Plant, Soil and Environment, 2025 (vol. 71), issue 10
Growth and yield responses of maize, beetroot, and quinoa to salinity and straw mulchingOriginal Paper
Chau Thi Nhien, Cao Dinh An Giang, Brooke Kaveney, Jason Condon, Tran Duy Khanh, Dang Duy Minh, Nguyen Viet Long, Nguyen Van Loc, Chau Minh Khoi
Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(10):681-694 | DOI: 10.17221/317/2025-PSE
Vietnam’s Mekong River Delta (MRD), where rice is the dominant crop, is increasingly impacted by salinity intrusion, highlighting the need for alternative cropping options. This study evaluated the growth and yield performance of quinoa, beetroot, and maize under three irrigation salinity levels (0, 2 and 4 g/L), with and without rice straw mulch (7 t/ha), in greenhouse conditions representative of the MRD dry season. Agronomic traits, physiological parameters, and changes in soil, including electrical conductivity (ECe), soluble sodium (Sol-Na+), and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), were assessed. Results showed that quinoa demonstrated...
Contribution to the turbidimetric method for sulphur determination in arable soilsOriginal Paper
Olya Surleva, Katrin Chavdarova, Vilyana Kazanlaklieva, Lyudmila Angelova, Andriana Surleva
Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(10):695-707 | DOI: 10.17221/250/2025-PSE
Sulphur (S) plays an important role in agriculture, being the fourth major contributor to improved quality of crops and increased yields. The applied methods for the estimation of different forms of S in soil aimed at assessing the sulphur availability to plants in various conditions. Nowadays, the wider spreading of regions with sulphur deficiency imposes optimisation of the soil testing procedures in order to increase their availability for laboratories. This study contributes to improving the analytical performance of the turbidimetric method in determining water-soluble sulphate in soil after leaching with the CaCl2 reagent. The modified...
Lignite-derived organic fertiliser enhanced the carbon sequestration capacity of woody plant by improving soil quality and promoting plant growthOriginal Paper
Qianru Wu, Ruofan Bu, Taotao Wang, Bei Zhang, Kylan Jin, Liang Chen
Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(10):708-721 | DOI: 10.17221/265/2025-PSE
As essential natural carbon sinks, woody plants play a key role in urban ecological restoration. The lignite-derived organic fertiliser (LOF) may promote plant growth and carbon sequestration by improving soil properties. This study investigated LOF effects on three typical woody plants – Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott. with taproots, Malus × micromalus Makino with fibrous roots, and Malus domestica Borkh. with both taproots and fibrous roots – focused on soil properties improvement during a three-year planting experiment (2021–2023). The results indicated that LOF application significantly increased soil organic matter (SOM)...
Synergistic impact of nano-fertilisers and seed priming on sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) yield and quality traitsOriginal Paper
Lamy Hamed, Eman I. R. Emara
Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(10):722-734 | DOI: 10.17221/357/2025-PSE
Enhancing sustainability in agriculture requires innovative practices that boost crop productivity while conserving natural resources. This two-season field study (2023–2025) in sandy soils of El Sadat City, Egypt, evaluated the combined effects of nano-fertilisers and seed priming on the growth and yield of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). Five fertilisation regimes, ranging from 100% conventional to 100% nano-formulations, were tested under both primed and unprimed seed treatments. The results demonstrated that the integration of nano-fertilisers with seed priming significantly improved sugar yield (up to 36.1 t/ha), sucrose content (20.35%),...
Mitigating drought effects in maize with Trichoderma harzianum (strain – ESALQ 1306): a bioinoculant for sustainable agricultureOriginal Paper
Renato Lustosa Sobrinho, Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho, Christiane Abreu de Oliveira-Paiva, Carlos Eduardo da Silva Oliveira, Tiago Zoz, Bruno Rodrigues de Oliveira, Guilherme Carlos Fernandes, Karina da Silva Souza, Afrah E. Mohammed, Modhi O. Alotaibi, Seham. M. Hamed, Taciane Finatto
Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(10):735-749 | DOI: 10.17221/330/2025-PSE
Agriculture faces increasing challenges due to climate change, underscoring the importance of beneficial microorganisms for enhancing crop resilience and improving soil health. However, the performance of microbial inoculant strains can vary widely depending on the cultivated species and environmental conditions. This study evaluated the ESALQ 1306 strain of Trichoderma harzianum, a soil fungus recognised as a biological control agent for crops such as soybean and strawberry, investigating its potential as a growth promoter in maize (Zea mays L.). Field experiments were conducted with three commercial cultivars (DKB255, DKB360, and 2B810)...
Influence of nitrogen, sulphur, and selenium foliar application on yield and accumulation of selenium in spring wheat grains (Triticum aestivum L.)Original Paper
Ladislav Ducsay, Alexandra Zapletalová, Mária Vicianová, Ladislav Varga, Marek Slepčan, Marek Rašovský, Vladimír Pačuta, Dávid Ernst, Peter Hozlár, Daša Kubatková, Jakub Sitkey
Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(10):750-758 | DOI: 10.17221/67/2025-PSE
The study is focused on the evaluation of selenium, nitrogen and sulphur effects on yield, macro- and micronutrient content (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu) and quality (Se content, starch, fibre, ash and fat) in wheat grain. Small-plot field experiments (10 m2 each plot) were established on loam to clay loam mollic soil with total Se content 0.21–0.22 mg/kg in Želiezovce on the land of the Central Control and Testing Institute in Agriculture of the Slovak Republic. The effect of growing season on two sources of selenium, in the form of sodium selenite (Na2SeO3 · 5 H2O) and sodium selenate...