​Potassic Fertilizer Management for Sustainable Groundnut Productivity in India: A Review

World population is exponentially rising day by day and is anticipated to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. Agriculture in the 21st century faces multiple challenges: it has to produce more food and fiber to feed ever growing population especially in developing countries which can be satisfied only by applying improved technologies, included rational use of fertilizers for different soil and climatic conditions. Continual nutrient mining by crop removal without adequate replenishment could result in loss of soil fertility in many developing countries. Again, human activities led to the degradation of nearly 2000 million hectares of land in the last 40 years. To meet the challenge of food security for present and future populations, to conserve natural resources and to protect the environment, it is imperative that agricultural production be conducted within an overall framework of sustainable development. Agricultural nutrients management to provide a safe food supply and secure the environment remains one of the immense challenges of the present situation. Therefore, it is very important to apply fertilizers in an efficient way to minimize loss and to improve the nutrient use efficiency for sustaining productivity as well as soil fertility.

Photosynthetic cyclic electron transport provides ATP for homeostasis during trap closure in Dionaea muscipula

Background and Aims The processes connected with prey capture and the early consumption of prey by carnivorous Dionaea muscipula require high amounts of energy. The aim of the present study was to identify processes involved in flytrap energy provision and ATP homeostasis under these conditions. Methods We determined photosynthetic CO2 uptake and chlorophyll fluorescence as well as the dynamics of ATP contents in the snap traps upon closure with and without prey. Key Results The results indicate that upon prey capture, a transient switch from linear to cyclic electron transport mediates a support of ATP homeostasis. Beyond 4 h after prey capture, prey resources contribute to the traps’ ATP pool and, 24 h after prey capture, export of prey-derived resources to other plant organs may become preferential and causes a decline in ATP contents. Conclusions Apparently, the energy demand of the flytrap for prey digestion and nutrient mining builds on both internal and prey-derived resources.

Nitrified Human Urine as a Sustainable and Socially Acceptable Fertilizer: An Analysis of Consumer Acceptance in Msunduzi, South Africa

Sustainable smallholder farming is contingent on fertilizer access. Soils across Africa are typically nutrient deficient, a condition exacerbated by long-term nutrient mining. Nitrified urine fertilizer is a nutrient-rich and hygienically safe solution derived from human urine. It has the potential to provide a sustainable source of soil nutrients to low and middle-income countries struggling with food insecurity challenges. This study presents findings of a survey that assessed public acceptance within Msunduzi, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa towards the use of nitrified urine fertilizer. Results indicate that in general attitudes were much more positive towards the use of nitrified urine fertilizer than raw urine as a soil amendment. Residents living within rural zones of the municipality (78.5%), as opposed to urban (65.7%) and peri-urban (65.2%), and younger individuals within the sampled population were found to be the most receptive to the use of nitrified urine fertilizer. Our findings also underscore the complex set of factors that shape attitudes towards a topic such as the use of human waste as a fertilizer, which are crucial in shaping the legitimacy of an emerging technology such as urine nitrification.