Journal of Soil, Plant and Environment

Role of Nutrient Management in Yield, Quality and Nutrient Content of Egyptian Clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) Under Calcareous Soil Conditions

Sat, 06 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Nutrient management is vital for maximizing forage crop yield and economic viability; however, improper application can result in decreased yield and quality. Therefore, two seasonal experiments were conducted during the winter seasons of 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 to examine the impact of varying nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) levels, along with the foliar application of zinc, on the forage yield and nutrient content of Egyptian clover or berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) grown in calcareous soil conditions (>36% CaCO₃). The experiment consisted of eight treatments, including two NPK levels (50% and 100% of the recommended dose) and two forms of Zn (Zn NPs and Zn Edta at 0.2 and 0.5% as foliar sprays), compared with the control (without treatment). Results showed that NPK full dose (100%) or in combination with Zn NPs significantly improved fresh and dry weight by an average of 67%, and 80%, respectively, across all cuts. Whereas, the highest protein percentage in berseem forage occurred with 50% NPK and foliar Zn NPs. Protein yield per unit area was highest with 100% NPK and foliar Zn NPs in the second and third cuts. Furthermore, Zn NPs boosted manganese (Mn) levels in the 2^nd cut but decreased them in the 3^rd cut. Iron (Fe) and Mn were mostly in normal ranges, but zinc was often below normal levels. Overall, Zn NPs increased forage yields. The results of translocation factor (TF) for micronutrients from the soil to berseem plants showed that TF values were > 1 for all micronutrients except for Cu in several instances in the 2^nd cut in such calcareous soil. Furthermore, micronutrient translocations were arranged in the following order Cu < Zn <Mn <Fe in the 2^nd and 3^rd cuts. Our study suggested that there is a beneficial role of correcting Zn deficiency under calcareous soil conditions which is reflected on berseem yield and quality and nutrient status. Thus, using ZnO NPs along with the full recommended dose of NPK is a suitable approach to enhance berseem crop yield and quality in calcareous soil.

Tree Species Germination: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis and its Implications for Pre-Sowing Treatment in Bangladesh

Mohd Imran Hossain Chowdhury, M. Hasan Rakib, Chinmoy Das, Md. Zobaer Hossain — Tue, 28 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In Bangladesh, pre-sowing treatments significantly impact forestry species, employing water, temperature, and chemical methods to enhance seed germination. This meta-analysis, encompassing 17 research articles, emphasizes the prevalence of these treatments, with 11 studies dedicated to pre-sowing techniques and 6 as a comparison group without treatment. Findings reveal substantial heterogeneity attributed to low replications and ecological factors highlighted in articles. To address this, we recommend a balanced number of replications, considering ecological factors, to enhance research reliability in forest restoration and seed germination. Factors affecting seed germination, such as pressure, temperature, sunlight, and water stress, unfold in five stages: imbibition, respiration, light effect, mobilization of reserves, and embryo development. The seed coat layer impedes germination, and various pre-sowing treatments in Bangladesh, including mechanical, water soaking, heat, and chemical treatments, mitigate this hindrance. While this meta-analysis sheds light on ecological factors and seed performance, its limited scale underscores the need for broader studies assessing treatment effects using standardized measures.

Synergistic Effects of Rice Straw Return and Nitrogen Fertilizer on Rhizosphere Bacterial Communities and Soil Fertility

Nasita Rahman Borny, Golam Mohammod Mostakim, Asif Raihan, Md Shoaibur Rahman — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Returning straw to the field combined with nitrogen (N) fertilizer application is an effective way to enhance soil fertility. While previous studies have focused on soil's physical and chemical properties, the impact of straw returning on the microbial community has been less explored. In this study, we used four treatments including control (CK), nitrogen 150 kg ha⁻¹ (N), straw return 10 tonnes ha⁻¹ (SR), and combined SR and N (SRN= straw return 5 tonnes ha⁻¹ + nitrogen 75 kg ha⁻¹) to understand the effects of N fertilizer application and straw returning on bacterial community structure. Using high-throughput sequencing, we analyzed the bacterial community under different treatments and identified the main factors influencing soil bacterial communities. Results showed that soil properties such as pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), and available phosphorous (AP) were significantly higher in SR+N treatments. While AP, available nitrogen (AN), available potassium (AK), and total nitrogen (TN) were higher in sole N applied treatments. The results of high-throughput sequencing analyses demonstrated that the main bacteria at the phylum level were Actinobacteria (31-34%), Proteobacteria (25-30%), Acidobacteria (15-21%), and Chloroflexi (13-16%) across the treatments. Furthermore, the SR+N treatment exhibited the highest relative abundances of Dependentiae, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes compared to all other treatments. Our results indicated that the combined application of straw return and N fertilizer enhanced soil fertility and increased the abundance of beneficial soil bacteria. Additionally, SOC emerged as the primary factor influencing variations in soil bacterial communities. However, several beneficial bacteria were less abundant in the combined treatment and more prevalent in the sole SR or sole N treatments. Thus, further research is necessary to develop new straw return strategies that optimize agricultural yields while minimizing ecological impacts.

Correlation Between Coarse Wood Debris and Soil Different Chemical Properties of Three Forest Types in Northeast China

Kashif Khan, Imran Azeem, Lixin Chen , Changzhun Li, Meixue Qu, Yafei Wang — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Coarse wood debris (CWD) is a critical component of the nitrogen and carbon pools in forest ecosystems. While CWD decomposition rates have been studied extensively across various ecosystems, the effects of CWD on soil properties and their interrelations remain unclear. This study aimed to measure the response of CWD to soil and their interrelations among three forest types: Picea koraiensis-Abies nephrolepis-Pinus koraiensis forest (PAPF), Betula costata-Pinus koraiensis forest (BPF), and Tilia amurensis-Pinus koraiensis forest (TPF). The results indicated that CWD carbon was positively correlated with soil pH (R²=0.36). CWD nitrogen was positively correlated with urease activity, while negatively correlated with dehydrogenase activity. There was a consistent correlation between overall CWD and soil nutrient concentrations among the three forest types, although the pattern of these correlations varied among PAPF, BPF, and TPF. This highlights the need to explore attribute interrelations across different ecological gradients. Overall, CWD phosphorus (P) and carbon (C) were positively correlated with soil pH, while aluminum (Al) was negatively correlated. CWD nitrogen (N) was positively correlated with urease enzyme activity, whereas CWD carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) were negatively correlated with invertase and dehydrogenase enzymes, respectively. CWD sulfur (S) was positively correlated with soil sulfur, while CWD carbon (C), potassium (K), and magnesium (Mg) were negatively correlated with their respective soil counterparts. This study demonstrates that variations in soil nutrient concentrations and enzymatic activity are significantly influenced by decomposition levels.

Microplastics and Invasive Alien Plants: A Change in Soil Ecology Deliberately Impacts the Aboveground Productivity of the Crops

Babar Iqbal — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Plastic is considered an emerging agroecological pollutant while biological invasion has also become a global environmental issue. Therefore, the contamination of microplastics and the occurrence of Solidago canadensis L. invasion in the agroecosystem may be a severe hazard to soil and plant functioning, reducing yield and perhaps indirectly harming human health. Microplastic contamination adversely affects the soil ecosystems in terms of soil carbon pools and their turnover. Invasive plants compete with agronomic crops, have allelopathic effects by secreting allelochemicals, and have detrimental effects on the productivity of the crops. However, their interaction had significant negative effects on the soil as well as the crop's physiological and biochemical properties. Thus, the interactive response created a big gap in how they raise concerns about crop potential yield and entering into the food web that ultimately affects human health.

The Problem of Charcoal Rot in Soybean, its Implications, and Approaches for Developing Resistant Varieties

Qaisar Khan, Ying Qin, Dao-Jun Guo — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Soybean is an annual legume with edible seeds. The soybean’s charcoal rot is one of the serious challenges faced in its cultivation regions, which brings severe production and economic losses. charcoal rot is the result of infection by the soil-borne fungus Macrophomina phaseolina. Though several researchers have made efforts to deal with soybean’s charcoal rot challenge, but at present, there are no soybean varieties in the market that are resistant to charcoal rot. The pathogen is thought to infect plants in their roots from contaminated soil, using unknown toxin-mediated processes. Conventional integrated approaches for managing charcoal rot in soybeans have been implemented in the field, but their efficacy is limited. So, developing soybean durable resistant varieties against M.phaseolina is the only solution to rescuing this crop. The potential approach is identifying new genetic sources and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with resistance to charcoal rot in the resistant soybean population and conducting genome-wide association studies to increase understanding of underlying resistance mechanisms. The discovery of the genetic markers associated with resistance will contribute to charcoal rot resistance genotype selection for breeding programs in the future.