Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Yanfang Wang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, P.R. China Author-Name: Jinzhao Liu Author-Workplace-Name: School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, P.R. China Author-Name: Dong Li Author-Workplace-Name: College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, P.R. China Author-Name: Zhengyang Yan Author-Workplace-Name: College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, P.R. China Author-Name: Ling Liu Author-Workplace-Name: College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, P.R. China Title: Co-application of biochar and melatonin enhances pea (Pisum sativum L.) performance and alleviates cadmium contamination stress Abstract: 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 (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductance (gs), and increased intercellular CO2 concentration (ci) 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. Keywords: heavy metal, transfer factor, fresh weight, soil quality, toxic element Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 195-202 Volume: 70 Issue: 4 Year: 2024 DOI: 10.17221/462/2023-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/462/2023-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202404-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:70:y:2024:i:4:id:462-2023-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Lenka Botyanszká Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Hydrology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Justína Vitková Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Hydrology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Natália Botková Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Hydrology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Landscape Engineering, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Lucia Toková Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Hydrology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Ján Gaduš Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Environmental Management, Faculty of European Studies and Regional Development, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovak Republic Title: The effects of biochar grain size on radish plants under low water availability Abstract: Low water availability is a significant constraint on global crop production. Exploration is needed regarding plant responses to drought in interaction with biochar, encompassing optimised water use and carbon allocation strategies. The size of the biochar particles also plays an important role, especially in influencing the dynamics of water and plant growth. This study explored the potential impact of biochar treatment on radish growth and drought tolerance. Finer biochar particles lead to the most substantial available water content for plants, increasing at around 30%, while medium and larger fractions increase by about 22% and 16%, respectively, compared to control soil. The chlorophyll fluorescence technique showed improved water management of drought stress at larger fractions of biochar. Our research underscores the potential of biochar treatments for environmental stresses and water scarcity in modern agriculture. Keywords: biochar fraction size, water stress, carbon rich material, silt loam soil Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 203-209 Volume: 70 Issue: 4 Year: 2024 DOI: 10.17221/414/2023-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/414/2023-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202404-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:70:y:2024:i:4:id:414-2023-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Haoze Zhang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai 'an, P.R. China Author-Name: Mingliang Gao Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai 'an, P.R. China Author-Name: Fuying Liu Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai 'an, P.R. China Author-Name: Huabin Yuan Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai 'an, P.R. China Author-Name: Zhendong Liu Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai 'an, P.R. China Author-Name: Mingming Zhang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai 'an, P.R. China Author-Name: Quanqi Li Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai 'an, P.R. China Author-Name: Rui Zong Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai 'an, P.R. China Title: Characteristic of soil moisture utilisation with different water-sensitive cultivars of summer maize in the North China Plain Abstract: Summer maize cultivars are differently sensitive to soil moisture. To better understand the differences in water productivity of summer maize cultivars with different water sensitivity, a field experiment was conducted from 2020 to 2022. Three different water-sensitive summer maize cultivars were selected, including TY808 (high water-sensitive cultivar), DH605 (medium water-sensitive cultivar), and ZD958 (low water-sensitive cultivar). Soil water content (SWC), soil water storage (SWS), water consumption, water use efficiency, and grain yield were determined. The results showed that under rainfed conditions, the SWC of the medium water-sensitive cultivar DH605 in the deep soil layer was 2.1-18.2% lower than TY808 and ZD958, respectively, and the differences were significant in the 12th leaf stage (V12) and vegetative tassel stage (VT). The SWS of the high-water-sensitive cultivar TY808 was 0.7% to 6.4% higher than the other two water-sensitive cultivars from 2020 to 2022. The changes in SWS are related to the spatiotemporal distribution of precipitation. The water consumption of DH605 was higher than TY808 and ZD958 by 5.3% and 7.09% in 2020 and 2.9% and 2.8% in 2021; in 2022, DH605 is 2% higher than ZD958 and 2.8% lower than TY808, respectively. The yield of DH605 was 4.3-10.78% higher than the other two cultivars in the three-year experiment. Additionally, the 1 000-kernel weight of DH605 was the highest in TY808 and ZD958. DH605 has the highest water use efficiency, which was increased by 4.8-14.6% compared to TY808 and ZD958. Through path analysis, we found that the direct path coefficient of SWS in the VT stage on yield reached 0.999, indicating that soil moisture in the VT stage has the greatest impact on yield, followed by the blister stage (R2). In conclusion, our results suggest that the water consumption of summer maize during the VT stage is the highest, and the soil moisture condition in VT significantly affects the grain yield of summer. Planting DH605 in the North China Plain would harvest the maximum grain yield and water productivity. Keywords: rainfed agriculture, extreme weather events, Zea mays L., variety selection, high water-efficient agriculture Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 210-219 Volume: 70 Issue: 4 Year: 2024 DOI: 10.17221/401/2023-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/401/2023-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202404-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:70:y:2024:i:4:id:401-2023-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Pengcheng Wang Author-Workplace-Name: School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Innovation Demonstration Base of Ecological Environment Geotechnical and Ecological Restoration of Rivers and Lakes, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Name: Siyuan Jin Author-Workplace-Name: School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Innovation Demonstration Base of Ecological Environment Geotechnical and Ecological Restoration of Rivers and Lakes, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Name: Henglin Xiao Author-Workplace-Name: School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Innovation Demonstration Base of Ecological Environment Geotechnical and Ecological Restoration of Rivers and Lakes, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Name: Zhi Zhang Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Fertilizer, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Fertilization from Agricultural Wastes, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Key Laboratory for Crop and Animal Integrated Farming, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P.R. China Author-Name: Cheng Hu Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Fertilizer, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Fertilization from Agricultural Wastes, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Name: Yan Qiao Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Fertilizer, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Fertilization from Agricultural Wastes, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Name: Donghai Liu Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Fertilizer, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Fertilization from Agricultural Wastes, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Name: Xifa Guo Author-Workplace-Name: Agricultural Technology Promotion Service Center of Kanjiang Office, Wuxue, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Name: Xiangrong Peng Author-Workplace-Name: Wuxue City Agriculture and Rural Bureau, Wuxue, Hubei, P.R. China Title: Effects of combined application of animal slurry and mineral fertiliser on rice yield and soil nitrogen cycle microbes Abstract: This paper studied the response of rice yield and soil nitrogen (N) cycling microorganisms to the combined application of animal slurry and mineral fertiliser. A pot experiment was conducted on typical yellow-brown paddy soil. There were five treatments: (1) CK - no N fertilisation; (2) S0 - mineral fertilisation; (3) S30 - 30% slurry with 70% mineral fertilisation; (4) S60 - 60% slurry with 40% mineral fertilisation; and (5) S100 - slurry application. Rice yield, yield components, and soil properties were investigated at harvest. The abundance of soil N cycle functional genes abundance was quantified via quantitative real-time PCR. The rice yield reached a high level when the proportion of slurry used to replace mineral fertiliser was 30-50%. The yield in response to mineral fertiliser (S0) was equivalent to that in response to no N fertilisation since the formation of effective panicles was inhibited. With the slurry replacement ratio increase, the available phosphorus and potassium contents in the soil improved, but the nitrate content decreased. Considering the entire soil N cycle, nitrogen-fixing microbes (nifH), ammonia-oxidising archaea (AOA amoA) and nitrite-reducing microbes (nirS and nirK) had greater abundances, reaching 108 copies. Compared with those in the S0 treatment, the abundances of most N cycle functional genes in the S30 treatment, except for napA, significantly increased from 31.2% to 100.9%, and the increase in the abundance of nirS and nosZ in the S100 treatment reached 4 times, which was obviously greater than that of the other genes. Correlation analysis revealed that high soil pH promoted N fixation and nitrification, while NH4+-N had the opposite effect on N fixation and nitrification, and available phosphorus and potassium actively influenced denitrification. These results showed that a 30-50% slurry application ratio was recommended for rice, which was beneficial for maintaining high yields and high abundances of soil N cycle functional genes. Keywords: animal manure, waste treatment, yield response model, recycling, soil nutrient cycling Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 220-228 Volume: 70 Issue: 4 Year: 2024 DOI: 10.17221/315/2023-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/315/2023-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202404-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:70:y:2024:i:4:id:315-2023-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Qi Li Author-Workplace-Name: Collaborative Innovation Center for Development and Utilization of Rare Metal Resources Co-sponsored by Ministry of Education and Jiangxi Province, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Mining and Metallurgy Environmental Pollution Control, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Name: Li Tian Author-Workplace-Name: Collaborative Innovation Center for Development and Utilization of Rare Metal Resources Co-sponsored by Ministry of Education and Jiangxi Province, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Mining and Metallurgy Environmental Pollution Control, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Name: Xiaojun Zheng Author-Workplace-Name: Collaborative Innovation Center for Development and Utilization of Rare Metal Resources Co-sponsored by Ministry of Education and Jiangxi Province, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Mining and Metallurgy Environmental Pollution Control, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Name: Weijiang Chen Author-Workplace-Name: Collaborative Innovation Center for Development and Utilization of Rare Metal Resources Co-sponsored by Ministry of Education and Jiangxi Province, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Mining and Metallurgy Environmental Pollution Control, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Name: Buchan Zhou Author-Workplace-Name: Collaborative Innovation Center for Development and Utilization of Rare Metal Resources Co-sponsored by Ministry of Education and Jiangxi Province, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Mining and Metallurgy Environmental Pollution Control, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Name: Ming Chen Author-Workplace-Name: Collaborative Innovation Center for Development and Utilization of Rare Metal Resources Co-sponsored by Ministry of Education and Jiangxi Province, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Mining and Metallurgy Environmental Pollution Control, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, P.R. China Title: Ecological and human health risk assessment of tungsten and other heavy metal(loid)s in farmland around a typical tungsten mining area in southern Jiangxi, China Abstract: The ecological and human health risks of heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) in soils around tungsten (W) mining sites have often disregarded the presence of W. In this study, we aimed to investigate the concentrations of 10 HMs (including W and other accompanying elements) in 18 agricultural soil samples obtained around a W mining site in southern Jiangxi, China. Furthermore, we determined the contamination status, source identification, and ecological and health risks of HMs in soils. Our findings revealed that HMs were extensively accumulated in soils within the study area, with the highest mean concentrations of W found. W concentrations were above background values at all sites. Multivariate analysis revealed that W mining activities, including extracting and transporting W ore, were the primary source of HMs in the soil (61.40%). The ecological risk assessment revealed that the potential ecological risk across the survey area exhibited a high risk, and the cadmium (Cd) and W should be prioritised as control pollutants for soils around the W mine site. The human health risk assessment displayed that 73.43% of children with an unacceptable non-carcinogenic risk, and W contributed the most to the overall non-carcinogenic risk (42.32%), followed by Cd and arsenic (As). In addition, 22.03% of children and 13.4% of adults were under a significant carcinogenic risk. Overall, our findings emphasise the importance of considering element W in future studies investigating the contamination of HMs around W mining areas. As such, we calculated a safe limit value for element W in soil (141.01 mg/kg) to facilitate the conservation and development of soils in W mining areas in China. Our study provides valuable information for pollution prevention and soil contamination risk mitigation in W mining areas. Keywords: toxic element, toxicity, soil remediation, hazardous waste, safety limit Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 229-244 Volume: 70 Issue: 4 Year: 2024 DOI: 10.17221/344/2023-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/344/2023-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202404-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:70:y:2024:i:4:id:344-2023-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Siniša Mitrić Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Banja Luka, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina Author-Name: Amer Sunulahpašić Author-Workplace-Name: Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry, Central Bosnia Canton, Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina Author-Name: Dragana Šunjka Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia Author-Name: Slavica Vuković Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia Author-Name: Mirjana Žabić Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Banja Luka, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina Author-Name: Saud Hamidović Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Author-Name: Biljana Kelečević Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Banja Luka, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina Title: Dissipation dynamic of nicosulfuron in different types of agricultural soils Abstract: 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. Keywords: sulfonylurea herbicide, agrochemical, environmental condition, weed control Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 245-251 Volume: 70 Issue: 4 Year: 2024 DOI: 10.17221/503/2023-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/503/2023-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202404-0006.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:70:y:2024:i:4:id:503-2023-PSE