Effect of Foliar Application of Micronutrients on Fruit Quality of Peach

This experiment was conducted to study the effect of foliar spray of micronutrients on quality of peach fruits at Horticulture Farm, University of Agriculture Peshawar during 2010. The experiment was conducted in randomized complete design with six treatments and four replications on peach orchards (early grand). Our pre-treatment soil analysis showed silt loam soil class, alkaline and calcareous in nature and adequate in organic matter. The soil was deficient in P, Zn, Fe and B, whereas adequate in Mn and Cu. The fruit quality was evaluated and maximum fruit length, diameter and yield were noted in T6 (Zn + Cu + Fe + Mn + B). The juice pH decreased and the juice acidity increased in a linear fashion after foliar spray of micronutrients. The total soluble solids of fresh fruit juice ranged 7.01%-8.88% and vitamin C ranged from 4.80%-7.90% after foliar spray. So the foliar spray of micronutrients significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected the quality of peach fruit.

Effect of Composted Rock Phosphate with Organic Materials on Yield and Phosphorus Uptake of Berseem and Maize

Field experiments were conducted to determine the effect of composts prepared from different organic materials with rock phosphate (RP) on yield and P uptake of berseem and their residual effect on maize crop (cv. Azam) during 2011-2012. Composts prepared from RP fed farm yard manure (FYM), simple FYM, organic waste and city garbage were applied at the rate based on their P concentrations. Composts significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased total dry matter weight of Berseem in first and second cut over control. Residual effect of the prepared composts was determined on yield and plant P uptake of maize in the same layout of Berseem. Maximum and significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher maize grain yield, total dry matter yield and stover yield of 3161 kg·ha-1, 9633 kg·ha-1 and 6472 kg·ha-1, respectively were recorded by the residual effect of compost of organic waste with half dose of SSP. Thousand grains weight of 220 g was noted in the treatment of residual effect of compost of RP fed FYM with half dose of SSP. Post harvest soil N and P concentrations improved with composting. Significant (P ≤ 0.05) increases in N and P uptake by berseem and maize plants were observed with added composts. Results suggest that the use of composts prepared from different organic materials with RP is environmental friendly and has potential to improve crops yield and plants N and P uptakes for a prolonged time.

Reproducible Abnormalities and Diagnostic Generalizability of White Matter in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is associated with the impairment of white matter(WM)tracts.The current study aimed to verify the utility of WM as the neuroimaging marker of AD with multisite diffusion tensor imaging datasets[321 patients with AD,265 patients with mild cognitive impairment(MCI),279 normal controls(NC)],a unified pipeline,and independent site cross-validation.Automated fiber quantification was used to extract diffusion profiles along tracts.Random-effects meta-analyses showed a reproducible degeneration pattern in which fractional anisotropy significantly decreased in the AD and MCI groups compared with NC.Machine learning models using tract-based features showed good generalizability among independent site cross-validation.The diffusion metrics of the altered regions and the AD probability predicted by the models were highly correlated with cognitive ability in the AD and MCI groups.We highlighted the reproducibility and generalizability of the degeneration pattern of WM tracts in AD.

Grey-matter volume as a potential feature for the classification of Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: an exploratory study

Specific patterns of brain atrophy may be helpful in the diagnosis of Alzheimer＇s disease （AD）. In the present study, we set out to evaluate the utility of grey-matter volume in the classification of AD and amnestic mild cognitive impairment （aMCI） compared to normal control （NC）individuals. Voxel-based morphometric analyses were performed on structural MRIs from 35 AD patients, 27 aMCI patients, and 27 NC participants. A two-sample two-tailed t-test was computed between the NC and AD groups to create a map of abnormal grey matter in AD. The brain areas with significant differences were extracted as regions of interest （ROIs）, and the grey-matter volumes in the ROIs of the aMCI patients were included to evaluate the patterns of change across different disease severities. Next, correlation analyses between the grey-matter volumes in the ROIs and all clinical variables were performed in aMCI and AD patients to determine whether they varied with disease progression. The results revealed significantly decreased grey matter in the bilateral hippocampus/ parahippocampus, the bilateral superior/middle temporal gyri, and the right precuneus in AD patients.The grey-matter volumes with clinical variables were positively correlated Finally, we performed exploratory linear discriminative analyses to assess the classifying capacity of grey-matter volumes in the bilateral hippocampus and parahippocampus among AD, aMCI, and NC. Leave-one-out cross- validation analyses demonstrated that grey-matter volumes in hippocampus and parahippocampus accurately distinguished AD from NC. These findings indicate that grey-matter volumes are useful in the classification of AD.

Residual effects of tobacco biochar along with different fixing agents on stabilization of trace elements in multi-metal contaminated soils

The residual effect of tobacco biochar(TB≥500°C)mono and co-application with Cahydroxide(CH),Ca-bentonite(CB)and natural zeolite(NZ)on the bio-availability of trace elements TE(s)in alkaline soils has not been deeply studied yet.A pot study that had earlier been investigated TB mono and blended with CH,CB and NZ on the immobilization of Pb,Cu Cd,and Zn by Chinese cabbage.Maize crop in the rotation was selected as test plant to assess the residual impact of amendments on stabilization of Pb,Cu Cd,and Zn in mine polluted(M-P),smelter heavily and low polluted(S-HP and S-LP,respectively)soils.The obtained results showed that stabilization of Pb,Cd,Cu and Zn reached 63.84% with TB+CB,61.19% with TB+CH,83.31% with TB+CH and 35.27% with TB+CH for M-P soil,36.46% with TB+NZ,38.46% with TB+NZ,19.40% with TB+CH and 62.43% with TB+CH for S-LP soil,52.94%TB+NZ,57.65% with TB+NZ,52.94% with TB+NZ,and 28.44% with TB+CH for S-LP soil.Conversely,TB+CH and TB alone had mobilized Pb and Zn up to19.29% and 34.96% in M-P soil.The mobility of Zn reached 8.38% with TB+CB and 66.03% with TB for S-HP and S-LP soils.The uptake and accumulation of Pb,Cd,Cu and Zn in shoot and root were reduced in three polluted soils.Overall,the combination of TB along with CH,CB and NZ has been proven to be effective in Pb,Cd,Cu and Zn polluted mine/smelter soils restoration.

Synergistic effects of biochar/microbial inoculation on the enhancement of pig manure composting

With the aim to comparatively investigate the effect of the addition of additives such as biochar(BC),microbial inoculation(MI)and biochar/microbial inoculation(BCMI)on composting enhancement,nitrogen conservation,greenhouse gas emissions,the quality improvement of pig manure compost were comparatively investigated in a 42-day aerobic pig manure composting experiment.The results showed that the duration of the thermophilic stage,the degradation of organic matter and the detoxification of the compost were enhanced in the BC,MI and BCMI treatments compared with those in the control(without additive).Moreover,the content of total Kjeldahl nitrogen in the BC,MI and BCMI treatments was increased by 38.1,48.9 and 59.0%,respectively,through the reduction of NH_(3) volatilization and N_(2)O production,which were higher than those of the control(31.8%).A reduction in CH_(4) release during composting was not observed with the MI and BCMI treatments.Following 42 days of composting,the final product of the three treatments exhibited acceptable potential for use as a fertilizer in agriculture;the BCMI treatment showed an especially synergistic effect on pig manure composting enhancement.

Bacterial community composition and abundance in leachate of semi-aerobic and anaerobic landfills

The abundance and phylogenetic composition of bacterial community in leachate of semi-aerobic and anaerobic landfill were compared through real-time polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. In semi-aerobic landfill scenario, the bacterial 16S rRNA copy numbers in leachate had no significant reduction from initial stage to stable period. In the scenario of anaerobic landfill, the largest bacterial 16S rRNA gene copy number was found in leachate at initial stage, but it reduced significantly at stable period. Moreover, methane-oxidizing bacteria population in stable period was lower than that in initial period in both two landfill processes. However, semi-aerobic landfill leachate had more methanotrophic bacteria populations than that in the anaerobic one. Furthermore, according to the sequences and phylogenetic analysis, obvious difference could be detected in bacterial community composition in different scenarios. Proteobacteria and bacteroidetes took up a dominantly higher proportion in semi-aerobic landfill leachate. To summarize up, different landfill methods and its landfill ages had crucial impacts on bacterial abundance and composition in leachate of semi-aerobic and anaerobic landfills.

Succession of bacterial community during composting:dissimilarity between compost mixture and biochar additive

Previous research showed that biochar addition facilitated composting and elevated nutrient retention.However,few of these studies explored bacterial structure and abundance in the compost mixture and biochar additive.Thus,this study aims to distinguish bacterial communities in both compost and bamboo biochar(BB)additive.Results indicated that the dynamics of nutrient contents in compost and BB samples were in a similar pattern,although there were lower levels of nutrients and metals(i.e.,Cu and Zn)in BB additives.The total number of operational taxonomic units(OTUs)in both compost and BB additives peaked on day 7 and then gradually reduced during composting.There was more abundance of bacteria in compost,whereas the diversity of bacteria was more in BB additives.Furthermore,the dominant bacteria in compost and BB samples were distinct at the different stages of composting.The Firmicutes steadily decreased in compost samples(from 34.78%to 7.65%),while it was the dominant phylum in BB additives during the whole composting period.Furthermore,Ruminofilibacter,Pseudoxanthomonas,and Actinomadura were the most abundant genera in compost samples than Pseudoxanthomonas,Azoarcus,and Paenibacillus in BB additives at the final stage of composting.Results from this study could provide a theoretical reference for the sound performance of biochar-added composting.

Preparation and characterization of MgO hybrid biochar and its mechanism for high efficient recovery of phosphorus from aqueous media

Conversion of organic waste into engineered metal-biochar composite is an effective way of enhancing biochar’s efficiency for adsorptive capture of phosphorus(P)from aqueous media.Thus,various strategies have been created for the production of metal-biochar composites;however,the complex preparation steps,high-cost metal salt reagent application,or extreme process equipment requirements involved in those strategies limited the large-scale production of metal-biochar composites.In this study,a novel biochar composite rich in magnesium oxides(MFBC)was directly produced through co-pyrolysis of magnesite with food waste;the product,MFBC was used to adsorptively capture P from solution and bio-liquid wastewater.The results showed that compared to the pristine food waste biochar,MFBC was a uniformly hybrid MgO biochar composite with a P capture capacity of 523.91 mg/g.The capture of P by MFBC was fitted using the Langmuir and pseudo-first-order kinetic models.The P adsorptive capture was controlled by MgHPO4 formation and electrostatic attraction,which was affected by the coexisting F−and CO_(3)^(2−)ions.MFBC could recover more than 98%of P from the solution and bio-liquid wastewater.Although the P-adsorbed MFBC showed very limited reusability but it can be substituted for phosphate fertiliser in agricultural practices.This study provided an innovative technology for preparing MgO-biochar composite against P recovery from aqueous media,and also highlighted high-value-added approaches for resource utilization of bio-liquid wastewater and food waste.

Effect of corn pre-puffing on the efficiency of MgO-engineered biochar for phosphorus recovery from livestock wastewater:mechanistic investigations and cost benefit analyses

To improve the phosphorus(P)recovery efficiency from livestock wastewater,a novel MgO doped mildewed corn biochar with thermal pre-puffing treatment(Mg-PBC)and without pre-puffing(Mg-BC)was synthesized and tested.The thermal-puffing pretreatment improved the effectiveness of metal soaking and MgO dispersion.P recovery time with Mg-PBC(7 h)was significantly shorter than that with Mg-BC(12 h).Moreover,Mg-PBC showed significantly higher P recovery capacity(241 mg g^(−1))than Mg-BC(96.6 mg g^(−1)).P recovery capacity of the Mg-PBC fitted to the Thomas model was 90.7 mg g^(−1),which was 4 times higher than that of Mg-BC(22.9 mg g^(−1))under column test conditions.The mechanisms involved in P recovery included precipitation,surface complexation,and electrostatic interaction.After adsorption,both Mg-BC and Mg-PBC showed relatively low regeneration abilities.The P loaded Mg-BC(Mg-BC-P)and Mg-PBC(Mg-PBC-P),the later particularly,obviously increased the available P content and promoted plant growth.The release of P increased with time in the Mg-PBC-P treated soil,while it decreased with time in the P fertilizer treated soil.A cost-benefit analysis revealed that thermal-puffing pretreatment greatly increased the profit of MgO doped biochar from−0.66 to 5.90 US$kg^(−1).These findings highlight that biomass pre-puffing is a feasible treatment to produce MgO modified biochar and to recover P from livestock wastewater,and that the Mg-PBC-P can be used as a slow-release P fertilizer.

Bio-assembled MgO-coated tea waste biochar efficiently decontaminates phosphate from water and kitchen waste fermentation liquid

Crystal morphology of metal oxides in engineered metal-biochar composites governs the removal of phosphorus(P)from aqueous solutions.Up to our best knowledge,preparation of bio-assembled MgO-coated biochar and its application for the removal of P from solutions and kitchen waste fermentation liquids have not yet been studied.Therefore,in this study,a needle-like MgO particle coated tea waste biochar composite(MTC)was prepared through a novel biological assembly and template elimination process.The produced MTC was used as an adsorbent for removing P from a synthetic solution and real kitchen waste fermentation liquid.The maximum P sorption capacities of the MTC,deduced from the Langmuir model,were 58.80 mg g^(−1) from the solution at pH 7 and 192.8 mg g^(−1) from the fermentation liquid at pH 9.The increase of ionic strength(0-0.1 mol L^(−1) NaNO_(3))reduced P removal efficiency from 98.53%to 93.01%in the synthetic solution but had no significant impact on P removal from the fermentation liquid.Precipitation of MgHPO4 and Mg(H2PO4)2(76.5%),ligand exchange(18.0%),and electrostatic attraction(5.5%)were the potential mechanisms for P sorption from the synthetic solution,while struvite formation(57.6%)and ligand exchange(42.2%)governed the sorption of P from the kitchen waste fermentation liquid.Compared to previously reported MgO-biochar composites,MTC had a lower P sorption capacity in phosphate solution but a higher P sorption capacity in fermentation liquid.Therefore,the studied MTC could be used as an effective candidate for the removal of P from aqueous environments,and especially from the fermentation liquids.In the future,it will be necessary to systematically compare the performance of metal-biochar composites with different metal oxide crystal morphology for P removal from different types of wastewater.

Spatiotemporal distribution,environmental risk and carbon emission reduction potential of livestock manure in Shaanxi Province,China

Shaanxi is a leading province in animal husbandry(AH)in China.However,the lack of provincial information on the characteristics and utilization potential of livestock manure(LM)hinders crucial management decisions.Therefore,we investigated the spatiotemporal distribution,availability and biogas potential of LM in Shaanxi,and examine the carbon emission reduction potential of AH.There has been a 1.26-fold increase in LM quantities in Shaanxi over the past 35 years,reaching 4635.6×10^(4)t by 2021.LM was mainly concentrated in northern Shaanxi and the eastern part of Hanzhong.Cattle and pig manure were the primary sources of LM,with the average LM land-load of 14.57 t·ha^(−1)in 2021.While the overall AH in Shaanxi has not exceeded the environmental capacity,the actual scales of AH in Ankang and Hanzhong have already surpassed the respective environmental capacities,posing a higher risk of N and P pollutions.In 2021,the estimated biogas energy potential of LM was 1.2×10^(11)MJ.From 2012 to 2021,the average carbon emission reduction potential in Shaanxi was 22%,with an average potential scale of 10%.The results of this research provide valuable data and policy recommendations for promoting the intensive use of LM and reducing carbon emissions in Shaanxi.