Plant, Soil and Environment, 2023 (vol. 69), issue 8
Pyrolysis temperature had effects on the physicochemical properties of biocharOriginal Paper
Xue Li, Hang Liu, Ning Liu, Zhentao Sun, Shifeng Fu, Xiumei Zhan, Jinfeng Yang, Rongxin Zhou, Hongda Zhang, Jiming Zhang, Xiaori Han
Plant Soil Environ., 2023, 69(8):363-373 | DOI: 10.17221/444/2022-PSE 
Biochar is the carbon-rich product obtained when biomass is anaerobically heated. In this study, different materials (corn straw and peanut shell) and pyrolysis temperatures (350, 450 and 550 °C) affect the elemental composition, surface structure, and biochar properties. The results showed that the carbon (C) content in biochar increased as the temperature increased, but hydrogen (H) and nitrogen (N) did not change. The alkane overpressure of corn straw and peanut shell increased first and then decreased with the increased temperature; the fatty alkyl chain disappeared, but the ash content increased at 550 °C. At high temperatures, the aromaticity...
Long-term application of pig manure fertiliser affects wheat yield and soil microorganism compositionOriginal Paper
Yan Li, Zishuang Li, Lei Ma, Lingfei Zhang, Xiaolin Zhou, Hongjie Li, Jianlin Wei, Fuli Zheng, Deshui Tan
Plant Soil Environ., 2023, 69(8):374-386 | DOI: 10.17221/132/2023-PSE
However, its underlying mechanism remains largely undetermined. In this work, we examined the impacts of the continuous application of pig manure fertiliser for 10 years on wheat yield in the calcaric fluvisol soil with a texture of sandy loam, and the relationship between soil microbial community composition and soil properties was also analysed. The wheat yield, yield components and wheat biomass were analysed by collected aboveground part. Soil nutrient, enzymatic activity and microorganism compositions were analysed by collected soil samples at the filling stage. The results showed that long-term application of pig manure fertiliser could remarkably...
Identification of nitrification inhibition in maize to mitigate soil nitrogen lossOriginal Paper
Azizah Firdausi Nur, Purwanto Benito Heru, Tawaraya Keitaro, Rachmawati Diah
Plant Soil Environ., 2023, 69(8):387-399 | DOI: 10.17221/148/2023-PSE
Nitrogen dynamics in soil produce N2O emissions. To decrease N2O emissions and conserve N, recent studies have focused on chemicals derived from root exudates that inhibit nitrification. However, selective plant breeding could be used to control nitrification activity in soil instead of fertilisers or synthetic nitrification inhibitors. In this study, we investigated the relationship between nitrification rates (NR) and related N dynamics and plant characteristics for 11 maize varieties with varying levels of nitrification inhibition (NI) compared to Brachicaria humidicola (Bh) as the positive control. In a greenhouse experiment, soil concentrations...
Assessment of heavy metals in soil, oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) and honeyOriginal Paper
Atanas Atanasov, Ivaylo Hristakov, Gergana Kuncheva, Milan Koszel, Veselin Dochev
Plant Soil Environ., 2023, 69(8):400-407 | DOI: 10.17221/265/2023-PSE
The aim of this study was to determine the heavy metals concentrations in soil, inflorescences of Brassica napus and rapeseed honey sampled from some regions of north-eastern Bulgaria. Thirteen locations were selected for experimental studies. The soils, plants and honeys samples were taken from conventional beekeeping areas away from major industrial pollutants. The median amounts of elements in the soil samples (mg/kg DW) are 1.1246 for Fe(s), 0.7048 for Al(s), 0.5636 for Pb(s), 0.1658 for Cu(s) and 0.0148 for Zn(s). The median amounts of heavy metals measured in the inflorescences of Brassica napus (mg/ kg DW) are 5.5430 for Fe(p), 2.9095 for Zn(p),...