Crop Performance Research Articles

Interaction between biochar particle size and soil salinity levels on soil properties and tomato yield

The enhancement of saline soil yield potential by biochar was well-documented, but the changes brought by biochar particle size on soil properties and crop performance are not well understood. To investigate the changes in soil properties and tomato yield due to biochar particle size under varying salt stress, we conducted a pot experiment in China Northwest’s solar greenhouse. A total of nine treatments were applied, with three different salt amounts of [S0 (no salt), S1 (0.3% dry weight), and S2 (0.6% dry weight)], and three biochar treatments of B0, B1, and B2 (0, 0.5% of large particles and 0.5% of small particles). Adding biochar did not significantly affect the measured soil chemical properties, except for pH, total nitrogen (TN), and Ca2+. Specifically, the addition of biochar significantly increased soil pH and TN, while reduced soil Ca2⁺ content likely due to biochar selective adsorption of Ca2⁺. Biochar particle size had opposite effects on tomato yield under varying salt stress levels. Compared to S0, the yield under B1 was 19.1% and 36.5% higher, whereas under B2, the yield was 33.1% and 44.2% lower for S1 and S2, respectively. Under no salt stress, small-size biochar increased yield by 51.0% compared to B0, largely due to the improved soil water and nutrient status. These results are of great value for developing better strategies for adding biochar with appropriate properties into saline soils to achieve greater productivity gains.HighlightsBiochar addition significantly reduced soil Ca2+ by 16.7–37.9%, while there was no significant difference in the other cations.Large-size biochar alleviated salt stress and improved tomato yield by promoting salt leaching and enhancing soil nutrients.Small particle size biochar exacerbated salinity stress and reduced tomato yield under higher salinity treatments.Small particle size biochar boosted tomato yield in soils without salinity stress.Graphical

A Multi-Source Strategy for Assessing Major Winter Crops Performance and Irrigation Water Requirements

A Multi-Source Strategy for Assessing Major Winter Crops Performance and Irrigation Water Requirements

Evaluation of 3D seed structure and cellular traits in-situ using X-ray microscopy

Phenotyping methods for seed morphology are mostly limited to two-dimensional imaging or manual measures. In this study, we present a novel seed phenotyping approach utilizing lab-based X-ray microscopy (XRM) to characterize 3D seed morphology, internal structures, and cellular analysis from a single scan. Seeds of pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) an oilseed cover crop, were scanned and segmented using a machine learning model. Seed morphological analysis and a coat thickness map was applied to compare seed volumes of four genotypes. Notably, the 3D seed volume measurement alone was not enough to reveal differences in seed coat between the genotypes. Applying a seed coat thickness map revealed that the Large-Golden genotype had a thinner seed coat compared to wildtype despite a greater seed coat volume. Cellular analysis showed that cotyledon cell size was a driving factor for larger seeds. XRM was compared to traditional seed morphology traits and positive correlations were observed. Between Large-Golden and wildtype, differences could only be resolved by XRM highlighting the limitations of 2D seed area measures. These results demonstrate that XRM can provide quantitative measures extracted from seeds for enhancing our understanding of seed structure, development, and facilitate breeding efforts for enhanced seed quality and crop performance.

Physiological and image-based phenotyping assessment of waterlogging responses of three kiwifruit rootstocks and grafting combinations

IntroductionKiwifruit species have a relatively high rate of root oxygen consumption, making them very vulnerable to low root zone oxygen concentrations resulting from soil waterlogging. Recently, kiwifruit rootstocks have been increasingly used to improve biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and crop performance under adverse conditions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate morpho-physiological changes in kiwifruit rootstocks and grafting combinations under short-term waterlogging stress.MethodsA pot trial was conducted at the ALSIA PhenoLab, part of the Phen-Italy infrastructures, using non-destructive RGB and NIR image-based analysis and physiological measurements to identify waterlogging stress indicators and more tolerant genotypes. Three pot-grown kiwifruit rootstocks (‘Bounty 71,’ Actinidia macrosperma—B; ‘D1,’ Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa—D; and ‘Hayward,’ A. chinensis var. deliciosa—H) and grafting combinations, with a yellow-fleshed kiwifruit cultivar (‘Zesy 002,’ A. chinensis var. chinensis) grafted on each rootstock (Z/B, Z/D, Z/H), were subjected to a control irrigation treatment (WW), restoring their daily water consumption, and to a 9-day waterlogging stress (WL), based on substrate saturation. Leaf gas exchange, photosynthetic activity, leaf temperature, RGB, and NIR data were collected during waterlogging stress.ResultsStomatal conductance and transpiration reached very low values (less than 0.05 mol m−2 s−1 and 1 mmol m−2 s−1, respectively) in both waterlogged D and H rootstocks and their grafting combinations. In turn, leaf temperature was significantly increased and photosynthesis was reduced (1–6 μmol m−2 s−1) from the first days of waterlogging stress compared to B rootstock and combination.DiscussionThe B rootstock showed prolonged leaf gas exchange and photosynthetic activity, indicating that it can cope with short-term and temporary waterlogging and improve the tolerance of grafted kiwi vines, which showed a decrease in stomatal conductance 5 days after the onset of stress. Morphometric and colorimetric parameters from the image-based analysis confirmed the greater susceptibility of D and H rootstocks and their grafting combinations to waterlogging stress compared to B. The results presented confirm the role of physiological measurements and enhance that of RGB and NIR images in detecting the occurrence of water stress and identifying more tolerant genotypes in kiwifruit.

Seed endophytes of malting barley from different locations are shaped differently and are associated with malt quality traits

Maximizing microbial functions for improving crop performance requires better understanding of the important drivers of plant-associated microbiomes. However, it remains unclear the forces that shapes microbial structure and assembly, and how plant seed-microbiome interactions impact grain quality. In this work, we characterized the seed endophytic microbial communities of malting barley from different geographical locations and investigated associations between microbial (bacterial and fungal) species diversity and malt quality traits. Host genotype, location, and interactions (genotype x location) significantly impacted the seed endophytic microbial communities. Taxonomic composition analysis identified the most abundant genera for bacterial and fungal communities to be Bacillus (belonging to phylum Firmicutes) and Blumeria (belonging to phylum Ascomycota), respectively. We observed that a greater proportion of bacterial amplicon sequence variants (bacterial ASVs) were shared across genotypes and across locations while the greater proportion of the fungal ASVs were unique to each genotype and location. Association analysis showed a significant negative correlation between bacterial alpha diversity indices (Faith PD and Shannon indices) and malt quality traits for barley protein (BP), free amino nitrogen (FAN), diastatic power (DP) and alpha amylase (AA), while fungal alpha diversity (Shannon and Simpson) showed significant negative relationship with β-D-glucan content. In addition, some bacterial and fungal genera were significantly associated with malt extract (ME) -a key trait for maltsters and brewers. We conclude that barley genotype, location, and their interactions shape the seed endophytic microbiome and is key to microbiome manipulation and management during barley production and/or malting.

Plant-microbe interactions influence plant performance via boosting beneficial root-endophytic bacteria

BackgroundSalvia miltiorrhiza is a highly valuable medicinal plant and its cultivation is constrained by limited suitable land. Long-term continuous cropping practices alleviate limitations in planting area as well as causes the decline in plant yield and quality. Endophytic microorganisms colonize inside plant roots and are known to play important roles in improving the performance of model plants (such as Arabidopsis thaliana) and food crops (such as wheat, soybean, rice and maize). However, the understanding of how medicinal plants with different growth status (i.e., healthy and disease) shape the assembly of root-endophytic microorganisms and the functional importance of these microorganisms in improving plant performance remains largely unknown.ResultsHere, we investigated the assembly of root-endophytic microorganisms in medicinal plants with different growth status and its links with plant performance improvement. We found that medicinal plants with different growth status had distinct root-endophytic bacterial communities. Healthy plant roots recruited some potentially beneficial bacteria partners, particularly Pseudomonas into the endosphere. We further investigated the functional importance of these potentially beneficial bacteria on plant performance in subsequent greenhouse and field experiments. We found that root-endophytic Pseudomonas effectively increased medicinal plant seedling growth, crop yield, and the content of effective medicinal components.ConclusionsTaken together, we demonstrate that healthy medicinal plants can form a distinct root-endophytic bacterial community, leading to an increase in plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria (PGPEB) that contribute to the improvement of crop growth and quality. Our research provides valuable insights into the significant role of PGPEB in enhancing crop growth and improving medicinal plants quality for human health development in the future.

Integrated Control of Verbesina encelioides in Common Bean Fields in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

ABSTRACTVerbesina encelioides is known to threaten the performance of crops like common bean in central rift valley of Ethiopia. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of management on V. encelioides and common bean yield components and yield at Adamitulu and Melkassa. A randomized complete block design with four replications and twelve treatments was applied. Treatments included pre and postemergence herbicides (s‐metolachlor, pendimethalin, and sodium acifluorfen + clodinafop propargyl) and hand weeding. The density and biomass of V. encelioides were reduced by up to 94% and 81%, respectively, due to integrated control treatments. Beside the weed‐free plot, the use of s‐metolachlor plus hand weeding and pendimethalin plus hand weeding produced the lowest (3%–10%) weed index. Whereas these integrated controls gave the highest (74%–81%) weed control efficiency. Weed‐free plots yielded the highest grain (3.11 and 2.71 t/ha), followed by s‐metolachlor with two hand weedings (3.00 and 2.63 t/ha), while weedy check (0.49 and 0.45 t/ha) and sole pendimethalin 1.5 l/ha (1.28 and 1.12 t/ha) produced the least grain yield at Melkassa and Adamitulu, respectively. The use of s‐metolachlor plus one‐hand weeding, followed by two‐hand weeding, produced a maximum benefit‐cost ratio of 28.41 and 26.95 and an acceptable maximum marginal rate of return of 5689.06 and 5057.27 ETB, respectively. Thus, it is recommended that smetolachlor be used with one‐hand weeding followed by two‐hand weeding or sodium acifluorfen + clodinafop propargyl at 1 l/ha to achieve effective control, higher yield, and economic benefit in common bean production systems.

Enhancing Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) Performance with Optimized Nitrogen and Sulphur Levels

An experiment was conducted to study the impact of nitrogen and sulphur levels on the performance of mungbean. The experiment consisted of two factors viz. nitrogen levels and sulphur levels. The nitrogen application included four levels viz., N1: RDN @ 30 kg N ha-1; N2: Foliar application of Nano-urea @ 2 ml/L of water at 20-25 DAS; N3: Foliar application of Nano-urea @ 2 ml/L of water at 40-45 DAS and N4: Foliar application Nano-Urea @ 2 ml/L of water at 60-65 DAS whereas Sulphur application included three levels viz., S0: 0 kg ha-1; S1:15 kg ha-1 and S2: 30 kg ha-1 which was applied through Gypsum. The results showed that application of N3 resulted in higher performance of Mungbean in terms of growth parameters viz., plant height, DMA and LAI, yield attributes and yield. This indicates the importance of applying nano urea at the optimal growth stage to meet the crop's nutrient demands during critical periods of development. Likewise, increasing sulphur levels from S0 to S2 showed a positive effect on crop performance, with the highest results observed at 30 kg sulphur ha-1 S2.

Compositional and Machine Learning Tools to Model Plant Nutrition: Overview and Perspectives

The ceteris paribus assumption that all features are equal except the one(s) being examined limits the reliability of nutrient diagnosis and fertilizer recommendations. The objective is to review machine learning (ML) and compositional data analysis (CoDa) tools to make nutrient management feature specific. The average accuracy of the ML methods was 84% across the crops. The additive and orthogonal log ratios of CoDa reduce a D-parts soil composition to D-1 variables, alleviating redundancy in the predictive ML models. Using a Brazilian onion (Allium cepa) database, the combined CoDa and ML methods returned crop response patterns, allowing feature-specific fertilizer recommendations to be made. The centered log ratio (clr) diagnoses plant nutrients as a compositional nutrient diagnosis (CND). Using a Quebec database of vegetable crops, the mean variance of clr variables (VAR¯) allowed comparing total variance among species and growth stages. While clr is the summation of equally weighted dual log ratios, dual nutrient log ratios may show unequal importance regarding crop performance. The RReliefF scores or gain ratios can provide weighting coefficients for each dual log ratio. The widely contrasting coefficients of weighted log ratios (wlr) improved the accuracy of the ML models for a Quebec muck onion database. The ML models, VAR¯ and wlr, are advanced tools to improve the accuracy of nutrient diagnosis.

Influence of Different Levels of Organic Manures and Inorganic Fertilizers in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Cultivation on Physical and Chemical Properties of Soil

The degradation of soil, characterized by the decline in soil organic matter, nutrient exhaustion, and the subsequent diminishment of soil fertility, stands as a prominent factor contributing to the subpar levels of agricultural productivity. Organic amendments (OAs) present a promising avenue for rectifying this degradation, exerting their potential by enacting improvements in both the physical and chemical attributes of the soil. This, in turn, leads to a marked enhancement in the growth and yield performance of crops. An experimental endeavor was meticulously undertaken, employing the Randomised Block Design (RBD) framework, and encompassing three replicates for each treatment. Data collected during the course of instantiation were statistically analyzed using SVPSS software. Within this ambit, nine distinct nutrient management practices were evaluated, which included the application of organic manures, namely vermicompost (VC) and neem cake (NC), alongside their amalgamations with inorganic fertilizers. The overarching objective was to gauge the ensuing impact on the physico-chemical facets of the soil. Upon a comprehensive analysis of the aforementioned research endeavor, it emerges as a discernible conclusion that the treatment combination denoted as T9 [RDF @ 100% + Vermicompost @ 6 t ha-1 + Neem cake @ 1.2 t ha-1] emerged as notably advantageous. This treatment not only exhibited a discernible positive effect but also led to a significant amelioration in the physico-chemical attributes of the soil. Consequently, it is prudent to advocate this particular treatment combination to farmers, as it not only augments the yield of potatoes but also serves to uphold the overall health and vitality of the soil, particularly under the specific agro-climatic conditions of Prayagraj.

Hormonal regulation and physiological adjustments of wheat and pea plants under simulated lunar soil conditions.

This study investigates the physiological and morphological responses of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and pea (Pisum sativum) grown in a mixture of lunar soil (LS) simulant and organic soil (OS). The experiment compared the growth of both pea and wheat in 100% organic soil (OS) and a 3:2 mixture of OS and LS (OS: LS). Wheat exhibited increased branching and root growth in OS: LS, while pea plants showed enhanced aerial elongation and altered branch morphology. Photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and pigment concentrations were significantly affected, with both pea and wheat showing reduced chlorophyll content in OS: LS. Oxidative stress indicators, such as lipid peroxidation, exhibited higher levels in pea plants than wheat plants, particularly in the OS: LS mixture. Hormonal analysis performed by LC-MS/MS indicated significant increases in abscisic acid (ABA) and its catabolites in both pea and wheat in OS: LS, suggesting an adaptive response to suboptimal conditions. The results highlight species-specific growth strategies, with wheat investing more in root development and pea plants promoting aerial growth. These findings provide important insights into how essential crops could adapt to extraterrestrial soils, contributing to the development of sustainable agricultural practices for space exploration. Future research should focus on optimising crop performance based on species-specific adaptative responses in mixed-soil environments.

The Detection and Counting of Olive Tree Fruits Using Deep Learning Models in Tacna, Perú

Predicting crop performance is key to decision making for farmers and business owners. Tacna is the main olive-producing region in Perú, with an annual yield of 6.4 t/ha, mainly of the Sevillana variety. Recently, olive production levels have fluctuated due to severe weather conditions and disease outbreaks. These climatic phenomena are expected to continue in the coming years. The objective of the study was to evaluate the performance of the model in natural and specific environments of the olive grove and counting olive fruits using CNNs from images. Among the models evaluated, YOLOv8m proved to be the most effective (94.960), followed by YOLOv8s, Faster R-CNN and RetinaNet. For the mAP50-95 metric, YOLOv8m was also the most effective (0.775). YOLOv8m achieved the best performance with an RMSE of 402.458 and a coefficient of determination R2 of (0.944), indicating a high correlation with the actual fruit count. As part of this study, a novel olive fruit dataset was developed to capture the variability under different fruit conditions. Concluded that the predicting crop from images requires consideration of field imaging conditions, color tones, and the similarity between olives and leaves.

Context-aware self-powered intelligent soil monitoring system for precise agriculture

The agricultural sector is transforming with advanced technologies such as internet of things (IoT), cloud computing, and machine learning, for increased productivity and sustainability. However, fixed sensor deployments struggle to capture the dynamic and heterogeneous soil properties with irregularities in farming operations, and negatively impacting crop performance and resource utilization. This paper presents a novel context-aware, self-powered intelligent soil monitoring system (ISMS) applied in precision agriculture. By integrating advanced sensors, energy harvesting, real-time data analytics, and context-aware decision support, ISMS provides real-time context insights into soil, energy, and weather conditions. The informed decisions are enabled and tailored to their specific agricultural environment. The system utilizes a multi-parameter soil sensor, photovoltaic (PV) panel, and intelligent context-aware analytics for a sustainable, cost-effective solution powered by solar energy and OpenWeather application program interface (API) for weather data. Field tests over two months demonstrated the system's effectiveness, together with continuous operation without grid power. This research highlights ISMS's potential in enhancing soil nutrient management and decision-making and offering significant economic and environmental benefits for modern agriculture, especially in remote areas.

Genetically-encoded targeted protein degradation technology to remove endogenous condensation-prone proteins and improve crop performance

Effective modulation of gene expression in plants is achievable through tools like CRISPR and RNA interference, yet methods for directly modifying endogenous proteins remain lacking. Here, we identify the E3 ubiquitin ligase E3TCD1 and develope a Targeted Condensation-prone-protein Degradation (TCD) strategy. The X–E3TCD1 fusion protein acts as a genetically engineered degrader, selectively targeting endogenous proteins prone to condensation. For example, a transgenic E3TCD1 fusion with Teosinte branched 1 (TB1) degrades the native TB1 protein, resulting in increased tiller numbers in rice. Additionally, conditional degradation of the negative defense regulator Early Flowering 3 via a pathogen-responsive ProTBF1-uORFsTBF1 cassette enhances rice blast resistance without affecting flowering time in the absence of pathogen. Unlike prevailing targeted protein degradation strategies, the TCD system does not rely on small molecules, antibodies, or genetic knock-in fusion tags, demonstrating its promise as a transgene-based approach for optimizing crop performance.

Sequence-based Identification of Polyamine Oxidase Genes in Sorghum bicolor L.

Polyamine oxidase (PAOs) are enzymes associated with polyamine catabolism and play important roles in growth and development and stress tolerance of plants. In the present study, genome-wide discovery and analysis of the PAO family in sorghum was done utilizing model PAO of Arabidopsis. Six PAO genes were found using publicly available genomic data. Sorghum has the PAO gene representatives distributed throughout four chromosomes (chr1, 3, 6, and 7), and most members have 8 to 9 exons. The molecular weights of PAO proteins range from 53 to 63 kDa. PAO proteins have a theoretical PI between 5.2 and 8.1. The identification and characterization of PAO gene members in sorghum laying the foundation for further experimental studies elucidating their roles in growth, development, and stress responses, ultimately contributing to our understanding of plant biology, with significant implications for plant breeding by providing valuable insights into potential targets for enhancing stress tolerance and improving crop performance.

Effect of molybdenum supply on crop performance through rhizosphere soil microbial diversity and metabolite variation

Molybdenum (Mo) deficiency is a global problem in acidic soils, limiting plant growth, development, and nutrient availability. To address this, we carried out a field study with two treatments, i.e., Mo applied (+Mo) and without Mo (−Mo) treatment to explore the effects of Mo application on crop growth and development, microbial diversity, and metabolite variations in maize and soybean cropping systems. Our results indicated that the nutrient availability (N, P, K) was higher under Mo supply leading to improved biological yield and nutrient uptake efficiency in both crops. Microbial community analysis revealed that Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were the dominant phyla in Mo treated (+Mo) soils for both maize and soybean. Both these phyla accounted together 39.43% and 57.74% in −Mo and +Mo, respectively, in soybean rhizosphere soil, while they accounted for 44.51% and 46.64% in maize rhizosphere soil. This indicates more variations among the treatments in soybean soil compared to maize soil. At a lower taxonomic level, the diverse responses of the genera indicated the specific bacterial community adaptations to fertilization. Candidatus Koribacter and Kaistobacter were commonly significantly higher in both crops under Mo-applied conditions in both cropping systems. These taxa, sharing similar functions, could serve as potential markers for nutrient availability and soil fertility. Metabolite profiling revealed 8 and 10 significantly differential metabolites in maize and soybean, respectively, under +Mo treatment, highlighting the critical role of Mo in metabolite variation. Overall, these findings emphasize the importance of Mo in shaping soil microbial diversity by altering metabolite composition, which in turn may enhance the nutrient availability, nutrient uptake, and plant performance.

Comprehensive analysis of nano-fertilizers in Indian agriculture - A review

This is a comprehensive review of studies of nano-fertilizers for their efficacy in stimulating plant growth, facilitating higher nutrient uptake and thus enhancing overall crop yield and productivity. The intricate insights into the mechanisms through which nano-fertilizers ensure sustained nutrient release, optimize nutrient absorption and augment nutrient utilization efficiency, have been reviewed. Several scientific studies indicate the potential of nanotechnology to enhance crop performance in terms of better crop growth and higher productivity. Regarding the economic implications of adopting nano-fertilizers, several findings indicate that nano-fertilizers could offer cost advantages over conventional fertilizers, potentially alleviating the government's subsidy burden and reducing import expenses on huge quantities of major commercial fertilizers. This comprehensive review also explores the challenges faced by Indian agriculture in crop production and the potential of nanotechnology to revolutionize productivity on a sustainable basis. The study emphasizes the urgent need for enhanced and sustained crop production and highlights the significance of nano-fertilizer application as an innovative and environmentally friendly solution. In conclusion, this comprehensive overview of the status of stagnant crop production in India identifies the challenges in augmenting productivity and proposes nanotechnology-based fertilizers and their utility in major agricultural crops cultivation as a promising solution. The findings underscore the need for further research and the widespread adoption of nanotechnology-based fertilizers in Indian agriculture to ensure sustainable and enhanced production and productivity.

Early-Stage Impacts of Irrigated Conservation Agriculture on Soil Physical Properties and Crop Performance in a French Mediterranean System

The Mediterranean region faces intensified climate change effects, increasing irrigation demands to sustain crop yields and increasing pressure on water resources. Adaptive management strategies such as conservation agriculture (CA) offer potential benefits for soil quality and water use efficiency. However, there is limited research on the short-term effects of this farming system under irrigated Mediterranean climatic conditions. This study aimed to explore the short-term impacts of conservation agriculture (no tillage, cover crops and crop rotation) on the soil properties, water flows and crop and water productivity in a French Mediterranean agrosystem of irrigated field crops, using a multifactorial approach. From 2021 to 2023, maize, sorghum and soybean were grown successively under either conventional tillage (CT) or conservation agriculture (CA), combined with sprinkler irrigation, subsurface drip irrigation or non-irrigated conditions. The dynamics of the surface soil properties (bulk density, penetration resistance, soil temperature), water flows (infiltration, soil evaporation) and agronomic indicators (leaf area index, crop yield, water productivity) were measured across the three cropping seasons. In the pedoclimatic conditions of the study, CA was shown to clearly impact the soil properties, water flows and crop yields, from the first year of adoption. CA practices caused an increased bulk density and soil resistance penetration, leading to decreased quasi-steady ponded infiltration in the surface horizon, particularly in the CA–subsurface drip and CA–non-irrigated conditions. These effects were also reflected in the leaf area index, crop yield and water productivity, with CA showing lower values compared to CT. Crop residues in CA reduced soil evaporation, particularly under sprinkler irrigation. However, this benefit diminished as the residues decomposed, leading to soil evaporation rates comparable to those observed in CT. Agronomic indicators were better under sprinkler irrigation than under subsurface drip irrigation. Overall, compaction emerged as a significant challenge in the adoption of CA, considering its negative impact on crop yields.

Calcium and boron supplementary effect on cassava performance in a sandy Typic Paleustult

ABSTRACT Calcium (Ca) and boron (B) interactions are crucial for nutrition and crop performance, but information is scarce for cassava. Cassava’s yield response to Ca and B was investigated in an acidic sandy soil, using a split-plot design. The main plot comprised 0, 50, 200 and 400 kg ha−1 of net Ca soil application with the subplot containing 0, 1 and 2 kg net B ha−1. Boron was applied as single soil, foliar, and equally split soil and foliar applications. The sole B overall was superior to sole Ca in enhancing cassava growth. The combined 400 kg Ca ha−1 and 1 kg B ha−1 soil addition significantly promoted the highest fresh tuber yield and starch yield whereas adding just 200 kg Ca ha−1 gave the lowest yields but these yields increased significantly with supplemented B. Ignoring B rates, the single B foliar application was the least effective. Calcium and B interactively stimulated more uptake of plant nutrients, but the Ca concentration was lowered significantly when B was added. The findings signified a vital impact of Ca combined with B on increasing cassava yield despite B having a slightly antagonistic effect on accumulated-Ca in cassava.

Application of Synthetic Microbial Communities of Kalidium schrenkianum in Enhancing Wheat Salt Stress Tolerance.

Soil salinization poses a significant challenge to global agriculture, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions like Xinjiang. Kalidium schrenkianum, a halophytic plant adapted to saline-alkaline conditions, harbors endophytic microorganisms with potential plant growth-promoting properties. In this study, 177 endophytic bacterial strains were isolated from K. schrenkianum, and 11 key strains were identified through functional screening based on salt tolerance, nutrient solubilization, and growth-promoting traits. Synthetic microbial communities (SMCs) were then constructed using these strains and optimized to enhance wheat growth under salt stress. The SMCs significantly improved seed germination, root length, and seedling vigor in both spring and winter wheat in hydroponic and pot experiments. Furthermore, the SMCs enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline (PRO). They also reduced oxidative stress and improved chlorophyll content in wheat seedlings. These results demonstrate the potential of microbial consortia derived from extreme environments as eco-friendly biofertilizers for improving crop performance in saline soils, offering a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers and contributing to agricultural resilience and productivity.