scholarly journals Impacts of Aerated Compost Tea on Containerized Acer saccharum and Quercus macrocarpa Saplings and Soil Properties in Sand, Uncompacted Loam, and Compacted Loam Soils

HortScience ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 625-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryant C. Scharenbroch
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Microbial Biomass Nitrogen ◽  
Available N ◽  
Quercus Macrocarpa

Aerated compost teas (ACTs) are applied to soils with the intent of improving microbial properties and nutrient availability and stimulating plant growth. Anecdotal accounts of ACT for these purposes far outnumber controlled, replicated, and peer-viewed experiments that have examined the impacts of ACT on soil properties and plant growth responses. This research assessed the impacts of four rates of ACT compared with water on containerized Acer saccharum and Quercus macrocarpa saplings growing in loam, compacted loam, and sandy soils. No significant differences were found comparing water with ACT applied at rates of 2, 4, and 40 kL ACT/ha for any of the six tree responses and 21 soil responses. Microbial biomass nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) increased, and available N decreased, in soils treated with ACT at 400 kL·ha−1 compared with water. Shoot, root, total biomass, and the root/shoot ratio were significantly greater for Quercus macrocarpa trees growing in compact loam with the 400 kL ACT/ha treatment compared with water, but significant differences were not detected for this application rate compared with water in the other soil types and in no instances with Acer saccharum saplings. These results provide some support for claims of ACT being able to increase soil microbial biomass and K, but provide minimal support for ACT being able to increase tree growth across multiple species in a variety of soil types. An application rate of 400 kL ACT/ha may be attainable for trees in containers with limited soil volumes, but this application rate is likely cost-prohibitive, and not practical, in the landscape. At this application rate, ≈1000 L of ACT would be required to treat a typical, and relatively small, critical root zone of 25 m2.

scholarly journals Biochar Promotes Nitrogen Transformation and Tomato Yield by Regulating Nitrogen-Related Microorganisms in Tomato Cultivation Soil

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 381
Author(s):  
Lili Guo ◽  
Huiwen Yu ◽  
Wenquan Niu ◽  
Mourad Kharbach
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Microbial Biomass Nitrogen ◽  
N Transformation ◽  
Tomato Yield

Nitrogen (N) transformation in soil directly determines the effectiveness of N for plant growth. Biochar has received evermore attention because of its significant ability to improve soil. However, the effects of biochar on N-related microorganisms (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) in tomato cultivation soil, N transformation, utilisation of water and N fertiliser, and tomato yield remain unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the responses of N-related microorganisms to biochar and N fertilisation in soil, along with the implications of biochar for altering N transformation, N uptake by tomatoes, and utilisation of water and N fertiliser. A two-year greenhouse experiment containing six biochar levels under drip irrigation (0, 10, 30, 50, 70, and 90 t ha−1) and two N fertiliser application rates (190 and 250 kg ha−1) was conducted in the northwest of China. The results showed that adding biochar significantly promoted urease activity, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), and the number of amoA-type nitrifiers in the soil. The MBC:N ratio and the number of nirS-type denitrifiers were significantly inhibited when the added amount of biochar was greater than or equal to 30 t ha−1. Moreover, biochar can increase the water content in the soil and can reduce the N lost to leaching. The inorganic N (NO3− and NH4+) in the soil could be better maintained in the rootzone and better absorbed by tomato plants when adding 30, 50, and 70 t ha−1 of biochar. The amount of N fertiliser could be reduced by 24% without a significant loss of tomato yield when the amount of biochar added was over 30 t ha−1. It was indicated that the yield of tomatoes and the net profits were quadratically related to the application rate of biochar. In the test area, 53 t ha−1 of biochar with 190 kg ha−1 of N and 44.6 t ha−1 of biochar with 190 kg ha−1 of N were calculated to be the best amounts from the perspectives of tomato yield and net profit, respectively. Thus, biochar promotes N transformation by regulating N-related microorganisms; hence, it increases the inorganic N in the roots of the plants, reduces N lost to leaching, and significantly promotes the N absorption of tomatoes. The results in this research are of great significance for the development of management strategies for tomato maintenance, environmental protection, and resource conservation.

Reaction of zinc with soil affecting its availability to subterranean clover. 2. Effect of soil properties on the relative effectiveness of applied zinc

Soil Research ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 303 ◽  
Author(s):  
RF Brennan
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Multiple Linear Regression Model ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Free Calcium ◽  
Alkaline Soils ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Matter Production ◽  
Zinc Application

The effect of moist incubation on the availability of applied zinc was examined on a range of Australian soils. Incubating soil with applied zinc decreased the uptake of zinc by subterranean clover and DTPA extractable zinc (ZnD) on all soils relative to freshly applied zinc. On soils where plant growth was increased by zinc application, prior incubation of the soil led to decreased plant growth responses to zinc. The relative effectiveness (RE) of zinc application for subterranean clover growth was measured by dry matter production, uptake of zinc by shoots and ZnD. Values obtained by all three methods of determining the RE were closely correlated. The extent of the decline in availability with incubation differed among soils being greater in alkaline soils, in soils with high clay contents, in soils with high levels of organic carbon , and in soils with free calcium carbonate. A multiple linear regression model was used to explain the relationship between the RE and the soil properties (r2 > 0.87).

Effect of Simulated Indaziflam Drift Rates on Various Plant Species

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 608-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Jeffries ◽  
Denis J. Mahoney ◽  
Travis W. Gannon
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Drift Rate ◽  
Vegetation Management ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Bell Pepper ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Spray Drift ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Plant Injury

Indaziflam is a PRE herbicide for control of annual grass and broadleaf weeds in numerous settings, including managed roadsides, railroads, and noncroplands. There is a need for new and improved PRE herbicides for herbaceous vegetation management along roadsides; however, off-target crop injury via spray drift is a concern because of the close proximity of roadside applications to the wide array of crops grown throughout the southeastern United States where indaziflam is used. Greenhouse research was conducted to evaluate the effect of PRE and POST simulated indaziflam spray drift rates on the growth of cotton, bell pepper, soybean, squash, tobacco, and tomato. Simulated indaziflam spray drift rates were 100, 20, 10, 5, or 2.5% of a 73 g ai ha−1 application rate, whereas other herbicide treatments included for comparative purposes were applied at 10% of a typical North Carolina roadside vegetation management application rate. These included sulfometuron (4 g ai ha−1), aminocyclopyrachlor + metsulfuron (11 + 3.5 g ai ha−1), clopyralid + triclopyr (21 + 63 g ai ha−1), or aminopyralid (12 g ai ha−1). In general, plant growth responses varied among herbicides and application timings. Across all evaluated parameters, indaziflam at the 10% simulated drift rate adversely effected plant growth similarly or less than all other herbicides when applied PRE (squash and tomato), POST (bell pepper and soybean), and PRE or POST (cotton and tobacco). No clear trends were observed regarding indaziflam application timing, as PRE squash and tomato, and POST bell pepper and soybean applications were safer than their respective alternative timing, and no significant differences were detected between timings on cotton or tobacco. Across application timings, plant susceptibility to indaziflam-simulated spray drift rates ranked cotton < tobacco < tomato < squash < pepper < soybean. Finally, it should be noted that the lowest simulated indaziflam drift rate (2.5%) caused greater than 20% root mass reduction on cotton (POST), bell pepper (PRE and POST), soybean (PRE and POST), squash (PRE), and tomato (POST). Although this research supports indaziflam use along roadsides, it still poses an off-target plant injury risk. Future research should evaluate techniques to minimize spray drift from roadside pesticide applications.

scholarly journals An investigation of the effects of hydrochar application rate on soil amelioration and plant growth in three diverse soils

Biochar ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan de Jager ◽  
Luise Giani
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Microbial Activity ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Soil Improvement ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Soil Amelioration ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Biogas Digestate

AbstractThe hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of biogas digestate alters the raw materials inherent characteristics to produce a carbon (C)-rich hydrochar (HC), with an improved suitability for soil amelioration. Numerous studies report conflicting impacts of various HC application rates on soil properties and plant growth. In this study, the influence of HC application rate on soil improvement and plant growth aspects was investigated in three diverse soils (Chernozem, Podzol, and Gleysol). Pot trials were conducted in which all soils were amended with 5, 10, 20 and 30% (w/w) HC in quintuplicate, with two controls of pure soil (with and without plants, respectively) also included. Prior to potting, soil samples were collected from all HC-amended soils and controls and analyzed for soil pH, plant available nutrients (PO4-P and K), and microbial activity using standard laboratory and statistical methods. Immediately after potting, a 6-week seed germination experiment using Chinese cabbage was conducted to determine germination success, followed by a plant growth experiment of equal duration and plant species to determine biomass success. At the end of the study (after a total plant growth period of 12 weeks), each pot was sampled and comparatively analyzed for the same soil properties as at the beginning of the study. Soil pH shifted toward the pH of the HC (6.6) in all soils over the course of the study, but was most expressed in the 20% and 30% application rates, confirming the well-documented liming effect of HC. The addition of HC increased the PO4-P and K contents, particularly with 20% and 30% HC amendments. These results are proposedly due to the large labile C fraction of the HC, which is easily degradable by microorganisms. The rapid decomposition of this C fraction prompted the quick release of the HCs inherently high PO4-P and K content into the soil, and in turn, further stimulated microbial activity, until this fraction was essentially depleted. HC addition did not inhibit seed germination at any rate, presumably due to a lack of phytotoxic compounds in the HC from aging and microbial processes, and furthermore, showed no significant impact (positive or negative) on plant growth in any soil, despite improved soil conditions. In conclusion, although less pronounced, soil improvements were still achievable and maintainable at lower application rates (5% and 10%), whereas higher rates did not ensure greater benefits for plant growth. While the addition of high rates of HC did not detrimentally effect soil quality or plant growth, it could lead to leaching if the nutrient supply exceeds plant requirements and the soil’s nutrient retention capacity. Therefore, this study validates the previous study in the effectiveness of the biogas digestate HC for soil amelioration and suggests that smaller regularly repeated HC applications may be recommendable for soil improvement.

scholarly journals Effects of fertilizations on soil bacteria and fungi communities in a degraded arid steppe revealed by high through-put sequencing

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luhua Yao ◽  
Dangjun Wang ◽  
Lin Kang ◽  
Dengke Wang ◽  
Yong Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Bacteria ◽  
Microbial Biomass Carbon ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Soil Chemical Properties ◽  
Microbial Biomass Nitrogen ◽  
Arid Steppe ◽  
Soil Bacteria And Fungi ◽  
Bacteria And Fungi

Background Fertilization as one of the measures in restoring degraded soil qualities has been introduced on arid steppes in recent decades. However, the fertilization use efficiency on arid steppes varies greatly between steppe types and years, enhancing uncertainties and risks in introducing fertilizations on such natural system to restore degraded steppes. Methods The experiment was a completely randomized design with five fertilization treatments, 0 (Control), 60 kg P ha−1 (P), 100 kg N ha−1 (N), 100 kg N ha−1 plus 60 kg P ha−1 (NP), and 4,000 kg sheep manure ha−1 (M, equaling 16.4 kg P ha−1 and 81.2 kg N ha−1). Soils were sampled from a degraded arid steppe which was consecutively applied with organic and inorganic fertilizers for three years. We analyzed the diversity and abundance of soil bacteria and fungi using high-throughput sequencing technique, measured the aboveground biomass, the soil chemical properties (organic carbon, available and total phosphorus, available and total nitrogen, and pH), and the microbial biomass nitrogen and microbial biomass carbon. Results In total 3,927 OTU (operational taxonomic units) for bacteria and 453 OTU for fungi were identified from the tested soils. The Ace and Chao of bacteria were all larger than 2,400, which were almost 10 times of those of fungi. Fertilizations had no significant influence on the richness and diversity of the bacteria and fungi. However, the abundance of individual bacterial or fungi phylum or species was sensitive to fertilizations. Fertilization, particularly the phosphorus fertilizer, influenced more on the abundance of the AMF species and colonization. Among the soil properties, soil pH was one of the most important soil properties influencing the abundance of soil bacteria and fungi. Discussion Positive relationships between the abundance of bacteria and fungi and the soil chemical properties suggested that soil bacteria and fungi communities in degraded steppes could be altered by improving the soil chemical properties through fertilizations. However, it is still not clear whether the alteration of the soil microbe community is detrimental or beneficial to the degraded arid steppes.

scholarly journals Influence of Temperature, Low Nutrient Supply, and Soil Composition on Germination and the Growth of Sea Kale (Crambe maritima L.)

HortScience ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 363-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Christensen ◽  
Uffe Bjerre Lauridsen ◽  
Christian Andreasen ◽  
Henrik Lütken
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Soil Composition ◽  
Edible Plant

Sea kale (Crambe maritima L.) is a wild edible plant with forgotten and undiscovered potential as a field vegetable. Its natural habitat is gravel beaches in northern Europe and the Black Sea. Three experiments were conducted to find the effect of temperature on seed germination and to determine plant growth response to organic fertilizer and soil types. Germination rates were estimated at three temperatures. Plant growth responses were conducted with application of two fertilizer concentrations [15 and 30 kg plant-available nitrogen (PAN)/ha] and by using four distinct soil types. Seeds sown at 20 and 15 °C reached a significantly greater germination rate after 32 days (48.0% and 40.4%, respectively) than seeds sown at 10 °C (16.6%). The number of days when 50% of the seeds that germinated during the experiment had germinated (T50) were 12.0, 11.8, and 16.8 days for 20, 15, and 10 °C, respectively. Application of 15 or 30 kg·ha−1 PAN did not result in any significant differences in plant size or biomass within 2 months of growth in sandy loam, but substantial plant heterogeneity was observed. Soil composition had a significant effect (P ≤ 0.05) on plant biomass. Plants grown in fine or loamy sand had the greatest growth and biomass. Sea kale seems to have a potential to become a field vegetable, because it grows well on other soil types than gravel. However, domestication processes of the species are required to obtain homogenous plants for future propagation.

scholarly journals Multiple factors drive the abundance and diversity of the diazotrophic community in typical farmland soils of China

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Li Han ◽  
Qing Wang ◽  
Ju-Pei Shen ◽  
Hong J Di ◽  
Jun-Tao Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Nitrogenase Activity ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Spatial Distance ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
Available N ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Diazotrophic Community

ABSTRACT Biological nitrogen fixation plays an important role in nitrogen cycling by transferring atmospheric N2 to plant-available N in the soil. However, the diazotrophic activity and distribution in different types of soils remain to be further explored. In this study, 152 upland soils were sampled to examine the diazotrophic abundance, nitrogenase activity, diversity and community composition by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, acetylene reduction assay and the MiSeq sequencing of nifH genes, respectively. The results showed that diazotrophic abundance and nitrogenase activity varied among the three soil types. The diazotrophic community was mainly dominated by Bradyrhizobium, Azospirillum, Myxobacter, Desulfovibrio and Methylobacterium. The symbiotic diazotroph Bradyrhizobium was widely distributed among soils, while the distribution of free-living diazotrophs showed large variation and was greatly affected by multiple factors. Crop type and soil properties directly affected the diazotrophic ɑ-diversity, while soil properties, climatic factors and spatial distance together influenced the diazotrophic community. Network structures were completely different among all three types of soils, with most complex interactions observed in the Red soil. These findings suggest that diazotrophs have various activities and distributions in the three soil types, which played different roles in nitrogen input in agricultural soil in China, being driven by multiple environmental factors.

Indigenous plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria and chemical fertilisers: impact on wheat (Triticum aestivum) productivity and soil properties in North Western Himalayan region

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaurav Sood ◽  
Rajesh Kaushal ◽  
Anjali Chauhan ◽  
Shaweta Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Available N ◽  
Combined Application ◽  
Indigenous Plant ◽  
Plant Growth Promoting ◽  
Uninoculated Control ◽  
Growth Promoting

High levels of crop productivity cannot be sustained by chemical fertiliser application alone. In order to mitigate this, a 2-year study was conducted to test the effects of combined application of indigenous plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and chemical fertilisers on productivity of wheat and soil properties. Ten morphologically distinct indigenous PGPR isolates from wheat roots and rhizosphere were evaluated at Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India, during 2013–14. Three PGPR isolates (B2, SIR1 and BIS2) with maximum PGP traits were screened at different doses of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) (80%, 60% and 40% of recommended fertiliser dose, RFD) under net-house conditions. Two isolates, B2 (Serratia sp.) and SIR1 (Bacillus subtilis), along with the optimum NP dose (i.e. 80% RFD) were selected for field experimentation, which was performed over two consecutive years, 2014–16. Combined application of 80% RDF of NP with PGPR (B2) significantly increased wheat yield by 9.4%, number of tillers per plant by 28.03%, grain number per spike by 19.61%, 1000-grain weight by 10.5%, and biomass by 9.2% relative to the uninoculated control with 100% RFD. Soil properties in the terms of available N, P and potassium, microbial biomass carbon, soil enzyme activities and population of phosphate-solubilising bacteria in the wheat crop were significantly increased by the combined application of bacterial inoculants with 80% RFD of NP in both years over the uninoculated control. Therefore, the results revealed the potential of indigenous PGPR isolates to supplement ~20% of NP fertilisers without hampering the soil fertility and productivity of wheat.

scholarly journals Co-incorporation of manure and inorganic fertilizer improves leaf physiological traits, rice production and soil functionality in a paddy field

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anas Iqbal ◽  
Liang He ◽  
Izhar Ali ◽  
Saif Ullah ◽  
Aziz Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Grain Yield ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Organic Manure ◽  
Research Station ◽  
N Accumulation ◽  
Microbial Biomass Nitrogen ◽  
Total N ◽  
Metabolizing Enzyme

AbstractThe combined use of organic manure and chemical fertilizer (CF) is considered to be a good method for sustaining high crop yields and improving soil quality. We performed a field experiment in 2019 at the research station of Guanxi University, to investigate the effects of cattle manure (CM) and poultry manure (PM) combined with CF on soil physical and biochemical properties, rice dry matter (DM) and nitrogen (N) accumulation and grain yield. We also evaluated differences in pre-and post-anthesis DM and N accumulation and their contributions to grain yield. The experiment consisted of six treatments: no N fertilizer (T1), 100% CF (T2), 60% CM + 40% CF (T3), 30% CM + 70% CF (T4), 60% PM + 40% CF (T5), and 30% PM + 70% CF (T6). All CF and organic manure treatments provided a total N of 150 kg ha−1. Results showed that the treatment T6 increased leaf net photosynthetic rate (Pn) by 11% and 13%, chlorophyll content by 13% and 15%, total biomass by 9% and 11% and grain yield by 11% and 17% in the early and late season, respectively, compared with T2. Similarly, the integrated manure and CF treatments improved post-antheis DM accumulation and soil properties, such as bulk density, organic carbon, total N, microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) relative to the CF-only treatments. Interestingly, increases in post-anthesis DM and N accumulation were further supported by enhanced leaf Pn and activity of N-metabolizing enzyme during the grain-filling period. Improvement in Pn and N-metabolizing enzyme activity were due to mainly improved soil quality in the combined manure and synthetic fertilizer treatments. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed a strong relationship between grain yield and soil properties, and a stronger relationship was noted with soil MBC and MBN. Conclusively, a combination of 30% N from PM or CM with 70% N from CF is a promising option for improving soil quality and rice yield.

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