Various Organic Nutrient Sources in Combinations with Inorganic Fertilizers Influence the Yield and Quality of Sweet Corn(Zea mays L.saccharata)in New Alluvial Soils of West Bengal,India

Nutrient management plays a crucial role in the yield and quality of sweet corn.A field experiment was conducted in consecutive two kharif seasons in 2018 and 2019 to investigate the effect of various organic sources of nutrients in combination with inorganic sources on the yield and quality of sweet corn under new alluvial soils of West Bengal,India.Treatments were:T_(1):Control(without fertilizers);T_(2):100%recommended dose(RDF)of chemical fertilizers(CF)(RDF CF_(100%));T_(3):100%recommended dose of N(RDN)through vermicompost(VC)(RDN VC_(100%));T_(4):50 RDN through CF+50%RDN through VC(RDN CF_(50%)+RDN VC50%);T_(5):50%RDF through CF+50%RDN through organic source(OS)1,Soligro(Ascophyllum nodosum)granular(RDN CF_(50%)+RDN OS_(150%));T6:50%RDN through CF+50%RDN through OS 2,Bioenzyme(liquid)(RDN CF_(50%)+RDN OS250%);T7:50%RDN through CF+50%RDN through OS 3,Opteine(Ascophyllum nodosum)filtrate[RDN CF_(50%)+RDN OS350%];T8:50%RDN through VC+50%RDF through OS 1,Soligro(Ascophyllum nodosum)granular(RDN VC50%+RDN OS_(150%)).The OS of fertilizers were VC,SoliGro Gr(OS1)(Ascophyllum nodosum),Bioenzyme liquid(OS2),and Opteine(Ascophyllum nodosum)filtrate(OS3).The inorganic source was traditional CF applied at the RDF(150:75:75 kg ha^(−1) of N:P2O5:K2O).The VC was used to supply 100%RDN as one source or 50%RDN when combined with CF or OS.Maximum fruit yield(10.75 and 10.79 t ha^(−1) in 2018 and 2019,respectively)was recorded when RDF was substituted through CF only,being statistically at par with 50%CF+50%VC on a nitrogen equivalent basis(9.92 and 10.00 t ha^(−1) in 2018 and 2019,respectively)and 100%VC(8.22 and 8.32 t ha^(−1) in 2018 and 2019,respectively).Compared to chemical sources of nutrients,VC-based treatments produced a larger percentage of large-size cob(>25 cm).The 100%VC increased antioxidant(8.35 and 8.45 mg g^(−1)),carotenoid(0.59 and 0.61 mg/100 g),and phenol(55.06 and 55.02 mg 100 g^(−1))content compared with its 50%dose in combination with other sources.The study revealed the potentiality of organic sources towards achieving improved cob quality of sweet corn.

Effect of Rural Sewage Irrigation Regime on Water-Nitrogen Utilization and Crop Growth of Paddy Rice in Southern China

Reclaimed water irrigation has become an effective mean to alleviate the contradiction between water availability and its consumption worldwide.In this study,three types of irrigation water sources(rural sewage’s primary treated water R1 and secondary treated water R2,and river water R3)meeting the requirements of water quality for farmland irrigation were selected,and three types of irrigation water levels(low water levelW1 of 0–80 mm,medium water level W2 of 0–100 mm,and high water level W3 of 0–150 mm)were adopted to carry out research on the influence mechanismS of different irrigation water sources and water levels on water and nitrogen use and crop growth in paddy field.The water quantity indicators(irrigation times and irrigation volume),soil ammonium nitrogen(NH4+-N)and nitrate nitrogen(NO3−-N),rice yield indicators(thousand-grain weight,the number of grains per spike,and the number of effective spikes),and quality indicators(the amount of protein,amylose,vitamin C,nitrate and nitrite content)of rice were measured.The results showed that,the average irrigation volume under W3 was 2.4 and 1.9 times of that under W1 and W2,respectively.Compared with R3,the peak consumption of rice was lagged behind under R1 and R2,and the nitrogen form in 0–40 cm soil layers under rural sewage irrigation was mainly NH4+-N.The changes of NO3−-N and NH4+-N in the 0–40 cm soil layer showed the trend of declining and then increasing.The water level control only had a significant effect on the change of NO3−-N in the 60–80 cm soil layer.Both irrigation water use efficiency and crop water use efficiency were gradually reduced with the increase of field water level control.The nitrogen utilization efficiency under rural sewage irrigation was significantly higher than that under R3.Compared with the R3,rural sewage irrigation could significantly increase the yield of rice,and as the field water level rose,the effect of yield promotion was more obvious.It was noteworthy that the grain of rice under R1 monitored the low nitrate and nitrite content,but no nitrate and nitrite was discovered under R2 and R3.Therefore,reasonable rural sewage irrigation(R2)and medium water level(W2)were beneficial to improve nitrogen utilization efficiency,crop yield and crop quality promotion.

Treated wastewater irrigation effect on soil,crop and environment:Wastewater recycling in the loess area of China

A study was carded out at the Loess Plateau in Dongzhi, China, to test the feasibility of using secondary treatment sewage effluent and to determine whether the water quality would then meet the recommended irrigation norm. Seven crops, including celery, wheat, maize, millet, apples, rapeseed and yellow beans, were tested in the study. Physical and chemical properties of the soil, crop yield and quality and leachate at different soil depths were measured. In most cases, the quality of the crops that made use of treated sewage was not distinctively different from those that did not use treated sewage. However, yields for the former were much higher than they were for the latter. Leachates at different soil depths were analyzed and the results did not show alarming levels of constituents. For a period of approximately 14 months, the treated sewage irrigation had no significant effect on the loess soil and no cases of illness resulting from contact with the treated sewage were reported. With treated sewage irrigation, a slight increase in the organic content of the soil was observed.

Application and Development Prospect of Se-rich & High-Ca Organic Fertilizer

Se is one of trace elements necessary for the human body,and human body could absorb Se via the food. Se intake is insufficient in 2/3 region of China,which seriously affects health of local residents. Therefore,the research of Se-rich fertilizer and the development of Se-rich product become the research focus in food science,medicine and other fields. There are rich marine resources in Beibu Gulf waters of Guangxi,and much carapace organic waste is generated. These carapace waste not only has high Se content but also is composed of a lot of Ca. The preparation of Se-rich ＆ high-Ca fertilizer by these carapace waste not only reaches the target of recycling and environment friendly but also increases the yield of agricultural products,reduces diseases and pests,improves quality,increases the added value of agricultural product,which brings better economic benefit and meets people＇s demand for healthy food.

The ecological effects of rice straw mulching on vineyard

Yongzhou often encounters drought condition in July and August. Sometimes no rainfall lasts for 20 to 40 days, causes a great damage to grape production Our four-year rice straw mulching test on vineyard indicates that if favorable mulching is supplied properly, it reduces soil temperature and conserves soil moisture in summer, increases soil temperature in winter, keeps soil loose and mellow, depresses weeds, and increases soil organic matter content in vineyard to secure good quality and higher yield even under drought condition.

Superabsorbent Polymer and Rabbit Manure Improve Soil Moisture, Growth and Yield of Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)

Production of eggplant(Solanum melongena L.)is influenced by limited soil water and fertility conditions that affect its growth and yield.The use of superabsorbent polymer(SAP),also known as slush powder and rabbit manure are among the strategies that can improve soil conditions,hence growth and yield of crops.The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of SAP and rabbit manure on soil moisture,growth and yield of eggplant.The study was conducted at Pwani University,Kilifi,Kenya.A randomized complete block design with three replications was used.The treatments were SAP,rabbit manure,SAP plus rabbit manure and control(without SAP or rabbit manure).Soil moisture,growth and yield parameters were determined.Superabsorbent polymer and/or rabbit manure improved soil moisture,growth and yield of eggplant compared with the control.Use of SAP had a better soil moisture retention,growth and yield comparable to SAP combined with rabbit manure.The finding demonstrates that use of SAP and/or rabbit manure may help in better soil water and nutrient management,particularly in arid and semi-arid areas to improve growth and yield of eggplant.

Estimating emissions from crop residue open burning in China based on statistics and MODIS fire products

With the objective of reducing the large uncertainties in the estimations of emissions from crop residue open burning, an improved method for establishing emission inventories of crop residue open burning at a high spatial resolution of 0.25°× 0.25° and a temporal resolution of1 month was established based on the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer（MODIS） Thermal Anomalies/Fire Daily Level3 Global Product（MOD/MYD14A1）. Agriculture mechanization ratios and regional crop-specific grain-to-straw ratios were introduced to improve the accuracy of related activity data. Locally observed emission factors were used to calculate the primary pollutant emissions. MODIS satellite data were modified by combining them with county-level agricultural statistical data, which reduced the influence of missing fire counts caused by their small size and cloud cover. The annual emissions of CO2, CO, CH4,nonmethane volatile organic compounds（NMVOCs）, N2O, NOx, NH3, SO2, fine particles（PM2.5）,organic carbon（OC）, and black carbon（BC） were 150.40, 6.70, 0.51, 0.88, 0.01, 0.13, 0.07, 0.43,1.09, 0.34, and 0.06 Tg, respectively, in 2012. Crop residue open burning emissions displayed typical seasonal and spatial variation. The highest emission regions were the Yellow-Huai River and Yangtse-Huai River areas, and the monthly emissions were highest in June（37%）.Uncertainties in the emission estimates, measured as 95% confidence intervals, range from a low of within ±126% for N2O to a high of within ± 169% for NH3.

Regulated deficit irrigation:an effective way to solve the shortage of agricultural water for horticulture

The deficient agricultural water caused by water shortage is a crucial limiting factor of horticultural production.Among many agricultural water-saving technologies,regulated deficit irrigation(RDI)has been proven to be one of the effective technologies to improve water use efficiency and reduce water waste on the premise of maintaining the quality of agricultural products.RDI was first reported more than 40years ago,although it has been applied in some areas,little is known about understanding of the implementation method,scope of application and detailed mechanism of RDI,resulting in the failure to achieve the effect that RDI should have.This review refers to the research on RDI in different crops published in recent years,summarizes the definition,equipment condition,function,theory illumination,plant response and application in different crops of RDI,and looks forward to its prospect.We expect that this review will provide valuable guidance for researchers and producers concerned,and support the promotion of RDI in more horticultural crops.