Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition最新文献

The utilization of biochar, a carbonaceous substance derived from pyrolysis, has been extensively investigated in various agricultural settings. However, applying biochar to Canadian prairie soils without additional fertilizer treatments generates minimal benefits for crop productivity. This study investigated the effects of biochar amendments, with and without addition of Triple Superphosphate (TSP) fertilizer, on phosphorus (P) availability and retention in Canadian prairie crops and soils. Specifically, the study assessed crop yield, P uptake and recovery by canola plants, soil P retention, infiltration rates and P losses in simulated snowmelt runoff. Controlled environment and field studies were conducted with biochar and TSP fertilizer on nutrient deficient soils in the Saskatchewan Brown and Black soil zones. Under both growth chamber and field conditions, biochar derived from canola hull, manure, and willow feedstocks were shown to contribute some available P for plant uptake, with observed recovery of biochar P by canola up to ca. 50% of that found for TSP fertilizer. Among these biochar feedstocks canola meal biochar was least effective in supplying plant available P in the year of application. Willow biochar applied alone, or co-applied with TSP, may be an effective strategy for reducing P losses in snowmelt runoff compared with TSP alone and willow biochar also contributed to increased water infiltration. Biochars can potentially benefit canola production by enhancing P nutrition and recovery. Moreover, a balance may be obtained between biochar supplying P during the growing season, while reducing P losses in the spring snowmelt runoff.

Barley is among the most important crops in northern latitudes especially for malting and distilling. Inter-annual weather variability in terms of rainfall and temperature patterns can impact crop uptake of soil water and nitrogen, which influences the crop growth and development. The present study shows the effects of nitrogen and water applied on: (i) specific grain quality traits necessary for distilling; (ii) plant biomass, nitrogen, and yield; and (iii) farmer’s marginal net return. The experiment was conducted during the growing seasons of 2018 and 2019 at the James Hutton Institute (UK) with two nitrogen fertilizers and two irrigation levels. During the growing season soil mineral nitrogen and soil water content and plant biomass and nitrogen were measured. At harvest yield, yield component, and grain quality traits were determined.2018 was a very dry growing season, as opposed to the wetter 2019 respect to the long-term growing season rainfall (1974–2017). Grain yield in 2018 was higher for the irrigated treatment, but in 2019 the irrigation, due to high rainfall, had lower yield. Environmental conditions impacted grain quality, and the patterns of soil water and mineral N affecting the final quality traits. Despite variable weather conditions the grain quality requirements from the industry of either beer or whisky are met.

Vermicompost is an environment-friendly and effective organic fertilizer, and has been widely used to improve soil quality with different addition doses. However, the potential effects of vermicompost size that may affect soil porosity and nutrient release are rarely studied. Two sizes (0–2 mm and 3–5 mm) and four volume proportions (5%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) of vermicompost were added in the poor soil to improve soil fertility with the originally unimproved soil as the control (CT). Almost all physical parameters, nutrients, aggregates, and soil enzyme activity measured in this study were positively affected by vermicompost addition, and significantly related to addition proportion and vermicompost size. Overall, vermicompost addition decreased soil pH and bulk density, while increased electrical conductivity and porosity. The mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) in the S8 (30% proportion, 3–5 mm size) were 15.2% and 9.1% higher, and the water stable aggregate (WSA_0.25) in the S4 (30% proportion, 0–2 mm size) was 27.7% higher than the CT. On average, the MWD and GMD in the bigger size group were 19.7% and 19.4% higher than those in the smaller size group. The activities of urease, saccharase, dehydrogenase, and glutamate decarboxylase in the S4 and S8 were 3.3 and 2.1 times, 2.9 and 4.9 times, 50.7% and 69.5%, 72.1% and 72.7% higher than the CT. Vermicompost addition increased the content of organic matter, available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium with the biggest enhancement in the S4 and S8 (ranging from 1.2 to 4.9 times), which was related to the increase in aggregates and enzyme activity. Vermicompost application had positive effects on soil improvement with addition proportion being more significant than vermicompost size.

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of two carbon (C)-rich carrier materials derived from agricultural residues, spent mushroom substrate (SMS) and composted wheat straw (CWS) for enhancing soil carbon stabilization in an Andisol, with a view towards their future application in smart fertilizer design. We investigated how their contrasting nitrogen contents and application rates affect soil organic carbon dynamics and contribute to sustainable soil management and climate change mitigation. Soil incubations were conducted over 365 days, during which C mineralization, enzymatic activities, and C and N sequestration were assessed. SMS addition at both low and high rates (0.5% and 1% soil C increase, respectively) enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC) stabilization, increasing mean residence times (40.6 and 48.8 years) and half-life times (28.1 and 33.8 years) of the stable C pool compared to unamended soil (35.9 and 24.9 years). High-rate CWS application (1% soil C increase) promoted native SOC decomposition, increasing C losses (5.8%) and reducing C sequestration potential (96%). However, low-rate CWS application (0.5% soil C increase) showed promise, increasing mean residence time (46.8 years) and half-life time (32.4 years) of the stable C pool. Spearman correlations revealed positive associations between electrical conductivity, total N, humification indices, and C stabilization parameters, highlighting the importance of nutrient availability and humification potential for C stabilization. Incorporating C-rich carrier materials with balanced nutrient content, such as SMS, can enhance soil C stabilization and support climate-smart agriculture goals. Low-rate CWS application also shows potential as an alternative C-rich carrier material. However, careful consideration of application rates and material properties is crucial to avoid adverse effects on native SOC mineralization.

This study aims to investigate the transformation and carbon sequestration mechanisms of soil organic carbon in manganese-contaminated farmland. A 100-day constant temperature incubation experiment was conducted using potassium dihydrogen phosphate-modified bagasse biochar (BC-K) at concentrations of 0%, 0.5%, 2%, and 5%. The effects of BC-K on the mineralization of organic carbon and the changes in the physicochemical properties of manganese-contaminated soils were examined. The results demonstrated that applying 0.5%, 2%, and 5% BC-K to manganese-contaminated soils significantly reduced cumulative CO₂ emissions by 411.94 mg·kg^− 1, 47.33 mg·kg^− 1, and 105.24 mg·kg^− 1, respectively. The greatest reduction was observed with the 0.5% BC-K application compared to the control. The application of 2% and 5% BC-K to manganese-contaminated soil increased SOC by 121.50–165.23%, DOC by 24.46–30.05%, and MBC by 5.41 to 6.19 times. However, ROC decreased by 29.83–30.04%. In addition, the application of BC-K in manganese-contaminated soil can increase soil AP, AK, CEC, pH, and catalase. The application of BC-K can effectively reduce CO₂ emissions in manganese-contaminated farmland soil while significantly increasing soil organic carbon content and improving its physical and chemical properties. The findings of this study offer a scientific foundation for developing carbon sequestration and soil nutrient management strategies in manganese-contaminated farmland soils. These insights are crucial for enhancing soil environmental quality.

Soil enzyme assays are often used as indicators of potential biological functions. The objective of this study was to understand enzyme activity across a range of soil pH. Soils (0–15 cm) were collected from a heathland restoration project (established 1999) on the Isle of Purbeck, UK with treatments of elemental sulphur or ferrous sulphate compared to a control, acid grassland and heathland. Enzyme assays were conducted using fluorescent substrates for β-1,4-glucosidase, β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) and phosphatase with a range of buffer pH from 3.0 to 12.0. Differences in soil pH were still evident with the control (pH 5.3) and ferrous sulphate (pH 5.2) significantly higher than elemental sulphur (pH 4.5), acid grassland (pH 4.3) and heathland (pH 4.0). The optimum buffer pH for enzyme assays varied from pH 3-4.5 for β-glucosidase, pH 4–5 for NAG and pH 4–6 for phosphatase. Comparisons using a standard MUB pH resulted in different conclusions compared to optimum pH. For example, β-glucosidase activity at pH 5 for the control was significantly higher than elemental sulphur, acid grassland, and heathland. However, there were no differences when the pH optimums were considered. Comparisons of phosphatase activity at MUB pH 6.5 resulted in higher activity in the control plots compared to the heathland, despite the heathland soils showing the highest activity at optimum buffer pH. By examining the relationships between soil pH, enzyme activity, and assay conditions, this study highlights the importance of optimizing pH in enzyme assays when comparing diverse soil types.

An attempt was made to recycle distillation waste biomass (DWB) of holy basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn) for cultivation of the same crop. The DWB-derived BC was co-applied with chemical fertilizer (CF) to improve the effectiveness of CF in holy basil cultivation. A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the co-application of DWB derived BC with and without CF on plant growth, yield and soil nutrient availability. The application of BC (5 t ha^− 1) with a 100% recommended dose of CF resulted in the highest fresh herbage (320.5 g plant^− 1), dry herbage (95.0 g plant^− 1) and essential oil yields (0.8 g plant^− 1). BC (5 t ha^− 1) treated with 50% of the recommended dose of CF exhibited the highest total phenol (30.13 mg GAE g^− 1) and total flavonoid (66.63 mg QE g^− 1) contents in dry leaf extract. Significantly greater antioxidant activity was recorded in the treatment receiving co-application of BC with the recommended dose of CF than in the treatment receiving only BC and the recommended dose of CF. Compared with the control and CF treatments, the BC treatment significantly improved the cation exchange capacity and organic carbon in the soil. Furthermore, the co-application of BC with 100% of the recommended dose of CF was the most efficient treatment for improving the soil properties and nutrient availability. Hence, the integration of BC with the recommended dose of CF improved nutrient availability for a longer time, resulting in better economic yield and quality of the medicinal herbs.

To investigate the relationships and relative contributions of soil physical and chemical properties, and plant hormones and antioxidant enzymes to maize biomass production with the application of vermicompost and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in saline-alkali soil. A greenhouse experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with maize grown with factorial combinations of plus and minus vermicompost and AMF additions. With the application of vermicompost and AMF, soil macroaggregates increased by 14 to 48%, salt concentration decreased by 12 to 34%, available phosphorus increased by 15 to 59%, and ammonium-N concentration increased by 26 to 40%. In response the shoot K/Na ratio increased by 43 to 261%, with consequent increases in plant nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, and biomass. The improvements in salt concentration and nutrient availability were paralleled by shoot indole-3-acetic acid concentration increasing by 20 to 28% and shoot catalase activity decreasing by 12 to 48%, which facilitated the increase in nutrient uptake and biomass. The increased biomass was mostly attributed to shoot K/Na ratio and catalase activity, by 54.4% and 9.7%, respectively. The synergistic effects of soil physical and chemical amelioration, and plant endogenously physiological regulation with vermicompost and AMF application effectively improved maize biomass in saline-alkali soil, with shoot K/Na being the key driver of biomass enhancement, and this mechanism merits consideration as an important target to improve plant salinity tolerance and biomass production under salt stress.

With the global population increasing and food security becoming an ever more critical issue, the need for enhanced agricultural practices to boost crop productivity while ensuring sustainability is unmistakable. While chemical fertilizers have played a vital role in modern agriculture, their excessive use has resulted in environmental pollution and economic challenges. As an alternative, biofertilizers have emerged, albeit with certain limitations. The advent of nanotechnology offers an environmentally friendly and precise solution, introducing the era of nano-fertilizers and nano-biofertilizers. These nanoparticles exhibit the potential to improve soil fertility and crop yields while minimizing adverse environmental effects. In the realm of nanotechnology, precision agriculture aims to optimize chemical usage by mimicking natural processes. This article explores the latest advancements in nanotechnology, specifically focusing on the development of nano-fertilizers and nano-biofertilizers, underscoring their pivotal role in sustainable agriculture. Through a risk–benefit analysis compared to conventional methods, this review contributes to the ongoing discussion on achieving long-term stewardship of natural and human resources, ultimately benefiting both agriculture and the environment. Additionally, it identifies various gaps and challenges, proposing potential solutions for modern agriculture.

To foster sustainable agricultural practices, the utilization of irrigation, fertilizers, and recycled soil enhancements is essential, particularly in regions with limited resources. This investigation sought to ascertain the optimal water and fertilizer prerequisites for the cultivation of maize by employing Response Surface Methodology (RSM) in arenosol enriched with spent mushroom substrate (SMS) in a controlled pot experiment. The experimental treatments were determined using the Central Composite Design based on varying levels of irrigation (50%, 75%, and 100% of soil field capacity), nitrogen (0, 1, and 2 g pot⁻¹), and SMS (0, 5, and 10%, v/v). The investigation's findings demonstrated that augmented irrigation and nitrogen fertilization positively influenced all agronomic traits, as well as nitrogen concentrations in the roots, shoots, and soil. SMS increased shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, leaf area per plant, and dissolved and total soil organic carbon. The optimal levels of irrigation, nitrogen fertilizer, and SMS to improve agronomic attributes were determined to be 81.43–97.80%, 1.38–1.69 g pot⁻¹, and 5.77–8.48%, respectively. The optimal amounts for NPK retention in soil and plant uptake were 69.50–98.00%, 1.20–1.98 g pot⁻¹, and 4.72–9.74%, respectively. The study concluded that irrigation and nitrogen levels had a greater impact on optimizing maize growth response than SMS. However, SMS was found to be more effective in increasing plant biomass due to its enhancement of both dissolved and total soil organic carbon. Furthermore, the interaction of irrigation and mineral nitrogen with SMS improved soil nutrient retention, plant uptake, and plant biomass productivity.