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The proper assessment of trace element concentrations in the north Nile Delta of Egypt is needed in order to reduce the high levels of toxic elements in contaminated soils. The objectives of this study were to assess the risks of contamination for four trace elements (nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), and boron (B)) in three different layers of the soil using the geoaccumulation index (I-geo) and pollution load index (PLI) supported by GIS, as well as to evaluate the performance of partial least-square regression (PLSR) and multiple linear regression (MLR) in estimating the PLI based on data for the four trace elements in the three different soil layers. The results show a widespread contamination of I-geo Ni, Co, Cr, and B in the three different layers of the soil. The I-geo values varied from 0 to 4.74 for Ni, 0 to 6.56 for Co, 0 to 4.11 for Cr, and 0 to 4.57 for B. According to I-geo classification, the status of Ni, Cr, and B ranged from uncontaminated/moderately contaminated to strongly/extremely contaminated. Co ranged from uncontaminated/moderately contaminated to extremely contaminated. There were no significant differences in the values of I-geo for Ni, Co, Cr, and B in the three different layers of the soil. According to the PLI classification, the majority of the samples were very highly polluted. For example, 4.76% and 95.24% of the samples were unpolluted and very highly polluted, respectively, in the surface layer of the soil profiles. Additionally, 14.29% and 85.71% of the samples were unpolluted and very highly polluted, respectively, in the subsurface layer of the soil profiles. Both calibration (Cal.) and validation (Val.) models of the PLSR and MLR showed the highest performance in predicting the PLI based on data for the four studied trace elements, as an alternative method. The validation (Val.) models performed the best in predicting the PLI, with R2 = 0.89–0.93 in the surface layer, 0.91–0.96 in the subsurface layer, 0.89–0.94 in the lowest layers, and 0.92–0.94 across the three different layers. In conclusion, the integration of the I-geo, PLI, GIS technique, and multivariate models is a valuable and applicable approach for the assessment of the risk of contamination for trace elements, and the PLSR and MLR models could be used through applying chemometric techniques to evaluate the PLI in different layers of the soil.

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Soil is the main component in the agroecosystem besides water, microbial communities, and cultivated plants. Several problems face soil, including soil pollution, erosion, salinization, and degradation on a global level. Many approaches have been applied to overcome these issues, such as phyto-, bio-, and nanoremediation through different soil management tools. Mushrooms can play a vital role in the soil through bio-nanoremediation, especially under the biological synthesis of nanoparticles, which could be used in the bioremediation process. This review focuses on the green synthesis of nanoparticles using mushrooms and the potential of bio-nanoremediation for polluted soils. The distinguished roles of mushrooms of soil improvement are considered a crucial dimension for sustainable soil management, which may include controlling soil erosion, improving soil aggregates, increasing soil organic matter content, enhancing the bioavailability of soil nutrients, and resorting to damaged and/or polluted soils. The field of bio-nanoremediation using mushrooms still requires further investigation, particularly regarding the sustainable management of soils.

Soil is an essential component in the ecological system that supports human life with needed food for humans, feeds for animals, fibres, fuels, building materials, and other necessities. However, soil suffers from a number of problems caused by humans, presented here in pictorial form. This review will take us on a narrative journey through soils with a focus on the soil-human relationship and its impact on soil ecosystems. Soil has direct and indirect relationships to humans, starting with the crucial roles of soil in human life, including its support of human civilization through ecosystem services, sustainable agriculture, and human health. It is essential and urgent to manage soils for health and sustainability by building the soil-food-environment-health nexus. This work is an attempt to highlight major roles that soil plays in human life in a presentation that is more photos and less words, because one photo is worth one thousand words.

S TRESSED environments have long been a question of great interest in a wide range of fields. So, many considerable literatures have grown up around this theme. In Egypt, there are several common problems related to the stressed environments. These stresses include decline of soil fertility, soil salinity and alkalinity, soil water logging, salt-affected soils, soil pollution, climate change, overpopulation growth, urban sprawl, land degradation, deterioration of natural resources, etc. More generally, national income will decline and will in turn result in the spread of social and political problems. Kafr El-Sheikh governorate can be considered one of the most important areas in Egypt, which calls "the governorate of the hope and the future" due to its location and wealths. Whereas, this governorate suffers from the most common stresses in Egypt including pollution, salinity, alkalinity and waterlogging. Great problems have been recorded in Kafr El-Sheikh related to stressed environments and suggested solutions also have been addressed. Therefore, a sustainable management should be adapted for overcoming these stressed environments in Kafr El-Sheikh.