Phosphorous and Mung Bean Residue Incorporation Improve Soil Fertility and Crop Productivity in Sorghum and Mungbean-Lentil Cropping System

ABSTRACT

In sorghum and mungbean – lentil cropping system, field experiments were conducted for three successive years to assess the effect of mung bean residue incorporation on sorghum and succeeding lentil productivity along with different doses of phosphorus (P; 0, 30, 60 kg ha^{? 1}) applied to these crops. The level of soil fertility was also tested with or without incorporation of mung bean residue. The interaction of phosphorus to mungbean residue incorporation was thus studied in relation to improve crop productivity with balancing fertilizer requirements through an eco-friendly approach. Sorghum grain yield increased significantly when 60 kg P₂O₅ ha^{? 1} was applied and mungbean residue incorporated. The response was reduced to 30 kg P₂O₅ ha^{? 1} when mungbean residue was not incorporated. The succeeding lentil crop responded up to 60 kg P₂O₅ ha^{? 1} only when preceding sorghum crop received 0 or 30 kg P₂O₅ ha^{? 1}. Response to applied P₂O₅ to lentil reduced to 30 kg ha^{? 1} when preceding sorghum crop received 60 kg P₂O₅ ha^{? 1} and mungbean residue incorporated. Available soil nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic carbon content increased when mungbean residue was incorporated; however, available potassium (K) of the soil decreased from its initial value.     

Glycosidases in soils as affected by cropping systems

Glycosidases are a group of soil enzymes that play a major role in degradation of carbohydrates. This study was conducted to assess the impact of crop rotation and N fertilization on the activities of α‐ and β‐glucosidases and α‐ and β‐galactosidases in plots of two long‐term field experiments at the Clarion‐Webster Research Center (CWRC) and Northeast Research Center (NERC) in Iowa. Surface‐soil (0–15 cm) samples were taken in 1996 and 1997 in corn (Zea mays L.), soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), oats (Avena sativa L.), or meadow (alfalfa) (Medicago sativa L.) plots that received 0 or 180 kg N ha^–1, applied as urea before corn, and an annual application of 20 kg P ha^–1 and 56 kg K ha^–1. Activities of the four glycosidases were significantly affected by crop rotations in both years at the two sites but not by nitrogen application. In general, higher activities were observed in plots under meadow or oat and the lowest in continuous corn (CWRC) and soybean (NERC). Four‐year rotation showed the highest activity, followed by 2‐year rotation and monocropping systems. Linear‐regression analyses indicated that, in general, the activities of the glycosidases were significantly correlated with microbial‐biomass C (r > 0.302, p ≤ 0.05) and microbial‐biomass N (r > 0.321, p ≤ 0.05), organic‐C (r > 0.332, p ≤ 0.05) and organic‐N (r > 0.399, p ≤ 0.01) contents of the soils. Results of this work suggest that multicropping stimulated the activities of the glycosidases. The specific activities of the glycosidases in soils of the two sites studied, expressed as g p‐nitrophenol released per kg of organic C, differed among the four enzymes. The lowest values were obtained for β‐galactosidase and α‐glucosidase, followed by α‐galactosidase and β‐glucosidase.     

Impact of foliar-applied Hoagland’s nutrient solution on growth and yield of mash bean (Vigna mungo L.) under different growth stages

In a field experiment, various strengths of Hoagland’s nutrient solutions were sprayed to mitigate the deleterious effects of nutrient stresses at different growth stages on mash bean cultivars. Hoagland’s nutrient solution strengths of 0, 25, 50, and 75% were applied at 7, 14, and 21?days after emergence on mash bean cultivars namely Mash-2 and Mash-88. Hoagland’s nutrient solution of 75% strength markedly increased the growth and yield of mash bean cultivars if applied at 21?days after crop emergence. The Mash-88 showed superiority in terms of growth and yield traits as compared to Mash-2. The results suggested that growth and yield was not enhanced effectively by a low strength of Hoagland’s nutrient solution applied at initial growth stages. It is concluded that foliar-applied Hoagland’s nutrient solution of 75% strength can be used as an efficient tool when applied at appropriate growth stage (21?days after emergence) to get optimal yield.     

Using fuzzy clustering algorithms to describe the distribution of trace elements in arable calcareous soils in northwest Iran

Accumulation of trace elements in arable soils is an important global hazard worldwide. In this research, the available content of Zn, Fe, B, Co, Cu, Mn, Mo and other soil parameters (pH, organic carbon content, carbonates and electrical conductivity) were analysed in northwest Iran. Concentration levels of trace elements were relatively low in areas with high pH values and low organic matter content, and only the Mo value exceeded the reference threshold. Based on the correlation among the elements, two datasets were produced. The first consists of Fe and Mn data, while the second contains Zn, B, Co, Cu and Mo data. Two fuzzy clustering approaches, Fuzzy C-means (FCM) and Gustafson–Kessel (GK), were applied for clustering both datasets. Multiple accumulation of trace elements was investigated from the clustering results and then visualized in spatial regionalization maps. The fuzzy clustering evaluating indices showed that the GK method was more appropriate than FCM for clustering datasets. The results revealed that the first and second datasets were divided into seven and six clusters, respectively. Fuzzy clustering analyses combined with geostatistical methods were used to map the spatial variability of each cluster. This method enabled the monitoring of multiple metal accumulation in large agricultural soils.     

Analysis of wild sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) root exudates using gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry

Plant root systems mediate ecological processes in the rhizosphere through the exudation of organic compounds. Although exudate composition is thought to depend strongly on plant nutrient status, little is known about the influence of multi‐nutrient stresses. In this study, we examined responses to short‐term (3 d) nutrient limitation in Helianthus annuus (common sunflower), and root exudates were collected for 2, 4, or 6 h with the trap‐solution method. Root exudates, analyzed by means of gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry, consisted of over 60 sugars, sugar alcohols, amino acids, organic acids, and phosphates, with sugars and organic acids generally detected in the highest quantities. Twenty‐five of the detected metabolites, including half of the organic acids, sugars, and sugar alcohols, differed in relative abundance among the three sampling intervals, exhibiting higher abundance in sampling intervals greater than 2 h. Similarly, 24 of the detected metabolites, including half of the amino acids, phosphates, and sugar alcohols, were affected by nutrient supply, with 20 exhibiting higher abundance in the high‐nutrient treatment. Fumaric acid, quinic acid, and glucose were detected at significantly higher levels in the low‐nutrient treatment, potentially representing an adaptive response to nutrient limitation in sunflower. However, as sampling interval exerted a strong influence on the apparent effects of nutrient supply, future studies should consider the potential impacts of sampling‐interval length in comparative analyses of genotypes or treatments.     

Trace metals concentrations in marine organisms from the coastal areas of Bahrain,Arabian Gulf

A total of 162 fish and shellfish samples representing important species have been collected from different coastal areas of Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf, and analyzed for lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometric method. The dverall mean levels for Pb, Cd, Hg and As in fish samples were 0.132, 0.032, 0.084 and 1.7 µg g^?1 wet weight, respectively, whereas for shellfish they were 0.149, 0.045, 0.042 and 3.61 µg g^?1 wet weight. These values indicate higher levels of metals in shellfish when compared with fish, except for mercury, and reveal that generally the levels of metals in these organisms are lower than existing guidelines, except for arsenic. The provisional tolerable weekly intake of Pb, Cd, Hg and As through fish was estimated to be 0.7, 0.17, 0.45 and 9 µg kg^?1 bodyweight per week, respectively. Our results did not reveal a clear pattern regarding variations of metals concentration between areas and species.     

Carbon,nitrogen, and phosphorus stoichiometry mediate sensitivity of carbon stabilization mechanisms along with surface layers of a Mollisol after long-term fertilization in Northeast China

Journal of Soils and Sediments - Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important parameter determining soil fertility and sustaining soil health. How C, N, and P contents and their stoichiometric ratios...     

Zinc Application Enhances Biological Yield and Alters Nutrient Uptake by Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is often associated with calcareous soils throughout the world, whereas application of Zn not only enhances biological yield but exhibits significant interactions with nutrients. Hence, a two-year field experiment was performed in 2004 and 2005 to assess the crop Zn requirements as well as nutrient interactions in cotton. The present study followed a randomized complete block design with five Zn levels: 0.0, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, and 12.5 kg Zn as ZnSO₄.7H₂O. The biological yield of cotton increased progressively with increasing Zn rates. In general, cotton yield was higher in 2005 over 2004. Interestingly, Zn fertilization resulted in increased accumulation of nitrogen (N), potassium (K), boron (B), and Zn, whereas decreased the phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn) (p ≤ 0.05) uptake by cotton. The enhanced macronutrients accumulation in cotton by Zn application improved the cotton yield. In conclusion, biological yield and nutrient composition of the cotton plant are greatly influenced by Zn supply under irrigated environments.     

Assessing the effect of lucerne utilization systems in the Pannonian region of Austria

Conservation of water using mulches is a viable option under semiarid conditions for enhancing water use efficiency. Effect of mulches varies among years and with the amount and timing of mulching. Lucerne is a key crop for organic farming systems under semiarid conditions in Austria. Effect of mulching with lucerne has not been thoroughly investigated. Field experiments were conducted to assess the effect of lucerne utilization system (nonmulch versus mulch) on its shoot and root dry matter yield, biological nitrogen fixation and water use efficiency. Experiments were laid out in randomized complete block design with four replicates at the experimental farm of University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria, during 2007–2008. Mulching was effective in lowering soil temperature by 1–6^°C in the top 5 cm of soil. Utilization systems did not significantly affect the other studied parameters (P < 0.05). Lucerne shoot and root dry matter yield, biological nitrogen fixation, and water use efficiency were greater in 2008 than in 2007. Effect of lucerne utilization systems on soil properties needs to be investigated over long-term studies to verify results of this 2-year study.     

Comparative study of Hargreaves’s and artificial neural network’s methodologies in estimating reference evapotranspiration in a semiarid environment

The Penman–Monteith equation (PM) is widely recommended because of its detailed theoretical base. This method is recommended by FAO as the sole method to calculate reference evapotranspiration (ET_o) and for evaluating other methods. However, the detailed climatological data required by the Penman–Monteith equation are not often available especially in developing nations. Hargreaves equation (HG) has been successfully used in some locations for estimating ET_o where sufficient data were not available to use PM method. The HG equation requires only maximum and minimum air temperature data that are usually available at most weather stations worldwide. Another method used to estimate ET_o is the artificial neural network (ANN). Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are effective tools to model nonlinear systems and require fewer inputs. The objective of this study was to compare HG and ANN methods for estimating ET_o only on the basis of the temperature data. The 12 weather stations selected for this study are located in Khuzestan plain (southwest of Iran). The HG method mostly underestimated or overestimated ET_o obtained by the PM method. The ANN method predicted ET_o better than HG method at all sites.