Effect of Olive‐Derived Organic Amendments on Lead,Zinc, and Biochemical Parameters of an Artificially Contaminated Soil

Abstract

An incubation experiment was conducted to ascertain the effects of three olive‐derived organic amendments (fresh, compost, and vermicompost olive cake) on the soluble and diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)–extractable lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) and on different enzymatic activities in an artificially contaminated calcareous soil. Application of the compost and vermicompost, which increased amounts of humic acids in soil, initially stimulated dehydrogenase, ß‐glucosidase, and urease activities, which tended to decline afterward. In contrast, dehydrogenase and ß‐glucosidase activities were lower after application of the fresh olive cake. Amounts of soluble Pb and Zn increased when fresh olive cake was added to the soil, due to the high content of water‐soluble carbon in this amendment. On the contrary, application of the compost and vermicompost decreased the concentration of soluble Zn and did not change the soluble Pb levels in the soil. The DTPA‐Pb and DTPA‐Zn were scarcely affected by the application of the three olive‐derived amendments.     

Impacts of Vermicompost and Nitrogen,Phosphorus, and Potassium Application on Soil Fertility Status in Arecanut Grown on a Laterite Soil

A field experiment (1998 to 2010) investigated the effects of vermicompost (VC) and chemical fertilizer (CF) application alone or in combination on soil fertility status in arecanut. Vermicompost significantly increased the soil pH (6.3) over CF and integrated treatments (5.7–5.8). Greater soil organic carbon was noticed with VC (2.85–3.00%) than with CF (1.72–1.89%) and VC + CF (1.89–2.55%) in 2009. Soil test phosphorus (P) (mg kg^–1) significantly increased with VC 200% nitrogen (N) equivalency (35.3) compared to other treatments (8.5–23.3) at the 0- to 30-cm depth in 2009. In 2003, soil test potassium (K) (mg kg^–1) was significantly greater with CF at depths of both 0–30 cm (162–187) and 30–60 cm (172–214) than VC and control. Soil test K depleted with VC application in 2009. Application of VC significantly improved soil test calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) compared to CF, CF + VC, and control at 0–30 cm deep. Soil test values for micronutrients increased in 2009 compared to initial status.     

Enzymatic Activities in Soil Cultivated with Coffee (Coffea arabica L. cv. ‘Bourbon’) and Amended with Organic Material

The objective of this study was to investigate the growth of coffee (Coffea arabica L. cv. ‘Bourbon’) in soil amended with compost, vermicompost, and bokashi at 25%, 50%, and 66% while mycorrhizal colonization and activity of acid and alkaline phosphatases and urease in soil were monitored. Treatments with 25% compost as well as higher application rates of compost and bokashi (50% or 66%) increased coffee growth. Shoot fresh weight increased 5 times when 25% bokashi or compost was applied, 8 times when 50% was applied and 10 times when 66% was applied compared to the control plants without organic fertilizer. Acid and alkaline phosphatase and urease activity increased when organic fertilizer was applied to soil. Application of organic fertilizers increased the growth and fresh weight of root and shoot of coffee plants and improved the root mycorrizal colonization and enzymatic activity of the soil.     

The influence of vermicompost water extracts on growth of plants propagated by cuttings

Abstract

Water extracts from vermicomposts, commonly known as “teas,” contain plant available nutrients and plant growth regulators. Their applications on plants have shown to increase seed germination, plant growth and yield, and suppress diseases. This experiment evaluates the effects of vermicompost teas, extracted from food and paper-waste vermicompost, on the rooting characteristics of stem cuttings. Stem cuttings from sugarcane and mint, and leaf cuttings from begonia were treated with four concentrations of vermicompost teas from food wastes: 1%, 2%, 5%, and 10%, compared with water only control and a commercial rooting hormone, Dip ‘N Grow, arranged in randomized complete block design with 10 replications. Rooting characteristics such number of roots, root density, and length of roots were assessed. Results showed that rooting of the stem cuttings from three plants responded differently to applications of vermicompost teas. Vermicompost teas applied at 2% showed as the optimum concentration for sugarcane and mint, while 1% vermicompost tea was optimum for begonia leaf cuttings. The increased rooting in stem cuttings was due to the combination of auxins, cytokinins, GA, and humic acids found in vermicompost teas extracted from food and paper waste vermicompost. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether interactions exist between concentration and length of application time.     

蚯蚓肥基质对烟苗根系生长与生理特征的影响

为蚯蚓肥基质在生产实际中的示范和应用推广提供理论依据,采用漂浮育苗方式研究了蚯蚓肥与珍珠岩配比基质对烟苗根系生长与生理特征的影响.结果表明:1) 与常规基质相比,蚯蚓肥添加30%的珍珠岩混配处理的出苗率持平,随着蚯蚓肥比例的增加,出苗率显著降低.2) 蚯蚓肥添加30%珍珠岩混配处理的地下部干物重和地上部干物重显著高于常...     

Growth,Survival, Protein Content,and Phytoremediation Potency of Various Rangeland Plant Species (Medicago polymorpha L., Medicago rigidula L., and Onobrychis sativa L.) Grown in Vermicompost-Containing Potting Media

A pot experiment based on completely randomized factorial arrangement design with four replications was conducted under greenhouse condition at Malayer University, Malayer, Iran. Pots contained a mixture of soil and different concentrations (0% and 60% w/w) of vermicompost. Plants were exposed to three lead nitrate concentrations: 0, 4, and 8 mM. Based on the results of this research, shoot height and root length of the studied plants significantly decreased with increased lead concentrations in all vermicompost application levels. Generally, plants exposed to lower levels of lead and vermicompost application had higher root:shoot ratio. The survival capacity of all the studied plants was significantly reduced with increased lead concentrations, but increased with increased vermicompost application level. The total protein content increased with decrease in lead nitrate concentration, but decreased with decrease in vermicompost application. Generally, translocation factor increased significantly as vermicompost application rate increased. The highest root concentration factor of lead was found in V1×Pb2 as compared to the other treatment levels. Generally, tolerance index values of all the studied plants were significantly higher in the lower lead concentration treatments.     

Nitrogen and vermicompost interaction on soil and leaf nutrient status of kinnow mandarin in vertisols of Jhalawar district

A field experiment entitled “nitrogen and vermicompost interaction on soil and leaf nutrient status of kinnow mandarin in vertisols of Jhalawar district” was conducted at the Fruit Research Farm, Department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Jhalawar (Rajasthan) during 2012–13 to study the effect of different levels of nitrogen and vermicompost on physico-chemical properties of soil and leaf micro and macro nutrient contents of Kinnow mandarin. The result indicated that application of T₁₅ treatment i.e. nitrogen at 350 g/plant + vermicompost 20 kg/plant was found best with regard to improvement in soil physico-chemical properties like organic carbon content (0.44%), available nitrogen (N) (379.36 kgha^?1), available phosphorus (P) (25.56 kgha^?1), available potassium (393.29 kgha^?1) and reduces electrical conductivity (0.34 dSm^?1), soil pH (7.42) and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) content percentage (15.20) of soil.     

生物强化有机土壤添加物结合石膏促进碱性土壤上睡茄的生长

Limited availability of organic matter is a problem to sustain crop growth on sodic soil. Organic soil amendments are a costeffective source of nutrients to enhance crop growth. A field study was conducted to evaluate the effect of an organic soil amendment bioaugmented with plant growth-promoting fungi(SF_(OA) ) in combination with gypsum on soil properties and growth and yield attributes of Withania somnifera, one of the most valuable crops of the traditional medicinal system in the world, on a sodic soil at the Aurawan Research Farm of CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India. The SF_(OA) used was prepared by pre-enriching farm waste vermicompost with plant growth-promoting fungi before mixing with pressmud and Azadirachta indica seed cake. The application of SF_(OA) at 10 Mg ha~(-1)after gypsum(25.0 Mg ha~(-1)) treatment significantly(P 0.05) increased root length(by 96%) and biomass(by 125%) of Withania plants compared to the control without SF_(OA) and gypsum. Similarly, the highest withanolide contents were observed in leaves and roots of Withania plants under 10 Mg ha~(-1)SF_(OA) and gypsum. Combined application of SF_(OA) and gypsum also improved physical, chemical and enzymatic properties of the soil, with the soil bulk density decreasing by 25%, water-holding capacity increasing by 121%, total organic C increasing by 90%, p H decreasing by 17% and alkaline phosphatase, β-glucosidase, dehydrogenase and cellulase activities increasing by 54%, 128%, 81% and 96%, respectively, compared to those of the control. These showed that application of the SF_(OA) tested in this study might reclaim sodic soil and further support Withania cultivation and results were better when the SF_(OA) was applied after gypsum treatment.     

蚓粪和益生菌互作对土壤性状、菠菜产量和品质的影响

选取两种益生菌(巨大芽孢杆菌和解淀粉芽孢杆菌)分别与化肥和蚓粪配施,研究了蚓粪和益生菌配施对设施蔬菜地土壤化学性状、酶活性及菠菜产量和品质的影响。结果表明:在等养分条件下与单施化肥相比,蚓粪能够显著提高土壤有效磷含量及p H值,降低速效钾、铵态氮含量及EC值,有利于土壤脲酶、蛋白酶和过氧化氢酶活性的提高,有效改善菠菜品质;与单施蚓粪相比,益生菌与蚓粪配施不仅显著提高土壤硝态氮含量、蔗糖酶活性,还增加了土壤EC值,提高了菠菜可溶性糖、蛋白及维生素C含量,且解淀粉芽孢杆菌配施蚓粪还增加了菠菜产量;而益生菌配施化肥对菠菜产量增加和品质改善效果不及益生菌配施蚓粪效果显著。综合比较两种益生菌和蚓粪配施效果,以蚓粪配施解淀粉芽孢杆菌对土壤性状改善和蔬菜产量、品质提高效果最好。     

Soil and plants nutrient status and wheat growth after mycorrhiza inoculation with and without vermicompost

Two vermicompost treatments providing 45 (V1) and 90 (V2) kg P ha^?1 and mycorrhizae (M) inoculation were evaluated alone and in combinations for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth and soil fertility status. The treatments included; the Control, nitrogen (N): dipotassium oxide (K₂O) as basal dose (BD; 120:60 kg ha^?1), N: phosphorus pentoxide (P₂O₅): K₂O as recommended dose (RD; 120:90:60 kg ha^?1), BD+Myccorhiza (BDM), BD+V1 (BDV1), BDM+V1 (BDMV1), BD+V2 (BDV2), and BDM+V2 (BDMV2). Combination of mycorrhizae and vermicompost (BDMV1 and BDMV2) significantly and maximally improved the growth, plant N, phosphorus (P), and micronutrient concentrations over the control, reduced the soil pH by 5 and 6%, increased OM by 25 and 112%, total N by 41%, and extractable P up to 200% while the extent of improvement was directly related to the content of added vermicompost. Results indicated that vermicompost at either level synergistically affected the mycorrhizae in plant nutrition as well as improved soil fertility status and soil chemical properties.