Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Keji Hua Author-Workplace-Name: Engineering Research Center of Eco-environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: College of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Name: Peng Yang Author-Workplace-Name: Zhangshu Agricultural and Rural Bureau, Zhangshu, Jiangxi, P.R. China Author-Name: Jieyu Zhou Author-Workplace-Name: Danjiangkou Hydropower Plant, Hanjiang Water Resources and Hydropower Group Co., Ltd., Danjiangkou, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Name: Wei Liao Author-Workplace-Name: Guangdong Zhonghao Survey and Design Consulting Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China Author-Name: Jun He Author-Workplace-Name: Engineering Research Center of Eco-environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: College of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Name: Junlin Zheng Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning, P.R. China Author-Name: Chi Tang Author-Workplace-Name: Hubei Zhanghe Hydraulic Project Administration Bureau, Jingmen, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Name: Yuqin Li Author-Workplace-Name: Engineering Research Center of Eco-environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: College of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Name: Baolong Zhang Author-Workplace-Name: Engineering Research Center of Eco-environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: College of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, P.R. China Title: Enhancing rice yield, quality, and resource utilisation with slow-release fertiliser in alternate wetting and drying irrigation Abstract: 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. Keywords: Oryza sativa L., rice sustainable production, nutrition, fertilisation, SEM model Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 253-262 Volume: 70 Issue: 5 Year: 2024 DOI: 10.17221/450/2023-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/450/2023-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202405-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:70:y:2024:i:5:id:450-2023-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Ruxin Zhang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, P.R. China Author-Name: Zhongyi Qu Author-Workplace-Name: College of Energy and Environment, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Autonomous Region Collaborative Innovation Center for Integrated Management of Water Resources and Water Environment in the Inner Mongolia Reaches of the Yellow River, Hohhot, P.R. China Author-Name: Wei Yang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Autonomous Region Collaborative Innovation Center for Integrated Management of Water Resources and Water Environment in the Inner Mongolia Reaches of the Yellow River, Hohhot, P.R. China Author-Name: Liping Wang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Autonomous Region Collaborative Innovation Center for Integrated Management of Water Resources and Water Environment in the Inner Mongolia Reaches of the Yellow River, Hohhot, P.R. China Author-Name: Dongliang Zhang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, P.R. China Author-Name: Lu Liu Author-Workplace-Name: Northern Construction Management Department, China Three Gorges Renewables (Group) Co., Ltd., Beijing, P.R. China Author-Name: Junjie Li Author-Workplace-Name: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, P.R. China Author-Name: Zhimin Zhang Author-Workplace-Name: Inner Mongolia Hetao Irrigation District Water Development Center Yichang Branch Center Yihe Canal Water Supply Station, Bayan Nur, P.R. China Title: Biochar addition enhances annual carbon stocks and ecosystem carbon sink intensity in saline soils of the Hetao Irrigation District, Inner Mongolia Abstract: Biochar has demonstrated potential for stabilising high yields and sequestering carbon in dryland farmland, but it is unclear whether biochar affects the carbon sequestration capacity and carbon balance of annual farmland ecosystems. For this purpose, we conducted a plot control trial in salinised farmland in 2019-2021, where we set three treatments, control, and two biochar rates, 0 (CK), 15 (B15), and 30 t/ha (B30). The results showed that biochar application decreased soil organic carbon stocks in the early part of the experiment (first freeze and freeze period); these increased in the later part, and overall, the biochar treatments increased soil organic carbon storage by 3-6% compared with the control. Compared with the control (CK), biochar inhibited the total soil respiration rate and microbial respiration rate significantly (P < 0.05) during the crop growing period compared with the freeze-thaw period. After two years of freeze-thaw cycling, biochar application increased sunflower plant carbon sequestration and net primary productivity and suppressed total soil microbial respiration, thereby increasing net ecosystem productivity. Therefore, the application of biochar is conducive to carbon sequestration in farmland ecosystems and presents a carbon sink effect, thus being a good choice for improving the soil carbon pool and reducing emissions in the northern dry zone. Keywords: food production, straw biochar, agroecosystem, salinisation, biomass, permafrost Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 263-275 Volume: 70 Issue: 5 Year: 2024 DOI: 10.17221/121/2023-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/121/2023-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202405-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:70:y:2024:i:5:id:121-2023-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Shun Li Author-Workplace-Name: Qinghai Academy of Animal and Veterinary Science, Qinghai University, Xining, P.R. China Author-Name: Zongqing Liu Author-Workplace-Name: College of Ecological and Environmental Engineering, Qinghai University, Xining, P.R. China Title: Fertilisation and environmental factors affect the yield and quality of alfalfa in China Abstract: Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a superior-quality perennial legume forage crop cultivated in China. However, fertiliser applications and the environmental factors affecting alfalfa yield and quality have not been well documented. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis using a dataset from 105 studies published between 2003 and 2023 to explore the effects of fertiliser application and environmental factors on the yield and quality of alfalfa. The results showed that compared to the non-fertiliser control levels, fertiliser application increased alfalfa yield by 24.61% and improved the quality of alfalfa by increasing crude protein by 11.63% and decreasing acid detergent fibre by 7.69% and neutral detergent fibre by 6.76%. Alfalfa yield and the crude protein effect size increased with increasing altitude but decreased with increasing latitude based on fertiliser application. The acid detergent fibre and neutral detergent fibre effect size were positively correlated with mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation. In conclusion, applying fertiliser is a productive approach to enhance the yield and grade of alfalfa, but environmental factors have an effect. This study provides comprehensive information on fertiliser applications and environmental factors that affect alfalfa yield and quality. These results provide insight into further improving alfalfa yield and quality and contribute to the development of alfalfa. Keywords: grassland, soil fertility, nutrient, precipitation, production, heterogeneity Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 276-286 Volume: 70 Issue: 5 Year: 2024 DOI: 10.17221/457/2023-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/457/2023-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202405-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:70:y:2024:i:5:id:457-2023-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Kateřina Hamouzová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jaromír Šuk Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Soham Bhattacharya Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jakub Mikulka Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Veronika Valičková Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Michaela Kolářová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Josef Soukup Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: The effect of various factors (light, temperature, salt, and drought) on germination of Bromus sterilis L. Abstract: Bromus sterilis L. (barren brome) is one of the most economically important noxious grass weeds in the winter cereal fields of Europe. Its ecological behaviour in this agro-climatic region should be assessed for effective weed control strategies. The present study was conducted to assess the dormancy and germination response of the B. sterilis population from the Czech Republic under thermal, light, and stress conditions. The dormancy loss experiment revealed that seeds exposed to the light regime showed a remarkably lower percentage of germination, and under alternating temperatures of 10/20 °C in dark conditions, rapid loss of primary dormancy was observed. This population was found to germinate across a wide temperature range of 5-35 °C, with the highest germination rate at 25 °C (T50 = 1.14 days in dark, 1.21 days in light) and the germination time increased with decreasing temperatures below 25 °C. Further, due to fitness advantage, herbicide-resistant (R) biotypes were found to be more stress-tolerant than susceptible (S) biotypes under salinity and drought conditions. In the highest stress conditions, the germination of S biotypes was negligible, while R biotypes can germinate under high stress, but germination decreased below 25 °C. The current findings may add value to effective weed control strategies using prediction models based on seed dormancy and germination values under different hydrothermal conditions. Keywords: drought stress, herbicide resistance, salinity stress, competition Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 287-295 Volume: 70 Issue: 5 Year: 2024 DOI: 10.17221/21/2024-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/21/2024-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202405-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:70:y:2024:i:5:id:21-2024-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: David Bečka Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Lucie Bečková Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Matěj Satranský Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Kateřina Pazderů Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Effect of seed weight and biostimulant seed treatment on establishment, growth and yield parameters of winter oilseed rape Abstract: This study evaluated the effect of seed weight and seed treatment on yield and growth parameters in a three-year field trial. Seed weight treatments were tested in three levels of thousand seed weight (TSW): low 4.28 g, medium 5.00 g and high 5.69 g, with and without a biostimulant seed treatment of Lumibio Kelta. Although statistically significant differences were not found in all experimental years, the three-year results showed that sowing seeds with higher seed weight increased the initial and final stand counts, root length, seed yield and oil content. The final stand at harvest time averaged over the three years ranged from 23.0 (low TSW) to 29.5 plants per 1 m2 (high TSW). Plants from high TSW seed had an average of 1.1 cm longer roots than plants from low TSW seed. The average yield increased with TSW: 5.49 t/ha (low TSW), 5.86 t/ha (medium TSW), and 5.94 t/ha (high TSW). High TSW also yielded higher oil content (45.77%) compared to the medium (45.25%) and low TSW (45.27%). No statistical difference could be detected in the initial emergence counts or final seed quality according to seed treatment. Seed treatment with the biostimulant increased root length and seed yield. Plants from seeds treated with the biostimulant had roots with an average of 0.6 cm longer, yielding 0.2 t/ha higher than the non-treated ones. Keywords: winter rapeseed, Brassica napus L., seed size, seed stimulation, field emergence, number of plants, leaf growth, root growth, yield, oiliness Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 296-304 Volume: 70 Issue: 5 Year: 2024 DOI: 10.17221/98/2024-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/98/2024-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202405-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:70:y:2024:i:5:id:98-2024-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Shipeng Luo Author-Workplace-Name: Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai, P.R. China Author-Name: Jun Zou Author-Workplace-Name: Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai, P.R. China Author-Name: Mingming Shi Author-Workplace-Name: Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai, P.R. China Author-Name: Senmao Lin Author-Workplace-Name: Tianchang Fuan Electronics Co., Ltd, Tianchang City, P.R. China Author-Name: Dawei Wang Author-Workplace-Name: Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai, P.R. China Author-Name: Wenbin Liu Author-Workplace-Name: Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai, P.R. China Author-Name: Yan Shen Author-Workplace-Name: Shanghai Yingzhi Technology Co., Ltd, Shanghai, P.R. China Author-Name: Xiaotao Ding Author-Workplace-Name: Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China Author-Name: Yuping Jiang Author-Workplace-Name: Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai, P.R. China Title: Effects of red-blue light spectrum on growth, yield, and photo-synthetic efficiency of lettuce in a uniformly illumination environment Abstract: This study comprehensively investigates the impact of varying red-to-blue light ratios on the growth of Spanish lettuce. The research considers various factors such as growth morphology, photosynthetic parameters, and chlorophyll fluorescence. Lettuce was cultivated in an environment with a photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 200 ± 20 μmol/m2/s and a photoperiod of 16 h per day. The experiment incorporated eight distinct light treatment methodologies, with the red-to-blue light ratios ranging from 2:8 (R2B8) to 9:1 (R9B1). The data implies that during the initial 20 days of growth, groups exposed to a higher proportion of red light demonstrated superior growth. In particular, the R9B1 group exhibited the highest increase in plant height. The photosynthetic performance of leaves (net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate) showed a tendency to rise with a decreasing red-to-blue ratio within a particular range, peaking at R3B7. However, both the dry matter content and fresh weight were relatively lower under the R3B7 light quality ratio. The results indicate that cultivating lettuce under the R8B2 ratio led to optimal outcomes. This group significantly outperformed the other test groups in terms of weight and exhibited higher photosynthetic rates. Despite exhibiting lower stomatal conductance, this group reduced energy consumption and ultimately achieved the highest overall weight. Keywords: leaf vegetables, hydroponic system, plant factories, uniformity of illumination Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 305-316 Volume: 70 Issue: 5 Year: 2024 DOI: 10.17221/480/2023-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/480/2023-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202405-0006.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:70:y:2024:i:5:id:480-2023-PSE