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The aim of the research was determination the efficiency of application 50 t ha-1 digestate from the process of anaerobic digestion on the productivity of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) on moderately degraded (calcic gleysol) and fertile (chernozem) agricultural land, in southern Banat, Republic of Serbia. In the field experiment during three years digestate amendment led to an increase in the number of leaves by 28.56% and plant height by 5.34%, which led to an increase in yield by 3.40%. The maximum yield was 2018 (41.74 DM t ha-1) on chernozem. The yield of sorghum was lower on calcic gleysol compared to chernozem by 5.43% and was in positive, medium and very significant dependence on precipitation (0.61) and in positive significant correlation with digestate (0.53) and plant height (0.59). Biogas yield reach 157.05 Nm3 t-1 (9582 Nm3 ha-1) on chernozem with digestate. Digestate had a statistically significant positive effect on all tested characteristics of sorghum as well as biogas yield during all three experimental years. The use of digestate as a by-product in the process of producing biogas based on silage of sorghum, allows the substitution of mineral fertilizers and remediation of damaged soil, which contributes to sustainability from the bio-economic and environmental aspects.

Phytoremediation is a cost-effective and sustainable technology used to clean up pollutants from soils and waters through the use of plant species. Indeed, plants are naturally capable of absorbing metals and degrading organic molecules. However, in several cases, the presence of contaminants causes plant suffering and limited growth. In such situations, thanks to the production of specific root exudates, plants can engage the most suitable bacteria able to support their growth according to the particular environmental stress. These plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) may facilitate plant growth and development with several beneficial effects, even more evident when plants are grown in critical environmental conditions, such as the presence of toxic contaminants. For instance, PGPR may alleviate metal phytotoxicity by altering metal bioavailability in soil and increasing metal translocation within the plant. Since many of the PGPR are also hydrocarbon oxidizers, they are also able to support and enhance plant biodegradation activity. Besides, PGPR in agriculture can be an excellent support to counter the devastating effects of abiotic stress, such as excessive salinity and drought, replacing expensive inorganic fertilizers that hurt the environment. A better and in-depth understanding of the function and interactions of plants and associated microorganisms directly in the matrix of interest, especially in the presence of persistent contamination, could provide new opportunities for phytoremediation.

Energy crops are dedicated cultures directed for biofuels, electricity, and heat production. Due to their tolerance to contaminated lands, they can alleviate and remediate land pollution by the disposal of toxic elements and polymetallic agents. Moreover, these crops are suitable to be exploited in marginal soils (e.g., saline), and, therefore, the risk of land-use conflicts due to competition for food, feed, and fuel is reduced, contributing positively to economic growth, and bringing additional revenue to landowners. Therefore, further study and investment in R&D is required to link energy crops to the implementation of biorefineries. The main objective of this study is to present a review of the potential of selected energy crops for bioenergy and biofuels production, when cultivated in marginal/degraded/contaminated (MDC) soils (not competing with agriculture), contributing to avoiding Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) burdens. The selected energy crops are Cynara cardunculus, Arundo donax, Cannabis sativa, Helianthus tuberosus, Linum usitatissimum, Miscanthus × giganteus, Sorghum bicolor, Panicum virgatum, Acacia dealbata, Pinus pinaster, Paulownia tomentosa, Populus alba, Populus nigra, Salix viminalis, and microalgae cultures. This article is useful for researchers or entrepreneurs who want to know what kind of crops can produce which biofuels in MDC soils.

Micronutrient deficiency in cereals is a problem of global significance, severely reducing grain yield and quality in marginal soils. Ancient landraces represent, through hundreds of years of local adaptation to adverse soil conditions, a unique reservoir of genes and unexplored traits for enhancing yield and abiotic stress tolerance. Here we explored and compared the genetic variation in a population of Northern European barley landraces and modern elite varieties, and their tolerance to manganese (Mn) limitation. A total of 135 barley accessions were genotyped and the genetic diversity was explored using Neighbor-Joining clustering. Based on this analysis, a sub-population of genetically diverse landraces and modern elite control lines were evaluated phenotypically for their ability to cope with Mn-deficient conditions, across three different environments increasing in complexity from hydroponics through pot experiments to regional field trials. Genetically a group of Scottish barley landraces (Bere barley) were found to cluster according to their island of origin, and accessions adapted to distinct biogeographical zones with reduced soil fertility had particularly larger Mn, but also zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) concentrations in the shoot. Strikingly, when grown in an alkaline sandy soil in the field, the locally adapted landraces demonstrated an exceptional ability to acquire and translocate Mn to developing leaves, maintain photosynthesis and generate robust grain yields, whereas modern elite varieties totally failed to complete their life cycle. Our results highlight the importance of gene pools of local adaptation and the value of ancient landrace material to identify and characterize genes that control nutrient use efficiency traits in adverse environments to raise future crop production and improve agricultural sustainability in marginal soils. We propose and discuss a model summarizing the physiological mechanisms involved in the complex trait of tolerance to Mn limitation.

Algae are capable of accumulating nutrients from aqueous waste, which makes them a potential fertilizer. The ability of the fast growing Chlorella vulgaris strain IPPAS C1 to accumulate phosphorus (P) was probed in V-shaped plastic foil photobioreactors. The P uptake was 0.13–0.53 g(P)·m−2·day−1 when the algal culture densities were kept between 0.1 and 1.0 g(DW)·L−1 in a typical summer irradiance of Central Europe. The algal biomass can be effectively utilized for soil fertilization only if the algal cells release nutrients into the soil in a form that would be available to roots and at a rate sufficient to support plant growth. To examine this, we compared the growth of wheat, Triticum aestivum L., in two nutrient-deficient substrates: “Null Erde” and sand, with and without fertilization by wet and spray-dried algae. Plants grown in the two nutrient-deficient substrates supplemented by mineral fertilizer served as a control representing optimal nutrient supply. Plants grown in a high-nutrient substrate (SoMi 513) were used as an additional reference representing the maximum growth potential of wheat. Wheat growth was monitored for 8 weeks and measured, including the increase of the leaf area as well as shoot and root dry weight in 10 randomized replicates for each substrate and fertilization variant. After harvest, the biomass and N, P, and C contents of the plant shoots and roots were recorded. Algae fertilization of “Null Erde” led to wheat growth, including root hair production, which was similar to mineral-fertilized “Null Erde” and only slightly less vigorous than in the nutrient-rich SoMi 513 substrate. The plants grown in sand were smaller than the plants in “Null Erde” but fertilization by algae nevertheless led to growth that was comparable to mineral fertilizer. These results unambiguously demonstrate that algal biomass is a viable option for delivering nutrients to support agriculture on marginal soils.

This review has the principal objective in to hypothesise that the introduction of Lotus species could have significant benefits in constrained soils due their worldwide distribution. This idea is major based on results obtained in the lowlands of the most important livestock breeding area in Argentina denominated Salado River Basin (also called “Flooding Pampas”). Mostly of their land surface is dominated by salt-affected soils with severe constraints for traditional crop cultivation (i.e., maize, soybean, etc.). In order to increase their economic importance, farmers have utilized species such as non-native L. tenuis (ex- Lotus glaber), originating from European Mediterranean area, which shows a successfully and fast naturalization (in less than 60 years) in constrained areas improving forage performance. The increase in soil quality associated to this legume is achieved by an increment of the organic matter content and improvement of fertility and physicochemical parameters. Moreover, other studies have evidenced some genetic determinants associated with interesting agronomic traits such as plant tolerance to environmental stresses and the importance of leaves condensed tannins concentrations. This revision has many topics including a brief analysis of economic and environmental changes that occur under Lotus species implantation. In addition, we incorporate references recently published concerning the evaluation of the biochemical and physiological mechanisms involved in their adaptation to strong abiotic stresses characteristic of the region, the soil and plant microbiota diversity and soil physical and chemical characteristics associated to the presence of Lotus genotypes.

New global directions align agricultural land resources towards food production; therefore, marginal lands could provide opportunities for second-generation energy crops, assuming that in the difficult conditions of plant development, productivity can be maintained at relatively high levels. Sustainable bioenergy production on marginal lands represents an ambitious objective, offering high-quality biofuels without competing with the agri-food industry, since it allows successful feedstock production to be performed on unmanaged areas. However, marginal land feedstock production generally shows several agronomic, techno-economic, and methodological challenges, leading to decreases in the obtained quantities of biomass and profitability. Sweet Sorghum is a technical plant that has the needed qualities to produce large amounts of biofuels on marginal lands. It is a high biomass- and sugar-yielding crop, characterized by a high photosynthetic efficiency and low fertilizer requirement, is resistant to drought, and adapts well to different climate areas. Marginal lands and contaminated soils provide a favorable development environment for plants such as sweet sorghum; however, in-depth research studies on biomass productivity must be carried out, as well as advanced quality evaluation of the products, in order to develop combined technologies that use resources efficiently. The present study starts with a comparative evaluation of two sweet sorghum crops established on both marginal and regular lands, assessing plant development characteristics and juice production, and an evaluation of bioethanol generation potential. The vegetal wastes resulting from the processing were treated by pyrolysis, with the aim of maximizing the productivity of high-quality liquid biofuels and chemicals. The charcoal obtained in the thermal processes was considered as an amendment of the soil so that marginal land quality could be improved over time.

Grasses can sustain soil functions despite nutrient depletion, which can have serious consequences for soil processes and ecosystem services. This paper summarizes the results of the long-term experiment (1995–2024) carried out in Arenosol within a temperate climate zone, focusing on the productivity of natural and managed grasslands; their succession changes over time, and so do the effects on soil chemical properties, and soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. The results indicated that two land uses—abandoned land (AL) and grassland fertilized with mineral fertilizers (MGf)—can be effectively applied to prevent Arenosol soil degradation. SOC accumulation occurs more rapidly in AL soils, and their chemical properties show less change over time. The ability of grasses to sequester SOC is better reflected by SOC stocks across the Ah horizon, where thickness varies over long-term grassland use. Significant changes in soil properties were observed more than 20 years after converting arable to herbaceous land use. While MGf has the highest biomass productivity, the use of fertilizers leads to soil acidification. The biomass productivity of AL and MGf increased with longer grassland use; however, in MG, productivity decreased without fertilizers, reaching AL’s productivity levels after 20 years. As the age of AL increased, plant biodiversity decreased, and drought-resistant plants began to spread.

Soil amendments are known to improve soil structure, increase moisture content, improve fertility and facilitate soil microbial functions. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of gypsum on colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizas in teak plantations planted as fences for napier grass. Teak seedlings were planted in October 2019 and divided into 4 blocks, A, B, C and D comprising 32 seedlings. Plots of A and C were treated with treatments of 3 kg of gypsum and 3 kg of compost (1:1), whereas B and D were control plots. NPK fertilizer was applied at every seedling at the rate of 0.05 kg for all blocks. Seedling heights and mean basal diameter (mm) were assessed at 9 months after planting. Soil samples for microbial study were taken before and after planting at 30 cm depth and screened for mycorrhizal spores and roots at the end of the experiment. Increased values for seedling heights and mean basal diameter (20-35%) were recorded for treatments B and C. Results pointed out that the amount of spore percentages were somewhat reduced in C and D and a slight increase was seen in treatments A and B. Root inoculation percentages in A and C were somewhat higher (1- 6%) as compared to B and D (0.5%). Early findings point out that application of gypsum and composts were not detrimental to the microbial population of arbuscular mycorrhiza as these treatments showed higher presence of hyphae and vesicles in fine roots and did not hamper physical growth. The role of soil amendments needs to be further investigated in terms of enhancing soil microbial population.

Growing bioenergy feedstocks can provide a long-term sustainable production system for marginal land resources and is essential for minimizing food vs. fuel competition for prime croplands. However, the term “marginal” is too often used in research reports without being defined. We here suggest that clearly specifying the biophysical factors and agroeconomic context contributing to marginality will greatly enhance the utility and comparability of published research.