Influence of Vermicompost, Seaweed Extract and Nitrogen Fertilisers on Maize (Zea mays L.) Soil Rhizosphere Microbes

This study shows the influence of adding vermicompost fertiliser, seaweed extracts and nitrogen fertiliser on the number of total bacteria in the soil in the stages of flowering and full maturity. An experiment was carried out in one of the farms located in Nouriya district - Al-Diwaniyah governorate - Iraq, during the autumn season 2019-2020. The experiment was applied in the order of global experiments, according to the design of full randomised sectors, with three replications. The first factor included adding vermicompost fertiliser with three levels (0, 2 and 4 tons h-1) which were coded as A0, A1 and A2, respectively. The second factor included adding seaweed extract at two levels (0 and 40 kg h-1), which were symbolised by B0 and B1, respectively. The third factor included adding nitrogen fertiliser in three levels (0, 120 and 240 kg N h-1) symbolised as C0, C1 and C2, respectively. The levels of vermicompost differed significantly in most of the studied descriptions, as level A2 scored the highest results for the number of bacteria in the two stages of flowering and full maturity, i.e., 88.59 × 107 and 111.54 × 107 CFU gm-1 of dry soil. The treatment of adding seaweed extracts B1 significantly affected the number of bacteria in the two stages of flowering and full maturity (80.04 × 107 and 103.29 × 107 CFU gm-1 dry soil). The treatment of adding C1 nitrogen fertiliser was significantly superior to the number of bacteria in the flowering stage (81.40 × 107 CFU gm-1 dry soil).

Improving the Functionality of Proso Millet Protein and Its Potential as a Functional Food Ingredient by Applying Nitrogen Fertiliser

Nitrogen is required for proso millet growth and has a critical influence on yield and quality. However, the effect of nitrogen fertilisation on proso millet protein properties remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate how nitrogen fertiliser treatment (180 kg/hm2) affects the structural and functional properties of proso millet protein. In comparison with the control group (N0), nitrogen fertiliser treatment loosened the dense structure of the protein and presented a larger particle size. Nitrogen treatment did not change the main subunit composition, and β-sheet and α-helix were the main secondary structures of proso millet protein based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, nitrogen fertiliser treatment improved the content of hydrophobic amino acids and β-sheet proportion from proso millet protein, and high water/oil absorption capacity and thermal stability was observed, but the solubility, emulsion stability and foaming properties from proso millet protein decreased. Proso millet proteins exhibited high amino acid content and good functional properties, including solubility, foaming capacity and emulsifying properties, especially the w139 variety. Results show that proso millet protein has great potential for food applications. The above results provide useful information for the food industry to determine emerging gluten-free protein resources.

The effects of clover and nitrogen fertiliser on the presence of pasture pests in dairy pastures

A comprehensive dataset obtained from sampling four trials investigating interactions between perennial ryegrass and white clover under two levels of applied nitrogen (N) has highlighted different effects of pasture composition and N use on pasture pests.• For swards with white clover, presence of clover root weevil, whitefringed weevil and grass grub increased under low N by 36%, 11% and 5%, respectively, compared with high N treatments.• High N increased the presence of both Argentine stem weevil and root aphid by 7%.• Unexpectedly, clover reduced the presence of two grass feeders, Argentine stem weevil and black beetle, by 7% and 11% respectively.• Presence of grass grub was 17-30% lower under tetraploid ryegrasses than under diploids.• More clover and reduced N fertiliser inputs could reduce the frequency of black beetle and Argentine stem weevil with environmental benefits.

Effect of Bacillus megaterium var. phosphaticum Bacteria and L-Alpha Proline Amino Acid on Iron Content in Soil and Triticum aestivum L. Plants in Sustainable Agriculture System

Research was conducted in Poland in 2017–2019 at Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities in Siedlce. It aimed at determining the effect of the bacteria Bacillus megaterium var. phosphaticum, the amino acid L-alpha proline, and the mineral nitrogen fertiliser regime on iron content in soil during the period of rapid growth of spring wheat plants, as well as in spring wheat grain and straw. The following two factors were examined: (I) biological products: untreated control, Bacillus megaterium var. phosphaticum, L-alpha proline, Bacillus megaterium var. phosphaticum + L-alpha proline; (II) mineral nitrogen fertiliser regime: nonfertilised control, 60 kg Nּha−1, 90 kg Nּha−1, 90 kg Nּha−1 + foliar fertilisation. The study demonstrated that, during the period of rapid spring wheat plant growth, Fe content was the highest in the soil following an application of Bacillus megaterium var. phosphaticum + L-alpha proline + mineral nitrogen fertiliser applied at the rate of 90 kg Nּha−1. This combination resulted in the highest concentration and uptake of iron by spring wheat grain, whereas for straw, the same result was also achieved following mineral nitrogen fertiliser at a rate of 90 kg Nּha−1 + foliar fertilisation.