Management improves the growth and fruit yield of cultivated lowbush blueberries, but it remains to be seen how the pruning method, fertilizers, and fungicide applications affect soil fertility. This study investigates the impact of pruning, fungicide, and fertilization management practices on key soil parameters related to soil fertility, namely: soil organic matter (SOM) content, soil pH, nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization, nitrification, and phosphorus saturation index. A split-split-plot experiment was established, including two pruning methods (mechanical and thermal), two fungicide regimes (with or without), and three types of fertilizer applications (mineral, organic, or none). Mineral fertilizer applications significantly and strongly affected most soil fertility indicators, with increased nitrogen (+77 kg ha-1) and phosphorus (+117 kg ha-1) mineralization and SOM (+34 g kg-1), while reducing soil pH (-0.18) and nitrification (-46 kg ha-1). Thermal pruning decreased nitrification (-26 kg ha-1), soil pH (-0.12), and SOM concentration (-29 g kg-1). Fungicide applications showed no significant impact on soil fertility. While mineral fertilizer improves soil fertility, repeated application of organic fertilizer increases soil pH (+0.34), nitrification (+53 kg ha-1), phosphorus mineralization (+161 kg ha-1), and the soil phosphorus saturation index at undesirable levels (PSI>2.8 %) in lowbush blueberry production systems. The loss of SOM with thermal pruning is noteworthy and highlights the management impact and need for regular monitoring to maintain soil fertility in such fields.

As global demand for reliable renewable energy grows there has been an increase in bioenergy production. One source of bioenergy is the combustion of woody biomass, which creates wood ash. Here we investigate the effect of adding two different wood ashes (high and low carbon ashes) to soil on the distribution of water stable aggregates in a coarse textured soil, hypothesizing that wood ash would increase aggregate stability and that the ashes would differ in their effect. Surface soils (0-10 cm) were separated into four aggregate-size classes: >2000 μm (large macroaggregates), 250-2000 μm (small macroaggregates), 53-250 μm (microaggregates), and <53 μm (silt and clay). The application of ash did not change the distribution of carbon among the size fractions compared to the control, but it increased the carbon content by 25% and widened the C:N ratio by 5 compared to the control. The application of ash increased the carbon content in the >2000 μm fraction by 64%, the 250-2000 μm fraction by 23%, the 53-250 μm fraction by 27%. There was no effect of ash application on the carbon content in the <53 μm fraction but the C:N narrowed by 5 compared to the control. Increases in the C:N in the size fractions were consistent with ash application. There were limited differences between the high and low carbon ashes with respect to their effect on the size fractions. These results suggest that wood ash can be applied to coarse textured forest soils with no negative effects on the soil structure.

Alpine meadow degradation threatens regional ecology and pastoral sustainability. This study, compared the influence of dirrerent degradation degrees (no, light, moderate and severe degradation) on soil microbial communities, physicochemical properties, and enzyme activities in the Sanjiangyuan region, and explored correlations between soil microbial communities and environmental factors. Using Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing, we found that as degradation increased, soil pH increased significantly, while soil moisture and nutrient contents decreased. Soil enzyme activities, such as leucine aminopeptidase and cellulase were increased, while N-acetyl-β-D-glucosidase, glucosidase, polyphenol oxidase, urease, acid proteinase, and acid phosphatase decreased significantly. Dominant microbial communities included fungal genera Hygrocybe, Archaeorhizomyces, and Mycena, and bacterial genera RB41, Pseudomonas, and Sphingomonas. The Shannon diversity index showed a revealed V-shaped pattern for fungal diversity with the minimum in moderate-degradation meadow, while bacterial diversity declined. Moreover, the relative abundance of microorganisms varied significantly with degradation degree. Bacterial communities consistently demonstrated greater stability compared to fungal communities across. Moreover, Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that fungal communities, including Hygrocybe, Archaeorhizomyces, and Mycena, exhibited strong positive associations with organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, nitrate nitrogen, and glucosidase, while being strongly negatively correlated with pH and cellobiohydrolase. In contrast, bacterial communities, specifically RB41 and Sphingomonas, showed strong positive correlations with pH and CBH but negative associations with OM, TN, TP, NN, and BG. Pseudomonas displayed opposing trends. These findings provide a scientific basis for understanding the relationship among the different degradation degrees in alpine meadows and their corresponding soil microbial communities and environmental factors.

In the case of underground and water front facilities, piles are often prone to upward pressure. Piles are sometimes used to counteract uplift loads in gearbox towers, dry rock and other structures. Model hollow circular aluminium piles with outside diameters of 2.54 cm and lengths of 60 cm, 75 cm, and 90 cm were used for experiments on single as well as group of piles. Pile groups of 2x1, 2x2, 2x3 arrangements were used in the experimental studies. In all cases, the L/d ratio was held constant at 24, 30, and 36. Under vertical uplift, all single piles as well as group of piles were tested. Distance within piles in a group has changed in relation the diameter of pile, so the ratio S/d of piles in pile groups are 3, 4, and 5. PLAXIS 3D software was also used to analyses. There is a good similarity between the results of experimental and numerical investigations. Research was conducted to investigate the change of uplift capacity with respect embedment depth and pile spacing. It has been discovered that for a given pile embedment length and arrangement of pile group and ultimate uplift capacity improves with increasing spacing. It is also discovered that the given spacing and arrangement of pile group, the final uplift capacity improves as embedment depth increases. These variations have also been displayed with graphs constructed by taking non-dimensional forms of parameters into account. The paper investigates the relationship between pile group pullout capacity, pile spacing and embedment depth.

Beneficial microorganisms can sustainably improve rice production. This study characterized IAA-producing and P-solubilizing bacteria, investigating their impact on upland rice through single or co-inoculation. Four bacterial strains (BRM 063573, BRM 67205, BRM 063574, and BRM 67206) were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A greenhouse experiment was arranged in a 20x3 factorial design with four replications. The first factor included 18 bacterial combinations and two controls (without fertilization or inoculant, and with fertilization but no inoculant). The second factor tested three phosphorus doses (25%, 50%, and 100% of the recommended P dosage). Growth and productivity parameters were determined. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the bacteria BRM 063574 was closely related to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, while BRM 063573 and BRM 67206 were closely related to Bacillus pumilus and BRM 67205 was closely related to Paenibacillus pabuli. Co-inoculation treatments generally outperformed single inoculations, improving performance in number of tillers, plant height, root volume, root weight and shoot weight. Single inoculation and co-inoculation had different effects on number of pods, number of full grain and grain weight, with co-inoculation consistently giving better results. The variability in response to single inoculation suggests an inconsistency in the performance of single inoculants. Co-inoculation, on the other hand, consistently offered advantages, improving the number of pods, number of full grains and grain weight at different phosphate doses. Based on grain production, the co-inoculants BRM 67207+BRM 67206 and BRM 67207+BRM 063574 are most promising for use as rice inoculants, offering consistent benefits for improving yield.

Knowledge of soil nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes in unfertilized perennial bioenergy crops on marginally productive cropland is crucial to understanding their climate mitigation benefits through reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The static chamber method was used to quantify and compare N2O and CO2 fluxes in miscanthus (Miscanthus giganteus L.), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), and willow (Salix miyabeana L.) to a successional site over two growing seasons. Mean N2O and CO2 fluxes ranged from –0.02 to 0.09 µg N2O-N m–2 hr–1 and 0.01 to 0.27 mg CO2-C m–2 hr–1, respectively. Whereas mean CO₂ fluxes differed (p<0.05) among land use types and between growing seasons, mean N₂O fluxes did not differ (p≥0.166) among land use types or between growing seasons. Our findings suggest that N₂O fluxes from unfertilized perennial bioenergy crops such as miscanthus, switchgrass, and willow on marginally productive croplands are comparable to those from marginal croplands left to undergo natural succession with regrowth vegetation. This alleviates concerns that cultivating perennial bioenergy crops on marginal croplands could increase GHG emissions, particularly when fertilization is minimized or eliminated, if these results hold true on a global scale. Additionally, variations in soil available nitrogen (N), moisture, and temperature did not correspond with differences in mean CO₂ fluxes during both growing seasons. This suggests that root respiration accounted for most of the CO₂ fluxes, rather than microbial soil respiration.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from manure-amended soils are estimated to be 1525 kt CO2e in Canada. The accuracy of this estimate is dependent on emission measurements. However, obtaining accurate measurements is challenging due to the variable distribution of livestock types, climates, soils, and management across Canada. This study compares research studies on the temporal and spatial distribution of N2O emissions from land applied manure with emission estimates from the National Inventory Reports to evaluate how research aligns with key factors driving emissions. Overall, 122 articles were identified including 31 incubation, 57 soil chamber, and 8 micrometeorological studies (the rest were modelling). Although 51 (42%) of the articles were based in Ontario and Quebec, this region still warrants more attention, because its high livestock population and humid climate results in 68.7% of Canada’s N2O emissions from manure-amended soil. Dairy manure was most common with 55 studies, followed by swine (36) and beef (29). Emissions from beef manure applications are notably lacking in Quebec, while dairy and swine studies were reasonably aligned with provincial emissions. The underutilization of micrometeorological methods creates a significant gap in determining annual emissions. Increasing research focus on year-round and non-growing seasons would improve estimates. Additional studies using solid manure and/or a wider range of soil textures would strengthen the national emission estimate, which currently relies mostly on research involving liquid manure and medium-textured soils. Further research is needed to fill the identified gaps; specifically high resolution measurements, considering local livestock industries, and soil textures in humid climates.

Soil phosphorus (P) spatial variability under no-tillage (NT) management should be taken into account for developing P fertilization programs while avoiding P losses and stratification. Little is known about controlling field-scale spatial variability of P using management zones (MZs), particularly under no-tilled soils. The general objective of this study was to delineate MZs in a corn–soybean rotation (9.5 ha) under NT for 20 years, exploring the soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa)–P relationship to reduce soil P spatial variability for site-specific P fertilizer recommendations in Eastern Canada. To address this, an intensive grid sampling of 35 m by 35 m (total: 134 soil samples) was conducted in fall 2014. Mehlich-3 extractable P and aluminum (Al) were determined in the upper soil profile (0–5 cm). The (P/Al)M3 index was then calculated. The ECa data were measured in two depths (0–30 and 0–100 cm; ECa30 and ECa100) using a commercial Veris-3100 galvanic contact resistivity sensor system. The MZs were delineated using (P/Al)M3 or the ECa alone or in combination. Mean (P/Al)M3 was 7.9%. Variability (coefficient of variation) of soil P was moderate (32% to 36%), indicating that uniform P fertilizer recommendation is not adapted to this large NT field. Mean values of ECa30 and ECa100 were 15.8 and 32.6 mS m−1, respectively. A significant ECa30–soil P correlation ( r = 0.22–0.23) was observed. Delineating two to three MZs using (P/Al)M3 measurements represented the best agronomic strategy, generating the highest P fertilizer recommendation reductions (40–74 kg P2O5). This study highlighted a potential for reducing spatial variability of soil P, by delineating MZs, while reducing P losses from crop fields.