Fulltext search in archive

In this study, we assessed the salt tolerance of 38 wheat cultivars from primary wheat cultivation regions in China using a membership function value (MFV) during the germination and seedling emergence stages. Based on salt tolerance assessment, three contrasting groups were classified, with 10 tolerant, 23 moderately tolerant and 5 sensitive cultivars under low salt stress, and 4 tolerant, 25 moderately tolerant and 9 sensitive cultivars under high salt stress and in addition to Na⁺ and K⁺ homeostasis regulation, nitrogen efficient transfer from seed to plant tissues denoted the significant positive correlation with salt tolerance, confirming the importance of nutrient spectra organisation. Salt-tolerant and moderately tolerant cultivars had lower trait network modularity than salt-sensitive cultivars, demonstrating that wheat with different salt tolerance uses alternative strategies to cope with salt stress. These results were important for germplasm evaluation and variety breeding of salt tolerance in wheat.

The frequent occurrence of years with extreme drought leads to the investigation of measures for mitigation of their impacts. The efficiency of organic mulch materials - straw and compost application as the preservation of potato production in drought conditions were verified in this study. Three mulching treatments were verified during the three experimental years (2016-2018) in an exact field trial with potatoes cv. Dicolora. Wheat straw mulch in the rate of 2.5 t/ha (SM1) and 4.5 t/ha (SM2), compost in the rate of 20 t/ha (CM), and control block without any treatments (C) were used. The yield of marketable tubers (tuber over 40 mm) showed a significant increase by 21.2% at the straw mulch treatment (SM2) in comparison with control. As for the straw mulch (SM1) and compost mulch (CM), tubers yields increased by 12.8% and 10.1%, respectively, compared to control.

Copper contamination stemming from copper-based pesticides poses a grave concern in vineyards and orchards, causing toxicity to soil organisms. Here, we present a comprehensive review of global data encompassing copper levels in these soils, coupled with variables such as the age of agricultural establishments, climate, soil organic matter content, soil pH, and farming practices (organic vs. conventional). The results suggest that there are three pivotal determinants driving copper content in vineyard and orchard soils: climate, the age of agricultural establishments, and soil organic matter content. It was impossible to estimate soil pH’s effect on soil copper content because of its dependence on precipitation. Copper content in vineyard and orchard soils worldwide follows a direct correlation with precipitation while inversely correlating with aridity (i.e. potential evapotranspiration divided by precipitation). Furthermore, a clear linkage emerges between farm age and increased copper content in soils globally. Intriguingly, the increased soil organic matter content has shown inverse impacts on soil copper levels. These effects of soil properties on soil copper contents were discussed in terms of copper losses from soil via surface runoff. However, no discernible disparities in soil copper content between organic and conventional farming systems were found. This worldwide survey not only underscores the established influence of climate on European vineyards but also sheds novel light on the historical legacy of copper contamination in these landscapes.

In the present study, free amino acid (AA) regulation in the arsenic (As) hyperaccumulating ferns was evaluated in a pot experiment to determine the relationship between As stress and the characteristic change in metabolism of AAs. The ferns Pteris cretica cv. Albo-lineata (Pc-Al) and cv. Parkerii (Pc-Pa) were exposed to As treatments at 0, 20, 100, and 250 mg As/kg for 90 days. Greater As content, as well as higher biomass production, were identified in Pc-Al compared with Pc-Pa. Ferns showed changes in the stress metabolism of free AA homeostasis. These results indicate a disturbance in nitrogen metabolism and depletion of pool assimilated carbon metabolism. In the fronds and roots, Pc-Pa accumulated higher amounts of free AAs than Pc-Al. The total free AA content, as well as the ratio of the main AA family pathway (glutamate family), were increased by the accumulation of toxic As in the ferns. Results suggest that Pc-Al tolerates higher As doses better due to changes in AA biosynthesis; however, at higher As doses, Pc-Pa upregulated AA biosynthesis due to As toxicity. The most abundant free AAs of ferns was glutamine, which was enhanced by As. Furthermore, the ratios of selected individual free AAs revealed a characteristic phenotype difference between ferns.

Development of methods for bioremediation of soils contaminated with petroleum products is one of the most urgent tasks of our time. This task is more difficult to perform in high-mountainous landscapes, at an altitude of more than 4 000 m a.s.l. Moreover, these high-mountain ecosystems are the most vulnerable to various kinds of anthropogenic impacts, and therefore the relevance of bioremediation is obvious. The research was conducted in the high-altitude ecosystems of the Kyrgyz Republic at the Kumtor mine. In this study was carried out on the bioremediation of oil contaminated soil using biostimulation, bioaugmentation and biostimulation + bioaugmentation remediation techniques for 90 days in the climatic conditions of high mountain region. The biostimulation treatment showed the highest total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) biodegradation percentage 62.78% compared to the bioaugmentation 50.63% and biostimulation + bioaugmentation 49.11%. Thus, the method of biostimulation proved to be the most effective method for bioremediation of soils contaminated with petroleum products. The application of this method could be one of the successful methods of recycling contaminated soils. This study demonstrated the possibility of restoring TPH-polluted soils using biological methods of soil treatment in climatic cold conditions of high mountains.

This study aims to explore the effect of phosphorus (P) application on the economic yield, quality, P accumulation, and P utilisation efficiency of purple-fleshed sweetpotato and to provide a basis for the P efficient utilisation and high crop yield. Field experiments were conducted in 2018-2019, and five P application rates (0, 10.9, 21.8, 32.7, and 43.6 kg P/ha, expressed as P0, P1, P2, P3, and P4, respectively) were set. The results showed that P application significantly increased the yield and commodity potato yield of purple-fleshed sweetpotato, and that of P3 treatment was the highest, followed by P2 treatment. P application also increased the starch content in the storage root and increased the reducing sugar and soluble sugar (except for P2 treatment). P fertiliser supply significantly increased P accumulation and dry matter production of purple-fleshed sweetpotato during the growth period of 90 to 120 days. When the P application rate was over 21.8 kg/ha, the fertiliser investment rate, apparent P utilisation efficiency and P agronomic efficiency decreased with the increase of the application rate. Considering all the indexes, the supply of 21.8 kg/ha P fertiliser can meet the demand for high economic yield and P efficient utilisation in purple-fleshed type sweetpotato under the condition of this experiment.

To study the difference among cytoplasm at the different nitrogen conditions, a research experiment was conducted using five different cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) hybrid rice with nitrogen levels at N0, N1, N2, and N3; the nitrogen application rates were 0, 90, 180, and 270 kg/ha, from 2018 to 2019. Results showed that among tested cultivars of CMS hybrid rice, JW (J803A × Chenghui727) showed the highest yield in both years for the low nitrogen and high nitrogen treatments. The dry matter accumulation and translation of JW type in nutritive organs were higher than that of others during the low nitrogen level (N1). We concluded that the nutrient translocation within plants organs and dry biomass accumulation were highly dependent on CMS type and nitrogen application. This research indicates that selecting a rice cultivar with greater efficiency of nitrogen is favourable for raising the number of grains per panicle, grain yield, and nitrogen use efficiency. JW cytoplasm displayed great efficiency in low nitrogen, which is a potential cytoplasmic resource.

This work deals with the study of a pre-treatment method promoting degradability of lignocellulosic biomass and hence biogas yield therefrom, as this material is challenging to decompose due to its structure. The investigated pre-treatment methods are hydrolysis of the material in NaOH (0.5% and 5%) and H₂SO₄ (0.5% and 5%) at temperatures of 90-100 °C for 2 h. This work aimed to compare the effects of these pre-treatment methods on the lignocellulosic composition of maize waste (maize stalks, leaves and cobs), rapeseed straw and wheat straw and the biogas yields from its subsequent anaerobic digestion. Pre-treatment by 0.5% NaOH increased the biogas production the most (by 159% for rapeseed straw, 240% for wheat straw and 59% for maize waste) also the degrees of solubilisation was higher, at the same time the proportions of total organic carbon (TOC) in the solid component appear to be sufficiently high, it could be assumed that there has been sufficient disturbance of the material structure. Alkaline methods have proven to be more suitable compared to acid pre-treatment methods, also the use of alkali with a lower concentration has shown to be more efficient, which is more advantageous for use in practice from an environmental and economic point of view.

Global climate change leads to frequent occurrence of low-temperature stress (LTS), which poses a serious threat to global food security. Here, environment-control phytotron experiments were conducted on cold-responsive cv. XM26 and cold-tolerant cv. YN19 during the anther differentiation period. Six LTS levels (4, 2, 0, −2, −4, −6 °C) and a control treatment (10 °C) were set to study the effects of different levels of LTS on wheat seed-setting characteristics and yield. LTS significantly decreased grain number per spike, 1 000-grain weight, and grain yield per plant (GYPP) of the two wheat cultivars. Each spike’s grain number and weight distribution showed a quadratic curve, and the near-medium dominance of grain development was not affected by temperature. The grain number percentage and grain weight of wheat at different grain positions were G2 (2^nd grain position) ≥ G1 (1^st grain position) > G3 (3^rd grain position) > G4 (4^th grain position), in which G3 and G4 grain positions were more sensitive to LTS. In summary, LTS during the anther differentiation in wheat mainly led to a decrease in GYPP by significantly reducing the number and weight of inferior grains. Improving wheat cultivation measures and promoting the development of inferior grains are significant ways to prevent disasters and increase wheat quality and productivity in the future.

This study explored whether and how prohexadione calcium (Pro-Ca) regulated wheat tolerance to drought stress (DS). Findings displayed that DS had significant influence on antioxidant metabolism, water balance and the photosynthesis. DS significantly improved the activity level of enzymatic antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), the contents of non-enzymatic antioxidants ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH), electrolyte leakage (EL), malondialdehyde (MDA), and the contents of osmotic regulatory substances soluble protein (SP), soluble sugars (SS) and proline (Pro), compared with control. Whereas DS significantly reduced transpiration rate (T_r), stomatal conductance (g_s) and relative water content (RWC), photosynthetic pigments chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, net photosynthetic rate (P_n), maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII (F_v/F_m), plant height and biomass. Compared to DS, Pro-Ca plus DS significantly promoted the antioxidant metabolism by improving the activity level of SOD, CAT, POD and APX and increasing AsA and GSH contents, which in turn reduced MDA content and EL. In addition, Pro-Ca plus DS significantly maintained water balance by promoting the accumulation of osmolytes SP, SS and Pro, which in turn increased RWC, T_r and g_s. Pro-Ca plus DS also significantly promoted photosynthesis by increasing the contents of the above photosynthetic pigments, P_n and F_v/F_m, thereby promoting plant growth. These findings indicated that Pro-Ca was a potential agent to improve wheat tolerance under water deficit.

To investigate the effects of different sources of organic matter on soil biochemical properties and crop productivity and to find the best substitute for cow manure in the fields, a field experiment was carried out in a wheat-maize cropping system during 2012-2015. Three types of fertilizer applications, including a mineral fertilizer (CK), straw (S) and biogas slurry (B) were compared with cow manure (M) under an equal dose of nitrogen. In the 0-20 cm soil layer, the soil total nitrogen, microbial biomass nitrogen and carbon content of the M treatment was the highest, and the total organic carbon equivalent ratio of M decreased by 28.60% respectively, relative to S. Compared with CK, S and B, the urease activity equivalent ratio in the M treatment increased by 52, 12 and 21%, and the invertase activity equivalent ratio increased by 21, 20 and 26%, respectively. There were no significant differences in the hydrogen peroxidase activity among the four treatments. The annual crop yield and water use efficiency of the M treatment was significantly higher than other treatments, followed by S, B and CK. Our findings indicated that straw returning was the best substitute for cow manure.

Drunken horse grass (Achnatherum inebrians (Hance) Keng) is a toxic perennial bunchgrass native to Northwestern China. Epichloë endophytic fungi infection could enhance the stress tolerance of drunken horse grass. However, there is a scarcity of literature regarding the effects of intraspecific competition. As a result, we anticipated that the intraspecific competitive dynamics between endophyte-infected (EI) and endophyte-free (EF) plants would become more transparent for four years by planted as the proportions of 2 : 1, 1 : 1, and 1 : 2. The results showed the EI plants exhibited more biomass, seed yields, and survival rates than EF plants. Endophyte infection also facilitated a competitive advantage by enhancing photosynthesis and soil nutrition. Our findings constituted the inaugural investigation into the influence of the intraspecific competitive ability of grass infected with Epichloë endophyte fungi. EI plants caused them to become stronger and stronger, while EF became weaker and weaker by timing and planting proportion increasing, and EF drunken horse grass could be replaced by EI. These conclusions were instrumental in elucidating why the endophytic fungal infection rate of drunken horse grass is 100% observed in natural wilderness. Epichloë endophyte could reduce plant diversity and enhance the dominance of EI plants in intraspecific competition; drunken horse grass may be threatening the persistence of native plant species.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an economically significant food crop in China, and increasing tuber yield is a national priority. We conducted a meta-analysis utilising 180 studies and 1 583 pairs of observations to quantify the effects of fertilisation on potato tuber yield using data on climate, soil nutrients, and planting strategies. Compared with no fertilisation, fertilisation increased tuber yield by 33.64% overall. Applying single N, P, or K fertilisers increased yield by 33.64, 23.37, and 16.18%, respectively; combined NP, NK, and PK applications increased yield by 33.64, 36.34, and 19.12%, respectively. The greatest yield increase (49.18%) was achieved when NPK fertilisers were applied together. Average annual precipitation had the strongest effect on tuber yield, followed by cultivar identity and the availability of soil potassium. Under appropriate fertilisation regimes, tailoring planting strategies to local climate and soil nutrient status can maximise potato yield and improve economic returns. These findings have implications for future potato cultivation in China.

Our objectives were to characterise arable weeds of the Czech and Slovak Republic in cereals, especially considering important groups of species: thermophilic, weedy grasses, and rare and endangered species. The three-year phytocoenological survey was conducted from 2006 to 2008 in five climatic regions and eight different soil types. 379 relevés were recorded, and 281 weed species were found. The effects of both the climatic region and soil type were found to be statistically significant. Species richness increased with altitude. Several species were distinctly associated with soil type, from fertile chernozems to less fertile cambisols, while fluvisols were strongly associated with e.g. Calystegia sepium (L.) R. Br. The incidence of species outside their expected regions generally fit two categories: the most pervasive weeds found almost in all climate regions, such as Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv., or rare weeds in higher altitudes than expected, such as Lolium temulentum L. Rare and endangered species were more likely to be found in a colder climate and poorer soils, and this is linked to less intensive management; however, not all endangered arable species can tolerate such conditions. Even though this data is not recently collected, this is still valuable information on the distribution of weedy species, especially concerning the current interest in maintaining biodiversity.

In recent years, sulfur inputs into the soil have greatly diminished due to the significant decrease in SO₂ emissions. Plant nutrients, like sulfur, can be released by the mineralisation of soil organic matter (SOM), which is a complicated mixture of substances (or fractions) like glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) and fulvic acids (FA), humic acids (HA), humic substances (HS) and others. GRSP, FA, HA, and HS content, as well as the content of mineral and organic fractions of sulfur, was determined in different mineral and organic fertiliser treatments of the long-term field experiment. Using these results, the sulfur content in GRSP was calculated based on the soil’s organic matter carbon and soil’s organic bound sulfur (C_SOM/S_ORG) ratio. Sulfur content in GRSP was 4.08–5.46 (easily extractable GRSP), 9.77–15.7 (difficultly extractable GRSP), and 13.9–21.1 (total GRSP) mg S/kg of soil. Overall, the application of the organic fertiliser caused an increase in S content bound to GRSP. A strong significant relationship was also observed between GRSP fractions and soil organic sulfur. A similar relationship was also observed for the HA and HS with organic sulfur.

A suitable irrigation pattern is of great significance for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, field experiments and a denitrification-decomposition (DNDC) model were used to study the global warming potential based on CH₄, N₂O and CO₂ fluxes under flooding irrigation and controlled irrigation in paddy fields in the Erhai Lake basin. The results showed that the average value of CH₄ flux under controlled irrigation was lower than that under flooding irrigation, with a reduction range of 43.21% to 48.88%, however, the average value of the N₂O and CO₂ fluxes from paddy field under controlled irrigation were higher than those under flooding irrigation. Controlled irrigation patterns can significantly reduce the global warming potential in paddy fields based on CH₄, N₂O and CO₂ fluxes. Controlled irrigation can effectively reduce the global warming potential per unit yield. For water management in the Erhai Lake basin, it is recommended the controlled irrigation treatment of soil moisture with an upper limit of 100% and a lower limit of 75–85% with irrigation, and a maximum surface water depth of 150–200 mm lasting for five days after precipitation from the jointing-booting stage to the milk stage.

This work aimed to evaluate the influence of soil characteristics and the applied amount of nicosulfuron on the degradation rate in soil. Soil samples were collected at three localities in Bosnia and Herzegovina – Manjača, Kosjerovo and Tunjice. The experiment was carried out under controlled laboratory conditions. Plant protection product based on nicosulfuron (40 g a.s./L, OD) was applied in concentrations of 0.075, 0.15, and 0.30 mg a.s./kg of soil. Nicosulfuron residues were analysed by the modified QuEChERS method, followed by LC-MS/MS. Soils are classified as silty loams, with variations in mechanical composition and chemical properties. In slightly alkaline soil, the half-life (DT50) of nicosulfuron has increased (43.31 days) compared with DT50 (9.43–16.13 days) in acidic soils. The results indicate that soil characteristics and applied concentration significantly influence nicosulfuron persistence. Hence, it can be considered that nicosulfuron, applied to silty loam soils of Bosnia and Herzegovina, poses a low risk to subsequent crops and the environment.

New cropping practices such as single-grain seeding, lower seed densities with stronger cultivars, wide inter-row spacings and camera-guided side-shift control for weed hoeing facilitate mechanical weed control in oilseed rape. In a two-year field study in Southwestern Germany, camera-guided inter-row hoeing was compared to standard herbicide treatments and untreated control. Seeding with 12.5, 25 and 50 cm inter-row spacing was included as a second factor in the experiment. Weed and crop density were measured directly after treatment. Weed and crop biomass, oilseed rape root diameter and nitrogen uptake were assessed before winter. Seed yield was measured at harvest with a plot combine harvester. In 2021, hoeing in 50 cm inter-row spacing achieved equal weed control efficacy as the herbicide treatment (65–75%). In 2022, hoeing did not reduce weed density, probably due to heavy rainfalls during the first and second pass of hoeing. However, herbicide treatments controlled 92% of the weeds. In 2021, hoeing significantly increased oilseed rape shoot biomass and root diameter compared to the herbicide treatment and the untreated control. Hoeing in 50 cm inter-row spacing resulted in equal yield as the herbicide treatment. In 2022, weed control treatments and inter-row spacing had no effect on oilseed rape biomass, root diameter and yield. This study shows the potential and limitations of weed hoeing in oilseed rape. It also underlines the strong ability of modern oilseed rape cultivars to suppress annual broadleaved weeds.

In this paper, I elucidated the influence of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on wheat cadmium (Cd) tolerance. Research results manifested that Cd stress increased superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione peroxidase activities, and ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) contents. However, Cd stress decreased AsA/ dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) and GSH/oxidised glutathione (GSSG) ratios, and inhibited photosynthetic performance and plant growth. Compared to Cd alone, GABA plus Cd improved wheat Cd tolerance by increasing the activities of above antioxidant enzymes, AsA and GSH contents, and AsA/DHA and GSH/GSSG ratios. Meanwhile, compared with Cd alone, GABA plus Cd also enhanced the photosynthetic performance by improving chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoid (Car) contents and Car/Chl ratio, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular carbon dioxide concentration, and Chl fluorescence parameters maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII, photochemical quenching, nonphotochemical quenching and quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry, which further promoted plant height and biomass. Compared to control, GABA alone also improved above indicators. Current results suggested that GABA can be applied as an anti-cadmium agent in wheat production practice.

To provide a new agent to enhance wheat cold tolerance, we investigated the impacts of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on wheat antioxidant and photosynthetic capacity and growth parameters under cold stress (CS). CS significantly improved superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase and gluathione reductase in wheat leaves. Meanwhile, CS also increased the contents of reduced ascorbate (AsA) and reduced glutathione (GSH). However, CS significantly increased electrolyte leakage (EL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Compared with CS, GABA + CS improved the activities of the above antioxidant enzymes and the contents of antioxidants. In this way, GABA improved wheat antioxidant capacity and decreased MDA content and EL under CS. Whereas CS significantly increased non-photochemical quenching coefficient (qN) and reduced soil and plant analyser development (SPAD) value, net photosynthetic rate (P_n), maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII (F_v/F_m), effective quantum yield of PS II (Y(II)), photochemical quenching coefficient (qP), plant height and biomass. Compared to CS, GABA + CS significantly promoted the photosynthetic capacity by reducing qN and increasing SPAD value, P_n, F_v/F_m, Y(II) and qP. In this way, GABA improved plant growth under CS. Our results indicated that GABA can be used as a new agent to improve wheat cold tolerance.

Relation between wheat (Triticum aestivum) nutritional status determined at the beginning of stem elongation and during anthesis, respectively, and available content of phosphorus (P-M3) and zinc (Zn-M3) determined by the Mehlich 3 extractant was studied. Both one-year pot experiment with spring wheat and two-year on-farm trials with winter wheat were run on various calcareous soils (pH values of 7.18-7.94, median 7.80, P-M3 1-289 ppm, median 54, and Zn-M3 2-14 ppm, median 4), in the Czech Republic (Central Europe). Phosphorus nutrition index (ratio of phosphorus concentration in shoot biomass to critical phosphorus concentration - P_c) was calculated using the Belanger et al.'s model: P_c = -0.677 + 0.221N - 0.00292N(2), where both phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations were expressed in g/kg shoot dry matter. Unlike phosphorus concentration in shoot biomass, phosphorus nutrition index significantly correlated with P-M3 content in soil. Optimal values of the phosphorus nutrition index were recorded if P-M3 was 51-68 ppm. Zinc concentration in shoot biomass more strongly correlated with P:Zn ratio (M3) in soil compared to Zn-M3 content in soil. P:Zn ratio in shoot biomass of 130:1 did not lead to phosphorus deficiency and corresponded to P:Zn (M3) ratio in soil of 9.3:1-14.3:1.

Sole biochar addition or exogenous melatonin application can decrease cadmium (Cd) toxicity in polluted soils and improve plant performance and growth. Yet the additive effects of biochar and melatonin application on plant growth, oxidative stress modulation and Cd absorption remain unclear. We conducted a pot experiment to study the combined effects of melatonin, biochar and Cd stress on pea (Pisum sativum L.) seedling growth, antioxidant enzyme activities, photosynthesis parameters and Cd uptake. Results showed that Cd addition significantly decreased pea growth, chlorophyll content, net photosynthesis rate (P_n), transpiration rate (T_r), stomatal conductance (g_s), and increased intercellular CO₂ concentration (c_i) and oxidant enzyme activities when compared to non-Cd contaminated treatment. Exogenous applications of the biochar or melatonin alone significantly decreased the harmful effects of Cd stress and promoted pea seedling growth. Moreover, soil remediation with biochar could more effectively improve pea growth, chlorophyll contents, and photosynthesis parameters and contribute to Cd immobilisation; the melatonin treatment alone could more effectively increase antioxidant enzyme activities. The treatments of biochar and melatonin showed an additive result and had the largest promoting in pea growth, antioxidant enzyme activities, and lowest Cd contents in pea tissue and soil. These results indicate that the combined use of melatonin and biochar is more effective at reducing Cd uptake by pea tissues and alleviating Cd harm to pea plants.

Excessive nitrogen (N) and water input, which are threatening the sustainability of conventional agriculture in the North China Plain (NCP), can lead to serious leaching of nitrate-N (NO₃^--N). This study evaluates grain yield, N and water consumption, NO₃^--N accumulation and leaching in conventional and two optimized winter wheat-summer maize double-cropping systems and an organic alfalfa-winter wheat cropping system. The results showed that compared to the conventional cropping system, the optimized systems could reduce N, water consumption and NO₃^--N leaching by 33, 35 and 67-74%, respectively, while producing nearly identical grain yields. In optimized systems, soil NO₃^--N accumulation within the root zone was about 80 kg N/ha most of the time. In the organic system, N input, water consumption and NO₃^--N leaching was reduced even more (by 71, 43 and 92%, respectively, compared to the conventional system). However, grain yield also declined by 46%. In the organic system, NO₃^--N accumulation within the root zone was generally less than 30 kg N/ha. The optimized systems showed a considerable potential to reduce N and water consumption and NO₃^--N leaching while maintaining high grain yields, and thus should be considered for sustainable agricultural development in the NCP.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a year of cultivation and three agronomic measures (pre-crop, soil tillage, application of fungicides) on the yield of winter wheat grown in the crop rotation without the livestock production. The results from the years 2011-2017, except for the year 2012, from the Žabčice Field Experimental Station (49°01'20''N, 16°37'55''E) were evaluated. The soil texture is clay loam soil and the soil type is fluvisol. In the field trial, winter wheat was grown after two pre-crops (winter wheat, pea). Two soil tillage technologies, namely the conventional tillage - CT (ploughing - at a depth of 24 cm) and the minimum tillage - MT (shallow loosening - at a depth of 15 cm) were used. Two fungicide treatments against leaf and spikelet diseases were used, and they were compared to the non-treated variants. The obtained results showed that the grain yield of winter wheat was statistically influenced not only by a year of cultivation, but also by the pre-crop, the application of fungicides, and mostly by the interaction of these factors with the soil tillage. The importance of pea as a suitable pre-crop for winter wheat was confirmed as the grain yield was higher compared to winter wheat as a pre-crop by an average of 0.49 t/ha. It was also found that the MT is a more appropriate technology than the CT, on average by 0.12 t/ha over the six years. The importance of fungicide treatment was also confirmed, where the grain yield of winter wheat was higher by 0.26 t/ha compared to the non-treated variant. The presented results brought a new knowledge for winter wheat management practice in dry conditions.

The effects of biogas residue as a substrate on ginseng growth and its feasibility for ginseng cultivation are unclear. The present study used biogas residue at different concentrations and maturity levels to cultivate ginseng. The biological characteristics of ginseng, soil physiochemical indices, and ginseng and soil microbial communities were investigated. The results showed that with increasing ginseng content and maturity, the total fresh weight, total length and saponin content significantly increased. The enzyme activities of soil, NO₃^–-N, and available phosphorus also increased. The microbiome analysis revealed that with the addition of biogas residue, microorganisms related to plant growth promotion, such as Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadota and Mortierellomycota, were more common in the plant or rhizosphere soil. The results based on the co-occurrence network showed that the structure of the bacterial community was more stable than that of the fungal community with increasing biogas residue content. Our results indicated that biogas residue could be used as a ginseng cultivation substrate and promote growth.

Denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox), and ferric iron reduction coupled with anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Feammox) are the nitrogen removal pathways in natural ecosystems. In this study, the differences between these three nitrogen removal pathways in a Phragmites australis covered site (LW), artificial grassland covered site (CD), poplar covered site (YD), and topsoil tillage after harvesting reed site (GD) in the Yinchuan Yellow River wetland were investigated using isotope tracing, metagenome, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) techniques. No ³⁰N₂ accumulation was detected in ¹⁵NH₄⁺ addition incubations, indicating that Feammox was weak in all sites, which is consistent with a low abundance of the Feammox functional bacteria Acidimiprobiaceae sp. A6. The denitrification rates were 0.36 (LW), 0.5 (CD), 0.76 (YD) and 0.12 (GD) mg N/kg/day. The Anammox rates were 0.18 (LW) and 0.26 (GD) mg N/kg/day; other sites did not detect Anammox rate. Denitrification was the dominant pathway except for the CD site. The YD site had the highest abundance of denitrification genes, which was consistent with the denitrification rate.

Partial slow-release fertiliser substitution for urea combined with water-saving irrigation may synergistically improve rice yield, quality, water, and nitrogen (N) utilisation. A field experiment to evaluate different combinations of irrigation regimes: alternate wetting and drying irrigation (AWD) and flooding irrigation (FI), and N strategies: N0 (no N fertiliser); N1 (100% conventional fertiliser); N2 (100% SCF – sulphur-coated fertiliser); N3 (70% SCF + 30% urea), and N4 (50% SCF + 50% urea) on efficient rice production. Results indicated that higher substitution rates of SCF (N2 and N3) increased total N and ammonia N in surface water, leachate, and soil while reducing nitrate N relative to N1. The N3 strategy showed the highest yields, dry matter, total N uptake, and water N utilisation due to a nutrient release pattern that matched rice growth requirements. AWD yielded 5% lower than FI, except for the N3 strategy, but protein content increased by 12%, and amylose content dropped by 17%. The structural equation model analysis suggested that SCF positively impacted yield by influencing surface water total N and soil total N. Our findings indicate that implementing AWD alongside a 70% SCF basal fertiliser and 30% urea topdressing can optimise rice yield and quality while effectively managing water and fertiliser resources in the middle-lower Yangtze River Basin.

The impact of drip irrigation on structural stability of soil aggregates was studied in soils of an apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) orchard, developed on marl. The field study was carried out in a sloping (20%) terrain in the north-eastern Slovenia at three slope positions (upslope, mid-slope and downslope), involving a comparison of irrigated versus non-irrigated situations after 6 years of drip irrigation practice. Structural stability was studied in three soil layers (0-5, 5-15 and 15-30 cm) at the end of the irrigation season (in September). In the same samples, soil organic carbon, total carbonates and soil moisture contents were determined. Drip irrigation significantly reduced structural stability and soil organic carbon in the surface soil layer (0-5 cm), while total carbonates increased. Based on the whole set of data, structural stability was strongly positively correlated with total carbonates and negatively correlated with soil organic carbon. This means that the effect of higher level of organic matter mineralisation on structural stability, due to irrigation, is counterbalanced by the increase of total carbonates content in the fine textured calcareous soils. Thus, a negative effect of irrigation on soil organic carbon had less destructive consequences on structural stability than expected.

The paper shows a large-scale shift in agroclimatic zones in the territory of the Czech Republic (CR) between 1961 and 2019. The method used for agroclimatic zoning took advantage of high-resolution (0.5 km × 0.5 km) daily climate data collected from 268 climatological and 787 rain-gauge stations. The climate information was combined with soil and terrain data at the same resolution. The set of seven agroclimatic indicators allowed us to estimate rates of changes in agroclimatic conditions over the 1961-2019 period, including changes in the air temperature regime, global radiation, drought, frost risks and snow cover occurrence. These indicators are relevant for all main crops and agroclimatic zoning and account for local soil and slope conditions. The study clearly highlights major shifts in the type and extent of agroclimatic zones between 1961-2000 and 2000-2019, which led to the occurrence of entirely new combinations of agroclimatic indicators.

Alfalfa is an important leguminous plant, yield and quality depend on the growing environment, while effects of drought and heat stress on alfalfa leaves are unknown. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of exogenous ascorbic acid (AsA) on photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, and xanthophyll cycle in alfalfa leaves subject to under drought and heat stress. The results suggest that drought and heat stress caused decreases in the net photosynthetic rate (P_n) in alfalfa leaves, but stomatal conductance (g_s), transpiration rate (T_r), and intercellular CO₂ concentration (c_i) were increased. The application of AsA could alleviate these changes to some extent. Besides, the decreased photosystem II (PSII) maximum photochemical efficiency (F_v/F_m) and violaxanthin (V) contents and significantly increased non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) levels. The increased NPQ corresponds to the de-epoxidation state (DPS) of xanthophyll pigments. In the AsA-pretreated alfalfa plants, the F_v/F_m and the NPQ were elevated, indicating that AsA could alleviate the adverse effects on photosynthesis induced by this stress. The violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE) enzyme activity was inhibited by drought and heat stress, and AsA significantly increased VDE enzymatic activity on the 2^nd and 8^th days. In summary, photoinhibition of PSII occurred in alfalfa leaves under drought and heat stress, resulting in decreased photosynthetic activity. Exogenous AsA can enhance the photosynthetic capacity of the plant, and enhance the drought and heat resistance of alfalfa.