Article
Agronomy
Caterina Giacometti, Martina Mazzon, Luciano Cavani, Loretta Triberti, Guido Baldoni, Claudio Ciavatta, Claudio Marzadori
Summary: Understanding the relationships between soil quality, crop productivity, and management practices is crucial for developing sustainable agricultural production systems. A long-term field experiment investigated the combined effects of crop rotations and fertilization treatments on soil quality and crop yield. Results showed that longer crop rotations and soil amendment with manure had positive effects on soil quality indicators, nutrient content, and microbial biomass and activity, suggesting that these practices can help preserve soil quality and crop productivity in the long term.
Article
Plant Sciences
Carlos Felipe dos Santos Cordeiro, Fabio Rafael Echer, Fabio Fernando Araujo
Summary: This study evaluated the chemical characteristics and microbial activity of sandy soil, as well as the effects of different rotation systems on crop yield. Results showed that using cover crops in off-season cultivation improved soil quality and crop yield varied depending on the cover crop treatments. Implementing cover crop systems improved microbial soil activity in sandy soil, with benefits to yield and soil chemistry observed after the third year of cultivation.
JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT NUTRITION
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Catriona M. Willoughby, Cairistiona F. E. Topp, Paul D. Hallett, Elizabeth A. Stockdale, Robin L. Walker, Alex J. Hilton, Christine A. Watson
Summary: This study examines the links between ecological metrics and crop yields in agricultural systems and highlights the importance of soil health tests in agricultural management practices. It demonstrates that agricultural management not only supplies nutrients to crops but also improves soil health, resulting in increased crop yields.
AGRONOMY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jonas Arbacauskas, Zigmas Jonas Vaisvila, Gediminas Staugaitis, Lina Zickiene, Aiste Maseviciene, Donatas Sumskis
Summary: This experiment investigated the effects of different potassium fertiliser rates on field-rotation productivity and highlighted the importance of combining potassium fertilisers with nitrogen and phosphorus for optimal crop performance. The results showed that maintaining a balanced potassium level, in combination with nitrogen and phosphorus, improved potassium uptake by crops. Additionally, applying potassium fertilisers alone increased plant-available potassium content in the soil.
Article
Agronomy
Harpreet Kaur, Kelly A. Nelson, Gurbir Singh, Gurpreet Kaur, Katherine Grote
Summary: The application of cover crops in terraced fields can have a neutral or negative effect on the yield of subsequent crops depending on weather conditions.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Noelle G. G. Beckman, Ray Dybzinski, David Tilman
Summary: Mounting evidence suggests that plant-soil feedbacks (PSF) may determine plant community structure. However, short-term PSF predictions do not match the outcomes of long-term field experiments involving competing plants.
Article
Agronomy
Ilsa B. Kantola, Michael D. Masters, Elena Blanc-Betes, Nuria Gomez-Casanovas, Evan H. DeLucia
Summary: This study compares the long-term productivity and drought susceptibility of perennial bioenergy crops with conventional row crop maize/soybean production. The results show that long-term yields for miscanthus and switchgrass did not meet initial predictions made during the establishment phase. However, in miscanthus, the 11th year of production showed little yield loss with age, exceeding the modeled limit for age-related decline. Harvest timing and differences in yields from hand and machine harvests likely contribute to overestimates of potential yields. Application of fertilizer to mature miscanthus resulted in significant yield increases after a severe drought.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY BIOENERGY
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Haotian Chen, Florent Levavasseur, Denis Montenach, Marc Lollier, Christian Morel, Sabine Houot
Summary: Recycling organic waste in agriculture can enhance soil fertility, substitute chemical fertilizers, and have varying effects on crop yields, soil nutrients, and mineral fertilizer savings.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Gy Gelybo, Z. Barcza, M. Dencso, I Potyo, I Kasa, A. Horel, K. Pokovai, M. Birkas, A. Kern, R. Hollos, E. Toth
Summary: The study investigated the impact of soil tillage and crop type on soil respiration in a typical Central European agricultural site with crop rotation. Results showed that soil respiration was significantly higher under no-tillage treatment compared to mouldboard ploughing, particularly for summer crops. Differences in soil water content could contribute to this variation. Six models were tested to simulate soil respiration, with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index improving model performance. Specific models for different crops and treatments were recommended to enhance accuracy and reduce uncertainty.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Aleksandra Zaluszniewska, Anna Nogalska
Summary: Meat and bone meal has an impact on soil phosphorus balance and crop phosphorus uptake, with moderate amounts being able to replace mineral phosphorus fertilizers, but excessive application can lead to phosphorus accumulation in the soil.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Lishu Wang, Haigang Guo, Lixuan Wang, Dongjuan Cheng
Summary: This study investigated the effects of different rotary tillage depths on soil properties, water use efficiency, photosynthetic rate, and maize yields. The results showed that a tillage depth of 25 cm significantly increased water use efficiency, photosynthetic rate, and maize yields, while positively influencing soil physical properties.
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Ke-Fan Xu, Mu-Qing Niu, Ye -Wei Zhang, Cun-Ying Meng, Li-Qun Chen
Summary: A novel nonlinear energy sink with active varying stiffness (NES-AVS) is proposed for reducing the mass of the conventional NES and enhancing the vibration reduction effects in spacecraft structures. Experimental and theoretical analysis demonstrate that the NES-AVS has better vibration reduction effects compared to the conventional NES and its mass is reduced by 90%.
MECHANICAL SYSTEMS AND SIGNAL PROCESSING
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
He Wang, Chunlian Zheng, Songrui Ning, Caiyun Cao, Kejiang Li, Hongkai Dai, Yuqing Wu, Junpeng Zhang
Summary: In this study, the researchers investigated the effect of different levels of electrical conductivities (ECiw) of saline water on crop yields and soil properties. They found that an ECiw of 3.4 dS/m is a safe threshold for long-term saline water irrigation to maintain crop production and soil quality.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Aline Franciel de Andrade, Rilner Alves Flores, Derblai Casaroli, Amanda Magalhaes Bueno, Marco Aurelio Pessoa-de-Souza, Frederico Simoes Raimundo de Lima, Eduardo Parra Marques
Summary: This study evaluated the potassium dynamics in the soil-plant system for sugarcane crops under tropical conditions. The results showed that applying 150 kg ha(-1) of potassium annually was the most effective treatment to improve potassium levels in the soil and achieve a positive balance.
Article
Agronomy
Agniva Mandal, Amardeep Singh Toor, Salwinder Singh Dhaliwal, Pritpal Singh, Vijay Kant Singh, Vivek Sharma, Raj K. Gupta, Rama Krishna Naresh, Yogesh Kumar, Biswajit Pramanick, Gangadhar Nanda, Ahmed Gaber, Adel Alkhedaide, Mohamed Mohamed Soliman, Akbar Hossain
Summary: The study assessed the long-term effects of different land uses on soil properties, nutrient status, and stability in semi-arid soils of south-western Punjab, India. The results showed that horticultural land had higher organic carbon, available nutrients, and soil stability compared to croplands and uncultivated lands. Including horticultural land use as a positive strategy in policymaking could help maintain productivity and sustainability in land degradation-prone areas.