Impacts of Hazardous Waste on Soil Health

2020 ◽  
pp. 18-35
Author(s):  
Jatinder Kaur Katnoria ◽  
Priyanka Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Aromatic Compounds ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Severe Toxicity ◽  
Soil Ecosystem ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Special Concern ◽  
Hazardous Compounds

Soil, a natural medium for plant growth, provides the anchorage to the plants and supplies various nutrients required for the plant growth. It is an important ecosystem that not only provides the shelter to various organisms but also participates directly or indirectly in various biogeochemical cycles. However, in recent years, the earth's soil has been stripped away, rendered sterile, and contaminated with toxic chemicals due to various anthropogenic activities. This increasing wide spread pollution has caused vast areas of land to become non-arable and hazardous for both wildlife and human populations. Unlike many other organic pollutants, which are degraded in the soils, some of the hazardous compounds like heavy metals, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic compounds, and phthalates are of special concern as most of these are conserved. The presence of such compounds in soil ecosystem causes severe toxicity and imbalances in the soil ecosystem as a whole. The chapter focuses on various sources of soil pollutants and the effects of hazardous compounds on soil health.

Microbes in biogeochemical cycles: a perspective on climate resilient agriculture.

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (006) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditi Gurung
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Sustainable Agricultural Practices

Abstract Microorganisms, which are ubiquitous players in all major agro-ecosystems, play important roles in biogeochemical cycles. Due to anthropogenic activities and current practices of agriculture, there has been interference in the natural cycling of essential elements and nutrients. A harmony in the functioning of natural biogeochemical cycles in the soil is essential for maintaining all life on Earth. Therefore, usage of beneficial soil microorganisms is important for sustaining agriculture due to poor soil health conditions that prevail because of excessive chemical inputs both in the past and present to increase crop yields. In this review, we focus on how the terrestrial soil microbes are involved in the interplay between biogeochemical cycles, sustainable agricultural practices, and climate change. We have highlighted the mechanisms by which microbes, through aiding the mineralization processes, support plant growth in cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. Microorganisms further support plant growth to adapt to climate change although few specific mechanisms are known, but many others by which they aid plants remain enigmatic. Despite the various gaps that remain, we advocate that coupling biogeochemical cycles research with sustainable agricultural practices using plant-microbe interchange is highly warranted. Therefore, to feed a growing global population and to preserve ecosystem functions, we propose that the agricultural practices should be conducted in a manner to regulate greenhouse gases release and safeguard our environmental resources due to climate change.

scholarly journals Exposure to Atmospheric Particulate Matter-Bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Their Health Effects: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 2177
Author(s):  
Lu Yang ◽  
Hao Zhang ◽  
Xuan Zhang ◽  
Wanli Xing ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Personal Exposure ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Atmospheric Particulate Matter ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic

Particulate matter (PM) is a major factor contributing to air quality deterioration that enters the atmosphere as a consequence of various natural and anthropogenic activities. In PM, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent a class of organic chemicals with at least two aromatic rings that are mainly directly emitted via the incomplete combustion of various organic materials. Numerous toxicological and epidemiological studies have proven adverse links between exposure to particulate matter-bound (PM-bound) PAHs and human health due to their carcinogenicity and mutagenicity. Among human exposure routes, inhalation is the main pathway regarding PM-bound PAHs in the atmosphere. Moreover, the concentrations of PM-bound PAHs differ among people, microenvironments and areas. Hence, understanding the behaviour of PM-bound PAHs in the atmosphere is crucial. However, because current techniques hardly monitor PAHs in real-time, timely feedback on PAHs including the characteristics of their concentration and composition, is not obtained via real-time analysis methods. Therefore, in this review, we summarize personal exposure, and indoor and outdoor PM-bound PAH concentrations for different participants, spaces, and cities worldwide in recent years. The main aims are to clarify the characteristics of PM-bound PAHs under different exposure conditions, in addition to the health effects and assessment methods of PAHs.

scholarly journals The effect of seaweed extract on tomato plant growth, productivity and soil

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hashmath Inayath Hussain ◽  
Naga Kasinadhuni ◽  
Tony Arioli
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Tomato Plant ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Bacterial Count ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Seaweed Extract ◽  
Total Bacterial Count ◽  
Soil Biology

AbstractThis study investigated the effects of seaweed extract (SWE) made from the brown algae Durvillaea potatorum and Ascophyllum nodosum on plants and soil. The application of SWE to soil growing tomato plants showed dual effects. SWE comprehensively improved tomato plant growth (flower clusters, flower number, fruit number, root length, root and shoot dry weight, SPAD) and increased plant productivity (yield and quality). Similarly, SWE application effected soil biology at the soil root zone by increasing total bacterial count and available soil nitrogen and impacting bacterial community diversity with an increase in certain bacterial families linked to soil health. A broader understanding of the effects of SWE on the plant-soil ecosystem may offer breakthrough approaches for sustainable food production.

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