Soil and Environment

The overuse of chemical fertilizers in agriculture is a major cause of subsurface water contamination and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, cutting back on the use of chemical fertilizer is crucial without compromising on agricultural yield. In this context, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), compost, and biochar (BC) can offer a more affordable and sustainable option. We evaluated the effect of wheat derived biochar and municipal solid waste compost on spinach under 100% or 50% of the recommended fertilizers(RF), in the presence or absence of a PGPR i.e., Bacillus tropicus. Spinach was grown on a sandy clay loam soil in pots for 48 days. Biochar and compost were mixed at 1% (w: w basis) with soil in all possible combinations of 100% or 50% of the recommended fertilizers. Plants receiving 100% and 50% of recommended fertilizers served as control. Biochar and PGPR significantly increased shoot-root length, with the maximum increase of 42.14-43.51% where BC+PGPR under 50RF were added. Moreover, co-application of biochar with PGPR further increased the root biomass, with the maximum increase of 150% when biochar and PGPR were co-applied while sole application of biochar significantly increased the shoot biomass by 58.15% under 50RF regime. Co-application of BC and PGPR further increased soil nitrate content with the maximum increase of 107.72% found under 50% fertilizer regime. The ammonium content was significantly increased 278.18% and 757.14% when compost was applied alone under 100RF and 50RF regimes. Addition of compost increased the microbial biomass C by 61.06% and 156.87% under 100RF and 50RF regimes, respectively. Overall, all the three amendments improved plant production and/or soil health indicators. However, the improvement in soil health indicators translated significantly into higher spinach biomass only in co-applied biochar and Bacillus tropicus treatment. Our results indicate that biochar and PGPR worked in tandem. PGPR solubilized phosphorus presumably from biochar, whereas the latter provided suitable environment for growth of PGPR. We recommend that this combination can be used to partially replace chemical fertilizers to produce spinach.

Muhammad Sanaullah

Sabir Hussain

Faisal Mahmood

Tanvir Shahzad

Soil & Environment

Co-application of wheat straw biochar, phosphorus solubilizing Bacillus tropicus, and compost for spinach production under reduced chemical fertilizers

小麦秸秆生物炭、解磷芽孢杆菌和堆肥的联合施用对减少化肥条件下菠菜生产的促进作用

Drought stress is an unavoidable factor that exists in a variety of habitats which hinders the production, quality, and energy of plant biomass. Drought conditions result in oxidative stress in plants due to excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced as a result of low CO2 which interferes with plant photosynthetic capacity. Consequently, during periods of drought stress, the transport of nutrients and the mass flow of water-soluble nutrients like nitrate, sulfate, calcium, and silicon is reduced. The application of traditional approaches in developing drought-tolerant crops is a time-consuming process, and the use of advanced biotechnology for agricultural development is still viewed with caution. The use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as a cost-effective and environment friendly strategy can be adopted to enhance crop development in drought stress conditions. The synthesis of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase promotes plant nutrient uptake by metabolizing plant ACC, consequently preventing the accumulation of ethylene. The PGPR enhances the plant's defense mechanisms, leading to higher relative water content, decreased oxidation products and increased levels of antioxidants and osmo protectants within the plants. The synthesis of exopolysaccharides (EPS) also improves the soil's capacity to retain water. Osmolyte synthesis is increased by PGPR and effectively mitigates ROS's harmful effects to assist the plant growth. For the manufacture of bio-fertilizers to minimize the negative impacts of drought stress on crops grown in dry environments, multifaceted PGPR are promising options. This review outlines potential future directions for sustainable agricultural production and suggests techniques to improve their effectiveness as bio-inoculants in field settings.

Sadia Murad

Abdul Qadir

Amer Habib

Waqar Akram

Muhammad Tahir Murad

Faheem Rafiq

Afroz Rais

Ishrat Fatima

Muhammad Madni Afzal

Muhammad Moaz Khursheed

Strategies to overcome drought stress for improving plant growth under sustainable agriculture

克服干旱胁迫以提高可持续农业下植物生长的策略

This study aimed to experimentally examine the impact of organic matter content on some of compression characteristics of fine-grained riverine soils from southern Iraq. A total of eight soil samples were collected from two various riverine areas, presenting natural levee and basin (fine-grained) soils, in the eastern Basrah region. The research explored the correlation between organic matter content and compression characteristics, highlighting changes in unit weight, permeability, and compressibility. Findings showed that higher organic matter content led to lower density, increased permeability, and higher compressibility. The research offers valuable contributions to understanding the relationship between organic matter and soil compressibility, particularly relevant for sustainable soil management in the lower Mesopotamia region of southern Iraq, where those areas are vulnerable to climate change..

Murtadha A. Alfaris

Aymen A. Alrubaye

Wisam R. Muttashar

Edward L. Lo

The compression behavior of riverine fine-grained soils treated with organic matter

有机质处理后的河流细粒土壤的压缩特性

Cadmium (Cd) and other heavy metals are significant micropollutants originating from excessive industrial activities, inappropriate fertilizer use, and atmospheric deposition. The availability and movement of Cd can be minimized through adsorption using potential adsorbents like sugarcane bagasse (SB) and sugarcane bagasse-derived biochar (SB-BC). It has been reported that organic amendments such as SB and SB-BC affect the bioavailability of heavy metals. A field study assessed the impact of SB and SB-BC on the physiological and biochemical properties of maize plants grown in Cd-contaminated soil. Compared with High Stress Cadmium (HS-Cd), in No Stress Cadmium (NS-Cd), the combined application of 1% SB and 1% SB-BC displayed maximum response in plant physiological and biochemical properties; improved the performance of IRGA traits, chlorophyll content (CHL), relative water content (RWC) get increased as leaf chlorophyll (52%), RWC (29%), A (11%), E (57%), Gs (41%) and Ci (24%)a marked decrease in shoot (15%) and root (27%) Cd concentration, enhanced antioxidant enzymatic and non-enzymatic response: Up-regulated the superoxidase (SOD) by 34%, peroxidase (POD) by 44%, catalase (CAT) by 29%, ascorbate peroxidase (APX) by 22%, and total phenolics (TP) by 55%, ascorbic acid (ASA) by 33%, glutathione (GSH) by 34%, glutathione reductase (GR) by 19%; the decreased lipid peroxidation and membrane damage: rebated the level of H2O2 (55%), O2 (43%), content which alleviated the malondialdehyde (MDA) content by 46% and electrolyte leakage (EL) by 53% in maize plant; aggravated the profiling of compatible solutes: 18% proline content (PC), 43% soluble sugars (SS), 31% soluble proteins (SP), and 26% glycine betaine (GB) accumulation amplified, relative to their respective treatments of control and LS-Cd and HS-Cd groups. The combined application of SB and SB-BC (each at 1%) can be an eco-friendly and cost-effective approach to stabilize the Cd within the contaminated soils.

Sobia Riaz

Ghulam Murtaza

Muhammad Saqib

Mansoor Hameed

Synergetic contribution of sugarcane bagasse and derived biochar: Insights into cadmium stress tolerance of maize (Zea mays L.) with physiochemical exploration

甘蔗渣及其衍生生物炭的协同贡献：通过理化探究揭示玉米（Zea mays L.）对镉胁迫的耐受性

Pedotransfer function (PTFs) is widely developed using machine learning algorithms (MLA) and non-linear regression (NLR). Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) is obviously used to regulate water movement in the soil. The objective of the work is to evaluate the accuracy of MLA to predict Ks. Moreover, is to determine the best class of predictors that can be used to predict Ks with little estimation error. Saturated hydraulic conductivity was measured by direct method using the constant head method. In addition, Ks was predicted using PTFs developed by machine learning algorithms including Random Forest Algorithm (RFA), and Gradient Boosting Algorithm (GBA) models with three categories of soil physical predictors. Furthermore, PTFs developed by RFA, and GBA were compared with PTFs developed by NLR models using the same three categories of soil physical predictors. The three categories of soil physical predictors were the following: category-1 refers to sand, silt, and clay “SSC”; category-2 refers to category-1, in addition to bulk density “SSC+BD”; and category-3 refers to category-2, in addition to organic matter “SSC+BD+OM”. The results of error analysis observed that PTFs developed by RFA were more accurate than GBA and NLR models, respectively, for Ks prediction with the three categories of soil physical predictors. Moreover, the category-3 which takes into account sand, silt, clay, bulk density, and organic matter was the best category used to predict Ks using RFA, and NLR models. PTFs developed by machine learning algorithms including RFA, and GBA models can be utilized to predict Ks with little calculation error. However, RFA was greater than GBA for calculating Ks. The efficiency of RFA was associated with the number of soil variables predictors and building classification and regression trees which is more robust than decision trees such as GBA to optimize Ks prediction.

Ahmed Y. Mady

Mhamoud A. Abdelhamid

Lina A. Shalaby

Mohamed A. Saeed

Evaluation of pedotransfer functions to estimate saturated hydraulic conductivity using machine learning with random forest and gradient boosting algorithms

使用随机森林和梯度提升算法通过机器学习评估估算饱和水力传导性的土壤转换函数

Sewage water, valued for its nutrient content, has become a common irrigation source for farming communities near urban areas. However, its utilization poses challenges due to diverse pollutants, especially toxic heavy metals like Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, and Ni. This study investigates the physicochemical properties of canal, mixed, and sewage water used in irrigation, assessing their impact on soil, spinach productivity, nutrient and heavy metal accumulation, and potential health risks linked to harvested crops. Metal-resistant bacteria, including Bacillus megaterium (N8), Bacillus safensis (N11), Bacillus sp. (N18), and Bacillus megaterium (N29), were examined for their role in mitigating heavy metal effects on soil and crops. Water quality analysis shows safe pH levels, but elevated electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) in mixed and sewage water raise concerns about their suitability for irrigation. Micronutrient levels are notably high in sewage and mixed water, emphasizing their significance for irrigation. Heavy metal analysis reveals toxic level of Cd, Pb, Cr, and Ni concentrations in sewage water, highlighting contamination risks. Inoculation with metal-resistant bacteria (N11) proves promising in improving soil nutrients (Fe - 20.7 mg kg-1, Zn - 13.7 mg kg-1, N – 0.32%, P – 17.3 mg kg-1 and K – 173 mg kg-1), reducing heavy metal accumulation i.e., Pb (-11%), Cd (-12%), Cr (-8%), Ni (-5%), Cu (-6%) and Mn (-6%), and enhancing spinach growth such as plant height (26%), shoot fresh biomass (23%) and shoot dry biomass (25 %). The investigation described the elevated nutrient and heavy metal concentrations in spinach irrigated with sewage and mixed water. However, inoculation with metal-resistant bacteria emerges as a sustainable solution, maintaining bioaccumulation and health risk index (HRI) within permissible limits, positioning them as a reliable inoculum source for vegetable cultivation using sewage water.

Zafar Iqbal

Najm-Ul Seher

Farheen Nazli

Hayssam M. Ali

Muhammad Latif

Ayesha Junaid

Azhar Hussain

Waleed A.A. Alsakkaf

Lisa Pataczek

Assessing the role of PGPR in spinach productivity and health risks in the context of wastewater irrigation

评估在废水灌溉背景下PGPR对菠菜生产力和健康风险的作用

Conservation tillage is a practice that positively affects the soil's physicochemical and biological characteristics. The type of tillage influences the richness and diversity of the soil microbiota since organic matter favors specific genera that, in turn, can significantly impact crop productivity. The aim was to analyze the bacterial communities in soils subjected to conservation and intensive tillage practices in two experimental platforms with more than 25 years of being subjected to this type of cultivation practices. Five composite samples of soils subjected to different tillage methods were analyzed. The treatments were Treatment 1=IT-R, Treatment 2=RT+R, Treatment 3=ZT+R, Treatment 4=IT+R and Treatment 5=ZT+R, where IT= Intensive Tillage, CT= Conservation Tillage, RT= Reduced Tillage, ZT=Zero Tillage, with (+R) and without (-R) removal of plant residues. Metagenomic DNA was extracted and sequenced using the 16s rRNA gene. CT showed higher species diversity, while IT showed higher richness. A higher beta diversity was observed in CT. IT was grouped in the same phylum range, while CT was in a different range. CT treatments improved the physicochemical properties of the soil and modified the diversity of bacterial communities. It is evident that conservation practices substantially impact the soil microbiota and favor the presence of microorganisms with a high capacity to degrade plant matter, improving the physicochemical characteristics of agricultural soils.

Castañeda-Cisneros Yamily Elianeth

Zafra Germán

Anducho-Reyes Miguel Angel

Mercado-Flores Yuridia

Ponce-Lira Brenda

Téllez-Jurado Alejandro

Comparison of bacterial communities of agricultural soils subjected to different types of tillage in the Valle del Mezquital, Mexico

墨西哥梅斯基塔尔河谷不同耕作方式下农业土壤细菌群落的比较

Traditional tillage methods, based on intensive tillage and increasing drought due to global climate change, compromise the sustainable use of soils and increase the risk of wind erosion on agricultural land. Therefore, numerous methods including the application of various polymers to improve soil structure and increase aggregate stability have been used to overcome the soil problems caused by wind erosion. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of humic acid on soil wind erosion control in a laboratory wind tunnel on 5 different locations with two different textures from Konya Province, Turkey. First, the air-dried soil was passed through a (1 mm) sieve, then poured into the pans and the samples were treated with humic acid corresponding to 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 L da-1. After 24 h, the samples were placed in a laboratory wind tunnel and exposed to a wind of 11 m s-1 for 10 min. The findings indicated that the application of humic acid significantly influenced briquette formation in soil samples 1, 2, and 3, which had a sandy clay loam (SCL) texture, successfully formed briquettes, while samples 4 and 5, characterized by clay loam (CL) texture did not produce any briquettes. Additionally, the study demonstrated that the application of humic acid to SCL soil effectively reduced soil loss, with the lowest recorded loss being 18.62 t ha-1 year-1 at a 1 L da-1 application of humic acid (HA). In contrast, CL textured soil samples experienced a maximum soil loss of 87.6 t ha-1 year-1 with a 4 L da-1 HA application. The results further suggest that the effectiveness of humic acid in controlling soil erosion was dose dependent for the CL textured soil samples. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the application of humic acid could be a promising approach to improve soil quality, particularly in relation to soil texture, to mitigate soil loss caused by wind erosion.

Vildan Erci

Cevdet Seker

Humic acid effects on wind erosion control in sandy clay loam and clay loam soils: A wind tunnel study

风化煤酸对砂质黏壤土和黏壤土风蚀控制的影响：风洞研究

Abbreviation	SE
Journal Impact	0.22
Quartiles(Global)	SOIL SCIENCE(Q4)

ISSN	2074-9546, 2075-1141
h-index	24

Publication Information	Publisher: Soil Science Society of Pakistan，Publishing cycle: ，Journal Type: journal，Open Access Journals: Yes
Basic data	Year of publication: 2010，Proportion of original research papers: 100.00%，Self Citation Rate:25.00%， Gold OA Rate: 42.86%
Average review cycle	网友分享经验：4 Weeks

Soil and Environment

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Co-application of wheat straw biochar, phosphorus solubilizing Bacillus tropicus, and compost for spinach production under reduced chemical fertilizers

Strategies to overcome drought stress for improving plant growth under sustainable agriculture

The compression behavior of riverine fine-grained soils treated with organic matter

Synergetic contribution of sugarcane bagasse and derived biochar: Insights into cadmium stress tolerance of maize (Zea mays L.) with physiochemical exploration

Evaluation of pedotransfer functions to estimate saturated hydraulic conductivity using machine learning with random forest and gradient boosting algorithms

Evaluation of pedotransfer functions to estimate saturated hydraulic conductivity using machine learning with random forest and gradient boosting algorithms

Assessing the role of PGPR in spinach productivity and health risks in the context of wastewater irrigation

Comparison of bacterial communities of agricultural soils subjected to different types of tillage in the Valle del Mezquital, Mexico

Humic acid effects on wind erosion control in sandy clay loam and clay loam soils: A wind tunnel study

Synergetic contribution of sugarcane bagasse and derived biochar: Insights into cadmium stress tolerance of maize (Zea mays L.) with physiochemical exploration