Wheat Biomass Production Research Articles

Effect of organic/inorganic composites as soil amendments on the biomass productivity and root architecture of spring wheat and rapeseed

Organic and inorganic soil amendments are used to increase crop yields and fertilizer efficiency, as well as to improve the physical and biological properties of soil, increase carbon sequestration, and restore contaminated and saline soils. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of various zeolite composites mixed with either lignite or leonardite on the biomass production of spring wheat and rapeseed and their root morphology. A pot experiment involved the application of the following treatments: zeolite-carbon, zeolite-vermiculite composites, both mixed with lignite or leonardite, and a control treatment with no amendments. Inorganic composites were applied in a dose of 3% and 6%. The study also included an analysis of the root morphometric parameters and aboveground biomass of spring wheat and rapeseed. The lowest productivity was observed when both crops were not enriched with fertilizers or other amendments, 24.92 g per pot and 29.83 g per pot for spring wheat and rapeseed, respectively. The application of mineral fertilizers in combination with zeolite-carbon composite gave the highest aboveground biomass of spring wheat, 110.11 g per pot. Both zeolite-carbon and zeolite-vermiculite composites modified the morphological parameters of roots, with the control treatment showing the lowest root length and dry matter. Although mineral fertilization was found to have a positive impact root development in relation to untreated control, the treatment amended with zeolite-carbon composite and leonardite exhibited the highest root length and biomass of spring wheat. No other soil amendments improved the properties of rapeseed roots.

GREENING THE GROWTH: UNVEILING THE IMPACT OF COMPOST EXTRACT ON SEED GERMINATION AND SOIL-COMPOST MIXTURES ON BIOMASS YIELD AND LEAF CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT

The study, conducted between March and April 2019 at Bangladesh Agricultural University, evaluated the effects of compost extract on the germination, biomass production, and leaf chlorophyll content of rice, wheat, maize, and cowpea seedlings grown in different soil-compost mixtures. The treatments for the germination study were: T0=Control (only water), T1=1:1 compost extract and water, T2=1:5 compost extract and water, T3=1:10 compost extract and water, and T4=1:20 compost extract and water. The treatments for the biomass production and leaf chlorophyll content of seedlings were: T0=Control (500g soil), T1=250g soil and 250g compost, T2=375g soil and 125 g compost, T3=450g soil and 50g compost, T4=500g soil and compost extract (1:10 extract and water), T5=500g soil and compost extract (1:50 compost extract and water) and T6=500g soil and compost extract (1:100 compost extract and water). Data were collected on seed germination at 24, 48 and 72 hrs. of seed placement and those for biomass production and leaf chlorophyll content. Municipal solid waste compost- extract exerted beneficial effect on the germination of rice, wheat, maize and cowpea seeds. Growing seedlings in soil-compost mixtures increased the biomass production and leaf chlorophyll content of rice, wheat, maize and cowpea seedlings but compost- extract showed negative effect.

Sustainable Removal of Tolperisone from Waters by Application of Photocatalysis, Nanotechnology, and Chemometrics: Quantification, Environmental Toxicity, and Degradation Optimization.

Environmental pollution is an emerging global issue. Heterogenous photocatalytic degradation, which belongs to the advanced oxidation processes, is a promising sustainable technique for the removal of harmful pollutants (e.g., pharmaceuticals) from natural resources (surface and underground waters), as well as wastewaters. In our study, we examined the efficiency of photocatalytic degradation (with TiO2 and ZnO as photocatalysts) of tolperisone hydrochloride (TLP) and the effect of TLP and its degradation intermediates on germination, photosynthetic capacity, and biomass production of wheat. According to the UFLC-DAD and LC-ESI-MS results, we found that the complete degradation of TLP can be reached after 60.83 min of UV irradiation using TiO2 as a photocatalyst. Furthermore, we determined that germination, biomass production, and chlorophyll b (Chl b) were not related to the percentage of TLP after irradiation. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) (r = -0.61, p ≤ 0.05), Chl a+b (r = -0.56, p ≤ 0.05), and carotenoid (car) (r = -0.57, p ≤ 0.05) were strongly inversely (negatively) correlated with TLP, while Chl a+b/car (r = 0.36, p ≤ 0.05) was moderately (positively) related.

Effect of Blended NPSB and Nitrogen Application rates on Growth, Yield, and Yield Components of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) at Gitilo Dale Research Site of Wallaga University, Western Ethiopia

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a very important cereal crop widely produced and consumed in almost all parts of Ethiopia. However, due to abiotic and biotic stresses, its productivity is low as compared to the world average. Among these, soil fertility and unbalanced application of plant nutrients are the major constraints that limit the productivity of the crop in sub-Saharan African countries especially Ethiopia. As a result, an experiment was carried out at the Gitilo Dale Research Site of Wallaga University to determine the combined impact of blended NPSB and urea fertilizers on the growth, yield, and yield-related variables of bread wheat. The experiment used a factorial-arranged in randomized full block design with two factors with four levels each: NPSB (0, 100, 150, and 200 kg·ha−1) and nitrogen (urea) (0, 31.1, 71.65, and 112.2 kg·ha−1) (RCBD). With three replications, there were sixteen treatments. A test crop of the bread wheat variety liben (ETBW 5653) was grown. The phonological and growth parameters of bread wheat were significantly affected by NPSB and nitrogen applications as well as their interactions except for days to 50% emergence. The primary and interaction impacts of NPSB and nitrogen rates affected the yield and all of its constituents, except the number of kernels per spike. The application of 200 kg·ha−1 NPSB plus 112.2 kg·ha−1 nitrogen treatment resulted in the highest above-ground biomass production of bread wheat (12481.00 kg·ha−1), grain yield of 5182.51 kg·ha−1, and a straw yield of 7298.40 kg·ha−1. Hence, to maximize the yield of bread wheat, applying 200 kg·ha−1 of chemically blended NPSB with 112.2 kg·ha−1 nitrogen is recommended rather than applying any straight and complex fertilizers having only macronutrients.

Estimating crop yield under conditions of soil water deficit and salinity stress with crop water productivity model

The aim of this study was to simulate grain yield, biomass production, canopy cover and water productivity of winter wheat grown under soil water deficit and salinity stress by AquaCrop model. Five different irrigation strategies (S100 - S75 - S50 – S25 and S0) and 5 different irrigation water salinity levels (T1 = 0.3 dS m-1, T2 =5 dS m-1, T3 = 7.5 dS m-1, T4 = 10 dS m-1, T5 = 15 dS m-1) were used with the model to estimate deficit irrigation and salinity stress scenarios. According to estimation of the model the grain and biomass yields were fluctuated in the range of 5.43-8.00 t ha-1 and 12.84-17.67 t ha-1 at irrigation treatments. The application of 25%, 50% and 75% level of deficit irrigation, grain yield reduction was obtained 5%, 13% and 26% respectively. It was compared to the T1 (control) treatment, a low value of 3% was obtained for the T2 treatment. Yield loss of T3 and T4 salinity treatments were found to be 19% and 43% respectively. The crop yield reduction was dramatically (86%) at 15 dS m salinity level of irrigation water. The lowest yield was obtained at all salinity levels in I25 treatment, where 75% water saved. The highest and lowest water productivity was 1.28 kg m-3 and 1.20 kg m-3 respectively. It is possible to irrigate much more areas saving water with deficit irrigation and also the yields obtained from these areas were 2.17, 6.17 and 17.2 tons more than the yields obtained from areas irrigated with full irrigation. For, sustainable water management in agriculture area, using simulation model such as AquaCrop is useful tolls to estimate effect of applied water depth and quality of irrigation water on crop yield.

High-throughput phenotyping of physiological traits for wheat resilience to high temperature and drought stress.

Interannual and local fluctuations in wheat crop yield are mostly explained by abiotic constraints. Heatwaves and drought, which are among the top stressors, commonly co-occur, and their frequency is increasing with global climate change. High-throughput methods were optimized to phenotype wheat plants under controlled water deficit and high temperature, with the aim to identify phenotypic traits conferring adaptative stress responses. Wheat plants of 10 genotypes were grown in a fully automated plant facility under 25/18 °C day/night for 30 d, and then the temperature was increased for 7 d (38/31 °C day/night) while maintaining half of the plants well irrigated and half at 30% field capacity. Thermal and multispectral images and pot weights were registered twice daily. At the end of the experiment, key metabolites and enzyme activities from carbohydrate and antioxidant metabolism were quantified. Regression machine learning models were successfully established to predict plant biomass using image-extracted parameters. Evapotranspiration traits expressed significant genotype–environment interactions (G×E) when acclimatization to stress was continuously monitored. Consequently, transpiration efficiency was essential to maintain the balance between water-saving strategies and biomass production in wheat under water deficit and high temperature. Stress tolerance included changes in carbohydrate metabolism, particularly in the sucrolytic and glycolytic pathways, and in antioxidant metabolism. The observed genetic differences in sensitivity to high temperature and water deficit can be exploited in breeding programmes to improve wheat resilience to climate change.

Effects of sterilization and maturity of compost on soil bacterial and fungal communities and wheat growth

Composts are commonly used as soil amendments to sustain and improve the functionality of agricultural soil. Compost has abiotic (organic matter [OM], nutrients) and biotic characteristics (microorganisms) and both can influence the soil microbiome. The abiotic and biotic characteristics of compost, in turn, depend on properties of the compost such as maturity. Few studies have investigated the relative effects of abiotic and biotic components of compost on the soil microbial community and crop growth. To bridge this gap, we used a full-factorial design with sterile and live composts that differed in maturity (fresh, intermediate, mature) that were added to sterile and live soil to investigate the separate role of abiotic and biotic characteristics of composts on the resulting soil microbial community and on wheat growth. We found that the changes in the soil microbial community were mainly due to the input of compost with the presence of microorganisms rather than due to the abiotic properties of compost. The majority of the compost-associated microorganisms (more than 70% for bacteria and 90% for fungi) were detected in the soil in the presence of native soil microorganisms. Elimination of native soil microorganisms by sterilization enhanced the prevalence and abundance of compost-associated microorganisms. Adding fresh compost increased wheat biomass production, but the positive effects of compost on plant growth were strongest when sterile composts were used. Hence, our study reports that compost-associated microorganisms are essential to modify soil microbial community but may not benefit crop growth. This highlights the importance of understanding the role of abiotic and biotic properties of composts as common soil amendments on improving the functioning of agricultural soil.

Effects of biochar amendment on wheat production, mycorrhizal status, soil microbial community, and properties of an Andisol in Southern Chile

Biochar (BC) production from agroforestry wastes and mycorrhizal fungi are potentially important agricultural practices for improving crops yields and increasing phosphorus (P) in volcanic soils. This study aimed to test the effect of BC application on wheat biomass and grain yield production, indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi propagules and soil microbial community and related to soil quality properties of an Andisol in Southern Chile. Biochars (BCs) were produced from oat hulls (OBC) and pine bark (PBC). Doses of 0, 5, 10, and 20 Mg ha−1 of BCs were applied on soil using wheat as the test crop. Wheat biomass (root and shoot portion) and grain yield, AM root colonization, spore, mycelium density, and glomalin content (glomalin related soil protein, EE-GRSP) were measured and related with soil quality properties such as bulk density, water-stable aggregates (WSA), and water holding capacity (WHC). The OBC had a significantly higher macronutrients content (N, P, K) than PBC. The highest dose of both BCs significantly improved shoot and root biomass and wheat grain yield. Application of 20 Mg ha−1 of OBC and PBC increased AM spore density and root colonization relative to control treatment. In the same way, the BC application significantly affects the AM mycelium density. The results showed that the application of higher BC dose changed the soil microbial community. The use of BCs in this volcanic soil is an effective strategy to increase wheat biomass, increase grain yield production, stimulate the indigenous AM fungi activity, enhance soil quality properties, and increase the sustainability levels of agricultural systems.

Evaluation of irrigation scheduling and yield response for wheat cultivars using the AquaCrop model in an arid climate

Abstract Yield, soil water balance components and evapotranspiration-based water productivity (WPET) of three winter wheat cultivars were investigated using the AquaCrop model under arid conditions in Shiraz, Iran, for two consecutive years. The irrigation treatments were non-stressed (I1) and post-anthesis water stress (I2) with three wheat cultivars. Evaluation of the model was performed using the coefficient of root mean squared error (RMSE), normalized RMSE and R2. The AquaCrop model performed well in simulating grain yield and final biomass production with R2 > 0.90, and RMSE and normalized RMSE values less than 10. The I1 treatment resulted in higher grain yield and biomass productivity than the I2 treatment. The I2 irrigation resulted in yield reduction of 21 and 24% in the 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 growing seasons, respectively, as compared with I2. Using the measured grain yield and AquaCrop-simulated water balance, the amount of WPET was found to vary from 0.68 to 0.95 kg m−3. The AquaCrop model was able to predict winter wheat biomass and yield production with a good accuracy in the arid conditions of this study and its ability to simulate these variables for different wheat cultivars' was especially notable. The AquaCrop model can be used to explore management scenarios to improve wheat water management in the study region.

Crop residue and potassium management strategies to improve water use and soil microbial activities under zero till maize (Zea mays)-wheat (Triticum aestivum) cropping system

A field experiment was conducted with maize-wheat system during 2014-15 and 2015-16 at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi to study the soil microbial activities, crop growth, water use and its related parameters of maize and wheat as influenced by crop residue (CR) and potassium (K) management practices under zero till maize (Zea mays L.)-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) system. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design with four CR levels (0, 2, 4 and 6 t/ ha) and five K levels (0, 50%, 100%, 150% RDK [recommended dose of K] and 50% RDK + potassium solubilizing bacteria, KSB). The results revealed that significantly higher biomass production, water use efficiency (WUE), irrigation water productivity (IWP) and total water productivity (TWP) of maize and wheat were found with 4.0-6.0 t/ha CR as compared to no CR and 2.0 t/ha CR.This was in consonance with improvement in soil microbial activities. Among K management, 50% RDK+KSB, 100% RDK and 150% RDK were found significantly superior over no K and 50% RDK for soil microbial activities, biomass production, WUE, IWP and TWP of maize and wheat. Thus, a combination of 4.0-6.0 t/ha CR retention and 50% RDK along with seed inoculation of KSB microbial strain could be pre-eminent options to improve crop growth, water use efficiency and soil microbial activities in zero till maize-wheat system.

The impact of seed burial depths and post-emergence herbicides on seedling emergence and biomass production of wild oat (Avena fatua L.): Implications for management.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L) is among the most important cereal crops widely cultivated in the world. Wild oat (Avena fatua L.) competes with wheat for moisture, sunlight, space and nutrition. The successful management of weeds requires sound knowledge of their biology and response to different herbicides. This study inferred the impact of different constant temperature regimes and seed burial depths on seedling emergence and biomass production of wild oat. Moreover, the impact of different post-emergence herbicides applied at different growth stages on biomass production of wild oat was tested. The influence of different wild oat-wheat density (WWD) combinations on biomass production of wheat and wild oat was also inferred. Different constant temperature regimes significantly altered seed germination and biomass production of wild oat. The highest seed germination percentage and biomass production were noted under 15°C and 20°C, whereas the lowest values were recorded under 30°C. Similarly, days to start emergence, seedling emergence percentage and biomass production of wild oat was significantly affected by different seed burial depths. The lowest and the highest values of these parameters were observed under 4 and 10 cm depth, respectively. Different post-emergence herbicides and wild oat growth stages significantly altered biomass production. The highest reduction in fresh and dry biomass was recorded with herbicides’ application at 2–4 leaf stage compared with anthesis stage. Clodinofop resulted in higher reduction of fresh biomass, whereas higher reduction in dry biomass was noted with Sulfosulfuron. Seed germination of both species was not affected by different WWD combinations, except for the treatment where no seed was sown of both species. These results indicate that deep burial of seeds could prevent seedling emergence, whereas post-emergence herbicides must be applied at 2–4 leaf stage of wild oat for its effective management.

RGB Image-Derived Indicators for Spatial Assessment of the Impact of Broadleaf Weeds on Wheat Biomass

In precision agriculture, the development of proximal imaging systems embedded in autonomous vehicles allows to explore new weed management strategies for site-specific plant application. Accurate monitoring of weeds while controlling wheat growth requires indirect measurements of leaf area index (LAI) and above-ground dry matter biomass (BM) at early growth stages. This article explores the potential of RGB images to assess crop-weed competition in a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop by generating two new indicators, the weed pressure (WP) and the local wheat biomass production (δBMc). The fractional vegetation cover (FVC) of the crop and the weeds was automatically determined from the images with a SVM-RBF classifier, using bag of visual word vectors as inputs. It is based on a new vegetation index called MetaIndex, defined as a vote of six indices widely used in the literature. Beyond a simple map of weed infestation, the map of WP describes the crop-weed competition. The map of δBMc, meanwhile, evaluates the local wheat above-ground biomass production and informs us about a potential stress. It is generated from the wheat FVC because it is highly correlated with LAI (r2 = 0.99) and BM (r2 = 0.93) obtained by destructive methods. By combining these two indicators, we aim at determining whether the origin of the wheat stress is due to weeds or not. This approach opens up new perspectives for the monitoring of weeds and the monitoring of their competition during crop growth with non-destructive and proximal sensing technologies in the early stages of development.

Nitrogen and potassium fertilization in no‐till hard red spring wheat production

AbstractThere is a need to develop more efficient nutrient management strategies to maximize wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yields and increase grain protein levels. Urea, most widely used N fertilizer, is susceptible to substantial losses, resulting in low nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). This study assessed the effect of N and K fertilization on hard red spring wheat production under dryland no‐till conditions in Montana. A field experiment was conducted during one growing season at two locations in Northcentral Montana. Fertilizer N was applied as urea (46–0–0) or as a urea–KCl (50:50 blend) at planting to achieve two target N rates, 135 and 270 kg N ha−1. Biomass weight, N content, and sensor‐based Normalized Vegetative Difference Index (NDVI), yield, test weight, and grain protein content of wheat was evaluated. Results indicated that: (a) N may increase wheat grain quality (protein content) even when wheat yield is not increased, (b) KCl application, along with N, may result in greater wheat biomass production and grain protein values, and (c) NDVI may be more sensitive to the amount of produced biomass than to N content of that biomass. In conclusion, even if yield response to N is minimal, N is beneficial for improving grain protein content of wheat. Addition of KCl along with N may produce greater wheat biomass and increase biomass N content. The NDVI may be more sensitive to the amount of produced biomass than to its N content.

Microplastics in municipal mixed-waste organic outputs induce minimal short to long-term toxicity in key terrestrial biota

Sustainable alternatives to landfill disposal for municipal mixed wastes represents a major challenge to governments and waste management industries. In the state of New South Wales (NSW) Australia, mechanical biological treatment (MBT) is being used to reduce the volume and pathogen content of organic matter isolated from municipal waste. The product of this treatment, a compost-like output (CLO) referred to as mixed waste organic output (MWOO), is being recycled and applied as a soil amendment. However, the presence of contaminants in MWOO including trace organics, trace metals and physical contaminants such as microplastic fragments has raised concerns about potential negative effects on soil health and agriculture following land application. Here, we used multiple lines of evidence to examine the effects of land application of MWOO containing microplastics in three soils to a variety of terrestrial biota. Treatments included unamended soil, MWOO-amended soil and MWOO-amended soil into which additional high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics were added. Tests were conducted in soil media that had been incubated for 0, 3 or 9 months. Addition of microplastics had no significant negative effect on wheat seedling emergence, wheat biomass production, earthworm growth, mortality or avoidance behaviour and nematode mortality or reproduction compared to controls. There was also little evidence the microplastics affected microbial community diversity, although measurements of microbial community structure were highly variable with no clear trends.

Decomposer diversity increases biomass production and shifts aboveground-belowground biomass allocation of common wheat

Biodiversity is well known to enhance many ecosystem functions, but empirical evidence for the role of soil biodiversity for plant biomass production and allocation is scarce. Here we studied the effects of animal decomposer diversity (1, 2, and 4 species as well as a control without any decomposers) on the biomass production and aboveground-belowground biomass allocation of common wheat using two earthworm and two Collembola species using an additive design in two soil management types (organic and mineral fertilizer treatments) in a microcosm experiment. Shoot (+11%), spike (+7%), and root biomass (+56%), increased significantly with increasing decomposer diversity, and these effects were consistent across the two soil management types. Notably, decomposer diversity effects were stronger on root than on shoot biomass, significantly decreasing the shoot-to-root ratio (−27%). Increased plant biomass production was positively correlated with a decomposer richness-induced increase in soil water nitrate concentrations five weeks after the start of the experiment. However, elevated soil nitrate concentrations did not cause significantly higher plant tissue nitrogen concentrations and nitrogen amounts, suggesting that additional mechanisms might be at play. Consistent decomposer diversity effects across soil management types indicate that maintaining soil biodiversity is a robust and sustainable strategy to enhance crop yield.

Phenology and Biomass Production of Wheat in Response to Micronutrients and Nitrogen Application

Phenology and Biomass Production of Wheat in Response to Micronutrients and Nitrogen Application

Integrative impacts of rotational tillage on wheat yield and dry matter accumulation under corn-wheat cropping system

Significant efforts have been made on the assessment of tillage impacts on crop growth during the current season; however, few studies have quantified the impacts on the succeeding crop growth under multiple cropping systems. Based on a multiple-year field experiment under corn-wheat cropping system in North China Plain, therefore, we examined the integrative impacts of annual rotational tillage on wheat growth and soil properties. The annual rotational tillage treatments consisted of two tillage regimes (i.e. N: no-tillage; and SR: sub-soiling with rotary tillage) in the corn season followed by three tillage practices (i.e. sTR: strip rotary tillage; R: rotary tillage; and SR: sub-soiling with rotary tillage) in the wheat season, respectively. The results showed that the N-SR rotational tillage of N in the corn season and SR in the wheat season significantly reduced soil penetration resistance and promoted soil water usage of 60–100 cm soil layers during wheat season. Meanwhile, soil NO3−-N concentration in the depth of 40–140 cm was significantly lower under the N-SR than other tillage practices except for the N–R (P < 0.01). Average results of two-year dry matter accumulation and translocation showed that N-SR stimulated wheat biomass production and promoted the contribution of post-anthesis dry matter to the grain (P < 0.01). Consequently, wheat yield was the highest under the N-SR (P < 0.01). Our findings indicate that the annual rotational tillage of no-tillage in the corn season and sub-soiling with rotary tillage in the wheat season can promote wheat growth through enhancing deep soil water and N uptake.

Changes in yield attributes and K allocation in wheat as affected by K deficiency and elevated CO2

Elevated carbon dioxide enhances biomass production and final crop yield of C3 species as a consequence of increased photosynthesis, water use efficiency and RuBisCO saturation. However, this enhancement is limited by environmental conditions such as nutrient deficiencies. This study evaluates the interactive effects of K supply (deficient or adequate) and atmospheric CO2 (ambient or elevated) on grain yield and yield related attributes along with allocation of K in different shoot parts (i.e. grains, leaves, stem and peduncle) in bread wheat. Bread wheat (T. aestivum cv. Tahirova) was cultivated in soil fertilized with adequate or deficient K in pots under ambient (420 μmol mol−1) or elevated (700 μmol mol−1) atmospheric CO2 conditions in dedicated plant growth chambers. At full maturity, plants were harvested and grain yield and yield attributes along with K status of grains, peduncle, leaves and stem parts were determined. While K deficiency severely reduced grain yield and yield attributes under both ambient (a-CO2) and elevated (e-CO2) CO2 conditions, e-CO2 significantly enhanced grain yield even in K-deficient plants through maintaining a greater harvest index, spikes per plant and grain weight and thus increased overall K use efficiency. Deficient-K treatment significantly increased grain K concentration as a consequence of “concentration effect”. On the contrary, K concentration in leaf, stem and peduncle was severely decreased whereas e-CO2 had an additive effect on the decrease in K concentrations. Consequently, in deficient-K plants K content (total K accumulated/taken up) in all shoot parts including grains was reduced to only a fraction of adequate-K plants. Moreover, deficient-K plants tended to allocate a greater portion of K in grains as compared to other shoot parts. Elevated CO2 also enhanced K allocation into grains particularly in deficient-K plants. Potassium deficiency severely reduces grain yield and biomass production in bread wheat in both a-CO2 and e-CO2 environments, however e-CO2 partly alleviates the detrimental effect of K deficiency on grain yield, but not straw yield. Plants under K deficiency stress allocated a greater portion of K in the grains and e-CO2 augmented this effect. In wheat, any one of peduncle, leaf or stem K concentration is a better measure of overall plant K nutritional status as compared to grain K, which may be severely biased due to “concentration effect” in K-deficient plants.

Biomass production of wheat grown under different waterlogging conditions and the impact on seed vigor

Biomass production of wheat grown under different waterlogging conditions and the impact on seed vigor

Analysis of soil water content and crop yield after biochar application in field conditions

Biochar has been studied extensively in terms of its influence on soil hydrophysical properties, but only small part of results was obtained from the field experiments. In this study, the soil water content was measured in 5–10 cm depth at experimental plots which received 20 t/ha and 0 t/ha (control) of biochar amendment at the Malanta area (Slovakia). The experimental area was cultivated with maize in 2015 and spring wheat in 2016. Our field measurements show that the positive effect of biochar amendment (20 t/ha) on soil water content is strongly related to the type of the crop grown and not straightforward. Unexpectedly, during the monitoring campaign in 2015 the soil water content of the biochar-amended soil was lower than control. In 2016, negligible differences were observed in soil water contents at both experimental plots, especially during the dry spells. However, higher soil water content was measured at the plot with biochar amendment after the series of precipitation events during the physiological maturity of the spring wheat. Moreover, the biochar amendment did not increase the biomass production and yields of maize in 2015, but it significantly increased the biomass production and yields of spring wheat in 2016.