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In this study, a synergist made of itaconic acid, maleic acid, acrylic acid and other active ingredients polymerised was sprayed on the surface of nitrogen (N) fertiliser particles to make synergistic nitrogen fertilisers (SNF). To explore the effect of SNF on N metabolism of wheat in saline-alkaline land, five treatments were set up: CK – ordinary N fertiliser (299.86 kg N/ha); T1 – SNF (299.86 kg N/ha); T2 – SNF (239.89 kg N/ha); T3 – SNF (179.92 kg N/ha); T4 – SNF (119.94 kg N/ha). The aboveground dry weight of wheat, the photosynthetic characteristics of wheat flag leaves, the activity of the N metabolism enzyme of wheat flag leaves, the expression of N transporter-related genes in wheat roots, and the N accumulation and transport of plants were determined. The results showed that the T1 treatment performed the best. During the two years, the N translocation from stems and leaves to spikes of plants at maturity in T1 was 33.18–45.55% higher than that of CK. The N content of wheat spikes was 12.01–12.66% higher than that of CK. The activities of nitrate reductase, glutamine synthetase, glutamate synthetase and the expression of nitrate transporter gene TaNRT1.1 and ammonium transporter gene TaAMT1.1 were significantly higher than that of CK. The aboveground dry weight of wheat and photosynthetic characteristics of flag leaves were significantly higher than those of CK in T1, whereas the intercellular CO2 concentration was significantly lower than that of CK. The application of SNF positively affected N accumulation and transport in wheat, wheat yield, and fertiliser utilisation, as well as reduced N loss in saline-alkaline land.

Biochar is a carbonaceous material derived from the pyrolysis of carbon-rich biomass that has attracted increasing research and attention because of its ability to enhance soil carbon storage, increase soil fertility, fix and transform pollutants in soil, and improve the soil environment. These enhancements directly or indirectly affect soil microorganisms’ metabolic activities and community structure. This paper reviews the effects of biochar on soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, nutrients, contaminants, and related microbial activities. In addition, this work summarises the possible mechanisms involved in the interaction between biochar and microorganisms and the potential hazards associated with biochar use. Finally, this study aims to provide a theoretical basis for future related research.

The effects of the foliar application of plant growth regulators (PGRs), salicylic acid (SA) and ascorbic acid (AA) were studied on yield and some qualitative traits of corn silage under drought stress in a field experiment conducted in the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Khoy in two consecutive years. The experiment was performed in four replications as a split plot in a randomised complete blocks design. Irrigation treatment was in two levels, ir75 and ir150, and the foliar applications of SA and AA at seven levels (100, 200, and 300 ppm, as well as a control treatment). The amount of water consumed in ir75 and ir150 during 10 and 7 times irrigation was 6 000 and 4 200 m3/ha, respectively. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content was increased over the plant growth period in both ir75 and ir150, but with the difference that its range was 3.72 to 12.9 nmol/g FW (fresh weight) under ir75 and 12.5–109.5 nmol/g FW under water shortage conditions. The results show that ir150 decreased plant height, forage yield, ear weight, and nitrogen uptake versus ir75. In plants treated with SA and AA, nitrogen uptake and chlorophyll content increases (45–33%) were observed compared to the control plants under ir75. In most traits, there was no significant difference between AA and SA levels, but plants treated with SA100 showed higher protein yield, dry forage yield, and ear yield.

In the present study, a field establishment was initiated in 2018 with eight treatment conditions using biochar application rates of 0, 10, 20, or 30 t/ha and nitrogen application rates of 0 or 150 kg/ha. After two years, the impact of biochar on carbon-nitrogen distributions, soil aggregate stability, and wheat yields was then assessed. The predominant mechanical aggregates after two years were > 5 mm and 2–5 mm granular aggregates, with notable increases in the amounts of these aggregates following the application of biochar with or without nitrogen that coincided with an increase in soil aggregate mechanical stability. Relative to control conditions, aggregate mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric weight diameter (GMD) values rose by 17.6% and 24.3% for biochar with nitrogen treatment (N: 150 kg/ha; biochar: 20 t/ha), respectively. Biochar application alone and the application of both biochar and nitrogen fertiliser were associated with 6.4–20.2% and 20.7–42.7% increases in spring wheat yields, respectively. Overall, the results of these analyses highlight the value of applying biochar to improve soil quality and boost crop yields proximal to the study site. This study provided the scientific basis for the rational fertilisation and scientific management of biochar combined with nitrogen fertiliser in the irrigation area of Northern Xinjiang, China.

The Seriphidium transiliense desert pasture is an important spring-autumn pasture in northern Xinjiang, China, and has been subjected to grazing by livestock at different intensities, thus resulting in widespread deterioration of its biodiversity and ecosystem services. To understand the response mechanism of stoichiometric characteristics of desert vegetation to grazing, the leaf carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and C : N : P ratios of S. transiliense were studied under different grazing intensities. The results show that the control S. transiliense leaf C, N and P contents and C : N, C : P and N : P ratios were 458.79 ± 53.5 g/kg, 20.6 ± 7.18 g/kg, 2.83 ± 1.24 g/kg, 25.69 ± 11.08, 190.28 ± 75.65 and 8.21 ± 4.01, respectively. The differences in these characteristics varied with grazing intensity in accordance with sampling time, so both factors need to be considered comprehensively. General linear model (GLM) analysis indicated that grazing intensity had a strong main effect on S. transiliense leaf C, N, and P content, C : N ratio and N : P ratio. As grazing intensity increased, the leaf N content and N : P ratio increased (P < 0.01), and the C : N ratio decreased (P < 0.01). N content was the limiting factor for the growth of S. transiliense, but the grazing intensity, sampling year and growth season each affected the degree of N limitation. Our findings suggest that the remaining moderate stocking rate was essential for sustaining desert stabilisation in Xinjiang, and although S. transiliense could adapt its nutrient content and leaf stoichiometry to the grazing intensity, N was always the limiting element for the growth of S. transiliense.

The study was focused on the effect of drought and waterlogging stresses in two-year pot experiments in the peat substrate on the content of glucose, fructose and sucrose and free amino acids in potato tubers of four cultivars (yellow-fleshed Laura, Marabel, Milva and blue-fleshed Valfi) after 71 days of exposure to stresses conditions (BBCH 909). Drought and waterlogging increased levels of fructose, glucose, and sucrose in three potato cultivars except for cv. Laura. Drought stress increased l-proline (+248.4%), l-hydroxyproline (+135.3%), l-arginine (+29.97%), l-glutamic acid (+29.09%) and l-leucine (+22.58%) contents in all analysed cultivars. Moreover, the high effect of drought stress on an increase of l-phenylalanine, l-histidine, l-threonine, and total free amino acids content of the cvs. Laura, Valfi and Marabel has been observed. A comparison of the effects of drought and waterlogging stresses on the content of total amino acids showed an increase under drought and a decrease under waterlogging conditions. On average, of all cultivars, waterlogging stress caused an increase of l-tyrosine content, whereas drought stress decrease. In addition, drought stress caused a significant increase of l-proline in all cultivars while waterlogging its decrease. Obtained results confirmed different responses of susceptible or resistant cultivars to abiotic stresses.

Cultivating crops influences soil organic matter (SOM), but the effect of different crops remains unclear, particularly under long-term monocropping. The objective of this study was to identify how different crops influence the content and chemical structures of SOM under long-term monocropping. Here, soils were sampled (0-20 cm) under 27-year soybean and maize monocropping and separated into different physical fractions. The content and chemical structures of SOM in all fractions were determined. SOM contents were higher under soybean than maize in bulk soil and macroaggregates and their light-fractions instead of microaggregates and silt and clay. The difference in SOM chemical structure was observed in aggregates and density fractions rather than bulk soils and supported by the result of principal component analysis. The proportion of O-alkyl C in macro- and microaggregates and all free light fractions and that of aromatic C in mineral-associated fractions were higher, while that of carbonyl C was lower under maize than soybean. These results demonstrated that different crops monocropping influences the content and chemical structures of SOM, and the variations were mainly in the light-fraction SOM and highlight a higher sensitivity of physical fractions than bulk soil to different crops.

The effects of potato drip irrigation on soil nitrogen dynamics and potato yield was studied in small-plot field trials. The trials were evaluated at during three experimental times seasons (2016-2018). Four variants of irrigation were determined, ie non-irrigated, 60, 65 and 70 ASWC (Available Soil Water Capacity). At the same time, two pre-planting fertilization dates were set at a maximum of 120 kg N/ha a in divided i.e. 60 kg N/ha before planting and 60 kg N/ha by fertigation during vegetation. Pre-planting crop fertilization or in-season fertigation did not have any significant effect on the potato yields of most variants. In all studied parameters, the positive beneficial effect of irrigation was recorded and compared to the non-irrigated control. The mitigation of drought stress in plants during the growing season is the most important advantage of irrigation. In the trials, on average across all years and varieties, the yield of the irrigated variant increased by 41 % compared to the non-irrigated variant. Maintaining optimal soil moisture has a favourable effect use of applied fertilizers. The highest mineral nitrogen content in the soil was recorded for the variant without irrigation. Considering the increased use of nitrogen fertilizers, the subsurface drip line appeared to be optimal for the creation of suitable conditions for nitrogen availability to plants in the root zone.

The effect of drought stress on carbon metabolism in the leaves and roots of bermudagrass was investigated. Plants established in PVC tubes suffered from three water treatments for 10 days. C138 and Tifway (drought-tolerant) were found to have lower relative electrical conductivity and higher water use efficiency than C32 (drought-sensitive) under moderate drought by increasing carotenoid and soluble sugar content and rapidly decreasing leaf starch content. The sucrose synthase activity of leaves and roots, acid invertase and neutral invertase activity of C32 roots substantially decreased under severe drought, resulting in a slow sucrose decomposition rate and significantly lower fructose and glucose contents than C138 and Tifway. The activities of four carbon metabolism enzymes and sucrose content in the leaves were greater than those in the roots, while the fructose and glucose contents were on the contrary, indicating that bermudagrass transported fructose and glucose obtained from sucrose decomposition from leaves to roots under drought to reduce roots damage. The path analysis indicated that leaves neutral invertase activity, and roots soluble sugar content might be the key parameter of carbon metabolism in bermudagrass under drought.

Previous studies of the effects of elevated CO₂ (eCO₂) concentrations and heavy metal stress conditions on plant growth and physiology have mostly focused on crops rather than vegetables. In this study, we investigated the effects of Cd stress on the growth and antioxidant system of pak choi (Brassica rapa L.), water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica Forssk.), cherry radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus (L.) Domin) and pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) growing in pots under ambient CO₂ (aCO₂) or eCO₂ conditions. In general, Cd stress reduced plant biomass and SPAD values under aCO₂ and eCO₂ conditions; however, the reduction was smaller under eCO₂. Cd stress significantly reduced vegetable superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities under both aCO₂ and eCO₂ conditions; however, the decrease in cherry radish and pepper peroxidase and SOD activities and in pak choi SOD and CAT activities was significantly less under eCO₂. The Cd content of the edible parts of pak choi, water spinach and pepper was significantly lower under eCO₂ than under aCO₂. Our data suggest that eCO₂ concentrations could be beneficial for the growth of some vegetables and reduce the Cd content.

Panax ginseng Meyer is one of Asia’s most popular medicinal plants, with triterpene saponins as principal bioactive compounds. The present study investigates the possibility of ginseng cultivation in Lahaul & Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India in the Western Himalayas focusing on growth characteristics, and ginsenoside content in the roots. Plant growth parameters increased with an increase in the crop age and reached maximum maturity at the age of five years along with the production of a good amount of seeds and roots. Root fresh and dry weight of the five-year-old plant was 142.6 g and 45.5 g, respectively, which almost doubled as compared with the four-year-old plant. The HPLC analysis of P. ginseng roots leads to the identification of 14 compounds representing 31.81 ± 2.89 mg/g of total ginsenoside contents, where Rb1, Rg2 and Re were found to be major ginsenosides with 7.53 ± 0.37, 7.04 ± 0.61 and 3.77 ± 0.26 mg/g content. Protopanaxadiol (PPD) and protopanaxatriol (PPT) represent the major classes of ginsenosides present in the ginseng roots with a 0.98 ratio of PPD/PPT. Our studies revealed that the soil and climate of the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh State in the Western Himalayas are suitable for the cultivation of P. ginseng with good content of ginsenosides in five-year-old roots.

Drought is an important agricultural problem worldwide, which seriously affects the growth and yield of crops. To explore the effects of different degrees of drought on the soluble sugar content of soybeans, this study measured the soluble sugar content of two soybean cultivars at three growth stages under four levels of drought stress. The results showed that drought stress significantly affected the soluble sugar content, and there were differences among different growth stages and cultivars. At the seedling and flowering stages, the sucrose content of both Heinong44 and Heinong65 showed an unimodal trend and reached the maximum value at moderate drought. The increase rate was the highest in the leaves at the flowering stage, which increased by 36.18% and 25.79% compared with CK, respectively. The fructose and glucose contents were the highest during severe drought, and the fructose content increased the most in the leaves at the seedling stage, which increased by 18.05% and 17.67% compared with CK, respectively. The glucose content increased the most in the petioles at the flowering stage, reaching 40.66% and 35.24%. At the pod-filling stage, the three sugar contents of both Heinong44 and Heinong65 were the lowest at severe drought, and the sucrose and fructose contents decreased the most in the petioles, which decreased by 21.66% and 23.94%, 12.58% and 13.49% compared with CK, respectively. The glucose content decreased the most in the stems, which decreased by 11.72% and 9.66%. In addition, at each growth stage and drought treatment, the ratio of the soluble sugar content of Heinong44 was higher than that of Heinong65.

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), 1.3225 for Pb(p), 0.2593 for Cu(p) and 0.2105 for Al(p). The median heavy metals concentrations in  tested honey (mg/kg DW) are 1.0026 for Fe(h), 0.1849 for Al(h), 0.1832 for Pb(h), 0.1250 for Zn(h), 0.0702 for. Cu(h). The relationship between the heavy metal in soil, plants and honey was investigated using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Significant differences in the concentrations of Fe(s), Al(s) and Pb(s) in soils, Fe(p) and Zn(p) in the plant samples, Fe(h) in honey samples from the different locations were found. The heavy metal content tested in honey did not pose a risk to human health.

Plant-based indicators of water status, such as midday stem water potential (Ψ_stem) and leaf stomatal conductance (g_s), are used to optimise irrigation scheduling in horticultural crops because they integrate the effect of soil and climatic conditions and the internal physiological constraints. The use of these indicators relies on experimentally acquired thresholds that relate the value of the indicator to negative effects on yield. In five irrigation treatments, we monitored yield, fruit size and the courses of Ψ_stem and g_s throughout four consecutive growing seasons. We found that Ψ_stem was more sensitive to irrigation treatment than g_s. Both indicators increased with available soil water content (ASWC) and decreased with evaporative demands of the atmosphere (ET_C). On a seasonal basis, crop load had a stronger impact on g_s than Ψ_stem. In summary, our study explored the effect of environmental conditions and crop load on plant-based indicators of tree water status and can be useful for establishing thresholds for irrigation scheduling in apple tree orchards.

In this study, the effects of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and humic acid (HA) chelate applied to soils contaminated with heavy metals on the development, antioxidant defence system, and phytoremediation of forage turnip (Brassica rapa L.) were investigated for the first. Three doses of EDTA (E1: 5 mmol/kg, E2: 10 mmol/kg, E3: 15 mmol/kg) and three doses of HA (HA1: 500 mg/kg, HA2: 1 000 mg/kg, HA3: 2 000 mg/kg) were applied to soils contaminated with heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cr) in the pot. According to experiment results, HA application as chelate to the polluted soil caused a significant increase in the growth of forage turnip. Phytoremediation values of the plant for Cd heavy metal were found to be BCFshoot, BCFroot > 1, and translocation factor > 1. This result proved that forage turnip has Cd accumulating properties. Also, HA application caused a decrease in H2O2 (46%) and malondialdehyde (6%) levels and antioxidative enzyme activity in polluted soil. It has been concluded that humic acid improves the oxidative stress conditions in the plant and is more effective in the development and growth of the plant than EDTA, so that it can be used effectively in phytoremediation studies.

Tripleurospermum inodorum (L.) Sch. Bip. is one of the most economically important and yield-reducing weeds in cereals in Europe. Random and systematic monitoring of this weed might provide an early warning for the farmers and slow down the pace of the evolution of herbicide resistance. This study aimed to identify resistant populations of T. inodorum in the Czech Republic and elucidate their possible resistance mechanism/s. Monitoring and screening of T. inodorum for herbicide resistance against acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors and synthetic auxins was carried out. Greenhouse experiments and molecular-genetics studies were conducted to characterize the resistance. While all the tested populations were found to be susceptible to synthetic auxins, two populations (MATIN 2 and MATIN 4) were found to be resistant against tribenuron (ALS inhibitor). However, their cross-resistance to florasulam was not confirmed. The resistance mechanism detected was the target-site substitution of Pro197 at the ALS gene. The two populations carried different point mutations: Pro197Ser (MATIN 2) and Pro197Gln (MATIN 4). This is the first study in the Czech Republic to identify the survival mechanism in T. inodorum for resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides. Our results from this research will provide basis for resistance management in T. inodorum in the Czech Republic and other countries.

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria (NFB) play a significant role in saline soil ecosystems. However, little is known about the correlation between NFB application on growth and yield components of rice plants on saline soils. Exploration and experimental methods were performed to obtain the potential of NFB from a rice field in saline soil and reinoculated in a pot experiment. The experiment was arranged as a randomised block design consisting of 8 treatments, namely inoculation application (control and seed treatments with 20 g inoculant/kg of seed) combined with soil application dosage (0, 500, 1 000 and 1 500 g/ha). The results showed that grain yield increased by 43.8–130.6% with seed treatment of 20 g inoculant/kg of seed combined with soil application 500–1 500 g inoculant/ha. Rice yield was affected by multiple variables NFB population, plant height, number of tillers, and grain straw ratio (R2 = 0.926). Path analysis findings showed that the greatest effective contribution (45.45%) yield of rice in saline soil was contributed NFB population. This finding concludes that the application of NFB inoculants as seed treatments and soil applications can serve as an effective as well as the environmentally friendly microbial-based strategy of rice cultivation on saline soil ecosystems.

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 increase wheat yield by improving soil nutrient availability, enzyme activities, and microbial composition. Moreover, soil pH, nitrogen content, dehydrogenase and urease were closely related to the soil microbial diversity. In conclusions, the long-term application of pig manure in combination with term mineral fertiliser could optimise microbial community composition by regulating the interaction between microbial species and enhancing soil enzyme activity and soil fertility, leading to increased wheat yield.

This study identified three soil bacteria (NRRU-BW3, NRRU-BW3, and NRRU-TV11) that degrade chlorpyrifos, produce indole-3-acetic acid, and exopolysaccharides under pesticide stress. The results revealed that soil bacteria were identified as Priestia megaterium NRRU-BW3, Bacillus siamensis NRRU-BW9, and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens NRRU-TV11. These strains showed the ability to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and exopolysaccharides (EPS) in chlorpyrifos. Moreover, these bacteria can degrade chlorpyrifos (CP) in an aqueous medium, and a 33–52% degradation rate was observed after 14 days of incubation. Inoculation with the NRRU-TV11 significantly increased (P < 0.05) plant height, root length, biomass and vigour index of rice seedlings compared to uninoculated controls in chlorpyrifos-contaminated soil. The findings demonstrated the beneficial effects of indigenous NRRU-TV11 on rice seedling development and chlorpyrifos degradation and recommended this strain as a potential replacement for plant growth improvement and environmental bioremediation of pesticide-contaminated agricultural soils.

Hyperspectral imaging technology has emerged as a prominent research area for quantitatively estimating soil nutrient content owing to its non-destructive, rapid, and convenient features. Our work collected the data from soil samples using the hyperspectrometer. Then, the data were processed. The competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) algorithm reduced the original 148 bands to 13, which accounted for 8.8% of the total bands. These selected bands possess a certain level of interpretability. Based on the modelling results, it can be concluded that the prediction model constructed by the least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) exhibited the highest accuracy. The coefficient determination, root mean square error, and ratio performance deviation were 0.8295, 2.95, and 2.42, respectively. These findings can provide theoretical support for the application of hyperspectral technology in detecting the content of the AHN in soil. Moreover, they can also serve as a reference for the rapid detection of other soil components.

Research was conducted to determine the content of total polyphenols (TP) in table potato tubers obtained in a three-year field experiment arranged as a split-plot design with three replicates. The first experimental factor included two potato cultivars: Oberon and Malaga, the second one being an application of the following biostimulants: PlonoStart, Aminoplant, Agro-Sorb Folium and the herbicide Avatar 293 ZC (clomazone + metribuzin). The polyphenol content of potato tubers was determined in the fresh tuber mass by the spectrophotometric method with the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The tuber content of polyphenols was affected by cultivars and test biostimulants. Cv. Malaga accumulated more polyphenols than cv. Oberon. Biostimulants + herbicide significantly increased an accumulation of polyphenolic compounds compared with tubers cultivated in the control unit which was not treated with the test products.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) balance fertilization strategy in paddy fields, and to evaluate the effects on N uptake and utilization in rice. In 2017-2018, the experiment was conducted using Deyou4727 hybrid rice with four different P fertilizer levels (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg/ha), marked as P0, P1, P2, P3 in turn, and four different N levels (0, 90, 150, and 270 kg/ha), similarly marked as N0, N1, N2, N3 in turn. The results showed that in the N-insufficient (N0, N1) environments, the P1 treatment increased N uptake and promoted transfer to the grain. However, high-P (P3) application increased the dry matter accumulation than other P levels, but limited the production and translocation of dry matter to some extent. In N-sufficient (N2, N3) environments, P2 level increased crop yield and N use efficiency by 11.35% and 37.01%. Unlike P2, none-P (P0) and high-P levels decreased rice dry matter translocation and transport capacity, which further affected N uptake and utilization in N-sufficient environments. Overall, the combination of the N application rate of 90 kg/ha and P application rate of 30 kg/ha, N application rate of 150, 270 kg/ha, and P application rate of 60 kg/ha had a high yield; strong nutrient accumulation and transfer ability. It was more inclined to balance N and P, which was beneficial to plant N absorption and utilization.

The soil seed bank, as a potential source of ground vegetation renewal, plays an important role in the natural recovery and succession of vegetation as well as in the construction of ecosystems. To clarify the characteristics of the soil seed bank of Achnatherum inebrians and its relationship with the aboveground vegetation, the soil seed bank density, species composition and aboveground vegetation of three different grassland types, namely, desert, steppe and meadow, were investigated by means of field survey sampling and indoor germination experiments. The results showed that the seed bank densities of the three habitats were ranked as desert (1 422.22 seeds/m²), steppe (2 077.78 seeds/m²) and meadow (3 722.22 seeds/m²). The numbers of species were 16, 11 and 17, respectively. With respect to the vertical allocation, the soil seed banks in each habitat were shallow, and the seeds were mainly concentrated in the soil surface layer (0–5 cm). The species richness of the soil seed banks in the three habitats was higher than that of the aboveground vegetation, but there were some differences in richness, evenness and dominance. The species richness and diversity of soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation in meadow habitats were higher than those in desert and steppe habitats, indicating that the soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation in meadow habitats had higher stability. There was a significant positive correlation between the density of temporary soil seed banks and the density of aboveground plant communities in grassland habitats. The results may provide some reference for the prevention and control of Achnatherum inebrians in the three habitats.

In this experiment, we investigated the effects of drought combined with exogenous silicon (Si) and potassium application on super sweet corn growth and development. Drought stress caused decreases in the stem diameter, leaf area, cob length, cob diameter, 100 seed weight, seed number, cob yield, biologic yield, and relative water content (RWC), but proline content and catalase activity were higher under drought stress conditions. The results of a two-year experiment showed that potassium sulfate application and foliar application significantly increased RWC in drought stress conditions, and the highest increase was related to treatment with potassium sulfate in an amount of 25 kg/ha. Under normal irrigation conditions, with 25 kg of potassium sulfate per ha and Si foliar application, the maximum cob diameter (5.85 cm) was observed. Si application did not significantly affect proline content under normal irrigation conditions but increased proline content under drought stress. The highest proline content (10.77 mmol/g fresh weight) was recorded in the Si application using 25 kg of potassium sulfate per ha under drought stress conditions. Also, applying potassium sulfate with silicone foliar spraying had no significant effect on biologic yield under normal irrigation conditions. However, under drought stress treatments, biologic yield increased by applying 15 and 25 kg/ha of potassium sulfate and Si foliar spraying. In summary, applying potassium sulfate and exogenous Si can enhance the antioxidant system of the plant, promote the RWC, thus improving biologic and cob yield, and enhance the drought resistance of super sweet corn.

Arachis hypogaea L. is an annual legume that is one of the most consumed plant species. On the other hand, it belongs to one of the most monitored clinically important allergens worldwide. The polymorphism of this species based on allergen coding genes could be useful in its characterisation, but previously, no allergen-based marker techniques have been developed for peanuts. A new type of DNA-based markers of coding regions were used to analyse the variability of 21 peanut accessions – BBAP (Bet v1 based amplicon polymorphism), PBAP (profilin based amplicon polymorphism), and VBAP (vicilin based amplicon polymorphism). All of the used technique provided polymorphic fingerprints and distinguished the analysed peanut accessions. The effectivity of these techniques corresponds to the presence of the allergen homologous sequences that are a part of the A. hypogaea genome. VBAP was the most effective in distinguishing the analysed peanut accessions when compared to the results of BBAP and PBAB. For BBAP, two of the analysed accessions provided the same fingerprinting pattern. The ability of the used markers to detect polymorphisms was comparable, with an average polymorphism information content (PIC) value of 0.47.

Crop residue management and water saving are the two major issues for the sustainability of the rice-wheat cropping system. Therefore, a two-year field experiment was conducted in a split-plot design to study the combined effect of three rice residues (residue incorporation (RI), residue standing (RS) and residue removal (RR) and two wheat residue incorporation (WI) and residue removal (WR) management in main plots and two irrigation regimes, i.e., flood (F) and surface drip (SD) in subplots on the growth and water productivity of direct seeded rice (DSR). During both years, RI-WI resulted in significantly higher plant height (PH), leaf area index (LAI) and dry matter accumulation (DMA) than in other residue management treatments. Drip irrigation significantly increased PH, LAI, DMA grain yield, straw, and biological yield, along with a 9.6% irrigation water savings over flood irrigation. During both years, grain yield, straw and biological yield of DSR were significantly higher in RI-WI than in RR-WR and RR-WI. RI-WI had significantly greater apparent water productivity (AWP) and actual water productivity (RWP) of DSR. Drip irrigation had significantly higher AWP and RWP during both years than flood irrigation except RWP during 2017. Transpiration efficiency (TE) in rice residue incorporation was significantly higher than in rice residue standing and removal. During both years, the TE of drip irrigation was also significantly higher than flood irrigation. So, incorporating rice and wheat residues along with drip irrigation improves crop growth and water productivity.

While nutrients are administered through various sources and combinations, herbicides are used for pre-plant and pre-emergence weed control in the tomato fields. Therefore, a study was conducted to understand the effects of nutrient fertilisation through inorganic and organic sources along with farmers practice and the application of three herbicides, namely glyphosate, pendimethalin, and metribuzin, individually or in combinations, on earthworm activity in tomato crops. The herbicides caused a significant reduction in earthworm biomass and escapement to the lower 15 cm depth. Application of pendimethalin and metribuzin to soils inorganically fertilised with major and micronutrients resulted in low survival rates and a high ecological risk quotient. The effect was attenuated when farmyard manure was applied. The study suggests that when 2 to 3 herbicides are applied in succession and combined with inorganic fertilisers as nutrient sources, stringent measures like adding organic nutrient sources, applying the correct herbicide combination, etc., must be followed to reduce their toxicity to earthworms. This helps to protect and sustain earthworm activity and biodiversity in the soil.

Earthworms dominate the soil biota, and different structural and functional features of their biology and ecology have been studied and exploited to evaluate their contributions as ecosystem services. Due to their feeding ecology, burrowing and casting activity, earthworms are involved in the nutrient cycles, and therefore it is opportune to be considered when the biogeochemical cycles of the terrestrial ecosystems are analysed. All structural, microbiological and biogeochemical impacts of earthworms in soil start with their feeding and digestive functions, which end in casting. The casting activity consisting of the excretion of the ingested soil and organic matter after digestion processes depends on earthworm feeding behaviours and ecology, even described in the current literature as a new ecological feature: the casting ecology. The complexity of the chemical relationships occurring inside earthworm casts between main nutrients (organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium) highlights the complexity of the biogeochemical cycles and the great earthworms’ contribution to these cycles in the ecosystems towards a better understanding of the soil sustainability through the soil biodiversity contribution. Due to this great contribution, the earthworms’ casts should be included as indicators in the integrative conservation management of the ecosystems, as a re-thinking of the concept of ecosystem sustainability.

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of water deficiency at different development stages on the bioactive content and phenolic compounds in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) cake, the residue left after oil is extracted from sunflower seeds. A sunflower genotype was randomly planted in a complete block design with eight different combinations of irrigation (T1–T8) by increasing the available soil moisture measured at different plant growth stages (vegetative, flowering and grain formation). Results indicated that the total phenolics of extracts varied between 1.03–2.03 times more than under drought stress (T8). The antioxidant capacity response of seed cake was 14–39% lower than under drought stress. Irrigation treatment, except in the grain formation stage, was found to enhance the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds such as vanillic and caffeic acids. Irrigation only in the grain formation stage induced the accumulation of phenolic compounds such as coumaric acid and rutin hydrate. The present study established that residues resulting from oil extraction could be converted to a polyphenol-enrichment agent for food systems by manipulating the irrigation treatments.

The experiment aimed to obtain a quadratic regression mathematical model of the comprehensive evaluation score of yield, quality, and four macroelements (N, K, P and Ca). The suitable nutrient solution was chosen and verified via computer simulation of the model and the highest comprehensive score in all treatments. Results showed that P, K and Ca had a positive effect on the comprehensive evaluation value of tomato, whereas N showed a negative effect. The optimal formula calculated using the regression equation could promote high-yield and high-quality tomato. The single-plant yield, soluble protein, vitamin C, total sugar, lycopene, and elemental utilisation of K and Ca in the tomato were 13.93, 78.95, 3.29, 20.98, 51.91, 16.69 and 24.14% higher than those in the special formula treatment of Japanese Yamazaki tomato, respectively. In summary, the optimal nutrient solution formula of tomato cultivation was obtained, in which the N, P, K and Ca levels were 24.83, 4.50, 9.49 and 5.73 mmol/L, respectively.