Rice Husk as a Sustainable Amendment for Heavy Metal Immobilization in Contaminated Soils: A Pathway to Environmental Remediation.

Rice husk is a waste byproduct of rice production. This material has a moderate cost and is readily available, representing 20-22% of the biomass produced by rice cultivation. This study focused on the properties of rice husk in the remediation of soils contaminated by heavy metals.

Bio-physical pre-treatments in anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste to optimize biogas production and digestate quality for agricultural use.

This study optimized the anaerobic digestion (AD) of separated collected organic fractions of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) to produce energy and digestate as biofertilizer. Due to OFMSW's partial recalcitrance to degradation, enzymatic (UPP2, MCPS, USC4, USE2, A. niger) and physical (mechanical blending, heating, hydrodynamic cavitation) pre-treatments were tested.

Photosynthetic recovery in drought-rehydrated grapevines is associated with high demand from the sinks, maximizing the fruit-oriented performance.

To understand how grapevine sinks compete with each other during water stress and subsequent rehydration, carbon (C) allocation patterns in drought-rehydrated vines (REC) at the beginning of fruit ripening were compared with control vines maintained under drought (WS) or fully irrigated (WW). In the 30 days following rehydration, the quantity and distribution of newly fixed C between leaves, roots and fruits was evaluated through CO pulse-labeling and stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry. REC plants diverted the same percentage of fixed C towards the berries as the WS plants, although the percentage was higher than that of WW plants.

Pyoluteorin Produced by the Biocontrol Agent Is Involved in the Inhibition of Species Present in Europe.

(strain DSMZ 13134) is a biocontrol agent with promising antagonistic activity hinging on antibiosis against the fungal forest pathogens spp. Here, by using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS), we assessed whether monocultures of (strain DSMZ 13134) produce the three major determinants of biocontrol activity known for the genus : 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (2,4-DAPG), pyoluteorin (PLT), and pyrrolnitrin (PRN). At the tested culture conditions, we observed the production of PLT at concentrations ranging from 0.

Legume-Based Mobile Green Manure Can Increase Soil Nitrogen Availability and Yield of Organic Greenhouse Tomatoes.

Information about the availability of soil mineral nitrogen (N) in organic greenhouse tomatoes after the application of mobile green manure (MGM), and its impact on plant nutrient status and yield is scarce. Considering this knowledge gap, the effects of legume biomass from faba beans that are cultivated outdoors (FAB), or from feed-grade alfalfa pellets at two different doses (AAL = 330 g m; AAH = 660 g m) that were applied as MGM on the nutrition and yield of an organic greenhouse crop of tomatoes were evaluated. All of the MGM treatments increased the mineral N concentrations in the soil throughout the cropping period, and the total N concentration in tomato leaves when compared to the untreated control.

Strigolactones affect phosphorus acquisition strategies in tomato plants.

Strigolactones (SLs) are plant hormones that modulate morphological, physiological and biochemical changes as part of the acclimation strategies to phosphorus (P) deficiency, but an in-depth description of their effects on tomato P-acquisition strategies under P shortage is missing. Therefore, in this study, we investigate how SLs impact on root exudation and P uptake, in qualitative and quantitative terms over time, in wild-type and SL-depleted tomato plants grown with or without P. Under P shortage, SL-depleted plants were unable to efficiently activate most mechanisms associated with the P starvation response (PSR), except for the up-regulation of P transporters and increased activity of P-solubilizing enzymes.

Impact of Legumes as a Pre-Crop on Nitrogen Nutrition and Yield in Organic Greenhouse Tomato.

An organic greenhouse crop of tomato was established in February following cultivation of cowpea (CP) or common bean (CB) for green pod production, or faba bean (FB) for green manuring. The vegetative residues of CP and CB were incorporated to the soil together with farmyard manure (FYM), prior to establishing the tomato crop. The FB plants were incorporated to the soil at anthesis together with either FYM or composted olive-mill waste (CO).

Strigolactones Control Root System Architecture and Tip Anatomy in L. Plants under P Starvation.

The hormones strigolactones accumulate in plant roots under phosphorus (P) shortage, inducing variations in plant phenotype. In this study, we aimed at understanding whether strigolactones control morphological and anatomical changes in tomato ( L.) roots under varying P supply.

Conversion from mineral fertilisation to MSW compost use: Nitrogen fertiliser value in continuous maize and test on crop rotation.

The recycling of agricultural wastes, co-products, and by-products is necessary for creating circular economic (closed loop) agro-food chains and more sustainable agro-ecosystems. The substitution of N mineral fertilisers with recycled organic fertiliser promotes a circular economy, makes the agricultural system more environmentally sustainable, and guarantees food security. Results from a continuous maize experiment and four-year rotation cropping systems (maize, winter wheat, maize, and soybean) were used in a three-year study that replaced part or all mineral fertilisers with Municipal Solid Waste Compost (MSWC).

Dung beetles as drivers of ecosystem multifunctionality: Are response and effect traits interwoven?

Rapid biodiversity loss has emphasized the need to understand how biodiversity affects the provisioning of ecological functions. Of particular interest are species and communities with versatile impacts on multiple parts of the environment, linking processes in the biosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere to human interests in the anthroposphere (in this case, cattle farming). In this study, we examine the role of a specific group of insects - beetles feeding on cattle dung - on multiple ecological functions spanning these spheres (dung removal, soil nutrient content and greenhouse gas emissions).

Sustainable magnet-responsive nanomaterials for the removal of arsenic from contaminated water.

In this study, chitosan and bio-based substances (BBS) obtained from composted biowaste were used as stabilizers for the synthesis of magnet-sensitive nanoparticles (NPs) via coprecipitation method. A pyrolysis treatment was carried out on both biopolymers at 550°C, and their consequent conversion into a carbon matrix was followed by means of different physicochemical characterization techniques (mainly FTIR spectroscopy and XRD), whereas magnetic properties were evaluated by magnetization curves. The prepared materials were tested in water remediation processes from arsenic (As) species (both inorganic and organic forms).

Ecological functions provided by dung beetles are interlinked across space and time: evidence from N isotope tracing.

Maintaining multiple ecological functions ("multifunctionality") is crucial to sustain viable ecosystems. To date most studies on biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) have focused on single or few ecological functions and services. However, there is a critical need to evaluate how species and species assemblages affect multiple processes at the same time, and how these functions are interconnected.

Fertilization strategies affect phosphorus forms and release from soils and suspended solids.

The release of phosphorus from soils in surface runoff is strongly influenced by fertilizer inputs and contributes significantly to agriculturally driven eutrophication. This work evaluated the forms and availability of P in bulk soils and suspended solids (SS) produced by a water dispersion test that mimics the action of rain events and/or irrigation. This test was applied on soils cultivated with maize and fertilized with mineral N, P, and K (NPK); mineral P and K (PK); bovine slurry and P (S); or manure and P (M) for 15 yr.

Paramagnetic iron-doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles with improved metal sorption properties. A bioorganic substrates-mediated synthesis.

This paper describes the synthesis of paramegnetic iron-containing hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and their increased Cu(2+) sorbent capacity when using Ca(2+) complexes of soluble bioorganic substrates from urban wastes as synthesis precursors. A thorough characterization of the particles by TEM, XRD, FTIR spectroscopy, specific surface area, TGA, XPS, and DLS indicates that loss of crystallinity, a higher specific area, an increased surface oxygen content, and formation of surface iron phases strongly enhance Cu(2+) adsorption capacity of hydroxyapatite-based materials. However, the major effect of the surface and morphologycal modifications is the size diminution of the aggregates formed in aqueous solutions leading to an increased effective surface available for Cu(2+) adsorption.

Dynamic microbial community associated with iron-arsenic co-precipitation products from a groundwater storage system in Bangladesh.

The prokaryotic community in Fe-As co-precipitation product from a groundwater storage tank in Bangladesh was investigated over a 5-year period to assess the diversity of the community and to infer biogeochemical mechanisms that may contribute to the formation and stabilisation of co-precipitation products and to Fe and As redox cycling. Partial 16S rRNA gene sequences from Bacteria and Archaea, functional markers (mcrA and dsrB) and iron-oxidising Gallionella-related 16S rRNA gene sequences were determined using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Additionally, a bacterial 16S rRNA gene library was also constructed from one representative sample.