Explore the vast range of titles available.

Raising rice seedlings in flat trays has become the main method for mechanized transplanting of rice in China. However, seedling blocks raised by this method were easily cracked in practice, and this problem can be solved by padding a thin ramie fiber nonwoven film on the bottom surface of seedling tray. This study was conducted to determine the effects of this film on root-zone environment of rice seedlings. The results showed that on the 10 th day after sowing, the soil inorganic nitrogen, especially nitrate nitrogen, content in the root-zone of the film treatment were considerably higher than in the no-film treatment, in contrast, the soil organic matter content was lower in the film treatment, and by the 20 th day, the gap between treatments was enlarged. After applying the film, the Chao 1 index and Shannon index values for the soil bacterial community diversity decreased, and the rice seedlings were shorter, had higher root/shoot ratios, lower nitrate contents, and higher soluble sugar contents. We conclude that application of the ramie fiber nonwoven film resulted in substantial changes in the soil nutrient and bacterial community in root-zone in a short time, which significantly impacted the growth and development of rice seedlings.

Background: Ionic liquids (ILs) are considered as green solvents, and widely applied for the extraction of various compounds. Methods: The present research focuses on the extraction of flavonoids from Apocynum venetum L. leaves by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). Several major influencing factors were optimized. Then, an aqueous biphasic system (ABS) was applied for further isolation of flavonoids. Results: The flavonoids were mainly distributed in the top phase, while impurities were extracted to the bottom phase. The parameters influencing the extraction, namely type and concentration of salt, temperature, and pH, were studied in detail. Under optimized conditions (72.43% IL extract, 28.57% (NH4)2SO4, 25 °C temperature, pH 4.5), the preconcentration factor and extraction efficiency were found to be 3.78% and 93.35%, respectively. Conclusions: This simple and efficient methodology is expected to see great use in the extraction and isolation of pharmaceutically active components from medicinal plant resources.

Wood fiber substrates are widely used as peat substitutes in horticulture, but the impact of their high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio on nitrogen immobilization and crop photosynthetic performance remains unclear. This study systematically examined the effects of wood fiber substrates on lettuce photosynthetic performance and underlying physiological mechanisms using pot experiments. Two substrate treatments—peat (control) and wood fiber—were combined with three nitrogen levels: low, medium, and high (63, 127, and 210 mg N·L−1). Results indicated that wood fiber substrates significantly reduced the availability of fast-acting nitrogen, leading to a substantial decrease in lettuce biomass (39.0–56.8%), total nitrogen content (7.2–39.9%), and chlorophyll content (13.7–36.2%). Chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics analysis revealed that wood fiber substrates impair photosystem function through multiple pathways. At the early stage (15 days), key effects included structural damage to the donor side of PSII(Photosystem II), indicated by L and K peaks, and inhibited electron transfer on the PSI(Photosystem I) acceptor side (δRo decreased by 15.08–27.90%, along with a reduction in WOI amplitude). The findings provide an important theoretical basis for optimising nitrogen management strategies for wood fibre substrates.

Rooting ability of rice seedling for mechanical transplanting has a large impact on grain yield. This study explored the relationship between endogenous soluble sugar content and rooting ability of rice seedlings. We placed 15-day-old rice seedlings in controlled environment cabinets with stable light and sampled after 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 hours of light to measure their soluble sugar content, nitrate content, starch content, soluble protein content and rooting ability. The soluble sugar content of the rice seedlings before rooting increased rapidly from 65.1 mg g-1 to 126.3 mg g-1 in the first 9 hours of light and then tended to stabilize; however, few significant changes in the other physiological indices were detected. With the light exposure time increasing from 3 hours to 12 hours, the rooting ability measured with fresh weight, dry weight, total length, and number of new roots increased by 91.7%, 120.0%, 60.6% and 30.3%, respectively. Rooting ability was related more closely to soluble sugar content than to nitrate-nitrogen content of rice seedlings before rooting and their correlation coefficients were 0.8582-0.8684 and 0.7045-0.7882, respectively. The stepwise regression analysis revealed that the soluble sugar content before rooting explained 73.6%-75.4% of the variance, and the nitrate-nitrogen content explained an additional 7.3%-14.2% of the variance in rooting ability, indicating that compared with nitrate-nitrogen content, soluble sugar content of rice seedlings before rooting was more dominant in affecting rooting ability. This study provides direct evidence of the relationship between the rooting ability and endogenous soluble sugar content of rice seedlings.

In response to the challenge of resource recycling, this review investigates the removal of phytotoxicity from agricultural waste for its application as a growing media component. Agricultural waste typically exhibits high phytotoxicity due to the presence of substances such as phenols, organic acids, ammonia, nitrogen, and heavy metals. These substances hinder seed germination and plant growth, posing a significant barrier to the use of agricultural waste as a growing media component. Thus, it is imperative to mitigate or eliminate phytotoxicity before effectively utilizing agricultural waste. This review rigorously analyzes an extensive array of recent studies, scrutinizing diverse technologies for the mitigation of phytotoxicity in agricultural wastes. The methods investigated include the four most common methods—composting, heat treatment, washing, and aging, and a recently introduced method, ammonium incubation. Each method was assessed considering its underlying principles, effects in application, and respective advantages and disadvantages. This review suggests that successful phytotoxicity mitigation in agricultural waste hinges on reducing the content or activity of phytotoxic substances. Moreover, this study emphasizes that future phytotoxicity mitigation efforts should aim for economic efficiency while maximizing the preservation of the original material volume and weight. This study offers insightful guidance for technical professionals aiming to mitigate the phytotoxicity of agricultural waste, thereby fostering sustainable agricultural practices.

Every year, approximately 2 billion tons of plant-derived waste (such as straw and crop residues) are generated globally, most of which are either incinerated, dumped, or landfilled without proper planning, leading to severe environmental pollution and resource wastage. Plant-derived waste exhibits potential advantages as a growing media component in various aspects. However, numerous studies have also indicated that plant-derived waste generally possesses strong phytotoxicity, which must be removed or reduced before being utilized as a growing media component. Therefore, accurately assessing their phytotoxicity and appropriately modifying it to ensure their support for plant growth when used as a growing media component is crucial. This paper reviews the manifestation and assessment methods of phytotoxicity in plant-derived waste; systematically summarizes the phytotoxicity sources of three common types of plant-derived waste (garden waste, crop straw, and spent mushroom substrate), as well as the toxic mechanisms of two representative phytotoxic substances (phenolic compounds and organic acids); and proposes some insights into further research directions. By consolidating insights from these studies, this review aims to deepen our understanding of phytotoxicity and its implications, and offer valuable references and guidance for future research endeavors and practical applications.

The use of plastic film in agriculture has the serious drawback of producing vast quantities of waste. In this work, films were prepared from natural fibers and biodegradable polymers as potential substitutes for the conventional non-biodegradable plastic film used as mulching material in agricultural production. The physical properties (e.g., mechanical properties, heat preservation, water permeability, and photopermeability) and degradation characteristics (evaluated by micro-organic culture testing and soil burial testing) of the films were studied in both laboratory and field tests. The experimental results indicated that these fiber/polymer films exhibited favorable physical properties that were sufficient for use in mulching film applications. Moreover, the degradation degree of the three tested films decreased in the following order: fiber/starch (ST) film > fiber/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) film > fiber/polyacrylate (PA) film. The fiber/starch and fiber/PVA films were made from completely biodegradable materials and demonstrated the potential to substitute non-biodegradable films.

(1) Background: Ionic liquids (ILs) are considered “green” solvents and have been widely used in the extraction and separation field in recent years; (2) Methods: In this study, some common ILs and functionalized magnetic ionic liquids (MILs) were used as adjuvants for the solvent extraction of paclitaxel from Taxus x media (T. x media) using methanol solution. The extraction conditions of methanol concentration, IL type and amount, solid–liquid ratio, extraction temperature, and ultrasonic irradiation time were investigated in single factor experiments. Then, three factors of IL amount, solid–liquid ratio, and ultrasonic irradiation time were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM); (3) Results: The MIL [C4MIM]FeCl3Br was screened as the optimal adjuvant. Under the optimization conditions of 1.2% IL amount, 1:10.5 solid–liquid ratio, and 30 min ultrasonic irradiation time, the extraction yield reached 0.224 mg/g; and (4) Conclusions: Compared with the conventional solvent extraction, this ultrasonic assisted extraction (UAE) using methanol and MIL as adjuvants can significantly improve the extraction yield, reduce the use of methanol, and shorten the extraction time, which has the potentiality of being used in the extraction of some other important bioactive compounds from natural plant resources.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The rapid growth of the horticultural industry has increased demand for soilless cultivation substrates. Peat, valued for its physical and chemical properties, is widely used in soilless cultivation. However, peat is non-renewable, and over-extraction poses serious ecological risks. Therefore, sustainable alternatives are urgently needed. Ammonium incubation, a novel method to reduce phytotoxicity, offers the potential for green waste, a significant organic solid waste resource, to substitute peat. This study optimized the ammonium incubation process to reduce green waste phytotoxicity. It systematically examined different nitrogen salts (type and amount) and environmental conditions (temperature, aeration, duration) affecting detoxification efficiency. Results show a significant reduction in phytotoxicity with ammonium bicarbonate, carbonate, and sulfate, especially carbonate, at 1.5%. Optimal conditions were 30 °C for 5 days with regular aeration. Under these conditions, ammonium salt-treated green waste significantly reduced total phenolic content and stabilized germination index (GI) at a non-phytotoxic level (127%). Using treated green waste as a partial peat substitute in lettuce cultivation showed promising results. This low-cost, low-energy method effectively converts green waste into sustainable peat alternatives, promoting eco-friendly horticulture and environmental conservation.