Sorption and Leaching Potential of Isoproturon and Atrazine in Low Organic Carbon Soil of Pakistan Under a Wheat-Maize Rotation

Pesticide leaching is a great threat in low organic carbon soils when subjected to improper irrigation scheduling.Limited data are available on the sorption and leaching potential of pesticides in agricultural soils of Pakistan with low soil organic carbon(SOC).Lysimeter and field studies were conducted with and without manure application at two irrigation levels in a wheat-fallowmaize rotation in Faisalabad,Punjab,Pakistan.Isoproturon was applied to wheat 55 d after sowing at 1 kg active ingredient(a.i.)ha^(-1),while atrazine was sprayed on maize 30 d after sowing at 0.774 kg a.i.ha^(-1).Soil was sampled from three depths(0-35,35-70,and 70-110 cm) for the field study and four depths(0-35,35-70,70-115,and 115-160 cm) for the lysimeter study,280 and 65 d after application of isoproturon and atrazine,respectively.The soil-water partition coefficients(K_d) of isoproturon and atrazine ranged from 0.3 to 1.2 and 0.4 to 1.5 L kg^(-1),respectively,and increased linearly with increase in SOC contents.The organic carbon-normalized soil-water partition coefficient(K_(oc)) of isoproturon and atrazine averaged 246.1 and 184.9 L kg^(-1),respectively,being higher with low spiking concentration.Isoproturon residues measured 280 d after application ranged from 2.1% to 3.6% of the applied mass in the lysimeter study and from 1.5% to 3.1% under field conditions.Atrazine residues 65 d after application ranged from only 0.62% to 0.78% and from 0.88% to 0.82% in the lysimeter and field studies,respectively.The lowest levels of residues for both pesticides were observed with frequent irrigation applied to manure-amended soil.A pesticide leaching risk screening tool,the ground water ubiquity score(GUS),indicated that in the absence of manure under both irrigation levels,isoproturon has a leaching potential(GUS = 2.8),while with the application of manure it has a very low leaching risk.Atrazine GUS ranged from 1.7 to 1.9,indicating a very low risk of leaching.

Phosphorus-Mobilizing Rhizobacterial Strain Bacillus cereus GS6 Improves Symbiotic Efficiency of Soybean on an Aridisol Amended with Phosphorus-Enriched Compost

Legume plants are an essential component of sustainable farming systems.Phosphorus(P) deficiency is a significant constraint for legume production, especially in nutrient-poor soils of arid and semi-arid regions.In the present study, we conducted a pot experiment to evaluate the effects of a phosphorus-mobilizing plant-growth promoting rhizobacterial strain Bacillus cereus GS6, either alone or combined with phosphate-enriched compost(PEC) on the symbiotic(nodulation-N_2 fixation) performance of soybean(Glycine max(L.) Merr.) on an Aridisol.The PEC was produced by composting food waste with addition of single super phosphate.The bacterial strain B.cereus GS6 showed considerable potential for P solubilization and mobilization by releasing carboxylates in insoluble P(rock phosphate)-enriched medium.Inoculation of B.cereus GS6 in combination with PEC application significantly improved nodulation and nodule N_2 fixation efficiency.Compared to the control(without B.cereus GS6 and PEC), the combined application of B.cereus GS6 with PEC resulted in significantly higher accumulation of nitrogen(N), P, and potassium(K) in grain, shoot, and nodule.The N:P and P:K ratios in nodules were significantly altered by the application of PEC and B.cereus GS6, which reflected the important roles of P and K in symbiotic performance of soybean.The combined application of PEC and B.cereus GS6 also significantly increased the soil dehydrogenase and phosphomonoesterase activities, as well as the soil available N, P, and K contents.Significant positive relationships were found between soil organic carbon(C) content, dehydrogenase and phosphomonoesterase activities, and available N, P, and K contents.This study suggests that inoculation of P-mobilizing rhizobacteria, such as B.cereus GS6, in combination with PEC application might enhance legume productivity by improving nodulation and nodule N_2 fixation efficiency.