Potential Applications of Nanotechnology in Agriculture: A Smart Tool for Sustainable Agriculture

Most of the early uses of nanotechnology have come from material sciences, although applications in agriculture are still expanding. Due to a few comprehensive reviews, we described application of nanomaterials along with their fate in soil and interaction with soil and plant system. From synthesis to metabolism, nano-fertilizers like zinc, silver, selenium, titanium oxide have enhanced the physio-chemical characteristics of crop plants in every manner conceivable. On the other hand, it has the potential to minimize pesticide use by boosting reactivity and surface area of nanoparticles. Nanotechnology in pesticides will, without a doubt, replace the current way of pesticide application because of its efficacy. Nano-based approaches can readily overcome the constraints of conventional soil remediation technologies. While soil nanomaterials mobility has been investigated in a limited number of research studies, it’s likely the most critical gap in knowing the real risk of their transport. As well as enhancing plant nutrient absorption, nanomaterials may also be used to regulate soil microbial activity and stimulate plant defenses. When it comes to shipping food, nanotechnology has made things easier by extending the shelf life of most foods. While it offers tremendous potential for agricultural applications, the health effects of nanoparticles on plants, animals, and humans must be thoroughly investigated.

Download Full-text

Effects of earthworm casts and compost on soil microbial activity and plant nutrient availability

Soil Biology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1016/s0038-0717(02)00279-1 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 295-302 ◽

Cited By ~ 135

Author(s):

Hala I Chaoui ◽

Larry M Zibilske ◽

Tsutomu Ohno

Keyword(s):

Microbial Activity ◽

Nutrient Availability ◽

Soil Microbial Activity ◽

Plant Nutrient ◽

Earthworm Casts ◽

Soil Microbial

Download Full-text

Effect of Water Potential, Temperature, and Soil Microbial Activity on Release of Starch‐Encapsulated Atrazine and Alachlor

Journal of Environmental Quality ◽

10.2134/jeq1992.00472425002100030013x ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 382-386 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Brian J. Wienhold ◽

Timothy J. Gish

Keyword(s):

Water Potential ◽

Microbial Activity ◽

Potential Temperature ◽

Soil Microbial Activity ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Effect Of Water

Download Full-text

Forest defoliator pests alter carbon and nitrogen cycles

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.160361 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (10) ◽

pp. 160361 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Anne l-M-Arnold ◽

Maren Grüning ◽

Judy Simon ◽

Annett-Barbara Reinhardt ◽

Norbert Lamersdorf ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Leaf Litter ◽

Soil Microbial Activity ◽

Quercus Petraea ◽

Oak Forests ◽

Operophtera Brumata ◽

Winter Moth ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

C And N

Climate change may foster pest epidemics in forests, and thereby the fluxes of elements that are indicators of ecosystem functioning. We examined compounds of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in insect faeces, leaf litter, throughfall and analysed the soils of deciduous oak forests ( Quercus petraea L.) that were heavily infested by the leaf herbivores winter moth ( Operophtera brumata L.) and mottled umber ( Erannis defoliaria L.). In infested forests, total net canopy-to-soil fluxes of C and N deriving from insect faeces, leaf litter and throughfall were 30- and 18-fold higher compared with uninfested oak forests, with 4333 kg C ha −1 and 319 kg N ha −1 , respectively, during a pest outbreak over 3 years. In infested forests, C and N levels in soil solutions were enhanced and C/N ratios in humus layers were reduced indicating an extended canopy-to-soil element pathway compared with the non-infested forests. In a microcosm incubation experiment, soil treatments with insect faeces showed 16-fold higher fluxes of carbon dioxide and 10-fold higher fluxes of dissolved organic carbon compared with soil treatments without added insect faeces (control). Thus, the deposition of high rates of nitrogen and rapidly decomposable carbon compounds in the course of forest pest epidemics appears to stimulate soil microbial activity (i.e. heterotrophic respiration), and therefore, may represent an important mechanism by which climate change can initiate a carbon cycle feedback.

Download Full-text

Carbon limitation overrides acidification in mediating soil microbial activity to nitrogen enrichment in a temperate grassland

Global Change Biology ◽

10.1111/gcb.15819 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Qiushi Ning ◽

Stephan Hättenschwiler ◽

Xiaotao Lü ◽

Paul Kardol ◽

Yunhai Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Activity ◽

Soil Microbial Activity ◽

Temperate Grassland ◽

Carbon Limitation ◽

Nitrogen Enrichment ◽

Soil Microbial

Download Full-text

Effect of Plant Growth Regulators on Protease Activity in Forest Floor of Norway Spruce Stand

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12060665 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 665

Author(s):

Ladislav Holik ◽

Jiří Volánek ◽

Valerie Vranová

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Proteolytic Activity ◽

Protease Activity ◽

Forest Floor ◽

Soil Microbial Activity ◽

Inhibitory Effects ◽

Chlorocholine Chloride ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Native Soil ◽

Transformation Processes

Soil proteases are involved in organic matter transformation processes and, thus, influence ecosystem nutrient turnovers. Phytohormones, similarly to proteases, are synthesized and secreted into soil by fungi and microorganisms, and regulate plant rhizosphere activity. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of auxins, cytokinins, ethephon, and chlorocholine chloride on spruce forest floor protease activity. It was concluded that the presence of auxins stimulated native proteolytic activity, specifically synthetic auxin 2-naphthoxyacetic acid (16% increase at added quantity of 5 μg) and naturally occurring indole-3-acetic acid (18%, 5 μg). On the contrary, cytokinins, ethephon and chlorocholine chloride inhibited native soil protease activity, where ethephon (36% decrease at 50 μg) and chlorocholine chloride (34%, 100 μg) showed the highest inhibitory effects. It was concluded that negative phytohormonal effects on native proteolytic activity may slow down organic matter decomposition rates and hence complicate plant nutrition. The study enhances the understanding of rhizosphere exudate effects on soil microbial activity and soil nitrogen cycle.

Download Full-text

Effects of Monoculture, Crop Rotation, and Soil Moisture Content on Selected Soil Physicochemical and Microbial Parameters in Wheat Fields

Applied and Environmental Soil Science ◽

10.1155/2012/593623 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

A. Marais ◽

M. Hardy ◽

M. Booyse ◽

A. Botha

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Crop Rotation ◽

Management Practices ◽

Agricultural Soils ◽

Soil Microbial Communities ◽

Soil Microbial Activity ◽

Most Probable Number ◽

Probable Number ◽

Soil Microbial

Different plants are known to have different soil microbial communities associated with them. Agricultural management practices such as fertiliser and pesticide addition, crop rotation, and grazing animals can lead to different microbial communities in the associated agricultural soils. Soil dilution plates, most-probable-number (MPN), community level physiological profiling (CLPP), and buried slide technique as well as some measured soil physicochemical parameters were used to determine changes during the growing season in the ecosystem profile in wheat fields subjected to wheat monoculture or wheat in annual rotation with medic/clover pasture. Statistical analyses showed that soil moisture had an over-riding effect on seasonal fluctuations in soil physicochemical and microbial populations. While within season soil microbial activity could be differentiated between wheat fields under rotational and monoculture management, these differences were not significant.

Download Full-text

Effects of Glucosinolate-Derived Isothiocyanates on Fungi: A Comprehensive Review on Direct Effects, Mechanisms, Structure-Activity Relationship Data and Possible Agricultural Applications

Journal of Fungi ◽

10.3390/jof7070539 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (7) ◽

pp. 539

Author(s):

Tamás Plaszkó ◽

Zsolt Szűcs ◽

Gábor Vasas ◽

Sándor Gonda

Keyword(s):

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Synergistic Activity ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Structure Activity ◽

Agricultural Applications ◽

Antifungal Action ◽

Insight Into ◽

Soil Microbial Composition

Plants heavily rely on chemical defense systems against a variety of stressors. The glucosinolates in the Brassicaceae and some allies are the core molecules of one of the most researched such pathways. These natural products are enzymatically converted into isothiocyanates (ITCs) and occasionally other defensive volatile organic constituents (VOCs) upon fungal challenge or tissue disruption to protect the host against the stressor. The current review provides a comprehensive insight on the effects of the isothiocyanates on fungi, including, but not limited to mycorrhizal fungi and pathogens of Brassicaceae. In the review, our current knowledge on the following topics are summarized: direct antifungal activity and the proposed mechanisms of antifungal action, QSAR (quantitative structure-activity relationships), synergistic activity of ITCs with other agents, effects of ITCs on soil microbial composition and allelopathic activity. A detailed insight into the possible applications is also provided: the literature of biofumigation studies, inhibition of post-harvest pathogenesis and protection of various products including grains and fruits is also reviewed herein.

Download Full-text

Decrease in soil microbial activity and biomasses owing to nitrogen amendments

Canadian Journal of Microbiology ◽

10.1139/m83-231 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 29 (11) ◽

pp. 1500-1506 ◽

Cited By ~ 175

Author(s):

B. Söderström ◽

E. Bååth ◽

B. Lundgren

Keyword(s):

Respiration Rate ◽

Laboratory Experiments ◽

Coniferous Forest ◽

Soil Microbial Activity ◽

Urea Treatment ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Respiration Rates ◽

Nitrate Addition ◽

Transitory Effect ◽

Forest Podzols

Microbial biomass and soil respiration rate decreased after application of 150 kg NH4NO3–N∙ha−1 to different coniferous forest podzols. The decrease was already found 3 months after fertilization and was still evident after 3–5 years. Changes in pH, organic matter, or water content in the soils could not explain the decreases. In laboratory experiments, several unfertilized forest soils were treated with 2 mg of NH4NO3–N or of urea–nitrogen∙g wet soil−1. The ammonium nitrate addition resulted in severe depressions of the respiration rates during and up to 175 days of incubation and the decrease was evident after about 1 week. The urea treatment initially increased the respiration rate of the soils, but this appeared to be a transitory effect.

Download Full-text