Use Of Synthetic Chemical Fertilizers Research Articles

USAGE OF HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENTS FOR PLANT PATHOGEN CONTROL, AN OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY AND TRENDS: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

The extensive use of synthetic chemical fertilizers in agriculture is causing environmental problem. In this situation it is desirable to find out suitable agents, which would increase plant growth without compromising with the quality of food and of soil. This paper represents the history and trends of homeopathic drugs utilized in the control of plant pathogens in plant pathology. This method started with the pioneering work of kolisko in 1923 on wheat germination and Junker in 1928 on growth of microorganisms. Literature search on the Homeopathic drugs in the control of plant pathogens, which have shown the anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-bacterial properties have been reviewed in this present paper. From the literature during the present study the different homeopathic drugs were found were used in agriculture. The contents of the article cover all the scientific reports published in Agricultural sectorfrom 1966 to till dates. A total 120 papers have been reported from homeopathic treatments used in Agriculture. Amongst these Arsenicum album, Natrum muriaticum, Cina, Thujawere found as the most used compounds. The science of homeopathy has great potentials and could give a new direction that requires attention of the researchers in alternative agriculture. This review discusses the experimental evidence relating to the use of homeopathic drugs in plant pathology, with view to assess the potential of homeopathy in agriculture.

GULMA ECENG GONDOK (EICHORRNIA CRASSIPES) SEBAGAI PUPUK ORGANIK FERMENTASI TRICHODERMA SPP. PADA TANAMAN PADI DI KELURAHAN PRAPEN KECAMATAN PRAYA KABUPATEN LOMBOK TENGAH

Water hyacinth (Eichorrnia crassipes) is a weed whose presence is very disturbing in the Batujai Dam area. The government has made various efforts to reduce its growth, but the population is increasing day by day. This activity aims to utilize water hyacinth which grows very high in the Batujai Dam area as an alternative fertilizer to reduce the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers on plants. The method used is a presentation method and then followed by practice for making organic fertilizer. Participants were given material about the impact of the abundance of water hyacinth weeds and their effects and benefits, then they were given training directly using fermented by Trichoderma spp. for 14 days. The result of this activity is that farmers can utilize nuisance weeds into fertilizer which can increase soil and plant fertility and can reduce the weed population in waters so that the sedimentation rate is reduced. It is hoped that farmers and the community will continue to use this weed so that the Batujai Dam area can be free from water hyacinth weeds and soil fertility can increase and farmers can reduce the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers

Influence of organic matter management on the activity and structure of soil microbial community in intensive tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) greenhouse farming

Aim of study: Intensive agriculture impacts physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of soil; therefore, the addition of organic matter (OM) to soil can have significant implications for crop production. This study investigated the impact of three crop management systems on tomato production and soil microbial communities in intensive greenhouse farming.
 Area of study: Province of Almería (Spain).
 Material and methods: The three crop management systems included: (1) conventional management, using synthetic chemical fertilizers without OM application (CM); (2) conventional management, using synthetic chemical fertilizers with at least one OM application in the last three years (CMOM); and (3) fully organic management, featuring yearly OM applications and no use of synthetic chemical fertilizers (ORG).
 Main results: Compared to CM soils, OM addition in CMOM and ORG led to higher soil NO3- and NH4+ content, which in turn increased nitrogen (N) availability, leading to an increase in soil respiration. The addition of OM also altered the composition of prokaryotic and fungal soil communities. Besides, the addition of OM reduced the presence and abundance of potential fungal pathogenic organisms, like Sclerotinia sp. and Plectosphaerella cucumerina. OM addition to conventionally managed greenhouses (CMOM) led to higher crop yields compared to CM greenhouses, resulting in an overall increase of 880 g m-2. Production under fully organic management (ORG) was lowest, possibly due to the nutrient and pest management practices used.
 Research highlights: Our data show the importance of organic matter management in shaping microbial communities in intensive greenhouse systems, which can be a key factor in developing a more sustainable agriculture to feed a growing human population.

Minerals Rich Organic Manure (MROM)

Abstract: Indiscriminate use of synthetic chemical fertilizers over past few decades in India and other countries of the world, has become a cause of great concern to maintain long term soil fertility, the soil environment, and its components. The soil microbial community plays a major and important role in fostering soil health and plant growth. While the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers has a profound impact on plant growth, it significantly alters the structure of the microbial community towards a detrimental degradation

Assessing the Usefulness of Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract as a Biostimulant to Supplement Synthetic Fertilizers: A Review.

The extensive use of synthetic chemical fertilizers is associated with environmental pollution and soil degradation. In addition, the high costs of these fertilizers necessitate the search for alternative, eco-friendly and safe natural sources of phytonutrients. The liquid extracted from moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) leaves has been used in agriculture to improve the growth and productivity of several crops. The efficacy of moringa leaf extract (MLE) is attributed to its high content of mineral nutrients, protein, vitamins, sugars, fiber, phenolics and free proline. In addition, MLE contains significant amounts of phytohormones, such as auxins, cytokinins and gibberellins. Furthermore, MLE is a valuable product promoting seed germination, plant growth and deeper root development, delaying fruit senescence and increasing the yield and quality of crops grown under normal or stressful conditions. Here, we review the research on MLE as a biostimulant to enhance crop growth and productivity. Moreover, we emphasize its possible introduction to smallholder farming systems to provide phytonutrients, and we further highlight research gaps in the existing knowledge regarding MLE application. Generally, MLE is an inexpensive, sustainable, eco-friendly and natural biostimulant that can be used to improve the growth and productivity attributes of various crops under non-stressful and stressful conditions.

Effect of Compost and Synthetic Fertilizer on Soil Fertility, Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Broccoli Crop in Arid Region of Morocco

Background: Soils in arid regions like Morocco are becoming increasingly degraded and polluted because of the high use of synthetic chemical fertilizers linked to population growth. Organic fertilizers such as compost remain a good alternative to improve soil quality and crop yields. Broccoli is a crop that is beginning to develop in Morocco. It is very nitrogen demanding crop; therefore, it is necessary to know nitrogen use efficiency in broccoli. Methods: In this field experimental conducted during 2015 at the horticultural complex of Agadir - Agronomy and Veterinary Institute Hassan II, different treatments were tested on broccoli as follows:TC8t/ha: compost, 8 t/ha (equivalent 200 kgN /ha), TC12t/ha: compost, 12 t/ha (equivalent 300 kg N /ha), TSYN: Synthetic chemical fertilizer (200kg N/ha), TC+SYN: 50% compost, 4t/ha+50% Synthetic fertilizer (equivalent 200 kg N/ha) and T0: control, in order to optimize nitrogen use efficiency of compost and synthetic fertilizer. Result: Our research showed that the combination of compost and synthetic fertilizer: TC+SYN improved the growth and yield parameters of broccoli; the best main head yield of broccoli was 13.5 t/ha for TC+SYN. Compost improved the chemical properties of soil. Total N content was 266 kg/ha for TC+SYN, 253 kg/ha for TSYN, 244 kg/ha for TC8 t/ha and 234 kg/ha forTC12 t/ha. For Nitrogen use efficiency, apparent recovery efficiency (ARE) was higher with TSYN: 0.91 followed by TC+SYN: 0.88 followed by TC8t/ha with 0.77and T C12 t/ha: 0.48.

Pemanfaatan Limbah Organik Pada Budidaya Tanaman Sayuran Menuju Pertanian Yang Ramah Lingkungan di Kabupaten Polewali Mandar

The vegetable crop cultivation in Polewali Mandar Regency has a great opportunity due to the high market demand for vegetable products. Environmental issues are a global concern for the competitiveness of agricultural products. The quality of organic agriculture or environmentally friendly product has become a concern for consumers regarding food safety, health, and long-life habituation . The farming community in Galung Lombok village, Tinambung District, Polewali Mandar Regency depends highly on the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides. On the other hand, harvest waste, household waste and coconut water as a byproduct of coconut processing have not been utilised effectively. Thus, this community service program aimed to utilise household organic waste as organic fertiliser and utilise coconut water as plant growth hormone; as well as educate farmers in implementing environmentally-friendly agricultural businesses. The method used were counselling, training, discussion and demonstration to 25 farmers. The program was able to increase the motivation and knowledge of farmers to implement the cultivation of environmentally friendly vegetable crops by using organic fertilizer from household waste and ZPT from coconut water. The vegetable crop cultivation in Polewali Mandar Regency has a great opportunity due to the high market demand for vegetable products. Environmental issues are a global concern for the competitiveness of agricultural products. The quality of organic agriculture or environmentally friendly product has become a concern for consumers regarding food safety, health and long-life habituation . The farming community in Galung Lombok village, Tinambung District, Polewali Mandar Regency depends highly on the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides. On the other hand, harvest waste, household waste and coconut water as a byproduct of coconut processing have not been utilised effectively. Thus, this community service program aimed to utilise household organic waste as organic fertiliser and utilise coconut water as plant growth hormone; as well as educate farmers in implementing environmentally-friendly agricultural businesses. The method used were counselling, training, discussion and demonstration to 25 farmers. The program was able to increase the motivation and knowledge of farmers to implement the cultivation of environmentally friendly vegetable crops by using organic fertilizer from household waste and ZPT from coconut water.

Effectiveness of vermicompost from cow manure on agronomic parameters of tomato

Chemical fertilization inputs for micro-gardens in Senegal increase production costs and decrease the quality of vegetables. Vermicompost could be positioned as an alternative to chemical fertilizers. This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of vermicompost from cow manure on agronomic parameters of tomato. Six treatments were compared. They are a mixture of sand and vermicompost constituted of four doses (D1, D2, D3 and D4) and chemical (Tr) and neutral (Tn) controls. The vermicompost treatments D1, D2 and D3 gave the highest germination percentages. The highest germination percentage was noted on the D3 dose. On flowering, the D4 dose gave a higher number of flowers compared to the controls. The treatments (D2, D3 and D4) were more efficient compared to the controls on fruiting and fruit weight. The highest weights were obtained with D4. Vermicompost is an alternative to the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers.

The measurement of indole acetic acid from rhizosphere bacteria

In Indonesia, synthetic chemical fertilizers are generally used to spur plant growth. The use of synthetic chemical fertilizers is known to reduce soil quality, causing resistance to pests and plant diseases. One of the natural potencies that can be used as growth promoters is Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) producing bacteria. The objective of this study was to measure the levels of Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) from the rhizosphere bacterial isolate of green beans which is thought to be able to produce Indole Acetic Acid (IAA). The method used was a descriptive approach, including the isolation of green bean rhizosphere bacteria, measurement of Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) levels in bacterial isolate, and data analysis. Green bean rhizosphere bacterial isolate produced Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) with an indication of a color change after the addition of the Salkowski reagent, and quantitatively the results of calculations in the standard curve equation for Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) obtained a value of Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) levels was 50.91 ppm.Keywords: Indole acetic acid, rhizosphere, bacteria

A Uji Amelioran Organik Asal Limbah Pertanian pada Pertanaman Sawi Hijau (Brassica juncea L.) di Tanah Gambut

Penggunaan limbah pertanian sebagai bahan amelioran organik dapat mengurangi ketergantungan penggunaan pupuk kimia sintetik pada budidaya tanaman sawi hijau di tanah gambut. Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui pengaruh dosis kompos limbah tandan kosong kelapa sawit (TKKS) dan gedebok pisang terbaik terhadap pertumbuhan dan hasil sawi hijau di tanah gambut. Lokasi penelitian bertempat di Desa Baning Kota, Kabupaten Sintang pada bulan April sampai dengan Juni 2020. Penelitian menggunakan rancangan acak lengkap faktorial. Faktor pertama yaitu pemberian dosis kompos TKKS 5 taraf t0 (tanpa kompos), t1(5 ton ha-1), t2 (10 ton ha-1), t3 (15 ton ha-1), dan t4 (20 ton ha-1). Faktor kedua yaitu dosis kompos gedebok pisang dengan 4 taraf p0 (tanpa kompos), p1(10 ton ha-1), p2(20 ton ha-1), dan p3(30 ton ha-1). Interaksi perlakuan secara signifikan dapat meningkatkan tinggi tanaman, jumlah daun, luas daun, bobot segar tanaman, bobot kering tanaman, laju asimilasi bersih, dan laju pertumbuhan tanaman. Kandungan N, P, dan K di tanah meningkat 53.85%, 409.90% dan 2,709% pada pemberian 15 ton ha-1 kompos TKKS + 30 ton ha-1 kompos gedebok pisang. Kombinasi perlakuan ini adalah yang terbaik dalam penelitian ini untuk meningkatkan produksi sawi hijau di tanah gambut, ditunjukkan dengan rata-rata bobot segar tanaman sebesar 176.71 g.
 Kata kunci: gedebok pisang, produksi tanaman, tandan kosong kelapa sawit

Importance of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in agriculture: A Review

The growth of plants promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) has gained widespread importance in agriculture. These are beneficial bacteria found in nature that live actively in plant roots and improve plant growth and increase agricultural productivity.. (PGPR) promoting plant growth shows an important role in the sustainable agricultural industry. The increasing demand for crop production is a major challenge nowadays, with a significant lack of use of synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The use of PGPR has proven to be an environmentally sound way of increasing crop yields by facilitating plant growth through direct or indirect mechanisms. The mechanisms of PGPR include regulating hormonal and nutritional balance, inducing resistance against plant pathogens, and dissolving nutrients for easy uptake by plants. Furthermore, PGPRs show synergistic and antagonistic interactions with microorganisms within the rhizosphere and in bulk soils, which indirectly increases plant growth rates. There are several bacteria species that act as PGPR. This review summarizes the methodology of PGPR as a bio-fertilizer in agriculture.

Fertilizers from monosodium glutamate waste encapsulated with chitosan nano-zeolite

Fertilizers that are safe for the environment are highly necessary to increase the agricultural productivity in handling critical land conditions, where nutrients contained in the soil are far below the normal levels of 4–5 %. This nutrient crushing occurs due to the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and excessive chemical drugs. Therefore, the authors make fertilizer with a high slow release of zeolite, chitosan from the skin shell and monosodium glutamate (MSG) waste. The method used is demineralization, deproteination, and deacetylation to obtain chitosan. After that, the zeolite encapsulation was activated by chitosan and MSG waste. The product obtained is in the form of a milling solid using HEM to obtain the results of nanoparticles. These results were characterized by FTIR, SEM-EDX, XRD. XRD results refer at (angle (2θ): 20) containing NH2 compounds, at (angle (2θ): 21–23) containing SiO2, then at spectra (angles (2θ): 25–28) containing LiAl SiO4 compounds then at (angle (2θ): 30–34) containing C and at (angle (2θ): 42–44) containing FeO4 P. SEM results show MSG micrographs wrapped in nano-zeolite and nano-chitosan fertilizers with a sample size of 90-100nm and it is known that in MSG waste fertilizer encapsulated with nano zeolite-chitosan containing micronutrients in fertilizers such as Si as much as 10.7 %, sodium 11.8 %, nitrogen 11.8 %, 1.2 % iron, potassium 0.3 % and 0.1 % phosphorus. The FTIR results showed a peak in the fingerprint area of the MSG-zeolite-chitosan waste spectra that identified the presence of macro nutrients N, P, K, Ca, Mg and several micro elements such as Cu, and Zn in addition to other elements needed in slow release fertilizers.

Inoculation of bacterial consortium increases rice yield (Oryza sativa L.) reducing applications of nitrogen fertilizer in San Martin region, Peru

Rice feeds more than 50% of the population worldwide, representing a great energy contribution in low-income families. The exaggerated use of synthetic chemical fertilizers to maintain high levels of yield causes alterations in the physical, chemical and biological quality of the soils. A sustainable alternative is the use of beneficial microorganisms that promote plant growth in crops. The objective of the study was to isolate and evaluate the Plant Growth Promoting (PGP) traits of rhizospheric rice bacteria in soils of the San Martin region, evaluate the effect of promoting growth in rice under pot experiments conditions and finally evaluate the effect of selected strains on the yield under different doses of nitrogen fertilizer under field conditions. Initially, 27 strains were selected for their diazotrophic characteristics and characterized by PGP traits. Through a multivariate analysis of main components, five strains were selected and evaluated in pot experiments. In this stage, the rice seeds were inoculated with the five selected strains at the rate of 109 CFU g−1 and were evaluated at 135 days. The strains showed that the parameters such as Shoot Dry Weight (SDW), tillering and grain quality were superior and even similar between inoculated treatments receiving doses of 50% Nitrogen (N) (75 kg N ha−1) and treatment receiving full dose (150 kg of N ha−1). For the field experiments, Burkholderia ubonensis la3c3, Burkholderia vietnamiensis la1a4 and Citrobacter bitternis p9a3m were selected, which were inoculated in a consortium at a rate of 109 CFU mL−1 in the nursery stage and at the time of transplantation. Grain yield was higher but not significant between 2.5 and 13.5% in inoculated treatments receiving 75% and 100% (150 kg N ha−1) of the nitrogen fertilizer dose compared to the treatment without inoculation and without fertilization. Grain quality was superior in inoculated treatments versus non-inoculated treatments, reaching specific increases of 32.8% (N), 45.5% (P) and 27.9% (K) in inoculated treatments receiving low doses of N fertilizer (25%) versus treatment receive a full dose of fertilizer, also a significant increase of 2.5% in the percentage of whole grain, with respect to mill quality. The rentability (14.7–88.6%) and the utility (17.7–94.1%) were also higher in inoculated treatments. It is concluded that the use of selected native bacterial consortiums reduces the use of nitrogen fertilizer by up to 25%, increasing the productivity of rice cultivation in the San Martín region.

Microbial anaerobic digestion: process dynamics and implications from the renewable energy, environmental and agronomy perspectives

Microorganisms have been allied with serious deleterious environmental, human and public health hazards. Microbial interactions are vital in the biotransformation of wastes to valuable end products via the waste-to-energy technology. Microbial anaerobic degradation has been considered as a powerful tool to address the shortcomings faced by conventional energy sources (e.g. the conventional energy sources are non-renewable, can deplete over time and are very costly). It is the anaerobic breakdown of organic wastes within the precincts of an airtight biodigester, by the concerted activities of four metabolically linked microorganisms participating at specific phases of the process to ultimately yield methane and carbon dioxide. Microorganisms are present in these wastes from animal origin, feeds or during collection of the wastes for disposal. The threefold benefit of the process includes: firstly, sanitization of the organic wastes whereby the pathogens of environmental and public health significance can be reduced to threshold levels recommended for safe handling by humans. Also, it addresses the pollution problem caused by greenhouse gas emission. Secondly, the recovered digestate contains macro- and micronutrients that are valuable for plant growth. Soil amendment with digestate influences the microbial activity, the microbial biomass structure and the size which in turn improve on soil fertility and quality thus, improve on food security. Clearly, this minimizes the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers with adverse effects. Thirdly, anaerobic digestion of biomass generates biogas, a renewable energy from waste degradation which can be used for cooking, heating and or harnessed to produce electricity.

Addressing Climate Change through Sustainable Agriculture Practices in India with Reference to Biogas Programme: A Review of State of Punjab

Punjab is an agrarian state and faces a critical problem of burning of crop residues to eliminate waste from agricultural fields. This emits large amount of particulate matters and green house gases, which adversely affect human health as well as the environment. In order to address this problem, biogas can be used as it is one of the renewable sources to supply clean energy and green manure and is an excellent solution for mitigation of climate change. The National Biogas and Manure Management Programme (NBMMP) initiated in 2005 aims to reduce usage of conventional fuels in houses and in agriculture to encourage usage of renewable energy sources. The main objective of the paper is to explore the development of NBMMP scheme in Punjab while assessing the perspective of beneficiaries towards use of biogas plant from three districts of Punjab. The analytical study shows that beneficiaries are satisfied with working and performance of biogas plants and this has reduced the carbon emission through use of unprocessed biomass and has also decreased the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers in farms. The results of study highlight the gaps in promoting awareness regarding biogas plants in rural areas in Punjab.

Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi- as a major biocontrol agent in modern sustainable agriculture system

In the present agricultural system, the discriminate use of synthetic chemical fertilizers has predominantly increased throughout the world. Moreover, using excessive use of fertilizers to increase production deteriorates the various soil qualities and pollute water body environment. So using VAM fungi as a biocontrol agent in modern sustainable agriculture, in terms of various parameters like reduction of damage caused by various pathogens, cost effectiveness, energy saving and also as an environment friendly, is a promising perspective in modern agriculture. Also control of plant pathogens in modern agriculture is presently accepted as a key practice in sustainable agriculture because it is based on the management of certain rhizosphere organisms, common components of ecosystems, known to develop antagonistic activities against harmful organisms. Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi interact with other microorganisms in the rhizosphere and various other soil constituents. Upon root colonization by VAMF, there occurs profound physiological changes in the host plant. Present agriculture system increasing demand for low-input agriculture and creates greater interest in soil microorganisms which are able to accelerate plant nutrition, health and improve soil quality. The importance of VAM in incresaing food production is far and wide; therefore these can be used in modern sustainable agriculture particulary as biocontrol agent. This review highlights the different interactions of Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (VAMF) and the rule of these interactions in the biological control of plant pathogens. But the commercial use of Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (VAMF) as biocontrol agents is still in its infancy. The main reason is the poor understanding of the mechanisms of the modes of action of VAM fungi in association with the host plants.

Microbial Products and Biofertilizers in Improving Growth and Productivity of Apple - a Review.

The excessive use of mineral fertilizers causes many negative consequences for the environment as well as potentially dangerous effects of chemical residues in plant tissues on the health of human and animal consumers. Bio-fertilizers are formulations of beneficial microorganisms, which upon application can increase the availability of nutrients by their biological activity and help to improve soil health. Microbes involved in the formulation of bio-fertilizers not only mobilize N and P but mediate the process of producing crops and foods naturally. This method avoids the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers and genetically modified organisms to influence the growth of crops. In addition to their role in enhancing the growth of the plants, biofertilizers can act as biocontrol agents in the rhizosphere at the same time. Biofertilizers are very safe for human, animal and environment. The use of Azotobacter, Azospirillum, Pseudomonas, Acetobacter, Burkholderia, Bacillus, Paenibacillus and some members of the Enterobacteriaceae is gaining worldwide importance and acceptance and appears to be the trend for the future.