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Fertilizer use in African agriculture
Fertilizer use in Africa as compared to other developing regions has been limited. What types of policies and programs are needed to realize the potential benefits of fertilizer in African agriculture? This book summarizes key lessons learned from past efforts to promote fertilizer in Africa, provides an overview of the current state of knowledge concerning technical aspects of fertilizer use in Africa, and presents good practice guidelines for promoting sustainable increases in fertilizer use.
eBook
Mechanochemical Preparation of a Novel Slow-Release Fertilizer Based on Ksub.2SOsub.4-kaolinite
In this study, a novel slow-release fertilizer (SRF) consisting of kaolinite and K[sub.2]SO[sub.4] was prepared, employing the process of mechanochemical milling in a planetary ball mill. To obtain the optimum milling time and speed, several samples were made at fixed mass ratios of kaolinite: K[sub.2]SO[sub.4] (3:1). The milling rotational speed ranged from 200 to 700 rpm for 120 min. Different milling times ranging from 60 to 180 min at fixed 600 rpm milling speed were also investigated to evaluate the incorporation of K[sub.2]SO[sub.4] and to measure the liberation of K[sup.+] and SO[sub.4] [sup.2−] ions into solution. The properties of the studied samples were analyzed by Fourier transformation infrared spectrometry (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and ion chromatography (IC). The mechanochemical process is a green chemistry procedure that is successfully applied to incorporate K[sub.2]SO[sub.4] into the amorphous kaolinite structure. The slow-release performance was evaluated by determining the K[sup.+] and SO[sub.4] [sup.2−] content in the aqueous solution upon leaching. The optimum released amount of K[sup.+] after 24 h was 32 mg L[sup.−1] for the milling conditions of 180 min and 700 rpm, indicating that K[sub.2]SO[sub.4]-kaolinite has good slow-release properties. The novel SRF is cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and improves the fertilizer’s efficiency in many agricultural applications.
Journal Article
Application of slow-release phosphorus fertilizers increases arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity in the roots of apple trees
AIMS: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a key role in the functioning of agricultural ecosystems. Therefore, understanding how the application of fertilizers, a common management practice, affects AMF communities is of major importance. Here we aimed to: (i) experimentally test whether different amounts and forms of phosphorus (P) fertilizer affect AMF diversity and community composition associated with the roots of apple trees (Malus domestica); (ii) identify differences in tolerance to P fertilization between AMF taxa. METHODS: We used 454-pyrosequencing of the small subunit rRNA gene amplicons to quantify AMF diversity and community composition in root samples obtained from a three year field experiment, with two inorganic, three slow-release P fertilization and one control treatment. RESULTS: The slow-release fertilizer treatments showed significantly higher AMF richness and differed in community composition compared to the inorganic fertilizer treatments. The distribution of AMF OTUs showed a significantly nested pattern. Additionally, AMF communities in the inorganic fertilizer treatments were a subset of the communities in the slow-release fertilizer treatments. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that application of slow-release fertilizers promoted AMF diversity in the roots of cultivated apple trees in comparison to the other treatments. The application of inorganic fertilizers elevated levels of plant-available P in the soil and selected only a small subset of abundant AMF, resulting in a lower AMF diversity. This may result in AMF communities dominated by inferior AMF mutualists.
Journal Article
The California nitrogen assessment : challenges and solutions for people, agriculture, and the environment
\"Nitrogen is indispensable to all life on Earth. However, humans now dominate the nitrogen cycle and nitrogen emissions resulting from human activity involve real costs: water and air pollution, climate change, and detrimental effects for human health, biodiversity, and natural habitat. Too little nitrogen limits ecosystem processes, while too much nitrogen transforms ecosystems profoundly. The California Nitrogen Assessment is the first comprehensive accounting of nitrogen flows, practices, and policies for California; encompassing all nitrogen flows--not just those associated with agriculture--and their impacts on ecosystem services and human wellbeing. How California handles issues of nitrogen will be of interest nationally and internationally, and the goal of the assessment is to more effectively link science with action and to produce information that informs both future policy and solutions to nitrogen pollution. This book also provides a model for application of integrated ecosystem assessment methods at regional and state (sub-national) levels.\"--Provided by publisher.
Book
Soil fertility and its significance to crop productivity and sustainability in typical agroecosystem: a summary of long-term fertilizer experiments in China
AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Soil fertility quality index is a useful indicator that helps to improve sustainable land use management and achieve economical yield in agriculture production. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the changes of soil fertility quality between the 1980s and 2000s in different cropping systems and its significance to crop productivity and sustainability. METHODS: We collected all published data on crop yields and soil parameters from 58 long-term experiments in three typical double-cropping systems in China, including maize-wheat (M-W), rice-rice (R-R) and rice-wheat (R-W) cropping systems, and selected seven fertilizer treatments in each experiment, including inorganic fertilizer [nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer (NP), nitrogen and potassium fertilizer (NK), phosphorus and potassium fertilizer (PK) and balanced mineral fertilizer (NPK)], combined NPK with farmyard manure (NPKM) or crop straw (NPKS), and no fertilizer application (served as control). For comparison, an integrated fertility quality index (IFQI) was used to estimate the variations in soil fertility in different cropping systems. Moreover, the mean production variability index (PVI, %) in each cropping system was calculated to evaluate the stability of crop production. RESULTS: Over cropping systems, the averaged relative yields of PK, NK and NP ranged from 38.0 to 97.4 %, while the mean yields can be increased by 2.4–5.1 % in NPKM, compared to NPK. The mean yields were similar between NPK and NPKS for maize and wheat crops, but the yield was increased by 4.3–10.0 % in NPKS. Among the different treatments, the highest variability of cereal productivity was obtained in NK, PK or Control, while the lowest value was mostly recorded in NPKM or NPKS in these three cropping systems. Relative to the control, the IFQIs in fertilization treatments were increased by 9.4–150.0 %, 6.2–41.5 % and 1.3–17.5 % in M-W, R-W and R-R systems, respectively (except for PK treatment in R-R system). However, changes of IFQI in topsoil differed among fertilizer treatments, and greater increases existed in the treatments receiving organic residues (NPKM and NPKS). CONCLUSIONS: The increase in crop yield is exponentially correlated with the increased IFQI over treatments in three cropping systems. Over the treatments and systems, production variability among years is shown to be negatively, linearly related to IFQI (P < 0.001). Therefore, the high grain yield and low production variability can be simultaneously achieved by increasing soil fertility in all three cropping systems.
Journal Article
Correction: Combining organic and mineral fertilizers as a climate-smart integrated soil fertility management practice in sub-Saharan Africa: A meta-analysis
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239552.].
Journal Article
contribution to set a legal framework for biofertilisers
The extensive research, production and use of microorganisms to improve plant nutrition have resulted in an inconsistent definition of the term “biofertiliser” which, in some cases, is due to the different microbial mechanisms involved. The rationale for adopting the term biofertiliser is that it derives from “biological fertiliser”, that, in turn, implies the use of living microorganisms. Here, we propose a definition for this kind of products which is distinguishing them from biostimulants or other inorganic and organic fertilisers. Special emphasis is given to microorganism(s) with multifunctional properties and biofertilisers containing more than one microorganism. This definition could be included in legal provisions regulating registration and marketing requirements. A set of rules is also proposed which could guarantee the quality of biofertilisers present on the market and thus foster their use by farmers.
Journal Article