No abstract

Irreplaceability of phosphorus as a necessary macroelement in crop production is due to limited resources and costly processing of ores and immobilization in soil, which force for seeking an alternative sources or the use of waste materials. In this paper, the waste aluminum phosphate from pharmaceutical factory used as phosphate fertilizer and its effects were compared with other phosphorus fertilizers (superphosphate and rock phosphate). Except the analysis of available phosphorus (AL-method) the sequential extraction of phosphorus (modified Chang and Jackson) and sequential extraction of aluminum (modified Tessier) were performed. The experimental plant was mustard (Sinapis alba). The pot experiment was carried out on two soil types: Stagnosol and Vertisol. Application of phosphorus with aluminum phosphate had the same effect as the application of other phosphatic fertilizers in both soil types. In Stagnosol Al-phosphate directly influenced the increase in plant fresh weight by 39% and dry weight by 43% compared to the control, and also decreased the content of mobile Al for 40% and Pb for 47% in plant biomass. Based on these results, the use of waste aluminum phosphate has a potential to be used as a phosphorus fertilizer under given conditions.

No abstract

Microbially mediated soil organic matter is an extremely sensitive pool that indicates subtle changes in the quality parameters responsible for the soil’s ecological and productive functions. Fifty years of mineral fertilization of a wheat-corn cropping system has a strong impact on soil quality parameters. The goal of the research was to study the dynamics and quality of soil biological parameters affected by increasing amounts of mineral nitrogen. Soil respiration, potentially mineralizable C and N, microbial biomass C and N and light-fraction OM on Cambisol were analyzed in the following treatments: (1) Control (without fertilization); (2) NPK (60/51/67); (3) NPK (90/51/67); (4) NPK (120/51/67); (5) NPK (150/51/67 kg ha−1). The parameters studied were significantly affected by the long-term application of mineral fertilizer compared with both the control and the adjacent native soil. The highest amounts of nitrogen (N150) did not significantly differ from N120 and N90 for most of the parameters studied. Potentially mineralizable C represented the largest labile carbon pool, while microbial biomass N was the largest labile nitrogen pool. The mineralization rates for C and N were oppositely distributed over the seasons. The sensitivity index correlated with the amount of light-fraction OM. The results give a deeper insight into the behavior and distribution of different pools of labile SOM in the agro-landscapes and can serve as a reliable basis for further research focused on zero soil degradation.

The use of biomass ash in agriculture can have advantages such as improved soil quality and environmentally friendly ash disposal. Moreover, in combination with microbial inoculants, biomass ash can have a beneficial effect on plant growth. The study investigated the effect of biomass ash and inoculums of three Bacillus isolates on the quality of soil and barley plants. The greenhouse pot experiment included five treatments and two control soils: control - without any amendment and control with mineral fertilizer (CAN). Treatments included soil (3 kg/pot) and biomass ash (30 g/pot) with and without calcium ammonium nitrate or with bacterial inoculum. Biomass ash was collected after combustion of soybean straw. Bacillus sp. were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of alfalfa. The presence of PGP traits (Indole-3-Acetic Acid and siderophores) was confirmed by the quantitative tests for the three Bacillus isolates used (B1, BS1, BMG1). The ash, soil and plant (collected in crop maturity stage) samples were tested for: total N, C, S, and plant available P2O5 and K2O as well as for the content of potentially toxic and hazardous microelements (As, Cd, So, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn). Inoculation of seeds with Bacillus inoculums (in vitro) showed a significant effect on seedling growth compared to the non-inoculated control. Addition of ash significantly reduced soil acidity and increased content of plant available P and K compared to the controls, while combination of ash and microorganism, increased amount of available P compared to the treatment with ash only. Barley biomass yield was increased more than double when treated with ash and by 87.62% when treated with ash+BMG1 compared to control. The lowest yield was obtained in the treatment where only CAN was added. The content of potentially toxic microelements in the soil and barley shoots was below the maximum allowed concentrations. The use of biomass ash alone was effective in terms of soil nutritional and physical properties resulting in yield increase. However, the use of ash in combination with Bacillus isolates in addition to positive effect on soil and plant quality resulted in a higher barley biomass than the combination of ash with CAN. This study showed that biomass ash can be used as fertilizer on acidic soils with low nutrient content alone or in combination with bacterial inoculants. The synergistic effect of ash with microorganisms can provide an environmentally friendly approach in agriculture to reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and solve the problem of biomass ash disposal.

The impact of climate change on potato cultivation in Montenegro was assessed. Three scenarios (A1B, A1Bs and A2) for 2001–2030, 2071–2100 and 2071–2100, respectively, were generated by a regional climate model and compared with the baseline period 1961–1990. The results indicated an increase of temperature during the summer season from 1.3 to 4.8 °C in the mountain region and from 1 to 3.4 °C in the coastal zone. The precipitation decreased between 5 and 50% depending on the scenario, region and season. The changes in temperature and precipitation influenced phenology, yield and water needs. The impact was more pronounced in the coastal areas than in the mountain regions. The growing season was shortened 13.6, 22.9 and 29.7 days for A1B, A1Bs and A2, respectively. The increase of irrigation requirement was 4.0, 19.5 and 7.3 mm for A1B, A1Bs and A2, respectively. For the baseline conditions, yield reduction under rainfed cultivation was lower than 30%. For A1B, A1Bs and A2 scenarios, yield reductions were 31.0 ± 8.2, 36.3 ± 11.6 and 34.1 ± 10.9%, respectively. Possible adaptation measures include shifting of production to the mountain (colder) areas and irrigation application. Rainfed cultivation remains a viable solution when the anticipation of sowing is adopted.

The study used data from the project "Fertilization control and content determination of harmful and dangerous substances in the soil of the Republic of Serbia" (1993-2007). The soil samples were obtained from the surface horizon for content determination of heavy metals pseudo-total forms (HNO3 and H2O2). Based on 5,022 soil samples, the variations and limits of the background values for As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined by the following methods: [Mean ± 2Sd], [Median ± 2MAD], and boxplot-Tukey upper threshold (TIF). The obtained values were the lowest with the employment of Median + 2MAD method, for most elements between 87 and 90%, which means that there was a significant number of locations with unusual values which needs special attention. The other two methods gave more approximate values, generally between 95-98%. Inside research it is considered the most appropriate method and relationship with the limit values inside Serbian regulations. Due to the significant difference in Ni and Cr by geological units in the Republic of Serbia, it is necessary to determine two background limits for these elements-for soils on serpentine rock (and on the material originating from them) and for other soils.

During the regular control of soil fertility in the Rasina District, it was established that the plots of land were distributed across Vertisol, Eutric Cambisol and Fluvisol types of soils, and to a lesser extent on Pseudogley and Ranker. The tested samples had different textures - sandy loam and loam, clay-sandy loam and clay loam, and clay. Plots of land that were of very acidic and acidic reactions were predominant, with medium amounts of humus, very low amounts of available phosphorus, and high amounts of available potassium. High or very high cation absorption capacity was found in about half of the examined fields; a deficient content of exchangeable Ca was recorded in 22% of plots and that of exchangeable Mg in 16% of plots, while an unfavorable Ca/Mg ratio was measured in 44% of plots. The overall sensitivity to acidification was mainly moderate (50.6% of plots) and strong (20.2% of plots). Very high concentrations of mobile Al, which could be toxic to plants, were found in 5 field plots.