Is It Possible to Control the Nutrient Regime of Soils with Different Texture through Biochar Substrates?

Understanding nutrient management is essential to ensure healthy and adequate food production, especially in the context of biochar applied to soil with different soil textures. Additionally, farmers are beginning to understand the importance of nutrient management and there are still several knowledge gaps in this area. Several studies on biochar showed its positive effects, especially in sandy and nutrient-poor soils. There is still a lack of information on the impact of biochar on nutrient regimes in texturally different soils with sufficient nutrient supply and favorable soil chemistry. This study investigates the effect of two biochar substrates (a) biochar blended with farmyard manure (BS1), and (b) biochar blended with farmyard manure and digestate (BS2) applied at rates of 10 and 20 t ha−1 alone or in combination with fertilization on the changes in sorption capacity and nutrient regime of two texturally different soils: (a) sandy Arenosol, and (b) loamy Chernozem, (both in western Slovakia) which have a favorable nutrient content. The results showed that in sandy soil, the BS2 at rate of 20 t ha−1 increased the sum of basic cations (by +112%) and CEC (by +93%) compared to the control. In sandy soil, the content of total P increased by +35 and +16% in BS1 20 t ha–1 and BS2 20 t ha−1, respectively, when compared to the unfertilized control. The content of total P increased by +18% in BS1 20 t ha−1 after fertilization compared to the fertilized control. In loamy soil, the content of total P increased significantly by +53 and +14% in unfertilized treatment BS2 20 t ha−1 and fertilized treatment with BS1 at 20 t ha−1 compared to the respective controls. Available Ca increased in sandy soil by +50 and +53% in fertilized treatments with BS2 at 20 t ha−1 and BS1 at 20 t ha−1, respectively, when compared to fertilized control. In loamy soil, available Mg increased by +13% in fertilized treatment with BS1 applied at 20 t ha−1. In conclusion, BS application at a dose of 20 t ha−1 had a stronger positive effect on soil sorption parameters in sandy soil than the application dose of 10 t ha−1. The same BS application rate significantly increased total P in both soils.

Assessment of Soil Texture on Triticum aestivum Growth

Soil texture is an important environmental factor that influences the crop productivity of wheat (Triticum aestivum) because it provides all the nutrients required for growth of the plants. The soil based on nutrients is classified into four classes: silt, clay, sand, and loam. Soil based on mineral particles was classified by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to USDA, loam particles have a size between sand (2.00–1.0 mm) and silt (0.05–0.002 mm), whereas clay is less than 0.002 mm. Analysis shows that the growth rate of Triticum aestivum in each soil sample is different. The sizes of seven plants were increased in loamy soil, to 47 cm, whereas in sandy soil, plants were 25 cm long. Seven plants were grown in clay soil, and had lengths of 28 cm. Finally, five plants were grown in silt soil, and reached a size of 38 cm. After fertilizing each plant in the different soils equally, that the productivity of plants in loamy soil was observed to be greater as compared to plants of other soil samples. Clay soil plants showed improvements as compared to sand and silt soil, although not as good as loam. The worst growing plants were observed in sandy soil. This shows that the growth of Triticum aestivum plants is better in loamy soil, and loamy soil is the most beneficial for wheat crop productivity.

Chicken droppings influence on sod-podzolic soil fertility change studying experience

The aim of the research was to study the effect of fresh chicken droppings on the dynamics of the physical-chemical and agrochemical properties of sod-podzolic soil and the yield of grain crops. In the sod-podzolic light loamy soil of the Yaroslavl region in the layer of 0-0.20 m in May, fresh chicken droppings were embedded at the dose of 120 t/ha. By autumn, in the 0-0.40 m layer of pHKc1 increased from 4.53-4.99 to 5.38-7.09, the content of mobile phosphorus and exchangeable potassium increased by 2.0-2.4 times, nitrate and ammonium nitrogen - 3-5 times. The content of nitrates in the soil has exceeded the Maximum Allowable Concentration level. The grain yield of the spring wheat studied varieties, triticale and barley varied from 6.7 to 9.5 t/ha, chaffy oats - from 5.7 to 5.9, hulless oats - from 4.4 to 4.6 t/ha. At the beginning of the growing season of crops in the 0-0.40 m layer, the stocks of nitrate nitrogen were close to the stocks of the autumn observation period of 2019, and ammonium nitrogen decreased by 285 kg/ha.

Fluxes of 15N, soil nitrogen in sod-podzolic soil in spring wheat crops under inoculation with Rhyzoagrin

In a microfield experiment using a labeled nitrogen 15N fertilizer on sod-podzolic light loamy soil for 11 years during the cultivation of spring wheat and the use of a biological product based on a strain belonging to the genus Agrobakterium radiobakter (strain 204), nitrogen flows in the fertilizer – soil – plant system were studied. The utilization rate of spring wheat labeled with 15N ammonium nitrate averaged 40% of the amount applied. The absolute size of the immobilization in the structure of the labeled nitrogen balance of the mineral fertilizer was 27-30%. Inoculation with Rhyzoagrin does not significantly affect the nitrogen immobilization of the mineral fertilizer. The gaseous losses of labeled nitrogen of the mineral fertilizer were 33% of those applied to the background of the phosphorus and potash fertilizers and decreased with inoculation with Rhyzoagrin to 29%. The use of an integral assessment showed that the agroecosystem functioned in the resistance mode on sod-podzolic light-loamy soil when using mineral nitrogen fertilizer. The dependence of the indicator RI: M, % of the HTC (hydrothermal coefficient) expressed by the equation y = -24, 506x2 + 43,462 x + 15,251 at R2 = 0.7416 is established.

The Effect of the Growing Media and Planting Distances on the Growth and Yield of Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) Grown in Plastic Tubes

This study is conducted in the unheated greenhouse of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape - College of Agriculture - Tikrit University during the two seasons 2020-2021. It aims to know the effect of growth medium and planting distances on growth and yield of three varieties of strawberry with a diameter of 6 inches. The study includes three factors, the first factor is media at three levels which are the loamy soil only, the loamy soil + peat moss and peat moss only, The second factor is planting distances which include three distances, 15, 20 and 25 cm between one plant and another, The third factor is the varieties which include three varieties, namely Camarosa, Sweet Charlie and Ruby gem. The experiment is implemented by designing randomized complete sectors according to the split-split plot design with three replicates, each replicate containing three tubes with a diameter of 6 inches, length of each tube 6 meters and each tube containing three experimental units. Thus, each replicate contains 9 experimental units with a length of 2 meters, the growth medium was set in the main plots and the planting distances in the sub-plots, while the cultivars took the sub-sub-plots The most important results can be summarized as follows: Peat moss is significantly superior in the characteristics of average number of leaves, leaf area, average number of flowers, total soluble solids, and total acidity, amounting to 21.95 leaf plant-1, 753.6 cm2, 20.22 flower plant-1, 9.119 and 1.335%, respectively. Ruby gem variety significantly outperformed in the characteristics of average number of leaves, leaf area, average number of flowers, and total soluble solids percentage, amounting to 19.65 leaf plant-1, 594.6 cm2, 20.22 flower plant-1 and 8.537%, respectively; while the verities have not differed significantly among themselves in the total acidity ratio. The distance D3 is significantly superior in the average number of leaves and leaf area, amounting to 18.73 leaf plant-1, 577.2 cm2. On the other hand, the distance D2 is superior in the two characteristics, namely the average number of flowers and the percentage of total soluble solids amounting to 19.70 flower plant-1 and 8.156%, while no significant differences are observed in the characteristic of the total acidity percentage.

New Record of the Bottle Liverworts Sphaerocarpos Donnellii Aust. for Iraq and Middle East Countries

The Order Sphaerocarpales of the bottle liverwort consists of five genera, among which Sphaerocarpos in turn consists of 8-9 species. The genus is nearly worldwide distributed, but disjunct, sporadic, and localized throughout the range in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. According to the published checklist, only two species of Sphaerocarpos were recorded in the middle east countries. These are S. texanus and S. michelii, both were found in Turkey, while only the latter was found in Iraq. By the current study, an additional species, S. donnellii, will be added to the byroflora of the Middle East (south west Asia) region. A specimen of this species was found in Mosul city, Nineveh province, Iraq, grown on loamy soil in a house garden.

Yield and Chemical Composition of Raw Material from Meadow Arnica (Arnica chamissonis Less.) Depending on Soil Conditions and Nitrogen Fertilization

Considering the global tendency towards using valuable secondary metabolites of plant origin, there is a need to optimize the cultivation of herbal plants, e.g., the meadow arnica (A. chamissonis Less.). The inflorescences of this species (Arnicae anthodium) have a similar chemical composition and pharmacological activity to that in the mountain arnica (Arnica montana L.), and can be cultivated more easily than the mountain arnica. Therefore this study assesses soil and fertilization effects on the flower head yield and concentrations of active substances (sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids, and essential oil) with great importance for application in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. A field experiment was carried out during 2017–2019 on two types of soil (sandy and loamy soils) differing in the pH values, organic matter content, and the P, K, and Mg levels. Five levels of nitrogen fertilization were applied in both soil variants: 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 kg N∙ha−1. The study showed that both the soil type and the nitrogen fertilization had a positive impact on the raw material yield and the content and yield of the main active substances. The cultivation of arnica in the loamy soil was more favorable—it provided a higher flower head yield, higher levels of sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids, and essential oils, and consequently, a higher yield of these metabolites. High flower head yields were achieved at doses of 60 and 90 kg N∙ha−1. The content of sesquiterpene lactones and essential oils increased in the consecutive study years along with the increase in nitrogen doses. The highest content of flavonoids was detected in flower heads obtained from three-year-old plants fertilized with 60 kg N∙ha−1. High yields of sesquiterpene lactones and essential oils were obtained at doses of 90–120 kg N∙ha−1, whereas the fertilization with 60–90 N∙ha−1 ensured a high yield of flavonoids. The yields of sesquiterpene lactones and essential oil did not depend on their concentration but correlated with the increase in the yield of flower heads of plants cultivated in both sandy and loamy soil variants. In turn, the yield of flavonoids was influenced by both their concentration and the flower head yield. The flower head yield, the content of sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids, and essential oils, and the yields of metabolites presented in this study indicate favorable climatic conditions for the cultivation of A. chamissonis in Central and Eastern Poland. This proves that a wide range of pharmacologically active substances can be produced in this region of Europe.

Effectiveness of Carbaryl, Carbofuran and Metolachlor Retention in Soils under the Influence of Different Colloid

The affinity of different soil colloids to retain carbaryl, carbofuran and metolachlor in sandy loam and loam soil from mineral, surface horizons was investigated. The undisturbed soil samples and soils amended with colloids—kaolinite (K), montmorillonite (Mt), illite (Il), goethite (G), humic acid (HA)—were mixed with the pesticides for sorption–desorption studies. Their sorption magnitude in pristine soils followed the sequence metolachlor > carbaryl > carbofuran, with loam soil being a better pesticides retarder than sandy soil. The biggest magnitude of carbaryl sorption in light soil was observed in samples with the addition of HA (92.7%), Il (92.3%) and Ge (87.5%), whereas for carbofuran it was goethite (52.3%). Metolachlor uptake was significantly enhanced by 2:1 clays (Mt-85.0%, Il-69.4%), goethite (73.3%) and humic acids (75.4%). The loamy soil sorption capacity of the studied pesticides was blocked by the natural organic matter potentially due to the formation of organo-mineral complexes. HA (66.8%) was the most effective sorbent for carbaryl in the loamy soil, whereas Mt (55.1%) and HA (40.3%) for carbofuran. Metolachlor was retained to the same extent in all loamy soil variants (75.8–83.6%) and its desorption values were the lowest. Carbofuran demonstrated the greatest ability to leach among the studied chemicals.

A new species of Lepiota (Agaricaceae) from Punjab, Pakistan

During our surveys of fungi of some areas adjacent to the Cholistan desert, Punjab, Pakistan, we collected a new species in Lepiota sect. Echinatae. It was found on loamy soil under Vachellia nilotica and is described and illustrated as new based on the distinct morphology and ITS nrDNA analysis. The new species, Lepiota haroonabadensis, is characterized macroscopically by a light yellowish orange pileus covered with brown squarrose scales, bright yellowish to yellowish red stipe with pale yellow spiny scales, and rudimentary annulus; and microscopically by ellipsoid basidiospores, narrowly clavate to clavate cheilocystidia, cylindrical to sub-cylindrical or ellipsoidal elements of the pileus covering and cylindrical to globose elements of the stipe covering. A full description, color photos, line illustrations and a phylogenetic tree to show the position of the new species are provided.