Impact of fertilisers on five turfgrass mixtures for football pitches under natural conditions

For 2 years (2019–2020), a field experiment to test the activities of different fertilisation schemes on the yield, colour and health status of five different grass mixtures for football pitches was conducted. Two grass mixtures were composed of different varieties of perennial ryegrass, one mixture was composed of varieties of perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass, one mixture consisted of the species Lolium perenne, Festuca rubra, Festuca arundinacea and Poa pratensis, and the seeds of only one variety of perennial ryegrass were sowed in one plot. Three different fertilisation schemes were included in the experiment. The first scheme (A) contained an inorganic fertiliser with added soil improvers, the second scheme (B) included an organic fertiliser with added soil improvers and the third scheme (C) was composed of an inorganic fertiliser. According to this study, the grass yield largely depends on the soil temperature, amount of precipitation and soil water content, and the occurrence of the fungus Laetisaria fuciformis is influenced by the fertilisation scheme, as the % infection with the fungus was highest when organic fertilisers with low % nitrogen was used. The selection of fertilisers is seen as an important factor for the turfgrass colour.

BIOTECHNOLOGICAL METHODS OF PROCESSING FOREST COMPLEX WASTE

The intensive development of agriculture in the Voronezh Region has led to serious negative changes in the soil condition. There was a decrease in the content of humus and mineral substances. More than 350 thousand hectares of the region’s soils have a low content of humus and, as a result, organic matter (s) available for decomposition. Among the methods of soil restoration, soil improvers are gaining popularity. These are, as a rule, compost, various organic fillers, bio-coal. The latter are considered promising meliorants of natural origin. The processing of waste from the timber industry and sewage sludge into bio-coal is proposed. Its influence on the water permeability of leached chernozem is studied. The positive effect of biochar on the filtration properties of the soil has been established. The filtration rate after applying the biochar increased by 2.5-4 times compared to the control. The maximum water permeability was observed at a biochar concentration of 20 -30% to the soil mass. It is established that the amount of moisture that has passed through the soil depends on the dose of the introduced biochar. The addition of biochar in the amount of 5, 10, 20 and 30% led to a significant increase in the filtration qualities of the soil, compared with the control. The tendency of the ability of biochar to improve the water-physical properties of the soil is revealed.

Valorisation of Agricultural Digestate for the Ammonium Sulfate Recovery and Soil Improvers Production

This work investigates an innovative process to valorise agricultural digestate by the exploitation of solar energy. Digestate has been located in a lab-scale greenhouse to evaporate the liquid phase. Digestate vapours, rich in ammonia, are sent in a Drechsler trap, filled with 38% w/w sulfuric acid solution, through three solar air fans. A concentration of about 2 M of ammonium sulphate solution was recovered. The remaining dried solid phase, rich in phosphorous compounds, was evaluated as alternative to the commercial fertilizers (46% P2O5) in the growth of maize plants. Equal amount of P was applied to each pot (25 mg/kg soil). The plants were evaluated along the 8 weeks in a greenhouse monitoring the growth parameters and leaf SPAD index, micro-, macronutrients and non-essential heavy metals. The results evidenced that the dried solid phase of digestate can be used as an alternative source of P. Graphic Abstract

A biobased, bioactive, low CO2 impact coating for soil improvers

Development of novel, eco-friendly coating systems for application in lawn and turf management.

The impact of a recultivation layer on the restoration of plant communities

Areas of coal mining dumps naturally overgrowing with vegetation in the dry-steppe (Khakassia), forest-steppe (Krasnoyarsk Krai, Kansk-Achinsk Fuel and Energy Complex, KAFEC) and subtaiga (Kemerovo region, Kuzbass) subzones were investigated. The environmental and cenotic characteristics of herbaceous communities were studied in experimental sites following the application of a fertile soil layer and in technogenic eluviums without soil improvers. The application of a fertile soil layer was found to increase both the species abundance and the projective cover of zonal species. Thus, the presence of a humus horizon promotes the formation of herbaceous ecosystems. However, this is not an unconditional factor that these ecosystems would reach the stage of zonal formations.