Commercial Fertilizer Application Research Articles

Reuse of biogas sludge for the slow-release fertilizer production to improve fertilizer use efficiency and soil fertility

Fertilizer overuse causes negative impacts on the environment and crop yields. Therefore, the production of slow-release fertilizers from biogas sludge is a potential solution for waste reuse and sustainable use of fertilizers. Granular fertilizers containing primary macronutrients (N, P and K) were formulated using biogas sludge and supplementary chemical compounds before coating with a thin film of glutaraldehyde cross-linked gelatin. The coating films reduced the release rates of N and P effectively. The application of formulated biogas fertilizers resulted in the competitive yield and growth rate of mustard greens over the 45-days cultivation compared to the application of commercial fertilizers. Particularly, the application of coated biogas fertilizers led to less nutrient losses in drainage water while maintained a balanced supply of available nutrients and beneficial bacteria in soils. This study emphasizes the feasibility to reuse biogas sludge for slow-release fertilizers production in improving fertilizer use efficiency and soil fertility.

Study of Steroid Estrogen Loss in Soil after the Application of Composted Manure as a Fertilizer

Steroid estrogens (SEs) play a significant role as endocrine-disrupting substances, and one of their major sources is animal manure. However, there is limited information available regarding the loss of SEs in farmland soil after the application of commercial composted animal manure or fertilizers. To address this gap, our study aimed to simulate rainfall and flood irrigation scenarios and investigate the loss characteristics of SEs, as well as Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Nitrogen (TN), and Total Phosphorus (TP) in runoff from soil–manure mixtures. The results demonstrated that the loss concentrations of SEs (73.1 ng/L of the mean E2β active equivalent factor) presented a potential environmental risk. Additionally, substituting composted manure with commercial organic fertilizers lead to a significant reduction in TP (maximum 56%) and TN (maximum 24%) loss. Consequently, the application of commercial organic fertilizers offers considerable advantages in maintaining nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization efficiency while controlling SEs loss. Furthermore, our study explored the synergistic pollution mechanism among these pollutants and observed significant correlations between SEs and TN, TP, and COD loss concentrations, indicating the simultaneous occurrence and migration of these pollutants in agricultural non-point source pollution. These results provide valuable insights into the environmental risk associated with SEs from agricultural non-point sources.

Assessment of Semi-autotrophic Hydroponics on in vitro propagated Jamaican Sweet Yam (Dioscorea alata) - Analysis of Variance and Principal Component Analysis

Objective: Despite its benefits, plant tissue culture tends to incur a high production cost hence the need for cost-reduction strategies, especially with regards to acclimatization. One such strategy is to use semi-autotrophic hydroponics (SAH). SAH is a novel, low-cost technology that has been designed for the high-ratio and rapid propagation of clonal or vegetatively propagated crops. Sweet yam is a major export commodity of Jamaica and there is need to produce disease-free plants that require less pampering during hardening. The aim of this study is to analyze SAH in tissue culture of Jamaican sweet yams. Methods: Rooted sweet yam (Dioscorea alata) in vitro cultures were transferred to a commercial sphagnum peat moss based potting substrate, with vermiculite and fine calcitic and dolomitic limestone and the SAH system was run in a growth chamber at a tissue culture facility. Six tissue culture yam plantlets were incubated in polypropylene vessels and placed on separate shelves with north facing rows and south facing rows. Samples were treated with commercial fertilizer and controls were treated with tap water. Results: Fertilized plants showed significantly higher mean number of nodes (8.0±2.2 and 7.5±1.8) compared to non-fertilized plants (4.0±0.9 and 5.0±2.1) and significantly higher maximum leaf area index (41.42±15.49cm2 and 35.58±16.93cm2) versus non-fertilized plants (19.17±6.42cm2 and 23.58±6.55cm2). Fertilizer significantly reduced the mean number of mini tubers per plant (0.67±0.52). Non-fertilized (control) produced 2.50±1.05 and 1.83±0.41 mini tubers per plant. The mean mini tuber yields per plant were significantly reduced from 1.05±0.26g and 1.00±0.83g in non-fertilized (controls) to 0.28±0.30g and 0.34±0.40g in fertilized treatments. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed three principal components accounting for 81.47% of the observed variance. PC1, 2 and 3 accounted for 39.28%, 30.49% and 11.64% of the variance respectively. PC1 described factors responsible for the vegetative growth, PC2 factors for mini tuberization and PC3 effects due to positioning of plants on shelves. Conclusion: SAH is a very flexible and adaptable technique which was found to be very useful in the acclimatization of tissue culture for Jamaican sweet yam plants. Commercial fertilizer application was found to be an efficient means of nutrient addition to promote vegetative growth. Fertilizer application significantly increased the number of nodes and maximum leaf area while it significantly reduced tuber quantity and yield. The ANOVA and PCA showed that fertilizer application was positively correlated to vegetative production factors while it was negatively correlated to mini tuber yield.

Down-streaming Small-Scale Green Ammonia to Nitrogen-Phosphorus Fertilizer Tablets for Rural Communities

This study aims to evaluate the growth and production of sweet corn plants in response to the application of commercial NPK fertilizer and various doses of nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer tablets. From early October 2022 to late January 2023, research was conducted at Research and Development Luas Birus Utama to produce nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer tablets and at Research and Development Syngenta Indonesia Cikampek Station, Karawang, to perform a semi-field analysis. A factorial randomized block design with two treatment factors was employed in this study. The first factor was five types of nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer tablets, namely, A (0% nitrogen and 6.3% phosphorus), B (0.81% nitrogen and 6.3% phosphorus), C (1.57% nitrogen and 6.1% phosphorus), D (2.33% nitrogen and 6.2% phosphorus), and E (3.06% nitrogen and 6.2% phosphorus). The second factor was F (standard nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium). The results revealed that applying different dosages of nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer tablets in combination with potassium chloride fertilizer yielded no different effect on the growth, biomass, and yield components of sweet corn plants when compared to applying NPK fertilizer. A comparison between the soil test results before and after application revealed that the formulation of fertilizers in tablet form helps plants to effectively absorb the required nutrients. It is currently possible to develop small-scale or microscale green ammonia production technology to fulfill the fertilizer requirements of rural communities because of its low cost, low carbon emissions, and low renewable energy consumption. The scarcity of fertilizer supplies endangers Indonesia’s food sustainability. Nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer tablet production technology can be used in areas with a scarcity of inorganic fertilizers but with the potential for low-grade phosphate mines using commercial ammonia solutions. Thus, understanding how to produce nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer tablets from ammonia solution will aid in the acceptance of microscale green ammonia production technology. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2024-08-02-016 Full Text: PDF

Vermicompost Improves Tomato Yield and Quality by Promoting Carbohydrate Transport to Fruit under Salt Stress

To explore the effect of vermicompost on the yield and quality of tomato cultivated in salty soil, we investigated the soil chemical properties, the yield, vitamin C, organic acid, soluble solids, and nitrate of fruit, photosynthesis, and carbohydrates of plants grown under various salt levels applied with the application of either commercial chemical fertilizers, cow manure, or vermicompost. Results showed that the tomato yield was not increased from the chemical fertilizer application, while there was an increase from the cow manure and vermicompost (increased 31.7% and 65.2%, respectively) under salt stress. Compared to no salt stress, the contents of vitamin C, organic acid, soluble solids, and nitrate increased 26.55%, 40.59%, 46.31%, and 35.08%, respectively, under salt stress (2 g NaCl·kg−1 soil). Compared with the Control, the application of chemical fertilizers failed to improve the sugar/acid ratio but increased nitrate content, while cow manure and vermicompost improved the sugar/acid ratio by 42.0% and 73.1%, respectively. Particularly, vermicompost increased vitamin C and reduced nitrate to the greatest extent among the different fertilizer treatments. The decrease in sodium (Na+) in the roots and leaves, increase in carbohydrates in fruit, and photosynthetic efficiency of leaves imply an amendment effect of vermicompost on salt stress. Moreover, vermicompost also facilitated the transit of carbohydrates from leaves to fruits by increasing the accumulation of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium in fruits, leaves, and roots, while decreasing proline and soluble protein accumulation in leaves and roots. In conclusion, vermicompost could alleviate the adverse effect of salt stress and improve tomato yield and fruit quality by improving the photosynthetic capacity and promoting carbohydrate transport to fruit. The findings give a new perspective on the beneficial effect of vermicompost on tomato yield and quality.

Dynamic characteristics of heavy metal accumulation in agricultural soils after continuous organic fertilizer application: Field-scale monitoring

Manure has been considered as a source of soil heavy metal (HM) pollution. However, the long-term impact of manure application on soil HM accumulation have not been well studied. This study tracked the long-term cumulative trends of soil copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), and lead (Pb) in three soil-crop systems over 5–8 years’ application of commercial manure fertilizer. The contribution of different fertilization treatments (CF, chemical fertilizer; T1-T3, manure with different application dosages) to soil HMs pollution risk were assessed. There are accumulating tendencies for Cu, Zn, and Pb in paddy fields, Cu and As in orchard fields, and Zn, As, and Pb in vegetable fields, while the concentrations of As in paddy fields and Zn in orchard fields decreased over time. Manure application significantly influenced the accumulation of Cu, Zn, and As in soils rather than that of Pb. The modeling prediction subsequently revealed that the time required to reach the risk screening values (Cu: 50 mg kg−1; Zn: 200 mg kg−1) for HM content in paddy soil, according to GB15618-2018, decreased from 18.20 years to 7.20 years due to the introduction of Cu and Zn via manure use. Recommend annual manure application dosage was 7.73 t hm−2 y−1 to ensure a 20-year period of clean production in paddy soils, while it was 26.15 t hm−2 y−1 in the orchard soil and 16.23 t hm−2 y−1 in vegetable soil to ensure a 50-year period of clean production, respectively. Overall, the impacts of HMs input by manure application on soil HMs accumulation varied depending on the type of metal and the soil-crop system. The cumulative trends of HMs in soils play a crucial role in determining whether the input of HMs through manure application can lead to the risk of HM pollution.

Subsurface phosphorus and nitrogen loss following liquid dairy manure and commercial fertilizer application on a clay soil in northwest Ohio.

Nutrient source has been the focus of much debate regarding the re-eutrophication of Lake Erie, despite that only 20% of nutrients applied to crops in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) originate from organic sources. However, limited data and assessments exist on the subsurface tile drainage water quality comparison between organic (liquid dairy manure) and commercial (mono-ammonium phosphate [MAP]) sources in crop production systems. Subsurface tile drainage, dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) and total phosphorus (TP) losses in tile drainage discharge following equal phosphorus (P) based applications of liquid dairy manure and MAP were assessed using a before-after control-impact design and four years of data from a paired field system located in northwest Ohio, USA. Nitrate-nitrogen (NO3--N) and total nitrogen (TN) losses were also examined to supplement the P findings; however, due to dissimilar nitrogen application rates, losses were assessed in a different context. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were detected in drainage discharge volumes or TP loads between the control and impact sites. However, statistically significant increases (p < 0.05) were measured for mean daily DRP, NO3--N, and TN loads from the dairy manure site. While significant, mean daily DRP differences between commercial (MAP) and liquid dairy manure treatments were only on the order of 0.01 g DRP/ha. Assuming current manure application extent and rates, when accumulated annually across the WLEB watershed, these losses are equivalent to less than 1% of target loads. These findings also help to inform nutrient management stewardship as it relates to nutrient source. Furthermore, additional research across a range of soil characteristics and cropping managements should be explored as well as the impacts of other livestock manure nutrients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Response of Lowland Rice to Rice Crop Specific Npk Fertilizer at Badeggi Central Nigeria

The trial was carried at National Cereals Research Institute Lowland Experimental field in the year 2019 and 2020 to evaluate the response of lowland rice to application of Rice Crop Specific NPK fertilizer 1and commercial NPK fertilizer which was applied at two levels each recommended blanket rate of 80:40:40 NPK/ha and higher rate of 120: 60:60 NPK/ha for lowland rice as well as the control (Zero fertilizer). The results indicated that application of fertilizer has significant effects on rice growth there by increased the height of rice at different weeks after fertilizer application compared to control. Rice straw and grain yield production was significantly affected with application and the rates. RCS fertilizer applied at 120:60:60/ha produced higher tonnage of rice straw and grain while application of RCS fertilizer at 80:40:40/ha produced similar rice straw and grain yield with application of NPK 15: 15:15: at rate of 120:60:60/ha. There the adoption of RCS-NPK formulation at rate 80:40:40 kg/ha is recommended against the higher rates from commercial NPK to save cost for the resources poor farmer.

Profiles of tetracycline resistance genes in paddy soils with three different organic fertilizer applications

The rapid expansion of organic rice cultivation areas have been accompanied by increased application of organic fertilizers. The high prevalence of soil antibiotic resistance caused by organic fertilizer application poses a severe threat to the agricultural and soil ecosystems. To date, research efforts and understanding of the effects and mechanism of action of the various organic fertilizers on antibiotic resistance in paddy soils remain poorly investigated. Tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs, including tetB, tetC, tetL, tetZ, tetM, tetO, tetT, and tetX), class 1 integron-integrase gene (intI1) and bacterial communities were characterized using quantitative-PCR and Illumina MiSeq sequencing, in paddy soils exposed to inorganic fertilizer (NPK), animal-derived organic fertilizer (AOF, composted swine and/or chicken manure), plant-derived organic fertilizer (POF, rapeseed cake and/or astragalus) and commercial organic fertilizer (COF, composted of animal manure mix with crop residues) applications. Compared with NPK, AOF applications significantly increased the relative abundance of TRGs, which was predominantly expressed in the increase of the relative abundance of tetC, tetM, tetO, tetT, and tetX, while POF and COF had no significant effect on the relative abundance of TRGs. Principal coordinate analysis revealed that AOF and POF significantly altered bacterial communities in paddy soils relative to NPK, while COF had no significant change of bacterial communities. Variation partitioning analysis indicated that soil physicochemical properties were the decisive factors for the changes of TRGs in organic paddy fields. Furthermore, redundancy analysis and the Mantel test showed that TRG profiles in AOF applied paddy soils were strongly influenced by electrical conductivity (EC). Total nitrogen (TN) and organic matter (OM) affected the distribution of TRGs in COF and POF applied paddy soils through a different mechanism. This study provides insights into the impacts of different types of organic fertilizer on the profiles of TRGs in paddy soils.

Field Quantification of Ammonia Emission following Fertilization of Golf Course Turfgrass in Sub/Urban Areas

Low cost and favorable handling characteristics make urea (46-0-0) a leading nitrogen source for frequent, foliar N fertilization of golf course putting greens in season. Yet few field investigations of resulting NH3 volatilization from putting greens have been directed. Meanwhile, NH3 emissions degrade air and surface water quality. Our objective was to quantify NH3 volatilization following practical, low-N rate, and foliar application of commercial urea-N fertilizers. Over the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons in University Park, PA, USA, an industrial vacuum pump, H3BO3 scrubbing flasks, and sixteen dynamic flux chambers were employed in four unique experiments to measure NH3 volatilization from creeping bentgrass putting greens (Agrostis stolonifera L. ‘Penn G2’) in the 24 h period ensuing foliar application of urea based-N at a 7.32 or 9.76 kg/ha rate. Simultaneous and replicated flux chamber trapping efficiency trials showing 35% mean NH3 recovery were used to adjust NH3 volatilization rates from treated plots. Under the duration and conditions described, 3.1 to 8.0% of conventional urea N volatilized from the putting greens as NH3. Conversely, 0.7 to 1.1% of methylol urea liquid fertilizer (60% short-chain methylene urea) or 0.7 to 2.2% of urea complimented with dicyandiamide (DCD) and N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) volatilized as NH3.

A comprehensive analysis on source-distribution-bioaccumulation-exposure risk of metal(loid)s in various vegetables in peri-urban areas of Shenzhen, China

The health risk induced by metal(loid)s in crops are becoming increasingly serious. In this study, eight major vegetables and rhizosphere soils were collected in a peri-urban area with intense electronic information manufacturing activities. The source, distribution and bioaccumulation of six typical metal(loid)s in different vegetable species were analyzed, and exposure risk through vegetable ingestion was estimated. Results showed that vegetables and agricultural soils in the study area suffered from serious metal(loid)s pollution, especially for Cd and Pb. The bioaccumulation capacity differed greatly among individual metal(loid)s and vegetable categories. In general, the highest transfer factors (TF) for Cd, Pb, and As were found in leafy vegetables, while leguminous vegetables had the highest TF of Cu and Zn and root vegetables had the highest TF for Cr. Significant correlations were found between concentrations in vegetables and rhizosphere soils for most metal(loid)s, the exceptions being Pb and Zn. The enrichment of Pb, Cd, Cr and As was mainly attributed to electronic information manufacturing activities, while the enrichment of Zn, Cu and Cd was associated with the application of commercial fertilizers and pesticides. The health risk associated with vegetable intake decreased in the order of leafy > fruit > leguminous > root vegetables. Leafy vegetables were identified as the category with the highest risk, with the mean risk value of 1.26. Cd was the major risk element for leafy vegetables. The non-carcinogenic risks estimated for leguminous and root vegetables were under the acceptable level. In conclusion, special attention should be paid to the health risks of toxic metal(loid)s in leafy vegetables in peri-urban areas with intense electronic information manufacturing activities. In order to minimize health risk, it is necessary to identify low-risk crops based on a comprehensive consideration of the metal(loid)s’ pollution characteristics, transfer factors and local people's consumption behaviors.

Additive intercropping with peanut relay-planted between different patterns of rice rows increases yield of red rice in aerobic irrigation system

Rice yields under conventional techniques are very low without high doses of commercial fertilizer application, while intercropping with legumes can increase yields. This research aimed to examine the effect of relay-planting peanut between rice rows of different patterns on yield of red rice in aerobic irrigation systems, by conducting a field experiment designed according to Split Plot design with two treatment factors, i.e. intercropping as main plots (T0= without; T1= intercropping with peanuts), and rice row patterns as sub-plots (P1= normal or single-row; P2= double-row; P3= triple-row). In T1, one row of peanut was relay-planted (additive series) between single, double, or triple rows of red rice plants three weeks after seeding red rice on raised-beds. Results indicated that additive intercropping with peanut significantly increased clump size, dry straw weight, filled panicle number, panicle length, total biomass, filled grain number, grain yield per clump, and harvest index, and reduced percentage of unfilled grains of red rice , while patterns of rice rows only affected dry straw weight, percentage of panicle number, and weight of 100 grains. However, there were significant interactions between the treatment factors on dry straw weight and percentage of panicle number, which under single-row, they were low in monocropping but high and no differences between row patterns in intercropping system. Similarly, grain yield was lower in single or double row than triple row pattern under monocropping but significantly higher and no differences between row patterns under intercropping, indicating the highest benefits of intercropping under single row pattern.&#x0D;

Social network, environmental cognition and organic fertilizer application behavior of small farmers

Small farmers are the main organizational form of agricultural production and management in China, and it is very important to study their organic fertilizer application behavior to promote the development of green agriculture in China. Based on the survey data of 334 small farmers in Sichuan Province, this paper uses bivariate Probit model to analyze the influence of social network and environmental cognition on organic fertilizer application behavior. The research shows that:(1) The application of commercial organic fertilizer and farmyard manure by small farmers has a significant complementary effect.(2) Social network has a significant positive impact on organic fertilizer application behavior, and there are significant differences between kinship social network and friendship social network on organic fertilizer application behavior.(3) The level of environmental cognition has a significant positive effect on the application behavior of organic fertilizer. Therefore, it is necessary not only to make full use of and expand the social network of small farmers, but also to pay attention to improving their environmental awareness and promoting organic fertilizer application behavior.

Changes in biochemical properties of tomato (cv.240) affected by combination of blue/red optical spectra and Calfomyth spray (Ca and P)

The levels of antioxidant activity and vitamins can change with varying ratios of different wavelengths. This study was conducted as a pot experiment under soilless culture conditions in order to investigate the interactive effects of light supplementation and nutrition (calfomyth solution) on some qualitative traits of tomato fruit. The research was carried out as a split-plot experiment based on a completely randomized design with three light treatments including without supplementary light (control), 60% red light+40% blue light and 90% red light+10% blue light. There were two nutritional treatments including no spraying with calfomyth as commercial fertilizer and foliar application with a concentration of 2 mg/L in three replicates. According to the results, the amounts of vitamin C (16.1 mg/g FW fruit), soluble solids (12.33 mg/g FW fruit), and lycopene (2.95 mg/g FW fruit) were all uppermost by the effect of a higher percentage of red light treatment. Higher percentage of the blue light resulted in the highest leaf chlorophyll content (38.4 mg/g FW leaf), but supplementary light treatments had no significant effects on the titratable acidity. Nutrition (calfomyth foliar application) showed positive impacts on all treatment traits compared to control. Beta-carotene content was affected by none of the treatments with no significant differences. According to this research, it can be expected that the use of complementary light treatments and calfomyth foliar spray may have positive effects on most of the qualitative traits in tomato fruit (cv. 240). Keywords: biochemical properties, tomato, optical spectra, calfomyth, antioxidant, lycopene, phytochrome DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20201305.5797 Citation: Ajdanian L, Aroiee H, Azizi M, Babaei M. Changes in biochemical properties of tomato (cv.240) affected by combination of blue/red optical spectra and Calfomyth spray (Ca and P). Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2020; 13(5): 79–84.

Comparison of effects exerted by bio-fertilizers, NPK fertilizers, and cultivation methods on soil respiration in Chernozem soil

Soil respiration is a significant indicator of soil microbial activity; global soil respiration and decomposition processes release yearly to the atmosphere a total of 220 billion tons of carbon dioxide. Therefore, studies on the whole- or one particular aspect of soil carbon cycle aiming at optimizing agricultural carbon dioxide emissions or improving carbon sequestration contribute to a sustainable agriculture practice. In this paper we present the effects of biofertilizer application (Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus circulans, and Pseudomonas putida) on soil respiration in chernozem soil. Experiments were performed at Látókép Experimental Station, belonging to the University of Debrecen, Hungary. Additionally, we compare our results with findings of prior studies related to commercial NPK fertilizer applications (in four doses: N60P45K45; N120P90K90; N180 P135K135; and N240P180K180), and two different cultivation methods (ploughed, loosened, RTK in rows, and RTK between rows); these investigations were conducted at the same experimental station. Our results indicate lower tendency for soil respiration, when biofertilizers are applied as compared to commercialNPK fertilizers, which enables to decrease CO2 emission in the environment.We also discuss a unit change indifferent alkali absorption-based methods (Oxitop and Witkamp) to facilitate comparability of recently acquired data with results of previous long-term fertilization experiments.

Effect of Different Types of Fertilizer Application on the Soil Fertility of Oil Palm Reclamation Soil under Polyculture System

To evaluate the effect of different fertilizer application on soil fertility under polyculture cropping system (okra, water spinach and yard long bean), a field experiment was conducted in the oil palm reclamation soil at the research farm in ICA UTM-Pagoh. There were five treatments involved which were: (T1) no fertilizer, (T2) organic fertilizer, (T3) inorganic fertilizer, (T4) organic inorganic compound fertilizer and (T5) organic + inorganic fertilizer. The initial and final soil samples were collected to study the effect of different types of commercial fertilizer application on soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), moisture content, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), C/N ratio, soil organic matter (SOM), bulk density and nutrients (P and K) contents in the soil surface layer (0–15 cm) of the experimented site for 14 weeks. Results showed that the soil pH was the lowest with an average of 6.05 units in T5 and was significantly higher in T1 (8.23 units). The EC value in T5 is the highest with 172.4 ds/m and lowest in T1 with an average of 25.5 ds/m. T5 showed the highest soil moisture and soil organic matter with 15.81% and 4.01% respectively. The combine application of organic and inorganic fertilizers has increased SOC and TN values compared with the T1 (control) specifically, which resulted in 3.7% and 0.33% of SOC and TN concentrations, respectively (). Bulk density showed no significant different among all the treatment with the highest value was in T4 (1.22g/cm3) and lowest in T3(1.05g/cm3). The average amounts of C/N ratio ranged from 11.11 to 13.60 between all treatments with the highest ratio in T4 (13.6). The average P and K contents were highest in T5 (1564.7 mg/kg and 1056.2 mg/kg). Thus, it showed that the application with the mixture of organic and inorganic fertilizer (T5) improved the soil condition.

Impact of perceived social norms on farmers’ behavior of cultivated land protection: an empirical analysis based on mediating effect model

Abstract In this study, the impact of social norms on farmers’ behavior of cultivated land protection and the related mechanism was investigated in terms of direct effect and mediating effect and further verified by logistic and mediation effect estimation of different organic fertilizer application behaviors. An empirical analysis of the data collected from Xiajin County of Shandong, China, revealed that (1) perceived social norms can exert significant and positive effects on the behavior of farmers in cultivated land protection; (2) social norms can stimulate farmers to adopt cultivated land protection behaviors by affecting their related value cognition, risk confidence and skills; and (3) the mediating mechanisms varied in the impact of perceived social norms on different cultivated land protection behaviors, with farmyard manure application being significantly moderated by value cognition, risk confidence and skills, in contrast to a major impact of social network on the application of commercial organic fertilizers. This study enriched the theoretical interpretation of the impact of social norms on farmers’ behavior of cultivated land protection and provided useful information on activation of farmers’ cultivated land protection behavior to promote the sustainable development of agriculture.

Applying Organic Fertilizer from Solid Waste of Super Intensive Shrimp Pond on Production of Milkfish Fingerlings Chanos chanos (Forsskal, 1775)

The cultivation of super-intensive shrimp with high density has consequences on the burden in the form of waste as the aquaculture activities product affecting the habitat feasibility for the aquatic organisms and the environment of fisheries. Super intensive shrimp in the form of solid waste has the potency to use as the raw material of organic fertilizer. Hence, this research is subject to assess the growth response of live feed and milkfish nursery, which are given super intensive pond solid waste through organic fertilizer compared to commercial organic fertilizers. The research used a completely randomized design (CRD) by three times of treatment and repetitions, respectively. The treatment applied in the experimental group was Urea plus SP-36 plus organic fertilizer originated as of best quality concentrated pond solid waste (A), Urea plus SP-36 plus commercial fertilizer (B), Urea plus SP-36 plus chicken farm waste organic fertilizer (C), and the controls group was Urea plus SP-36) (D). The Urea fertilizer dosage was 200 kg/ha, SP-36 as much as 100 kg/ha, and organic fertilizer each as much as 2,000 kg/ha. The parameters observed were components and a large quantity of plankton, the growth and survival rate of the juvenile milkfish, and the quality of water. The results of this research showed that the number of plankton species obtained during nursery of milkfish was 43 genera consisting of 27 genera of phytoplankton and 16 genera of zooplankton. The most dominant plankton found was from the classes Bacillariophyceae as much as 41.86%. The abundance of plankton obtained ranges of 1.330-1.915 ind/L. The super-intensive shrimp pond solid waste was applied as organic fertilizer along with inorganic fertilizer produced abandon plankton along with growth and survival juvenile milkfish produced by the application of commercial organic fertilizer was better than the components in the control group. This research also found that water quality measurement results during the experiment were suitable for the growth of live feed and milkfish.

Using a Spatially Explicit Approach to Assess the Contribution of Livestock Manure to Minnesota’s Agricultural Nitrogen Budget

The size and density of concentrated animal feeding operations have grown significantly over the past twenty-five years, raising concern over the ability of the surrounding landscape to sustainably handle the byproducts of animal agriculture. A novel geographic information system program was developed to spatially model the application of manure nutrients to proximal agricultural fields. Nutrient losses during storage and field application were accounted for to determine the amount of manure sourced nitrogen available annually for land application. By-field nitrogen requirements were estimated using six-year crop rotations and commonly used guidelines on fertilizer recommendations for agronomic crops. Three different nitrogen fertilizer recommendation approaches, ranging from economically optimized rates on the low end to yield goal-driven rates on the high end, were modeled to gauge the sensitivity of the analysis approach to varying nitrogen application rates. For each fertilizer N rate, three manure haul distance scenarios were modeled, allowing for manure travel distance to be capped at distances unique to each livestock type. Lastly, commercial nitrogen fertilizer sales data were combined with manure sourced nitrogen estimates to assess statewide agricultural nitrogen application. Results indicated minimal (&lt;5%) over-application from manure alone when applied at recommended rates and using the haul distances specified. However, regardless of which application rate guidelines were used, combined manure and commercial fertilizer nitrogen exceeded statewide crop requirements (110%–155%). This suggests that significant application of nitrogen above recommended rates is likely occurring. Information on commercial fertilizer application at the field level is sparse, precluding greater understanding of the relative contribution of manure and commercial sources. Despite this knowledge gap, additional focus should be placed on cumulative nitrogen application in areas with dense animal concentrations. Adequate crediting of all nitrogen sources, including the recognition of manure as a valuable fertilizer resource, presents the opportunity for substantial producer cost savings and potential widespread reduction in the contamination of water resources.

Changes in biochemical properties of tomato (cv.240) affected by combination of blue/red optical spectra and Calfomyth spray (Ca and P)

The levels of antioxidant activity and vitamins can change with varying ratios of different wavelengths. This study was conducted as a pot experiment under soilless culture conditions in order to investigate the interactive effects of light supplementation and nutrition (calfomyth solution) on some qualitative traits of tomato fruit. The research was carried out as a split-plot experiment based on a completely randomized design with three light treatments including without supplementary light (control), 60% red light+40% blue light and 90% red light+10% blue light. There were two nutritional treatments including no spraying with calfomyth as commercial fertilizer and foliar application with a concentration of 2 mg/L in three replicates. According to the results, the amounts of vitamin C (16.1 mg/g FW fruit), soluble solids (12.33 mg/g FW fruit), and lycopene (2.95 mg/g FW fruit) were all uppermost by the effect of a higher percentage of red light treatment. Higher percentage of the blue light resulted in the highest leaf chlorophyll content (38.4 mg/g FW leaf), but supplementary light treatments had no significant effects on the titratable acidity. Nutrition (calfomyth foliar application) showed positive impacts on all treatment traits compared to control. Beta-carotene content was affected by none of the treatments with no significant differences. According to this research, it can be expected that the use of complementary light treatments and calfomyth foliar spray may have positive effects on most of the qualitative traits in tomato fruit (cv. 240). Keywords: biochemical properties, tomato, optical spectra, calfomyth, antioxidant, lycopene, phytochrome DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20201305.5797 Citation: Ajdanian L, Aroiee H, Azizi M, Babaei M. Changes in biochemical properties of tomato (cv.240) affected by combination of blue/red optical spectra and Calfomyth spray (Ca and P). Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2020; 13(5): 79–84.