Plant, Soil and Environment, 2026 (vol. 72), issue 4
Synergistic root-photosynthesis responses to phosphorus rates optimise grain appearance quality in phosphorus‑efficient rice cultivarsOriginal Paper
Jing Cao, Li Wang, Qinyao Meng, Hao Cheng, Xihui Zhao, Guowei Xu
Plant Soil Environ., 2026, 72(4):211-227 | DOI: 10.17221/35/2026-PSE
Combining phosphorus management with phosphorus-efficient cultivars is an effective strategy for improving rice quality. To investigate their effects on root characteristics and photosynthetic traits, a pot experiment was conducted with two rice cultivars differing in phosphorus efficient: Liangeng 7 (weakly efficient) and Yongyou 2640 (highly efficient). Four phosphorus rates (0, 0.44, 0.88, and 1.32 g/pot, designated as P0, P1, P2, and P3, respectively) were applied. A significant cultivar-phosphorus interaction was observed. Most root traits (the length, dry weight, volume, total absorption area, active absorption area, oxidation activity, and acid...
Slow-release copper efficacy study on wheat: a sustainable solution for efficient crop micronutrient deliveryOriginal Paper
Farahnaz Nourmohammadian, Hessamoddin Solouki, Wilfried Dossou-Yovo, Cheng Jiang
Plant Soil Environ., 2026, 72(4):228-238 | DOI: 10.17221/41/2026-PSE 
This study evaluated a novel slow-release copper fertiliser (soileos Cu) as a sustainable alternative to conventional copper sources for improving wheat yield and nutrient use efficiency. Traditional Cu fertilisers are often limited by rapid leaching and low efficiency, especially on sandy soils with low organic matter, contributing to environmental pollution. They also exhibit low plant-use efficiency due to strong adsorption and immobilisation in soils rich in organic matter and clay minerals, thereby reducing copper availability in the soil solution and contributing to environmental pollution. A multi-scale approach was employed, including laboratory...
Biochar combined with hyperaccumulators: a strategy for remediation of heavy metal composite pollution in mining areasOriginal Paper
Tingting Cao, Wei Wang, Jian Wang, Jinbin Li, Xubo Sun, Yan Xu
Plant Soil Environ., 2026, 72(4):239-258 | DOI: 10.17221/503/2025-PSE
In pursuit of a low-cost, pollution-free, and scalable technology for remediating heavy metal pollution in mining areas, this study examines a gold mining area with heavy metal pollution (Cd, Pb, and Hg) and employs soil replacement, biochar passivation, and a combination of hyperaccumulators for the remediation. Results show that both soil replacement and the application of biochar significantly reduce the effective content of these three heavy metals, with pig manure biochar demonstrating superior passivation effects on Pb and Hg compared to fruitwood biochar. Combining biochar with hyperaccumulators leads to better results than using either method...
Root yield and technological quality of sugar beet as affected by harvest time under the conditions of the Western Forest-Steppe of UkraineOriginal Paper
Dmytro Kyselov, Svitlana Kalenska, Bohdan Mazurenko
Plant Soil Environ., 2026, 72(4):259-270 | DOI: 10.17221/105/2026-PSE
This study evaluated the effects of hybrid, vegetation period duration, weather conditions, and harvest timing on sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) yield and technological quality under short-rotation cropping systems in the Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Field experiments were conducted in 2022–2024 on commercial fields using six industrial hybrids and five harvest intervals from late September to mid-November. Root yield, sugar content, sugar yield, α-amino nitrogen, K+ and Na+, invert sugars, and the technological quality index (Iq) were assessed using ANOVA, correlation analysis, and principal component analysis...