effects of NCPCs application on crop yield, nutrient uptake, soil nitrogen availability and N2O emission. Wheat flour (WF), sodium alginate (Na-Alg) and acrylic acid (AA)+ acrylamide (Am) (AA+Am) NCPCs were synthesized

To test the hypothesis that plants could remobilize more nutrients from vegetative organs to fulfill the requirement of grain formation under high planting density, eight maize cultivars with different leaf senescence characters were chosen to study the relationship between stay-green character, nutrient (N, P, K) accumulation, post-silking nutrient remobilization and grain yield under three planting

Optimal sowing depth plays an important role in peanut’s stand establishment and yield. A field experiment was conducted to investigate sowing depths effects (3 cm, SD3; 5 cm, SD5; 7 cm, SD7; 9 cm, SD9; 11 cm, SD11; 13 cm, SD13; 15 cm, SD15) on soil environments, hypocotyl growth, endogenous hormones content, and pod yield. Both shallow- (3 cm) and deep-sowing (15 cm) treatments decreased the pod yield

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is prevalent in human populations in developing countries. The present study compared two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars [Jauhar-2016 (standard wheat) and Zincol-2016 (Zn-biofortified wheat)] for Zn biofortification with optimum soil Zn application. For this, Zn (at 0, 3, 6, 12 and 24 mg Zn kg−1) was applied to pots having an alkaline calcareous soil. Grain yield, grain

Nitrogen fertilizer is essential for the yield and quality of flue-cured tobacco. Honghuadajinyuan (i.e. Hongda) is a special flue-cured tobacco variety in Yunnan, which differs in nitrogen application rates from other varieties. In 2016 and 2017, different nitrogen application rates were established in Yunnan to compare, with other varieties, Hongda’s agronomic, economic, chemical indicators and soil

Zinc (Zn) contamination in soil has been a serious problem world widely. Plant growth-promoting bacterium (PGPB) could have potential applications in Zn bioremediation. In this study, Burkholderia pyrrocinia strain JK-SH007 had a high tolerance to Zn and was able to produce indole acetic acid and siderophore, to solubilize inorganic phosphate. And it was found to promote tomato growth and tolerate

To test the hypothesis that stay-green genotypes help to increase stalk lodging resistance under high planting density by reducing dry matter remobilization from stalk, a two-year field study with three planting densities (60,000, 75,000, and 90,000 plants per ha) and six hybrids was conducted. When planting density changed from 75,000 to 90,000, stalk dry matter remobilization efficiency increased

Warming and elevated CO2 (eCO2) may influence the input of photosynthetic carbon (C) into soils and subsequent soil C storage. The biochemical properties vary among soils, which likely act different roles in the fate of photosynthetic C and soil C sequestration in response to warming and eCO2. However, the interactive effects of climate change and soil types on the photosynthetic C retained in soil

Effects of various herbicides applied at different rates as pre-emergence or as post-emergence were studied on symbiotic parameters, growth, productivity and nutrient accumulation in mungbean. Pre-emergence application of pendimethalin 30 EC at 0.75 kg ha−1, pendimethalin 30 EC at 0.45 kg ha−1 + hand weeding (HW) at 4 weeks after sowing (WAS) and pendimethalin 30 EC + imazethapyr 2 SL (pre-mix) at

Soil compaction under no-tillage (NT) exerts a negative impact on the soil physical quality. The objective of this study was to quantify the influence of compaction on soil’s physical quality and soybean crop yield in a Rhodic Ferralsol under NT in southern Brazil. Soil compaction was established through an increasing number of passes (0, 3, 6, and 9 passes) by a 4510 kg tractor, which promoted a degree

The field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of crop residue incorporation and K fertilizer on seed cotton yield, K uptake and canopy apparent photosynthesis. Without K fertilizer, barley residue incorporation and barley-cotton residue incorporation increased seed cotton yield, total biomass, K uptake, leaf K concentration, leaf area index and canopy apparent photosynthesis in 2017 and

Cottonseed produces oil for human consumption and protein meals for ruminant feed, and carbohydrate metabolism takes responsibility for seed oil and protein biosynthesis. Here, 6-BA and GA3 were evaluated by seed or foliar application for its effect on physiological and productive parameters of cottonseed in two-year field experiment. Results showed that 6-BA and GA3 significantly enhanced cottonseed

Inappropriate use of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers has imposed irreparable damage to plant growth and productivity. Urea doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (Ur@HANP) was designed for controlled-release formulation for crop improvement. The main objective of the present work was to synthesize and evaluate the functioning of Ur@HANP on rice seed germination and transport of nano-nutrients in soil

Monoculture and rotation systems usually exhibit distinct diversity and composition of microbial community in the cultivation of various plants, but the network structures and keystone species of microbial communities in these two cropping systems are poorly understood. To better understand this issue, we constructed four ecological networks of bacterial communities in bulk and rhizosphere soils of

In this two-year field study, influence of seed size on the growth and performance of wheat sown under different sowing methods was evaluated. The experiment comprised of three seed size classes viz. bold size, medium size and small size and five sowing methods, (1) broadcast, (2) line sowing, (3) no-till sowing, (4) bed planting, and (5) broadcast augmented with furrows. Among sowing methods highest

The study aimed to determine nutrient availability in soil mulched with organic materials and how this is influenced by the presence of high C/N residue in the soil. Three organic materials were used: mature wheat straw (W, C/N 81), young faba bean shoots (FB, C/N 7) and sheep manure (SM, C/N 8). There were eight treatments: unamended control, soil containing W, soil containing W and mulched with W

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of 36 years of no-tillage (NT), compared to conventional-tillage (CT), on soil physical properties in a continuous grain sorghum experiment. Results revealed that long-term tillage treatments had minimal impact on bulk density (BD), total porosity (TP), air-filled porosity (AFP), water-filled pore space (WFPS), and volumetric water content (Θv). However

Field experiments were conducted on the lateritic sandy loam soils of Kharagpur, India during June to August for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. Supplemental irrigation supplied through subsurface drip and conventional furrow irrigation to evaluate green gram crop response under raised bed with and without plastic mulch and conventional ridge-and-furrow system. Lysimetric studies were conducted for

To select optimal fertilization management for soil productivity and fertilizer-nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) improvement in rice fields, we conducted a microplot experiment by growing rice in soils from different long-term fertilizations with the same inorganic fertilizers. The NUE was accurately evaluated using 15N labeled urea. The variations of the chemical compositions of soil organic carbon (SOC)

A two-year field experiment was conducted to explore the effects of different potassium fertilizer types and dosages on cotton yield, soil available potassium and leaf photosynthetic capacity. The experiment included seven treatments: (1) No potassium fertilizer (Control); (2) potassium chloride (PC) applied at 126 kg ha−1 (70% PC); (3) PC applied at 180 kg ha−1 (100% PC); (4) potassium sulfate (PS)

Coating and inhibitors are proposed as means to increase nitrogen (N) use, but their effects are variable. Coating and incorporation of inhibitors could be more effective. This study aimed at investigating the effects of a novel enhanced urea on yield and N use. We also assessed the N release capability of this novel product. The experiment consisted of six treatments: no-urea control (CT), uncoated

Lead is a persistent element in soils and has deleterious effects on living organisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different lead (Pb) concentrations on soybean and sorghum in soils. The experiment was conducted following ISO 11.269–2 guidelines, with samples of a Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico (LVAd) and a Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico (LVdf) contaminated with

Selenium (Se) is an essential nutrient for humans and animals, but is toxic at high concentrations in leaves. It is chemically similar to phosphorus (P), an essential plant macronutrient. The objective of this pot experiment was to investigate the effects of P- and Se-application rate on alfalfa growth and P and Se uptake in loessial soil, and reveal the changing processes of soil P and Se fractions

The wide application of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles inevitably facilities their release into the terrestrial and agricultural ecosystems, severely affecting crop production. The effects of nano-ZnO (100 mg L−1) on stomatal morphology, gas exchange and key carbon metabolism enzyme activities were investigated in drought-stressed and well-watered maize. Drought stress limited the plant growth, caused

A field experiment was performed to assess the carbon footprint (CF) of four cropping systems to identify the sustainable cropping system. The four cropping systems were cotton monoculture (CM), winter wheat intercropped with cotton (WIC), wheat cropping followed by transplanted cotton (WTC) and direct-seeded cotton after winter wheat harvest (WDC). The CF calculated per unit area (CFa), yield (CFy)

Amino acids are important components of the soil organic nitrogen pool. There is, however, a current lack of knowledge concerning how exogenous C and N regulate amino acid uptake in the soil microorganism/plant system. We used a 13C,15N-glycine injection method to examine glycine-derived 13C and 15N partitioning in a planted or unplanted spring wheat pot experiment. Four treatments were used: control

Under salt stress, the regulatory mechanism of root water uptake in tomato species with different salt-tolerance remains unclear. Here, we compared water uptake, aquaporin expression and oxidative damage in roots of wild tomato Solanum pimpinellifolium ‘L03708ʹ and cultivated tomato Solanum lycopersicum ‘M82ʹ under salt stress (150 mM NaCl) and H2O2-caused oxidative stress which is usually induced

It is important to reveal the physiological mechanism of water saving and yield increasing of mulched drip irrigation. Three treatments were applied at aspring maize field in Northeast China: mulched drip irrigation (MD), non-mulched drip irrigation (ND) and rain-fed practice (CK). Result showed that, MD treatment increased 5-year (2014–2018) average grain yield (GY) by 18.6% compared with the CK.

Organic mulch is an important agronomic measure which has proven effective for soil and water conservation worldwide. However, the appropriate mulch application rate, mulch material for soil erosion and runoff reduction need to be further discussed on a global scale. The results of this study confirmed that, under various environmental conditions, organic mulch had positive effects on soil and water

Nitrogen addition can significantly affect soil nitrification capacity through driving soil nitrifiers. However, the roles of nitrogen forms on nitrifiers are rarely known. This study assessed the effects of nitrogen addition forms (NH4+-N and NO3–-N) on nitrifiers’ abundances and community structures in a slightly alkaline upland soil by means of a short-term microcosms experiment. Nitrospira-like

In situ immobilisation zinc (Zn) in simulated polluted soil was conducted by using the thermal-activated serpentine prepared via heating natural serpentine at different temperatures as amendments. The effects of the amendments on the form of Zn in soil and the potential immobilisation mechanisms were investigated. After Zn polluted soil incubated with serpentine at rates of 3% by weight for 60 d, the

Greenhouse cultivation with high nitrogen inputs is extensively used in the vegetable production in China, leading to severe soil degradation. To effectively improve the quality of degraded soils, reductive soil disinfestation (RSD) has been adopted as a reliable remediation method but high N2O emission would occur in nitrate-riched soils during RSD treatment. This study aimed to apply biochar amendment

The objective of the study was to identify the potential for soil C sequestration associated with the establishment of a botanical garden in the tropics. Since forest resources are dwindling and home gardens are limited botanical gardens could play a major role in mitigating CO2 in the urban environment. This study determined C sequestration and nutrient availability of different thematic areas of