The collapsible loess will rapidly soften and lose its bearing capacity when soaked in water. Under a mild condition (20°C), the biomimetic inorganic agent, Diammonium phosphate (DAP), reacts with calcite in the collapsible loess, producing a stronger bonding material, hydroxyapatite (HAP), to modify and stabilize the soil. Uniaxial compression, permeability tests and morphological analysis using XRD and SEM/EDX microscopy were carried out to assess the effectiveness of DAP stabilization on the collapsible loess. The results indicated that HAP improved the inter-particle bonding within loess, filled the pores within particles, reduced the permeability, and consequently mitigated collapsibility of loess. The compressive strength of DAP-treated loess increased as DAP concentration increased. Following 28-days curing, the compressive strength of the loess treated with a 3.0 mol/L DAP solution was six times greater than that of the untreated group. DAP's reinforcement effect on loess was superior to that of cement. The compressive strength of DAP-treated loess was about double that of cement-treated loess and the permeability coefficient was reduced by more than 50% at equivalent solid content. Furthermore, DAP generated 68% fewer carbon emissions compared to Portland cement. Considering eco-friendly and sustainable development, DAP offers a more competitive alternative for modification and stabilization of loess.

Salmonella typhimurium is the predominant serovar identified in cases of salmonellosis. It is recognised for adhering to various surfaces and creating biofilm, leading to several foodborne outbreaks and antibiotic resistance. Actinomycetes are thought to possess a wide array of antibacterial characteristics that can combat different diseases. Currently, it is unclear whether it has antibiofilm properties against S. typhimurium. This study aimed to assess the antibiofilm efficacy of actinomycetes extracts against S. typhimurium ATCC 14028 by the Crystal Violet assay. Four actinomycetes isolates, EAS5, EAS7, EAA141, and EAA11, were obtained from BRIS soil in Terengganu. The actinomycetes isolates were extracted using ethyl acetate (EA). S. typhimurium was exposed to extracts for 6, 12, and 18 hours. The results showed that all EA extracts effectively prevented the S. typhimurium biofilm at 12 and 18 hours. EAAA11 was the most effective against the 12-hour biofilm, whereas EAS5 was the most effective against the 18-hour biofilm among these extracts. In conclusion, actinomycetes isolated from the BRIS soil in Terengganu show potential for controlling Salmonella infection.

Abstract: Due to sever land degradation throughout Ethiopia, the government has been implementing massive soil and water conservation works at the watershed scale since 2010 to conserve soil and water resources. However, most of the rivers in Ethiopia carry huge amount of sediment in rainy season and streams dried up in the dry period. Planned research was conducted on two paired micro-catchments Mt.Yewel with the main objective of evaluating the impact of soil and water conservation measures on base flow modification. Stream flow and rainfall data were collected from 22/11/2020 to 8/11/2022 on both micro-catchments at their outlets and center respectively. Base flow separation was done using Sp. Hydro base flow separation tool and SPSS Ver.21 statistical software was employed for data analysis. Flow duration curve (FDC) for both watersheds were developed. The FDC indicated that the base flow from treated micro-catchment ishigher and sustained in the dry season while it is low and un-sustained in untreated micro-catchment. From statistical analysis, there is a significant difference in base flow enhancement between the treated and untreated micro-catchment (P<0.001). Hence, catchment treatment contributed to improve groundwater recharge and sustain base flow in the dry season by reduce surface runoff during rainy season.

Rhizobia are biological nitrogen fixing non-pathogenic micro-organisms that make inert nitrogen available to legumes establishing symbiosis and living within their nodules and promoting their growth. Livestock farmers use antibiotics without prescriptions to prevent losses, death and economic wastes, resulting in indiscriminate release of excess, un-utilized antibiotics into the environment causing detrimental effects to soil microbes particularly rhizobia.This study evaluates the susceptibility pattern of selected rhizobia strains. The intrinsic antibiotic resistance (IAR) ability of common rhizobia strains including FA3, B574, RS15, USDA136, USDA9032, R25B, 532C, CC511, RANI22, RAUG1 were investigated. The antibiotics used included Ceftazamine , Florfenicol , Cefpodoxime, Sulphamethoxazole, Ciprofloxacin, Gentamycin , Kanamycin, Ertapenem, Tetracycline , Meropenem and Carbapenem. Results showed different resistance patterns among isolates where high resistance was shown against Carbapenem and least resistance was shown against Ciprofloxacin (40mm), Tetracycline (33mm), kanamycin (45mm) and Gentamycin (50mm). Rani 22 showed most resistant. Most strains showed no resistance to these antibiotics, but it is significant to note that those with resistance can be used for the recovery of antibiotics contaminated sites and may provide potential solutions for futuristic problems associated with AMR.This study suggests that using a consortium of symbiotic rhizobia strains is a strategy to achieve optimal yields in antibiotic contaminated fields as the strains showed differences in their susceptibility pattern. Also, the antibiotics produced or contained active compounds and substances that are detrimental for the growth of rhizobia and may therefore be a hindrance to these plant growth promoting bacteria when they are applied to aid plant growth used during agricultural practises.

Evaluating soil quality across various altitudinal gradients, both with and without vegetative cover, is crucial for the proper functioning of soil and optimal crop growth, thereby contributing to the sustainability of agroecosystems. Although the altitudinal gradient significantly influences soil quality, the ability to predict this quality, expressed through an index, in soils with and without vegetative cover, is still insufficiently explored. This study aimed to assess soil quality in the Jun Jun micro-watershed, located in the Tungurahua region, Ecuador. To achieve this objective, three categories of altitudinal gradients were selected: less than 2800 meters above sea level (masl), between 2800 and 2900 masl, and greater than 2900 masl. A total of 24 soil samples were collected in the mentioned gradients, considering both areas with and without vegetative cover. The indicators used included chemical and biological parameters such as soil organic carbon (OC), earthworm density (WD), earthworm biomass (WB), organic matter (OM), pH, total nitrogen (TN), and organic carbon (OC). The results revealed that in areas with altitudinal gradients below 2800 masl, soil quality index values were higher compared to other altitudes. In vegetated areas, a decrease in index values was observed as the altitudinal gradient increased, indicating a deterioration in soil quality with altitude. These findings are significant in providing a quantitative assessment of the effects of altitudinal gradient and vegetative cover influence on soil quality.

Natural vegetation restoration has become an effective and rapid way for eco-logical restoration in fragile areas. However, the response of soil microorgan-isms remains unclear. Using high-throughput sequencing methods, we evalu-ated the dynamics of soil bacterial and fungal communities during forest suc-cession (shrubland, secondary forest, and primary forest) in the karst region of Southwest China. Secondary forest had significantly higher bacterial α-diversity than the shrubland and primary forest. Soil bacterial community in the primary forest was close to the shrubland but diverged from the secondary forest, and that the fungal community could be discriminated along forest suc-cession. Also, the microbial co-occurrence network indicated that soil fungi had less but more intense relationships than bacteria in the karst forests. Further-more, soil properties (pH, SOC, TN, moisture, and AK), soil microbial biomass (MBP, and MBN), and plant factors (Shannon index of woody plants) drove the dynamics of the soil bacterial community, while soil properties (i.e., pH) mostly explained the variation of the soil fungal community along karst forest succession. Different responses of soil bacteria and fungi to forest succession in a karst region give hints for ecological restoration along forest succession in the karst region.

The main apple production areas of the Loess Plateau, China limited information on soil and leaf K, Ca, Mg, and micronutrients and their relationships in these orchards. Therefore, we collected soil and leaf samples from the main apple production areas of the Loess Plateau and analyzed them to assess soil and leaf K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Mn, Zn, and Fe as well as to visualize their relationships. The investigated apple orchards in the Loess Plateau exhibited low soil Mn, moderate soil K, Zn, Fe, and high Cu and deficiency of leaf Fe, Moderate of leaf K, Cu, and Zn, high of leaf Ca, Mg, and excessive in leaf Mn. Moreover, soil pH negatively correlated with soil K, Cu, Zn, and Fe and positively related to exchangeable Mg, leaf Mg, and leaf Ca. Exchangeable Ca was negatively related to soil Mg, Cu, Mn, and Fe. Meanwhile, exchangeable K also negative correlation with leaf Mg, indicating the importance of soil pH and exchangeable Ca as an indication of apple produc-tion. In addition, available Zn also negative correlation with leaf Ca and leaf Zn. Soil micronu-trient contents in Shaanxi province trend lower than in other provinces, suggesting that soil Mn and Zn deficiency may be a limiting factor for apple production. Consequently, it is suggested that the soil pH be reduced in the Loess Plateau, replenishing soil organic matter and micronutrients, controlling soil Ca and Mg, and the Loess Plateau must pay attention to controlling K fertilizer application to avoid soil exchangeable cation and enhancing organic fertilizer application to improve soil micronutrients (Zn, Mn, and Fe) are highly necessary and it is necessary to enhance leaf Fe.

This article investigates hydraulic percolation in saturated porous media, focusing on containment systems using sheet pile walls and gravity concrete dams. The Laplace equation, which governs hydraulic flow in porous media, is solved using the Finite Element Method through the ANSYS software. The modeling of the porous media employs a planar quadratic element called Plane 55, originally used for thermal problems, composed of four nodes and one hydraulic degree of freedom per node. The numerical results of the water pressure acting on the hydraulic structure, flow rate, and hydraulic gradient at the outlet of the porous media are compared with results obtained in the technical-scientific literature using flow nets. Two different methodologies are used to obtain the rate of seepage: by using the average hydraulic velocity or by calculating the integral of the hydraulic gradient perpendicular to the flow area. Both methodologies are compared and validated in the numerical simulations. This work also demonstrates the importance of mesh refinement for obtaining the flow rate in the studied hydraulic systems.

Microplastics pollution in sugarcane areas of China is severe, and reducing their ecological risks is critical. This study aims to explore the effects and mechanisms of microplastics combined with or without biochar on sugarcane growth, soil biochemical properties in red soil by a potted experiment. The results showed that compared with control (CK), microplastic alone treatments reduced the dry biomass of sugarcane, soil pH and the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents, obviously decreased the observed_OTUs, Chao1 and Shannon indices of soil total bacteria (16S rRNA gene-based bacteria) while increasing them in phoD-harbouring bacteria. Interestingly, microplastics combined with biochar could alleviate the negative effects of microplastic accumulation on sugarcane growth and soil quality. There were significant differences in the bacterial community compositions among different treatments. Compared with CK, all other treatments significantly decreased the relative abundance of Gemmatimonadota while only microplastic combined with biochar treatments significantly increased the abundance of Subgroup_10 for the 16S rRNA gene, and only microplastic alone treatments significantly increased the relative abundance of Streptomyces for the phoD gene. Moreover, the treatments with microplastics combined with biochar increased the relative abundance of Subgroup_10 and Bradyrhizobium while decreased the IMCC26256 and Streptomyces compared with that in the treatment with microplastics alone. Correlation analysis showed that Subgroup_10 and Bradyrhizobium were significantly positively correlated with sugarcane biomass and several soil properties, while IMCC26256 and Streptomyces were just the opposite. Additionally, different treatments also changed the abundance of potential microbial functional genes. Compared to CK, other treatments increased the abundance of aerobic_ammonia_oxidation, denitrification while decreased the abundance of nitrate_respiration, nitrogen_respiration; meanwhile, these four functional genes involved in N cycling processes were obviously higher in treatments with microplastics combined with biochar than in treatments with microplastic alone. In conclusion, microplastics combined with biochar could alleviate the negative effects of microplastic accumulation on sugarcane growth by improve soil nutrients and microbial community structure and function.

Lime application with other complementary sustainable management practices increases crop yield, but liming is modestly applied in Serbia. This study investigated the influence of liming (1000 kg/ha) combined with the common application of mineral fertilizers on maize yield and the chemical properties of Pseudogley soil. The experiment was conducted near Kraljevo, Western Serbia, on maize hybrid ZP 606, sown in a two-year monoculture. The experiment had three treatments: fertilizer, fertilizer+lime, and control treatment. The soil is acid, poor in humus, and contains an increased content of mobile aluminum. There was a significant increase in yield under the fertilizer and lime+fertilizer treatments, compared with the control. The yield of maize in the limed treatment was 4.4–9% higher than in the fertilizer treatment. The positive effects of liming on soil are related to an increase in pH, base saturation, and available phosphorus and a decrease in available aluminum. In the fertilizer treatment, there was a small decrease in pH and base saturation, whereas the amount of aluminum remained high, indicating that further application of fertilizers without lime can increase the aluminum content and foster its toxicity. The long-term sustainability of maize production in Serbia should include liming as a regular management practice on Pseudogley soil, with the utilization of smaller doses of lime because of the potential CO2 effects. To improve soil health, food, and environmental security, and incorporate new crops, developing a framework promoting liming as a sustainable management practice is of high importance.

Coal mining has caused a significant loss of nitrogen content of soil in mining areas. This article studies the effects of organic fertilizer, inorganic fertilizer, and combined application of Pseudomonas fluorescens with the ability of nitrogen fixation on soil nitrogen accumulation and composition in the reclamation area of Tunlan Coal Mine from 2016 to 2022 under the condition of equal nitrogen application, providing scientific basis for microbial fertilization and rapid increase of nitrogen content in the reclaimed soil of mining areas. The results showed that as the reclamation time increased, the nitrogen content and its composition structure of the soil treated with fertilization rapidly evolved towards normal farmland soil. The soil nitrogen content increased the fastest in the treatment of Pseudomonas fluorescens + organic fertilizer (MB), compared with inorganic fertilizer (CF), organic fertilizer (M), and Pseudomonas fluorescens + inorganic fertilizer (CFB) treatments, the treatment of Pseudomonas fluorescens + organic fertilizer (MB) can bring the total nitrogen (TN) content of the soil to normal farmland soil levels 1-3 years earlier. The comprehensive scores of Pseudomonas fluorescens + organic fertilizer (MB) and Pseudomonas fluorescens + inorganic fertilizer (CFB) on the two principal components were increased 1.58 and 0.79 than those of organic fertilizer (M) and inorganic fertilizer (CF) treatments, respectively. This further indicates that the combination of Pseudomonas fluorescens and organic fertilizer has a better effect on improving soil nitrogen accumulation than the combination of Pseudomonas fluorescens and inorganic fertilizer. At the same time, the application of Pseudomonas fluorescens will increase the content of unknown nitrogen (UN) in acid-hydrolysable nitrogen (AHN), and decrease the content of amino acid nitrogen (AAN) and ammonia nitrogen (AN), relatively. However, there was no significant effect on the content of ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) in soil inorganic nitrogen (SMN). When combined with inorganic fertilizer, the contribution of soil mineralized nitrogen (SMN) to total nitrogen (TN) increased by 14.78%, while when combined with organic fertilizer, the contribution of acid-hydrolysable nitrogen (AHN) to total nitrogen (TN) increased by 44.77%. In summary, the use of Pseudomonas fluorescens is beneficial for nitrogen recovery in the reclaimed soil of coal mining areas. The optimal fertilization method under the experimental conditions is the combination of Pseudomonas fluorescens and organic fertilizer.

The conducted investigation encompassed the comprehensive integration of mechanical, envi-ronmental, chemical, and microstructural evaluations of a composite amalgamating sandy soil and a synthetic polymer at two distinct concentrations (2.5% and %) across multiple curing in-tervals (0, 1, 2, 4, 7, 15, 30, and 45 days). The studied soil originates from an environmentally sig-nificant protected area in Brazil. The implementation of mechanisms for soil improvement in the region must adhere to technical criteria without causing environmental harm. Direct shear testing was conducted, permeability was assessed, and microstructure analysis and XRD and XRF/EDX studies of both the soil and composites were conducted. It was observed that longer curing times yielded improved results in shear stress, friction angle, and cohesive intercept, with SP_5% exhibiting the highest values compared to the soil and SP_2.5%. Adding the polymeric so-lution to the soil contributed to cementation and cohesion gains in the substrate. Through mi-crostructural characterization, the polymer's role as a cementing agent for the grains is evident, forming a film on the grains and binding them together. Based on the analyses and studies con-ducted in the research, it can be concluded that there is technical feasibility for applying the pol-ymeric solution at both dosages in geotechnical projects.

Soil erosion is the major factor that has contributed to the reduction of soil fertility in the highlands of Ethiopia. This factor was reduced by soil and water conservation (SWC) practices. Hence, the study evaluated the effects of SWC practices and slope gradient on soil physicochemical properties in the Agemi watershed of northwestern Ethiopia. Farmland treated by SWC such as stone-faced soil bund (SFSB) and soil bund (SB), untreated farmland and slope gradient were identified in the study area. About 27 soil samples were collected from the treated farmland and untreated farmland with three slope classes, including lower (5-10%), middle (10-15%) and upper slopes (>15%). The soil physicochemical properties were analyzed by two ways analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SAS 9.2. The results of the study showed that the content of sand, clay, total porosity, pH, soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), exchangeable cations such as Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺ and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were significantly affected (p<0.01) by SWC practices and untreated farmland with slope gradients. However, the content of silt, percent of base saturation (PBS) and exchangeable Na were statistically insignificant (p>0.05). Farmland treated with SFSB confirmed higher mean values of soil physicochemical properties than SB and untreated farmland. Moreover, the lower total porosity (TP) and higher bulk density (BD) were recorded on untreated farmland and upper slopes. This study concludes that farmland treated with SFSB improved soil physicochemical properties than farmland treated with SB followed by untreated farmland. Therefore, SFSB should be implemented on farmland to improve soil fertility in the study area.

The objective of this was to evaluate the effects of organic fertilization on biomass production in Urochloa spp. pastures, and the soil biological and physical properties in the Colombian Amazon region. Three pastures crops (Urochloa decumbens, Urochloa humidicola and Urochloa brizantha) with 5 years old were examined in a hill landscape. A randomized complete blocks design covering an area of 5005 m2, with 1 m separation between units to minimize edge effects. Highly significant differences in Urochloa spp. biomass production were observed before and after organic fertilization (i.e., initial time: 992.19±97.66 kg DM ha-1 vs. final time: 1920.94±155.44 kg DM ha-1 vs.), but not between different fertilization treatments. The interaction between the treatment and time was significant for total density (p=0.0300) and richness (p=0.0300) of soil macrofauna. Furthermore, the interaction between treatment and soil depth was significant for bulk density (p=0.0187). The linear mixed effects analysis showed that soil bulk density and penetration resistance were lower in 0 - 10 cm depth than that observed in 10 - 20 depth and 20 - 30 cm depth. Overall, the application of organic fertilizers had a significant and positive effect on Urochloa spp. forage biomass and on the physical and biological properties of soils that had historically been affected by extensive livestock farming in a deforested hill landscape in the Colombian Amazon region.

Abstract: A fertilisation experiment with aim to determine the effect of different potassium fertiliser rates and their interaction with nitrogen and phosphorus on field rotation productivity, potassium balance, fertiliser utilization and changes in content of potassium in soil was carried out in Lithuania between 1971 and 2020. The multi-factorial scheme with 45-treatment plots, where seven (including zero) rates of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilisers were studied. The experimental treatments during the study period included winter wheat, spring wheat, spring barley, sugar beet, spring rapeseed, annual and perennial grasses. It was found that potassium fertilisers was the most effective on agricultural crops when used in combination with other major plant nutrients – nitrogen and phosphorus. The balance of potassium (K2O) in soil, when nitrogen and phosphorus fertilisers were applied together, to compensate for potassium removal, when applying low nitrogen (N) 72 kg ha-1 and phosphorus (P2O5) 64 kg ha-1 fertiliser rates, 128 kg ha-1 of potassium fertilisers is required. When using high nitrogen 180 kg ha-1 and phosphorus 160 kg ha-1 fertiliser rates, 160 kg ha-1 of potassium is needed. The highest potassium uptake, reaching 51.6%, was achieved when plants had been fertilised with nitrogen 108 kg ha-1, phosphorus 96 kg ha-1, and potassium 96 kg ha-1. When fertilising with potassium fertilisers alone, the content of plant available K2O content in the soil increased, while fertilisation with nitrogen and phosphorus combined it’s decreased, except in the plots where the plants had been fertilised with potassium fertiliser at rates of 128 kg ha-1 and higher. Due to the influence of fertilizers, the amount of non-exchangeable potassium in the soil also increased, but relatively less compared to the amount of available potassium content.

Urumqi City, located in the northwest of China, is a city with high indoor radon concentration in nationwide indoor radon survey in China. This study focuses on the assessment of indoor radon level and its potential sources in this city. Indoor radon measure using RAD7 and solid nuclear track detector (SSNTD), soil gas radon by RAD7 and determining specific activity of uranium and radium in soil samples by a high pure germanium spectrometer were performed from 2021 to 2023. The results reveal a wide range of indoor radon concentrations in Urumqi, with anomalies above 400 Bq/m3 in some dwellings. The arithmetical and geometric mean values of indoor radon concentration in Urumqi are 90.24 ± 83.04 Bq/m3 and 66.25 Bq/m3, respectively. The geometric mean values of radon and thoron by SSNTD is 110 Bq/m3 and 109 Bq/m3. The analysis suggest that the activity of faults and fault structures are the main factors influencing indoor radon levels, with frequent earthquakes contributing to higher average radon concentrations. Additionally, investigations into indoor radon and building material radioactivity in detailed are recommended for buildings with radon anomalies and the source of indoor radon anomalies.

In recent days, the adverse effect of climate change on soil properties in the agriculture sector is a dreadful reality worldwide. Climate change-induced abiotic stresses such as salinity, drought and temperature fluctuations are devastating the crops’ physiological responses, productivity and overall yield which is ultimately posing a serious threat to global food security and agroecosystems. The applications of chemical fertilizers and pesticides contribute towards further deterioration and rapid change in climate. Therefore, more careful, eco-friendly and sustainable strategies are required to mitigate the impact of climate-induced damage on agriculture sector. This paper reviews the recently reported damaging impacts of abiotic stresses on various crops along with two emerging mitigation strategies; biochar and biostimulants, in light of recent studies for combating the worsening impact of deteriorated environment and climate change on crops physiological responses, yields, soil properties, and environment. Here we highlighted the impact of climate change on agriculture and soil properties along with recently emerging mitigation strategies applying biochar and biostimulants, towards protecting the soil, agriculture and environment.

Agricultural soils serve as crucial storage sites for soil organic carbon (SOC). Their appropriate management is pivotal for mitigating climate change. To evaluate spatial and temporal changes in SOC within agricultural fields, continuous monitoring is imperative. In-field data sets of Vis-NIR soil spectra were collected on a long-term experimental site using an on-the-go spectrophotometer. Data processing for continuous SOC prediction involves a two-steps modelling approach. In Step 1, a Partial Least Square (PLSR) regression model is trained to establish a relationship between the SOC content and the spectral information also including spectral preprocesisng. In Step 2, the predicted SOC content obtained from the PLSR models is interpolated using ordinary kriging. Among the tested spectral preprocessing techniques and semivariogram models, SG and gapDer preprocessing along with a Gaussian semivariogram model, yielded the best performance resulting in a root mean square error of of 1.24 and 1.26 g kg-1. A striping effect due to the transect-based data collection was addressed by testing the effectiveness of extending the spatial separation distance, employing data aggregation, and defining the distribution based on treatment plots using block kriging. Overall, the results highlight the immense potential of on-the-go spectral Vis-NIR data for field-scale spatial-temporal monitoring of SOC.

Soil is a crucial component for plant growth, as it provides water, nutrients, and mechanical support. Various factors, such as crop cultivation, microflora, nutrient addition, and water availability, significantly affect soil properties. Maintaining soil health is important, and one approach is the introduction of native organisms with multifaceted activities. In this study, the effects of four native microbes (Trichoderma asperellum strain TAIK 1, Bacillus cabrialesii strain BIK3, Pseudomonas putida strain PIK1, and Pseudomonas otitidis strain POPS1) and their consortia on soil health, plant growth, and the incidence of stem rot disease caused by Sclerotium oryzae in rice are evaluated. Upon bioagent treatment of soil through seed treatment or soil application, variations in chemical properties of the soil were observed, viz., pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Organic Carbon (OC), available Soil Nitrogen (SN), Soil Phosphorus (SP), Soil Potassium (SK), and soil enzymes (urease, acid and alkaline phosphatase, dehydrogenase), compared to untreated soils. The treated seeds with the consortia of four native bioagents resulted in a significant increase in plant height (39.16%), number of panicles (30.29%), and average grain yield (41.36%) over control plants. Under controlled conditions, the bioagents-treated plants showed a 69.37% reduction in stem rot disease. The findings of this study indicate a positive correlation between soil properties and plant growth as well as a highly negative association with stem rot disease severity. The results suggest that using native bioagents as a management strategy can control stem rot disease and enhance crop productivity while reducing reliance on chemical interventions. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of sustainable agricultural practices that promote soil health, plant growth, and disease management.

Soil aggregates, as the basic component of soil, make great contributions to the stability of soil structure and soil carbon (C) sequestration. Recently, grassland is experiencing continuous grazing, which greatly affects soil aggregation and soil C storage. However, how soil aggregates and soil C in different grassland respond to grazing remain unclear. In this study, three national fenced grassland monitoring field stations which represented mountain meadow (MM), temperate steppe (TS), temperate steppe desert (TSD) were selected, soil samples at 0–10 cm depth of inside and outside the fence were collected to explore the effect of grazing and grassland type on composition, stability and nutrients of soil aggregates. The results showed that the bulk soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), available nitrogen (AN) and available phosphorus (AP) varied greatly among the three grassland types, with the highest values in MM. Soil aggregates composition showed significantly response to both grassland type and grazing, especially the proportion of soil aggregates &gt;2 mm, which significantly decreased 51.68% on average in grazing plots compared with fenced plots, whereas sharply decreased in MM and TSD. A significant decrease (on average 25.08%) of the mean weight diameter (MWD) of soil aggregates under grazing was detected across all grassland types. The effect of grazing on nutrients in macroaggregates (&gt;0.25 mm) was greater than that in microaggregates (&lt;0.25 mm). Aggregate-associated SOC concentration decreased under grazing in MM and TSD, however, SOC density showed different response to grazing across all grassland types, with minor effect on MM, decreasing SOC density in TS and increasing on TSD, respectively. The magnitude of grazing effect size on aggregate-associated SOC varied in different soil particle size, with greater response in aggregates &gt; 2 mm and the biggest value in TDS. In addition, correlation analysis showed that MWD of soil aggregates had significant negative correlation with soil bulk density, but significant positive correlation with SOC, TN and TP concentration. Results of RDA showed that BD, soil nutrients were the main influence factors of the composition and stability of aggregates. Overall, grazing had significant influence on soil aggregation, stability and SOC, played a crucial role in grassland soil stability and the accumulation of SOC.

Sweet sorghum is an important bioenergy grass and valuable forage with a strong adaptability to saline environments. However, little is known about the mechanisms of sweet sorghum coping with ion toxicity under salt stresses. Here, we first evaluated the salt tolerance of a sweet sorghum cultivar “Lvjuren” and determined its ion accumulation traits under NaCl treatments; then explored key genes involved in Na+, Cl−, K+ and NO3− transport using transcriptome profiling and qRT-PCR method. The results showed that the growth and photosynthesis of sweet sorghum were unaffected by 50 and 100 mM NaCl treatments, indicative of a strong tolerance of this species to salt stresses. Under NaCl treatments, sweet sorghum could efficiently exclude Na+ from shoots and accumulate Cl− in leaf sheaths to avoid their overaccumulation in leaf blades; meanwhile, it possessed a prominent ability to sustain NO3− homeostasis in leaf blades. Transcriptome profiling identified several differentially expressed genes associated with Na+, Cl−, K+ and NO3− transport in roots, leaf sheaths and leaf blades of sweet sorghum after 200 mM NaCl treatment for 6 and 48 h. Moreover, transcriptome data and qRT-PCR results indicated that HKT1;5, CLCc and NPF7.3-1 should be key genes involved in Na+ retention in roots, Cl− accumulation in leaf sheaths and maintenance of NO3− homeostasis in leaf blades, respectively. Many TFs were also identified after NaCl treatment, which should play important regulatory roles in salt tolerance of sweet sorghum. This work lays a preliminary foundation for clarifying the molecular basis underlying the adaptation of sweet sorghum to adverse environments.

Soil enzyme activity can be affected by both production and degradation, as enzymes can be degraded by proteases. However, the impact of nutrient addition on enzyme activity is often solely attributed to changes in enzyme production without fully considering degradation. Here, we demonstrated that the activities of β-1,4-glucosidase (BG), β-D-cellobiohydrolase (CBH), β-1,4-Xylosidase (BX), and β-1,4-N-acetyl-glucosaminnidase (NAG) were comparable in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilized soils and the unfertilized control under field conditions, but the reduction in activity was substantially greater in the fertilized soils during short-term laboratory incubation. The results show that the interruption of the natural, continuous supply of organic matter or non-soil microbial-derived enzymes, which typically occurs under field conditions, leads to a more significant reduction in apparent enzyme activities in fertilized soils compared to unfertilized control. This may be attributed to the higher abundance of protease in fertilized soils, resulting in faster enzyme degradation. Interestingly, P fertilization alone did not have a similar effect, indicating that N fertilization is likely the main cause of the larger decreases in enzyme activity during incubation in fertilized soils compared to unfertilized control soils, despite our study site being poor in P and rich in N. These findings highlight the importance of considering enzyme degradation when investigating material dynamics in forest ecosystems, including the impact of nutrient addition on enzyme activity, as enzyme production alone may not fully explain changes in apparent enzyme activity.

Many ecosystems are being severely degraded, leading the United Nations to deem 2021-2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. To be successful, this effort requires robust monitoring tools to assess land reclamation practices. Our study aimed to evaluate the quality of recovery efforts in mined areas by developing a Recovery Quality Index (RQI) based on soil and vegetation indicators. Using the heavily mined Iron Quadrangle region of Brazil as an example, we selected four local, undisturbed reference areas as restoration goals: Atlantic Forest (AF); ferruginous rupestrian grassland with dense vegetation (FRGD); ferruginous rupestrian grassland with sparse vegetation (FRGS); and quartzite rupestrian grassland (QRG). We also selected four areas that were directly or indirectly affected by mining, including an environmental compensation area set aside 5 years prior to the study (COMP-5), two sterile piles that had undergone recovery for 15 and 20 years (SP-20 and SP-15), and a cave area with 15 years of recovery (CAVE-15). The four recovery areas were grouped together with each individual reference area (making four combinations of sites), and measurements of 2 vegetation parameters and 34 soil attributes were used in a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for each grouping. We determined the RQI for each group by summing weighted PCA scores for responsive indicators. Vegetative parameters had the lowest RQI weights in all four groups. Soil physical indicators tended to be the most important, except in AF, where chemical indicators were most relevant. RQI values were also lowest when AF was used as the reference, showing that the forest was a unique ecosystem, and the CAVE-15 site had lower RQI scores than the other restored sites, indicating the high degree of disturbance that occurred in that low-lying area. The SP-20 site tended to have higher RQI values than the SP-15, and similar values to the less disturbed COMP-5 areas, potentially indicating greater recovery of native soil properties during the longer recovery period. This RQI-based approach has excellent potential for robust assessment of the recovery of areas degraded by mining and can support decision-making during monitoring.

This study used the ECOSSE model (v. 5.0.1) to simulate soil respiration (Rs) flux-es estimated from ecosystem respiration (Reco) for eight European permanent grassland (PG) sites with varying grass species, soils, and management. The main aim was to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the model in estimating Rs from grasslands, and to gain a better understanding of the terrestrial carbon cycle and how Rs is affect-ed by natural and anthropogenic drivers. Results revealed that the current version of the ECOSSE model may not be reliable for estimating daily Rs fluxes, particularly in dry sites. However, it could still be a valuable tool for predicting cumulative Rs from PG. Additionally, the model demonstrated accurate simulation of Rs in response to grass cutting and slurry application practices. The sensitivity analyses and attribution tests revealed that increased soil organic carbon (SOC), soil pH, temperature, reduced precipitation, and lower water table (WT) depth could lead to increased Rs from soils. The variability of Rs fluxes across sites and years was attributed to climate, weather, soil properties, and management practices. The study suggests the need for additional development and application of the ECOSSE model, specifically in dry and low input sites, to evaluate the impacts of various land management interventions on carbon sequestration and emissions in PG.

Soil-borne oomycetes include devastating plant pathogens that cause substantial losses in the agricultural sector. To better manage this important group of pathogens, it is critical to understand how they respond to common agricultural practices, such as tillage and crop rotation. Here, a long-term field experiment was established using a split-plot design with tillage as the main plot factor (conventional tillage [CT] vs. no till [NT], 2 levels) and rotation as the subplot factor (monocultures of soybean, corn, or wheat, and corn-soybean-wheat rotation, 4 levels). Post-harvest soil oomycete communities were characterized over three consecutive years (2016-2018) by metabarcoding the Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 (ITS1) region. The community contained 292 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) and was dominated by Globisporangium spp. (85.1% in abundance, 203 ASV) and Pythium spp. (10.4%, 51 ASV). NT decreased diversity and community compositional structure heterogeneity, while crop rotation only affected the community structure under CT. The interaction effects of tillage and rotation on most oomycetes species accentuated the complexity of managing these pathogens. Soil and crop health represented by soybean seedling vitality was lowest in soils under CT cultivating soybean or corn, while grain yield of the three crops responded differently to tillage and crop rotation regimes.

Soil moisture modeling is necessary for many hydrometeorological and agricultural applications. One of the ways in which modeling of soil moisture (SM) can be improved is by assimilating SM observations to update the model states. Remotely sensed SM observations are prone to being riddled with data discontinuities, namely in the horizontal and vertical spatial, and temporal dimensions. A set of synthetic experiments were designed in this study to assess how much impact each of these individual components of spatiotemporal gaps can have on the modeling performance of SM as well as streamflow. Results show that not having root-zone SM estimates from satellite derived observations is most impactful in terms of modeling performance. Having temporal gaps and horizontal spatial gaps in the satellite SM data also impacts modeling performance, but to a lesser degree. Real-data experiments with the remotely sensed Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) product generally brought improvements to the SM modeling performance in the upper soil layers, but not so much in the bottom soil layer. The updating of model SM states with observations also resulted in some improvements in the streamflow modeling performance during the synthetic experiments, but not during the real-data experiments.

It is known that high N doses, N/K imbalances, and frequent irrigation favor verticillium wilt. The influence of fertilization and its interaction with the frequency of irrigation on the development of Verticillium wilt of olive (VWO) has been evaluated. A split-split-plot design in microplots with two naturally infested soils of different texture was established for studying three fertilization treatments (NO3Ca, N-P-K and without fertilization), plus two irrigation frequencies (daily and deficit). The treatments were applied by means of fertigation, evaluating the susceptible cultivar Picual. Final disease incidence in plants subjected to NO3Ca-daily treatment was 100% regardless soil texture. However, final mortality in these plants was 37% and 85.2% in clay and sandy loam soils, respectively. As well, the area under the disease progress curve values were significantly higher (49.1%) in plants subjected to NO3Ca fertilization compared to those not fertilized or fertilized with N-P-K when plants grown in clay soil. This value in the sandy loam soil was significantly higher in the NO3Ca-daily irrigation treatment (94.3%), followed by the N-P-K-daily treatment (61.1%) which also was significantly higher than the unfertilized-daily, N-deficit and NPK-deficit treatments (37.8, 42.6 and 44.9 %, respectively). The plants submitted to unfertilized-deficit treatment reached the lowest value 9.6%. In this work it can be concluded that the application of fertilizer or the application of fertilizer with daily frequency irrigations in naturally infested soils increases the development of VWO in 'Picual'.

The Kashmir valley is prone to flooding due to its peculiar geomorphic setup compounded by the rapid anthropogenic land system changes and climate change. The study assesses the impact of land use and land cover (LULC) changes between 1980 and 2020 and extreme rainfall on peak discharge and sediment yield in the Upper Jhelum Basin (UJB), Kashmir Himalaya, India using KINEROS2 model. Analysis of LULC change revealed a notable shift from natural LULC to more intensive human-modified LULC, including a decrease in vegetative cover, deforestation, urbanization, and improper farming practices. The findings revealed a strong influence of the LULC changes on peak discharge, and sediment yield relative to the 2014 timeframe, which coincided with the catastrophic September 2014 flood event. The model predicted a peak discharge of 115101 cubic feet per second (cfs) and a sediment yield of 56.59 tons/ha during the September 2014 flooding, which is very close to the observed peak discharge of 115218 cfs indicating that the model is reliable for discharge prediction. The model predicted a peak discharge of 98965 cfs and a sediment yield of 49.11 tons/ha in 1980, which increased to 118366 cfs and, 58.92 tons/ha respectively in 2020, showing an increase in basin’s flood risk over time. In the future, it is anticipated that the ongoing LULC changes will make flood vulnerability worse, which could lead to another major flooding in the event of an extreme rainfall as predicted under climate change and, in turn compromise achievement of sustainable development goals (SDG). Therefore, regulating LULC in order to modulate various hydrological and land surface processes would ensure stability of runoff and reduction in sediment yield in the UJB, which is critical for achieving many SDGs.

Successful fertilization treatments targeted to improve stand productivity while reducing operational complexities and cost depend on a clear understanding of soil nutrient availability under varying environmental conditions. Soil nutrient data collected from 154 forest sites throughout the Inland Northwest, USA were analyzed to examine soil nutrient characteristics on different geologic soil parent materials and to rank soil fertility. Results show that soil parent material explains significant differences in soil nutrient availability. Soils developed from volcanic rocks have the highest CEC and are relatively high in P, K, S, Mg, Cu, Ca, and B, but generally poor in N. Forest soils developed from plutonic rocks exhibit the lowest CEC and are low in N, S, K, Mg, Cu, and Ca, but higher in P. Some soils located on mixed glacial till are low only in K, Cu, Mg, and Ca, but many glacial soils are relatively rich in other nutrients, albeit the second lowest CEC. Soils developed from metasedimentary and sedimentary rocks are among those with lowest soil nutrient availability for P and B. Sulfur was found to have the highest concentrations in metasedimentary influenced soils and the least in sedimentary derived soils. Our results should be useful in designing site-specific fertilizer and nutrient management prescriptions for forest stands growing on soils developed from these major geologies within the Inland Northwest region of the United States.

Very few multi-species or ecosystem comparisons of post-fire vertebrate herbivore activity and food preference exist to inform fire-management and conservation strategies. We inferred post-fire (1-3 years) native and introduced vertebrate herbivore activity and attraction to six diverse temperate vegetation communities (grassland to rainforest) from scat counts. We hypothesised that where fire reduced herbaceous and grassy vegetation (‘fodder’), vertebrate herbivores would decline, and that post-fire preferences of native versus exotic herbivores would differ significantly. Instead, we found evidence for a ‘fire and fodder reversal phenomenon’ whereby native macropod and exotic rabbit scats were more abundant after fire in consistently ‘fodder-poor’ vegetation types (e.g wet forests) but more less abundant after fire in previously fodder-rich vegetation communities (e.g. grassland). Fodder cover predicted native macropod, wombat, and introduced deer activity and bareground cover was strongly associated with introduced herbivore activity only, with the latter indicating post-fire competition for food sources due to their abundance in high altitude open ecosystems. We therefore found environmental and vegetation predictors for each individual species/group and suggest broadscale multi-environment, multispecies observations to be informative for conservation management in potentially overlapping post-fire niches.

This study is follow-up of the steel shot transformation under the influence of environmental factors research (Lisin et al., 2022) and is the initial stage of investigating the iron behavior in soils during steel shot corrosion under a number of factors: the metallic lead in soils, atmospheric precipitation, excess organic matter. The results obtained show that corrosion of steel ammunition is a continuous process, including the formation of a poorly soluble rust crust on the surface of the steel and the mineralization of the metal until it is destroyed. As a result, the metal transformed into rust form, is a constant source of iron ions and dispersed rust particles migrating in soil waters and accumulating in soils. In addition, the aggregation of corrosion products of steel ammunition is the cause of a change in physical and mechanical properties of soils, which leads to a violation of the air and water migration regime of soils and an increase in surface runoff from the territories of shooting activity. The highest environmental risks are observed when steel ammunition is used on shooting areas where metallic lead intensifies steel shot corrosion rate, while the deposited steel shot activates the deterioration of previously encapsulated metal and — if steel and lead ammunition are used at the same time — slows down the encapsulation of newly deposited metallic lead, which catalyses the accumulation and migration of lead in environmental components.

Soil salinity is a severe soil degradation problem mainly faced in arid and semi-arid regions. About 11 million ha of land in the arid, semi-arid, and desert parts of Ethiopia is salt-affected, especially in the Awash River basin, including Afambo irrigated area. Remote sensing approaches are significant tools for accurately predicting and modeling accurately predicting and modeling soil salinity in various world regions. This study aims to analyze and model soil salinity status in the case of Afambo irrigated areas using Landsat-8 and sentinel-2A, Afar region, Ethiopia, by applying remote sensing with field measurements. Thirty-two soil samples were collected from the topsoil (0-30 cm); out of these, 25 soil samples with various EC ranges were selected for modeling, and the remaining 7 samples were utilized to validate the model. Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2A images acquired in the same month were used to extract soil salinity indices. Linear regression analyses correlated the EC data with corresponding soil salinity spectral index values derived from satellite images. The best-performing model was selected for salinity mapping. The soil salinity indices extracted from both Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2A bands estimated soil salinity with high acceptable accuracy of R² values of SI, 0.78 and 0.81, respectively. The model results in three salinity classes with varying degree of salinity, namely, highly saline, moderately saline, and slightly saline, which covers 15.1%, 39.8% and 45.1% of the total area for Landsat-8, respectively and 26.1%, 32%, and 41.9% for sentinel 2A, respectively. Generally, the results revealed that the expansion rate of salt-affected soils has been increasing. From this study, it is possible to infer that if the present irrigation practice continues, it is expected that total the cultivated lands will become sterile within a short period. Thus, it needs to be monitored regularly to secure up-to-date knowledge of their extent to improve management practices and take appropriate actions.

Minerals play many important functions in plant and animal metabolism. Therefore, we investigated the concentration of Se and other minerals and their relationships in soils and fodder plants in Kosovo. Seventy-three samples of each soil and fodder plants (grass, maize, and wheat) from 30 farms were collected. Both soil and plant samples, after processing and digestion, were analyzed for mineral concentration by ICP-MS. Mineral concentrations in soil and fodder crops, and the best predicting/explanatory models for micro minerals concentration, achieved by stepwise linear regression, are presented. Results showed very low concentration of Se in most of the soil and all fodder samples. In addition, the concentration of Co, Zn and Fe was not sufficient to satisfy requirements for all categories of farm animals. Plant Se concentration showed a positive relationship with Se concentration in soils. Plant Zn, Mo, Mn, Fe and Pb, in general, showed no significant relationship with their concentration in soil, while plant Co and Cd showed positive relationship only in maize, and Cu in wheat grain. Among the soil properties, pH had the highest effect on the concentrations of Co, Mo, Mn, Cd and Pb in fodder crops.

Miombo woodlands are extensive dry forest ecosystems in central and southern Africa covering ≈2.7 million km2. Despite their vast expanse and global importance for carbon storage, the long-term carbon stocks and dynamics have been poorly researched. The objective of this paper is to present and summarize the evidence gathered on above- and belowground (root and soil) carbon stocks of miombo woodlands from the 1960s to mid-2018 through a review. We analyzed data to answer: (1) What is the range of aboveground and belowground carbon stocks found in miombo woodlands over the last six decades? (2) Are there differences in carbon stocks based on land-management categories? (3) Does precipitation influence aboveground carbon stocks in old-growth miombo? (4) Do differences in cover type, age and region influence carbon stocks? (5) How does previous land-use affect carbon stocks in re-growth miombo? A literature review protocol was used to identify 56 publications from which quantitative data on aboveground and soil carbon pools were extracted. We found that the mean aboveground carbon stock in old-growth miombo was 30.83±16.76 Mg C ha-1 (range 1.48—107.24 Mg ha-1). Old-growth miombo had an average calculated root carbon stock of 16.49±9.18 Mg C ha-1 (range 0.8—57.81 Mg ha-1). Soil carbon stocks in old-growth miombo varied widely, between 8.75 and 134.6 Mg C ha-1 while in re-growth miombo they varied between 10.73 and 52.2 Mg C ha-1. It must be noted these soil data are given only for information; they inconsistently refer to varying soil depths and are thus difficult to interpret. The wide range reported suggests a need for further studies, much more systematic in methods and reporting. Other limitations of the dataset include the lack of systematic sampling and lack of data in some countries, viz. Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Truffles contribute to crucial dynamics in the soil systems, being involved in plentiful ecological functions important for ecosystems. Despite this, the interactions between truffles and surrounding mycobiota remain unknown. Here, we aimed to shed light on how much truffle species could affect its surrounding soil mycobiota. Using traditional chemical analysis and Illumina ITS amplicon sequencing, we compared soil nutrients and mycobiota surrounding two truffle species: Tuber indicum (Ti) and T. pseudohimalayense (Tp) inhabit in the same Pinus armandii forest in southwestern China. Tp soil was more acidic and had higher nutrients (total C, N, P contents) than Ti soil. Fungal richness and diversity of truffle ascomata and surrounding soils were significantly higher in Tp than in Ti. Redundancy analysis showed relationships between soil fungal taxa and soil properties had changed from negative (Tp) to positive (Ti) and shifted from a moisture-driving (Tp) to a total N-driving (Ti). Overall, our results showed that the interactions between truffle and soil system had been altered with species variation, although the causative peculiarity of these associations needs to be further studied.

Impact of land use and land cover (LULC) change on soil erosion is still imperfectly understood, especially in northeastern China (NEC). Based on the Revised Universal Loss Equation (RUSLE), the variability of soil erosion at different spatial scales following land use changes in1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2017 was analyzed. The regionally spatial patterns of soil loss coincided with the topography, rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, and use patterns, and around 45% soil loss came from arable land. Regionally, soil erosion rates increased from 1980 to 2010 and decreased from 2010 to 2017, ranging from 3.91 to 4.45 t ha-1 yr-1 with an average of 4.22 t ha-1 yr-1 in 1980-2017. The rates of soil erosion less than 1.41 t ha-1 yr-1 decreased from 1980 to 2010, and increased from 2010 to 2017, and opposite changing patterns occurred in higher erosion classes (i.e., above 5 t ha-1 yr-1). At a provincial scale, Liaoning Province experienced the highest soil erosion rate of 9.43 t ha-1 yr-1, followed by Jilin Province, the east Inner Mongolia, and Heilongjing Province. Arable land continuously increased at the expense of forest in the high-elevation and steep-slope areas from 1980 to 2010, and decreased from 2010 to 2017, resulting in increased areas with erosion rates higher than 7.05 t ha-1 yr-1. At a county scale, around 75% of the countries had soil erosion rate higher than its tolerance level. The county numbers with higher erosion rate increased in 1980-2010 and decreased in 2010- 2017, resulting from the sprawl and withdrawal of arable land. The results indicate that appropriate policies can control soil loss through limiting arable land sprawl in areas of unfavorable regions in the NEC.

The Neotropical region is one of the most diverse regions of the globe in terms of macro-organismic species. Regarding the microbial world, however, little is known about the diversity and biogeography patterns of micro-organisms in the Neotropics. In this context, the study of several microbial taxonomic groups is still missing and/or incomplete, such as the protists. Our goal here was to summarize the available information of Neotropical protists, focusing on molecular data from environmental continental samples, to explore what these data evidence on their ecology and biogeography. For this, we reviewed the findings from all articles that focused on or included the terrestrial protists using metabarcoding approach and identified the gaps and future perspectives in this research field. We found that Neotropical protists diversity patterns seem to be, at least in part, congruent with that of macro-organisms and, different than plants and bacteria, just weakly explained by environmental variables. We argue that studies with standardized protocols including different biomes are necessary to fully characterize the ecology and biogeography on Neotropical protists. Furthermore, dismember evolutionary lineages and functional guilds of protists are important to better understand the relationship between diversity, dispersal abilities and functionality of particular taxa of protists in their habitats.

Growing potato demands considerable external inputs of pesticides due to its susceptibility to various pests and pathogens. Here we present an attempt to differentiate the Slovak rural landscape with respect to the possibility of effective potato cultivation and to characterise soil parameters of current potato cultivation areas with the aim to increase the sustainability of the potato production. The selection was based on soil climatic, production and economic parameters. By using the GIS tools and existing databases on soil characteristics in Slovakia, maps of soil suitability categories for potato cultivation were generated. In Slovakia, it was found that 12.3% of farmland is very suitable for potato cultivation and that as much as 43.1% is not suitable. Later the specified categories were characterised in detail and specified with respect to geographic, soil, climatic, production and economic parameters. Currently, most potato crops are cultivated on Eutric Cambisols (27%), Chernozems (20%) and Mollic Fluvisols (18%). Loamy soils (65%), soils without gravel (62%), deep soils (74%) and soil situated on plains (55%) are dominant in these regions. We suggest that potato cultivation should be concentrated on the most suitable areas, thereby increasing the economic profitability, improving the ecological stability of the country and supporting the sustainability of the agriculture.

Changes in land-use have been observed in banana-based systems in the African Great Lakes region affected by Xanthomonas wilt disease (XW) of banana. Through participatory focus group discussions (FGDs) and the 4-cell method, changes in land-use were retrospectively assessed in 13 XW-affected landscapes/villages along a 230 km transect from Masisi (XW arrived in 2001) to Bukavu (XW arrived around 2014) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo during 2015. The four-cell chart ranked land-use by mapping the area under production and the number of households involved in production. Farmers’ perceptions on the sustainability of new land-uses were also documented. Soil nutrient content and erosion levels were measured for five major land-use options/ trajectories on 147 fields across 55 farms in three landscapes along the transect. From being ranked the most important crop (92% of landscapes i.e. produced on large areas of land and by many households) before XW outbreaks, its importance had declined with most households in 36% of the landscapes growing it on smaller farms while in 64% of cases by few households on smaller pots. Farmers uprooted entire banana mats or fields, expanding land under other crops, mainly beans, taro, sweet potato, cassava, maize, coffee and eucalyptus. Species richness did not change at landscape level, though 21 crops were introduced at farm level. Land-use for banana is however still perceived to be more sustainable due to its multi-functional roles. Soils under banana plots were found in general to be better in their chemical attributes while high erosion levels (Mg ha-1 year-1) were observed under cassava (1.7-148.9) compared with banana (0.3-10.7) and trees (0.3-5.9). The current shift away from banana could thus have profound effects on supply of key services and sustainability of the production systems. This study offers a good basis/entry point for interventions in the XW-affected landscapes.

Starch is considered a major nutritional factor of maize (Zea mays L.) kernels, and can be influenced by the type of endosperm. The effects of endosperm type (vitreous and non-vitreous) and type of soil (clay and sand) on the starch content of kernels of maize, and on the in vitro degradation of starch were investigated in the rumen fluid after harvesting at 6 different maturity stages during 2008 and five different maturity stages in 2009. Starch degradation, in rumen fluid, was determined after 6 h, 12 h and 20 h of incubation, using the technique of gas production. A positive linear relationship was observed during gas production (ml gas/g organic matter) and starch degradation (g kg^-1 starch) at all incubation times, with starch contents of maize kernels to a certain limit of starch accumulation (i.e. at starch contents 451-519 g/kg OM) and negative relationship afterwards. This suggests significant effects of maturity on ruminal starch degradation of maize kernels. At each harvest date, ruminal starch degradation of maize kernels was affected by crop genotype as well as soil type. The in vitro ruminal degradation potential of starch in maize kernels was influenced by the nature of the endosperm, with a higher degradation of non-vitreous kernels than of vitreous kernels. The rumen starch degradation was also influenced by type of soil, with better degradation on clay than sandy soil. For all the incubation times and maturity stages the effects of genotype, soil type and maturity stage were consistent in rumen fluid.

This study used eco-friendly materials known as Periwinkle Shell Powder (PSP) in stabilizing the engineering properties of lateritic soil. Preliminary test was performed on the un-stabilized lateritic soil for the purposes of identification and classification (natural moisture content, liquid limits, plastic limits, and plasticity index). The engineering tests were conducted on the lateritic soil stabilized with additions of (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 %) PSP and OPC respectively. The result showed that cement gave a progressive increase in the Maximum Dry Density (MDD) of the lateritic soil from 1875 kg/m3 (2 %) to 2294 kg/m3 (10 %) respectively. This represents 22 % increase in the MDD from the un-stabilized state. For PSP, the Maximum MDD was attained at 6 % (1974 kg/m3), representing 5.3 % increase in MDD of the soil from the un-stabilized state. For both stabilizing agent, the Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) increases from 13.65 % to 13.83 % and from 11.72 % to 14.41 % for Cement and Periwinkle Shell Powder respectively. PSP recorded an increase of 5.6 % of CBR value compared with OPC that recorded an increase of 34 % CBR value. The study therefore concluded that Periwinkle Shell Powder (PSP) could be considered as good stabilizer for clayey or lateritic, and its uses as a stabilizer could also provide a big relief to the environmental pollution caused by its indiscriminate dumping.

Sulfur contamination of topsoil, spatial distribution of contamination and surface water chemistry were investigated on an area of over 200 ha of a new forest ecosystem. Common birch and Scots pine growth reaction, vitality and nutrients supply, as well as wood small-reed (Calamagrostis epigejos (L.) Roth) chemical composition were assayed. The chemistry dynamics of soil leaching and the sulfur load leached from the sulfur contaminated soil-substrates were analyzed. The remediation effect of the birch and pine litter was assayed in an experiment under controlled conditions. It was found that reclamation was effective in a majority of the post-mining site, however hot-spots with sulfur contamination reaching even 45,000 mg kg-1, pH <2.0, and EC 6,500 µS cm-1 were reported. Surface waters typically displayed elevated concentrations of sulfate ions (average 935.13 mg L-1), calcium ions (up to 434 mg L-1) and high EC (average 1.795 µS cm-1), which was connected both with sulfur contamination and sludge lime used in neutralization. Wood small-reed was found to be species adapting well to the conditions of elevated soil salinity and sulfur concentration. We noted that an addition of organic matter had a significant impact on the chemistry of soil solutions but did not indicate in short term experiment a remediation effect by increased sulfur leaching.

Soil salinity, whether natural or human induced, is a major geo-hazard in arid and semi-arid landscapes. In agricultural lands, it negatively affects plant growth, crop yields, whereas in semi-arid and arid non-agricultural areas it affects urban structures due to subsidence, corrosion and ground water quality, leading to further soil erosion and land degradation Accurately mapping soil salinity through remote sensing techniques has been an active area of research in the past few decades particularly for agricultural lands. Most of this research has focused on the utilization and development of salinity indices for properly mapping and identifying saline agricultural soils. This research study develops a soil salinity index and model using Landsat 8 OLI image data from the near infra-red and shortwave infra-red spectral information with emphasis on soil salinity mapping and assessment in non-agricultural desert arid and semi-arid surfaces. The developed index when integrated into a semi-empirical model outperformed in its soil salinity mapping overall accuracy (60%) in comparison to other salinity indices (~50%). The newly developed index further outperformed other indices in its accuracy in mapping and identifying high saline soils (67%) and excessively high saline soils (90%).

Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) can be used as biomarkers for qualitative and quantitative analyses of soil microbial community diversity. In this study, we collected soil samples at 10-cm intervals to a depth of 1 m from Robinia pseudoacacia plantations of four different ages (10, 15, 25 and 40 years) in a loess area and analysed the soil microbial community structure by PLFA analysis. A total of 97 PLFAs were detected in soils of R. pseudoacacia plantations of different ages. The individual PLFA contents gradually decreased in the 0- to 40-cm soil layers, with little variation in the 40- to 100-cm soil layers. The individual PLFAs were similarly distributed in the soils of R. pseudoacacia plantations of different ages, and there was a clear variation with stand age and soil depth. The individual PLFA contents in the 0- to 20-cm soil layers were highest for the 25-year-old plantation, while those in the 20- to 40-cm soil layers were relatively high for the 25- and 40-year-old plantations; the 16:0 content was the highest among individual PLFAs. The total PLFA content and the PLFA contents of different microbial groups [bacteria, fungi, Gram-positive bacteria (G⁺), Gram-negative bacteria (G^-) and actinomycetes] initially increased before decreasing in the soils of R. pseudoacacia plantations with increasing stand age, whereas these contents gradually decreased with increasing soil depth; the highest PLFA contents was found in the 25-year-old plantation. The total PLFA content and the contents of fungal, G^- and actinomycete PLFAs in the soils of R. pseudoacacia plantations differed significantly among stands of different ages in the 0- to 10-cm, 10- to 20-cm and 30- to 40-cm soil layers, while no significant differences were found in the 20- to 30-cm soil layers; the G⁺ and bacterial PLFAs contents in each of the 0- to 40-cm soil layers were significantly different. The PLFA ratios between different microbial groups differed among the stands of different ages. The fungi/bacteria ratio showed a “decrease-increase-decrease” trend with stand age, while the G⁺/G^- ratio showed an “increase-decrease” trend. The saturated/monounsaturated PLFA ratio initially decreased before plateauing, while the opposite trend was observed for the cyclopropyl/precursor ratio. The PLFA contents of different microbial groups were ranked as follows: bacteria > G^- > G⁺ > actinomycetes > fungi. In the principle component analysis, 18:1ω9c, 10Me18:0, i17:0, a17:0, 18:1ω7c, 18:1ω5c and 18:0 made the greatest contribution to principal component 1, and a14:0, i14:0 3OH, i14:0, i14:1ω7c and 14:0 made the greatest contribution to principal component 2. In conclusion, soil nutrient status and other soil eco-environmental stress factors should be considered in 10- to 25-year-old (particularly ~15-year-old) plots for the management of R. pseudoacacia plantations to prevent forest soil degradation and improve forest stand quality, thereby achieving better soil and water conservation and environmental improvement in R. pseudoacacia plantations.

The construction of tunnels excavated by the conventional method in densely populated urban environments requires an adequate characterization of the loads acting on the primary lining during the excavation process to ensure that the ground is deformed and stresses around the tunnel are relieved, simultaneously complying with the failure and serviceability limits of international standards while minimizing damage to nearby structures. In this paper, common lining design criteria are revisited, through the numerical simulation of an instrumented tunnel section which is part of a 4.5 km long metro line currently under construction in Mexico City. Key needs for improvement in current design approaches are identified. The tunnel was instrumented with load cells, extensometers, and topographical references for convergences and divergences. A three-dimensional finite difference model of the instrumented section was developed, and the load transfer mechanisms between the excavated soil and the primary lining was analyzed. Then, the numerical simulation of the contribution of the secondary lining in the overall stability for sustained load was established, along with the expected ground settlements, which can significantly affect nearby structures. Results gathered from this research are key for updating lining design criteria for urban tunnels built in stiff brittle soils.

Sudden variation of aerodynamic loads is the potential source of safety accidents of high-speed train (HST). As a follow-up investigation on the aerodynamic response of a HST that enters a tunnel under crosswind environment, this paper focuses on the transient response of a HST’s safety indices based on the train–track coupling interaction model. Firstly, a wind–train–track coupling dynamic model is proposed by introducing transient aerodynamic loads into the vehicle–track system. Secondly, the temporal evolution of safety coefficients indicates that the train’s safety risk increases during tunnel entry with crosswind. Results show that the derailment coefficients and wheel load reduction rate during tunnel entry are not only larger than those in open air but also those inside the tunnel due to the sudden disappearance of wind excitation at the tunnel entrance. In addition, the characteristic wind curve, which is the wind velocity against the train speed, is presented for application based on the current specification of the safety criteria threshold. The investigation will be useful in assessing the safety risk of a running train subjected to other aerodynamic attacks, such as the coupling effect of infrastructure scenario and crosswind in windy area.

A preliminary study of a wind turbine design is carried out using a wind tunnel to obtain its aerodynamic characteristics. Utilization of data from the study to develop large-scale wind turbines requires further study. This paper aims to discuss the use of wind turbine data obtained from the wind tunnel measurements to estimate the characteristics of wind turbines that have field size. The torque of two small-scale turbines was measured inside the wind tunnel. The first small-scale turbine has a radius of 0.14 m and the second small turbine has a radius of 0.19 m. Torque measurement results from both turbines were analyzed using Buckingham π theorem to obtain a correlation between torsion and diameter variations. The obtained correlation equation is used to estimate the field measurement of turbine power with a radius of 1.2 m. The resulting correlation equation can be used to estimate the power generated by the turbine by the size of the field well in the operating area of the tip speed ratio of the turbine design.

Prolonged high-intensity grinding can modify the crystal structure of solid substances and/or induce chemical reaction, which is referred to as mechanochemical reaction. Such reactions can exert positive influences on hydrometallurgical processes, therefore, many researchers have applied mechanochemical reactions for metals dissolution from minerals. The mechanism of mechanochemical reaction has been investigated using solid analyses and simulations. Structural changes caused by mechanochemical reaction are not yet sufficiently clarified because the ground samples are amorphous. The objective of this study was to analyze structural changes of cerianite in weathered residual rare earth ore by mechanochemical reduction. Structural change was analyzed by x-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended x-ray absorption fine structure analysis at the cerium L_III- and K-edges. These analyses revealed that the structural change of cerianite in this ore induced by mechanochemical reduction involved oxygen vacancy production. The process of the oxygen vacancy formation was closely coupled with the quantum effect of localization–delocalization of the 4f electron of cerium.

We have proposed a data-driven approach for designing mesoscale porous structures of Li-ion battery electrode with three-dimensional virtual structures and machine learning techniques. Over 2,000 artificial 3D structures assuming positive electrode composed of random packed spheres as active material particles are generated, and charge/discharge resistance has been evaluated using simplified Physico-chemical model. In this model, resistance from Li diffusion in active material particles (diffusion resistance), transfer resistance of Li+ in electrolyte (electrolyte resistance) and reaction resistance on the interface between active material and electrolyte are simulated based on mass balance of Li, Ohm’s law in and linearized Butler-Volmer equation, respectively. Using these simulation results, regression models via Artificial Neural Network (ANN) have been created in order to predict charge/discharge resistance from porous structure features. In this study, porosity, active material particle size and volume fraction, pressure in the compaction process, electrolyte conductivity, and binder volume fraction are adopted as features, associated with controllable process parameters for manufacturing battery electrode. As results, the predicted electrode resistance by ANN regression model is good agreement with the simulated values. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis and optimization of the process parameters have been carried out. The proposed data-driven approach could be a solution as a guiding principle for manufacturing battery electrode.

A testable hypothesis with quantitative predictions is put forward, proposing that strong acids produced on land at a rate correlated with global population are an increas-ing cause of increasing atmospheric CO2 pressure (pCO2). This hypothesis widens the imbalance assumed between the global uptake of CO2 by photosynthesis and emissions of CO2 from all sources, including the combustion of fossil fuels, causing greater atmos-pheric pCO2. Our modelling tests for reactions of dissolved inorganic carbon show that increasing atmospheric CO2 is caused thermodynamically by falling land surface pH values, but only with bicarbonate present. Strong acids generated by oxygen from re-duced inorganic compounds of nitrogen and sulphur emit CO2 almost stoichiometrically from dissolved bicarbonate in the pH range of most global soils, between 6 to above 8. We show that each decrease of aqueous pH value of 0.01 units from acidification of sur-face water near pH 8 potentially increases the pCO2 in the atmosphere by about 7 ppmv. The surface pH value of the ocean near 8.10 in 2000 has been shown to decrease at this rate, a result of equilibrating with the rising atmospheric pCO2. Therefore, our qualita-tive estimates of increasing atmospheric CO2 driven by irreversible acidification on land are critical and need broad scale validation. Unfortunately, these acidifying processes on land from excessive nitrogen fertiliser, export of alkaline produce from farmlands and other processes were not considered by previous biogeochemical reviews. However, several very recent research studies showing CO2 emissions from soil during nitrifica-tion are consistent with our hypothesis. Despite counter measures to curb excessive CO2 emissions, including carbon capture and geological storage, the increasing Keeling curve for pCO2 may continue to rise because zero carbon policies do not address these causes. We recommend that this hypothesis be further tested by in situ experiments in neutral soils and water, designed to compare CO2 emissions under the acidifying conditions de-scribed in this article. Corrective counter measures can then be designed and applied.

This paper provides an alternative Slope-Deflection equation for performing the static analysis of the indeterminate structures. While the conventional Slope-Deflection method introduced in undergraduate structural analysis course involves the use of fixed end moments in the Slope-Deflection equations, the proposed method employs the slope of a simply supported beam to obtain the unknown moments at the joints. Three numerical examples of continuous beams with different load configurations are chosen and the efficacy of the proposed equations is demonstrated. From the perspective of undergraduate structural analysis course in Civil Engineering education, the approach proposed in this paper offers two advantages: (1) prior knowledge of fixed beams is not required and (2) the concepts gained from determinate structural analysis are directly applicable.

Leakage is important in groundwater cycle research and water resource management, the key is to construct the spatial distribution of aquitard. Influenced by natural and anthropogenic factors, the density of boreholes restricts the accuracy of aquitard structure. This paper explores the K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) method to construct multi-layer aquitard structure in the hinterland of Songnen Plain, Northeast China, with limited boreholes, and compare it with Inverse Distance Weight (IDW) and Ordinary Kriging (OK) methods to evaluate the leakage. The KNN needs to first identify the eigenvalue-k of each layer, which is used to enhance the trainset to obtain the testset with a larger amount of sample data enhanced, and to make a prediction to obtain the 3-dimensional structure of aquitard. KNN is more accurate than the IDW and OK. The aquitrad structure obtained by the KNN is different from the IDW and OK, the thickness difference is 3.53%-54.00%, the area difference is 2.28%-23.91%, and the difference in leakage can be up to 24.51%. KNN also has a high degree of identification of aquitard edges, which can help the prevention of groundwater pollution. The results provide guidance for water balance analysis, borehole engineering design, water resources management and exploitation.

GABAA receptors are channel proteins crucial to mediating neuronal balance in the CNS. The structure of GABAA receptors allows for multiple binding sites and is key to drug development. Yet, the formation mechanism of the receptor’s distinctive pentameric structure is still unknown. This study aims to investigate the role of three predominant subunits of the human GABAA receptor in the formation of protein pentamers. Through purifying and refolding the protein fragments of the GABAA receptor α1, β2, and γ2 subunits, homopentamers were visualised with negative staining and Cryo-EM. To aid the analysis, AlphaFold2 was used to compare the structures. Results show that α1 and β2 subunit fragments successfully formed homo-oligomers, particularly homopentameric structures, while the predominant heteropentameric GABAA receptor was also replicated through the combination of the three subunits. However, it is still unclear whether γ2 subunits can form homopentamers or their main purpose is to bring together the α1 and β2 subunits to form GABAA receptors. Nevertheless, this study will lead to a deeper understanding of the atomic structure of GABAA receptors, especially in the formation mechanism of complex protein structures, and hopefully pave the way to the development of novel therapeutics for neuropsychiatric diseases.

We have developed circular defects in 2-dimensional photonic crystal lasers that allow current injection for interconnected optical communications. However, when cleaving the sample to measure the output light, the output light intensity changes due to the cleaving position. In a previous study, we discovered through simulation that this effect could be eliminated and that a higher optical output might be obtained by applying a convex edge structure. In this paper, we develop the fabrication technology for this structure, fabricate samples, and measure the output light experimentally. Room-temperature continuous-wave laser oscillations using this structure are observed. The laser threshold is similar to well-lasing samples with normal cleavage edge faces. We are assured that these results contribute to future work such as accurate manufacturing and improving the end-face configuration to obtain higher outputs.

A study is made of the progressive ‘decoherence’ of cosmic ray extensive air shower particle detector signals in small air showers through measurements of coincidence rates for pairs of detectors versus the detector separation. Measurements are made both when only the two separated detectors themselves trigger in coincidence, and when that coincidence trigger also requires the detection of a local air shower by a small external air shower array. The addition of the explicit air shower trigger ensures that the latter data correspond to showers of a larger particle size, and triggering by very localised shower cores is then unlikely. When including a shower trigger, the decoherence results appear substantially different in form. The coincidence rate between two detectors only can be approximated by a power law variation with separation distance. When triggering involves an air shower array, the variation becomes close to an exponential form with characteristic exponent distances varying systematically with increasing detector and air shower size thresholds. A result is that one can see that small air showers will exhibit clear non-Poissonian density fluctuations near their cores out to distances of ~5m, or at shower energies below ~0.05 PeV. These ideas can be helpful in understanding the statistical properties of signals when using large detectors in air shower arrays.

Grape dehydration is practiced widely in the food industry with large yields of sultanas produced globally. This paper proposes an investigation into grape microstructure changes as it is dried by imaging specimens at intervals during dehydration at two temperatures using scanning electron microscopy. Detailed images of the microstructure were obtained, and a unique image processing algorithm was developed to quantitatively analyse the properties of this microstructure. Two main methods were developed to obtain the complex boundaries of cells present in the grape tissue in over 36 SEM images. Segmentation of the binary image using an adapted watershed function obtained the most consistent and accurate morphological shape. This was compared to a secondary method which used Canny’s edge detection function, morphological closing and skeletonizing to outlines the cellular microstructure. MATLAB was utilised to convert these boundaries into measurable areas so that quantitative data on average cell area, perimeter and cell axis lengths was acquired. It was found that over drying time cell area and perimeter reduced as expected. Some variability in the data was clear due to only single samples being analysed for each temperature and time combination. The development of automatic image processing techniques will enable quantitative data to be extracted from these images. Trends in cell perimeter, diameter and shape will be used to demonstrate relationships between morphological structure, drying temperature, and duration.

In this study we have investigated the effect of the addition of Nb2O5 (up to 5 mol%) on the structure and luminescent properties of ZnO-B2O3 glass doped with 0.5 mol % Eu2O3 by using of infrared (IR), Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Physical properties as molar volume, oxygen packing density and glass transition temperature were determined using the results of differential thermal analyisis (DTA) and Archimedes principle for density. IR and Raman spectra revealed that niobium ions incorporate into the base zinc borate glass as NbO4 trtraherda and NbO6 octahedra. A strong red emission from the 5D0 level of Eu3+ ions was registered under near UV (392 nm) excitation using the sharp 7F0 - 5L6 transition of Eu3+. The integrated fluorescence intensity ratio R (5D0 → 7F2/5D0 → 7F1) was calculated to estimate the degree of asymmetry around the active ion, suggesting a location of Eu3+ in non-centrosymmetric sites. The higher Еu3+ luminescence emission observed in zinc borate glasses containing 1÷5 mol% Nb2O5 compared to the Nb2O5-free zinc borate glass evidences that Nb2O5 is suitable component for modification of host glass structure and improving the emission intensity.

In this paper, the sol−gel method was used to synthesize powders of LaMnO3 (LMO), La0.85Ca0.15MnO3 (LCM), and La0.85Sr0.15MnO3 (LSM). We investigated the impact of substituting Ca and Sr at the A−site on the perovskite crystal structure and electrochemical capabilities of LMO. LCM retained its orthogonal structure in comparison to the parent LMO components, whereas LSM transitioned to a rhombic structure. At 0.5 A/g, the specific capacitance of LCM and LSM electrodes is 185.5 F/g and 248 F/g, respectively.The specific capacitance of LCM was more three times than that of the LMO electrode. Among the three samples (LMO, 22.25 m2 g−1; LSM, 31.56 m2 g−1), the LCM sample exhibited the highest specific surface area of 38.79 m2 g−1. The charge transfer resistances of the LMO, LCM, and LSM are 0.48 Ω, 0.36 Ω, and 0.38 Ω, correspondingly. The LCM electrode exhibits the greatest capacitance performance due to its more refined morphology, increased concentration of oxygen vacancy, and more complete utilization of the perovskite bulk structure. The above results demonstrate that Ca or Sr substitution of A−site compounds has great potential for supercapacitor applications.

Herpesviridae is a family of enveloped double-stranded DNA viruses that cause a wide range of diseases in hosts. Among the various components of herpesvirus particles, tegument proteins residing between the envelop and nucleocapsid play crucial roles in viral replication, immune evasion, and modulation of host cellular pathways. Understanding the three-dimensional structure of herpesvirus tegument proteins help to reveal the molecular mechanism underlying the crosstalk with other viral and cellular components, and thus is crucial for the investigation of their biological and pathological functions. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the structural features of herpesvirus tegument proteins, highlighting the structure-based functional implications, including the potential as targets for antiviral drug development.

Hong Kong was under strike from Super Typhoon Saola (2309), necessitating the issuance of the highest tropical cyclone warning signal. Saola skirted past the south-southwest of Hong Kong, bringing hurricane force winds and significant storm surge. Saola had its closest approach to Hong Kong on 1 September 2023, posing a unique challenge in forecasting and early warning for the commencement date of the new school term, where higher impact to traffic and public safety was anticipated. This paper covers the challenges on the forecasting aspect of the super typhoon. The predicted tropical cyclone track, intensity and wind structure are reviewed. Experience in this case showed that while there was not a perfect numerical weather prediction model in terms of the forecast track, intensity and wind structure of Saola, multi-model approach provided very use-ful and crucial information for operational weather warning services.

: Extra- and intra-cellular activity occurs under the direction of numerous inter-molecular interactions, and in any tissue or cell, molecules are densely packed, thus promoting those molecular interactions. Galectins and chemokines, the focus of this review, are small, protein effector molecules that mediate various cellular functions, in particular cell adhesion and migration, as well as cell signaling/activation. In the past, researchers have reported that combinations of these (and other) effector molecules act separately, yet sometimes in concert, but nevertheless physically apart and via their individual cell receptors. This view that each effector molecule functions independently of the other limits our thinking about functional versatility and cooperation, and, in turn, ignores the prospect of physiologically important inter-molecular interactions, especially when both molecules are present or co-expressed in the same cellular environment. This review is focused on such protein-protein interactions with chemokines and galectins, their homo- and hetero-oligomeric structures that they can form, and the functional consequences of those paired interactions.

Ethylene is an ideal CO2 product in an electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), which has high economic value. In this paper, Al–doped octahedral Cu2O (Al–Cu2O) catalyst was synthesized by a simple wet chemical method. The selectivity of CO2RR products was improved by doping Al onto the surface of octahedral Cu2O by regulating the Al content. The Al–Cu2O was used as an efficient electrocatalyst for CO2RR with selective ethylene production. The Al–Cu2O exhibited a high Faradic efficiency (FEC2H4) of 44.9% at -1.23 V (vs. RHE) in CO2 saturated 0.1 M KHCO3 electrolyte. Charge transferring from Al atom to Cu atom take place after Al doping in Cu2O, thereby optimizing the electronic structure, which facilitates CO2RR to ethylene production. The DFT calculation showed that the Al–Cu2O catalyst can effectively reduce the adsorption energy of the *CHCOH intermediate and promote the mass transfer of charges, thus improving the FEC2H4. After Al doping into Cu2O, the center of d orbitals shift positively, which makes the d–band closer to the Fermi level. Furthermore, the density of electronic states increases, which was conducted to the interaction between Cu atoms and intermediates, thus accelerating the electrochemical CO2 reduction process. This work proved that the metal doping strategy can effectively improve the catalytic properties of Cu2O, thus providing a useful way for CO2 cycling and green production of C2H4.

The composition, structure and functionalities of prolamins from highland barley was investigated. These parameters of was compared with the widely applied prolamins (zein). There are more charged and hydrophilic amino acids in prolamins from highland barley than zein. The molecu-lar weight of prolamins from highland barley were between 30 to 63 kDa, which was larger than zein (20 to 24 kDa). β-turn helices is the main secondary structure in prolamins from highland barley, while α-helical structure is the main secondary structure in zein. The water holding capacity, thermal stability, emulsifying capacity and stability of prolamins from highland barley is quite lager than zein, while opposite results can be observed for oil absorption capacity. The diameter of fibers prepared with prolamins from highland barley was almost 6 times that of zein, while ribbon structures rather than fibers were formed by prolamins from highland barley. The results would provide the guidance for application of prolamins from highland barley.

Montes de María is the best-preserved tropical dry forest fragment in the Colombian Caribbean, making it an ideal location for studying the impacts of human disturbance on local ecosystems. This study analyzed the ecological structure of diurnal butterflies in both forested and disturbed areas using 16 circular plots to identify relationships between alpha and beta diversity, and the geographic distance between disturbed areas and native forests, using a range of metrics, including range-abundance and rarefaction curves, nonlinear models, and the Bray–Curtis dissimilarity index. Results revealed three distinct species assemblages associated with forest, intermediate disturbed areas (IDA), and disturbed areas (DA). Nonlinear models show that IDA are more diverse than forest and DA. However, forests have more beta diversity among plots than IDA and DA. Indicator species for each butterfly assemblage were also identified. Thus, although new butterfly species assemblages emerge from a new human land-scape, it is clear that species that only occur within dry forest fragments are lost when forest fragments disappear. Overall, these findings have important implications for conservation efforts and understanding how human disturbance affects biodiversity in tropical ecosystems.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded RNAs (EBERs) are structurally conserved small, noncoding RNAs constitutively expressed in EBV infection. Although primarily localised in the nucleus, EBERs are found in the cytoplasm and exosomes. However, the mechanism(s) of EBERs transport is not known. This study aimed to investigate the structural impact of EBER1 on its transport. EBER1 stem-loop (SL) deletion mutants (ΔSL1, ΔSL3 and ΔSL4) were created and stably transfected into HEK293T cells. The expression of EBER1 was quantified in total cell, nuclear, cytoplasmic and exosomal fractions. The quantification was performed in the presence of physiological expression of RPL22 and La, and after silencing them. These proteins are believed to be involved in EBER1 transport and secretion. Compared to the wildtype EBER1 transfectants, the expression level of EBER1 gene in all mutants was significantly lower in the total cell, cytoplasmic and exosomal fractions. However, ΔSL3 mutant showed significant nuclear retention. Silencing RPL22 resulted in increased nuclear-cytoplasmic trafficking of EBER1. Silencing La protein did not affect EBER1 secretion. Alternatively, the store-operated intracellular Ca2+ was found to correlate with EBER1 expression in exosomes. Taken together, EBER1 structure and its interaction with RPL22 appeared to be important in the nuclear-cytoplasmic transport of the RNA.

Bunyaviruses represent the largest group of RNA viruses, and are the causative agent of a variety of febrile and hemorrhagic illnesses. Originally characterized as a single serotype in Africa, the number of described bunyaviruses now exceeds over 500, with its presence detected around the world. These predominantly tri-segmented, single-stranded RNA viruses are transmitted primarily through arthropod and rodent vectors, and can infect a wide variety of animal and plants. Although encoding for a small number of proteins, these viruses can inflict potentially fatal disease outcomes, and have even developed strategies to suppress the innate antiviral immune mechanisms of the infected host. This short review will attempt to provide an overall description of the order Bunyavirales, describing the mechanisms behind their infection, replication and their evasion of the host immune response. Furthermore, the historical context of these virus will be presented, starting from their original discovery almost 80 years ago, to the most recent research pertaining to viral replication and host immune response.

The present work reports on the calculated electronic and magnetic structure of the binary Co-Ga system at high Co content. β-CoGa adopts a simple cubic CsCl type structure. Well-ordered CoGa does not exhibit collective magnetism but is a paramagnetic, metallic compound. Neither Co nor Ga deficiency induces magnetic order, however, ferromagnetism is observed for Co-Ga anti-site disorder. The magnetic moment per cell increases up to about 1.2 μB in the completely disordered body centered cubic structure. With increasing Co content, Co1+xGa1−x maintains the CsCl type structure and becomes ferromagnetic. Most important, a discontinuity of the magnetic order with composition is observed at about 10% excess Co, where a change from a low magnetic moment state to a high moment state is observed. This is accompanied by a change in the electronic structure and transport properties. The discontinuity is forced by the increasing exchange splitting related to the localized moment of the additional Co atoms that replace Ga. Subsequently, the magnetic moment increases continuously up to 2.5 μB for x=0.6. For x≳0.6, the structure changes to face centered cubic with random site occupation and the magnetic moment further increases. Above the magnetic discontinuity, the Curie temperature increases linearly with the Co content from the onset of ferromagnetism, until it reaches its maximum in pure Co.

A model for parasitic motility has been proposed in which parasite filamentous actin (F-actin) is attached to surface adhesins by a large component of the glideosome, known as the glideosome-associated connector protein (GAC). This large 286 kDa protein interacts at the cytoplasmic face of the plasma membrane with the phosphatidic acid-enriched inner leaflet and cytosolic tails of surface adhesins to connect them to the parasite actomyosin system. GAC is observed initially to the conoid at the apical pole and re-localised with the glideosome to the basal pole in gliding parasite. GAC presumably functions in force transmission to surface adhesins in the plasma membrane and not in force generation. Proper connection between F-actin and the adhesins is as important for motility and invasion as motor operation itself. This notion highlights the need for new structural information on GAC interactions, which has eluded the field since its discovery. We have obtained crystals that diffracted to 2.6-2.9 Å for full-length GAC from Toxoplasma gondii in native and selenomethionine-labelled forms. These crystals belong to space group P212121, cell dimensions are roughly a=119 Å, b=123Å, c=221Å, α=90, β=90, γ=90 with 1 molecule per asymmetric unit, suggesting a more compact conformation than previously proposed.

Graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) were produced from flake graphite that had been immersed in isopropyl alcohol solution (70%) and converted to powder form in an ultrasonic bath (5 h, room temperature). Scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and Raman spectroscopy identified 120-nm-thick GNP crystallites and 0.5–21 µm plates with different areas and shapes. Extensive exfoliation was observed by transmission electron microscopy with abundant multilayer and some monolayer GNPs. X-ray diffractometry confirmed 43 GNP layers along the c-axis. Raman spectroscopy indicated well-defined GNPs with few defects and no oxide content. Rietveld analysis indicated a GNP crystal lattice with stacks of parallel two-dimensional graphene layers and tightly bound hybridized carbon atoms stacked in a translational …ABAB… sequence in hexagonal rings.

Spike protein is the surface glycoprotein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) necessary for the entry of the virus via the transmembrane receptors of the human endothelial cells of the respiratoty system for the virus to be engulfed causing COVID-19 disease after priming by type II transmembrane protease TMPRSS2 and then binding with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Therefore, mutations and amino acid variants analysis are essential in understanding the mechanism of binding of spike protein with its receptor to have an insights on possibilities to design a peptide or nucleotide-based vaccine for COVID-19. Here, we employed Iterative Threading Assembly Refinement (I-TASSER) and Multiple Alignment using Fast Fourier Transform (MAFFT) to predict the three-dimensional monomer structure of spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and to analyze the amino acid variants for protein sequences from GISAID database for samples collected from Jordan in a try to find an explanation for the low confirmed number of COVID-19 in Jordan. Our Protein Homology/analogY Recognition Engine V 2.0 (Phyre2) findings showed four single amino acid variants (SAV) found in 20 samples of SARS-CoV-2. What is equal to 5% of samples showed tyrosine deletion at Y144 located in the SARS-CoV-like_Spike_S1_NTD (N terminal domain), 62% showed aspartate substitution to glycine at D614G located in the SARS-CoV-2_Spike_S1_RBD (spike recognition binding site), 5% showed aspartate substitution to tyrosine at D1139Y and 5% showed glycine substitution to serine at G1167S both located in the Corona_S2 domain. The findings have shown lower mutational sensitivity in all variants that might not affect the function of spike glycoprotein except for D614G, which has the highest mutational sensitivity score (5 out of 9) indicating a higher likelihood to affect the function of the spike protein. This might suggest, in general, a reduced transmitability of SARS-CoV-2 in Jordan.

Through history, particular attention has been paid of the study of the relationship between the energy use and the city structure. Improving energy efficiency in modern agglomerations is the most promising means to mitigate climate change and its impacts. In this current context of globalisation, European Union proposes initiatives and policy targets to rethink the urban development strategies towards the ‘zero energy objectives’. Providing a methodological approach with a simulation district analysis, the present article summarizes how the ‘zero energy’ challenge is analyzed in an existing district (Epinlieu) to articulate the users’ requirements in energy. This study contributes to the scientific discussion of the districts’ urban structure and energy planning by establishing a linkage among the beneficial influence of the KPIs of the districts’ form to increase their energy efficiency and its application in a real case study in Belgium.

Untranslated regions (UTRs) of flaviviruses contain a large number of RNA structural elements involved in mediating the viral life cycle, including cyclisation, replication, and encapsidation. Here we report on a comparative genomics approach to characterize evolutionarily conserved RNAs in the 3'UTR of tick-borne, insect-specific and no-known-vector flaviviruses in silico. Our data support the wide distribution of previously experimentally characterized exoribonuclease resistant RNAs xrRNAs within tick-borne and no-known-vector flaviviruses and provide evidence for the existence of a cascade of duplicated RNA structures within insect-specific flaviviruses. On a broader scale, our findings indicate that viral 3'UTRs represent a flexible scaffold for evolution to come up with novel xrRNAs

The dark proteome as we define it, is the part of the proteome where 3D structure has not been observed either by homology modeling or by experimental characterization in the protein universe. From the 550.116 proteins available in Swiss-Prot (as of July 2016) 43.2% of the Eukarya universe and 49.2% of the Virus universe are part of the dark proteome. In Bacteria and Archaea, the percentage of the dark proteome presence is significantly less, with 12.6% and 13.3% respectively. In this work, we present the map of the dark proteome in Human and in other model organisms. The most significant result is that around 40%- 50% of the proteome of these organisms are still in the dark, where the higher percentages belong to higher eukaryotes (mouse and human organisms). Due to the amount of darkness present in the human organism being more than 50%, deeper studies were made, including the identification of ‘dark’ genes that are responsible for the production of the so-called dark proteins, as well as, the identification of the ‘dark’ organs where dark proteins are over represented, namely heart, cervical mucosa and natural killer cells. This is a step forward in the direction of the human dark proteome.

After brings about a brief review of the theoretical explanations and researches on the reasons for being a victim, this article is organized into two sections. The first presents a comparative analysis of the data for 1999 and 2016 in terms of perceptions, profiles and most significant sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables. The second one shows an explanatory analysis based on a multivariate logistical regression model using as an independent variable lifestyle of the population and socioeconomic variables, and as dependent variables individual’s susceptibility to becoming a victim of certain crimes. The results points towards an explanatory model of victimization in which sociodemographic variables play an increasingly less important role while variables related to lifestyle and subjective perceptions make a significant contribution to greater understanding of the nature of being the victim of a crime.

This paper studies a model of dynamic compensation and capital structure with managerial traits. We show that Optimistic manager perceives equity as more undervalued than debt, while, confident manager perceives debt as more undervalued than equity. Managerial risk aversion mitigates manager’s bias. The risk aversion of the optimistic manager has a convex effect on the optimal coupon. There exists the level of risk aversion eliminating the bias on the leverage. The managerial optimist has an ambiguous effect on the owner’s bankruptcy level. The risk aversion has a convex effect on the owner’s bankruptcy level. The optimistic/confident manager underestimates the credit spread. The risk aversion has convex effect on the credit spread. In contrast to rational manager, the optimistic/confident manger has higher level of effort. The risk aversion has a negative effect on the effort.

Based on the nonlinear failure criterion and modified tangential technique, the upper bound solutions of supporting pressure on the deep tunnel face were obtained under pore water pressure conditions. The influence of parameters on the supporting pressure and collapse range was investigated according to the unlimited block failure mechanism. It is found that the upper bound solutions of supporting pressure increase with the growth of the nonlinear coefficient and pore water pressure coefficient. The collapse range of the tunnel face scales out with the increase of the nonlinear coefficient and shrinks when increasing the pore water pressure coefficient. Moreover, with the increase of the nonlinear coefficient, the impact strength on supporting pressure and collapse range declines gradually. According to the calculating results, it is manifest that both the pore water pressure and nonlinear criterion factors have negative impacts on the stability of the tunnel face. Thus, more attention should be paid to these parameters to ensure face stability in deep tunnel construction.

The stability of deep soft rock tunnels is of particular concern under seepage conditions. Aiming at thoroughly discussing the seepage actions and their consequences on the support scheme of such structures, the host rocks of the Weilai Tunnel situated in Guangxi province of China are taken as the research substance. Emphasizing on seepage conditions, stresses, displacements and plastic zone radii along the surrounding rocks of such tunnel are adequately examined taking into consideration the Mogi-Coulomb strain criterion and the elastic-plastic theory. Subsequently, based on strain-softening model, the coupled actions of seepage and softening on the rocks surrounding the tunnel are studied. According to the results, it is revealed that the support scheme of deep soft rock tunnels must be of highest resistance possible to better decrease the plastic zone and the tangential stress along the host rocks. Moreover, throughout the surrounding rocks, the dissemination of pore water pressure is strongly affected by the uneven permeability coefficient under anisotropic seepage states. Combined effects of softening and seepage are very dangerous for the surrounding rocks of deep-buried tunnels. To better guarantee reasonable longevity of such tunnels, long-term monitoring of their support structures with reliable remote sensors is strongly recommended.

Unevenly distributed rainfall leads to reduced potato water productivity (WP) under rainfed production. Understanding practices that can increase WP is vital. Objectives were to (i) understand seasonal variables that influence WP under rainfed conditions and (ii) the effect of the integration of cultivar, locality, mulch on potato WP. The study was under two agroecological zones Appelsbosch (Mbalenhle locality), and Swayimane (Stezi, and Mbhava locality), under smallholder. A split plot, in a randomized complete block design experiment, consists of mulching (mulch and not mulch), and selected cultivars. Soil water content (SWC), yield, and climatic conditions were collected, water use (ET) and WP were calculated. Rainfall, ET, and SWC had a significant influence on seasonal WP. Cultivar x mulch x locality had an insignificant effect on WP, however, locality x cultivars significantly altered potato WP. Localities that had lower vapor pressure deficit (VPD), low relative humidity, and sandy soil had higher potato WP of 14.53 kg m-3. The findings suggest that localities that have less atmospheric dryness and cultivars that show stability of yield across seasons can be an easy-to-apply practice for increasing potato WP under a resource-limited environment. Mulch is important when the distribution of intra-annual rainfall does not match crop water requirements.

Products made from petroleum-derived plastic materials are linked to many environmental problems such as greenhouse gas emissions and plastic pollution. It is desirable to manufacture products from environmentally friendly materials instead of petroleum-based plastic materials. Products made from biomass-fungi composite materials are biodegradable and can be utilized for packaging, construction, and furniture. In biomass-fungi composite materials, biomass particles (derived from agricultural wastes) serve as the substrate and the fungal hyphae network binds the biomass particles together. There are many reported studies on 3D printing of biomass-fungi composite materials. However, there are no reported studies on biodegradation of 3D printed samples from biomass-fungi composite materials. In this study, two types of biomass materials were used to prepare printable mixture hemp hurd and beechwood sawdust. The fungi strain used was Trametes versicolor. Extrusion based 3D printing was used to print samples. 3D printed samples were left for five days to allow fungi to grow. The samples were then dried in an oven for 4 hours at 120ºC to kill all the fungi in the samples. The samples were buried in the soil using a mesh bag and kept in an environmental chamber at 25℃ with a relative humidity of 48%. The weight of these samples was measured every week over the period of three months. Both types of samples (prepared from beechwood sawdust and hemp hurd, respectively) showed weight change after three months. Furthermore, the samples made from hemp hurd had more weight change than the samples made from beechwood sawdust. The SEM (scanning electron microscope) micrographs and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy showed evidence of biodegradation of these samples.

While the beneficial effects of using magnetic and electromagnetic treatment (ET) of brackish and saline waters on soil salinity reduction in the root zone were widely reported more studies are needed to answer questions about the soil salt leaching efficiency and the effect of the duration of the exposure to ET. For this aim, pot experiments were conducted using an Aqua-4DR physical water treatment device. The first experiment included two trials. The first considered 5 concentrations: C0:1.0; C1:4.5; C2:9; C3:13.5; and C4:18 dSm-1. The results revealed that the volume and the salt concentrations of the drained waters were significantly higher under irrigation with ET saline waters than those provided by untreated waters. The drained fraction of water varied from 20 to 26% under irrigation with untreated water and increased from 33 to 56% under irrigation with electromagnetized water indicating an improvement of salt leaching. The second trial was carried out with different irrigation doses. The result showed that the higher the dose, the more obvious and significant ET effect. The different treatment durations of water exposure revealed that the volume and salinity of drained water significantly increase as the ET duration increases. An increase in ET duration induces also an increase in soil water content of around 2.5%. Based on the experimental findings, we may conclude that the ET of saline water can reduce the adverse effect of salinity on the top soil, but these leached salts are carried away in depth and there is no concentration limit of water to the effect of the ET.

High levels of heavy metal contamination in soil present substantial threats to human health and the environment, leading to severe health problems such as neurotoxicity, cancer, kidney issues, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and reduced life expectancy. This research aims to identify and analyze heavy metals in soil samples collected from Superfund sites in North Birmingham, Alabama, specifically in affected areas with Zip codes 35207, 35217, and control area 35214. These affected areas were previously used for mining, coal-fired power plants, coke furnaces, smelting, and other potential sources of heavy metal pollution. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) was employed to study 60 soil samples systematically collected from affected and control areas. We found that using LIBS, we could detect arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and manganese (Mn) in all soil samples from the affected areas. The limit of detection (LoD) was 16 ppm for Pb, 43 ppm for As, and 33 ppm for Mn using specific parameters of the detection system and/or argon gas purging at atmospheric pressure. The results were compared with ICP-MS measurements to validate the accuracy of the LIBS findings. Data showed a good linearity for all calibration data at relatively low concentrations and a good correlation between ICP-MS measurements.

To clarify effects of weathered coal humic acid on water-stable aggregates and pore characteristics of reclaimed cambisol, this research analyzed the evolution characteristics of soil aggregates and pores. Effects of different humic acid dosages (0, 1%, 3%, and 5% by weight) and application period (1 year, 2 years, and 3 years) on soil aggregates and organic carbon components in soil water-stable aggregates were investigated. The results showed that water-stable macroaggregates (&gt;0.25 mm) had the highest content in the first year; but in the third year, water-stable microaggregates (0.053–0.25 mm) had the highest content, and silt and clay (&lt;0.053 mm) were at a maximum. In the third year of 5% treatment, mean weight and geometric mean diameters were the largest, soil structure was the most stable, and TOC and water-stable microaggregates (0.053–0.25 mm) in soil had the highest proportions. For 5% treatment, the majority of irregular pores were independent in the first year, and number of pores decreased in the second year, but average pore volume increased, forming robust connected pores. In the third year, the number of elongated and irregular pores increased. In the third year of 5% treatment, most pores were irregular and of size &gt;100 μm, and soil structure was the most stable.

Using desi-cow waste products like Jeevamrit, natural farming is widespread among farmers for improving soil biology and productivity. Jeevamrit enhances soil chemical and microbiological properties without needing large quantities of farmyard manure (FYM), as a sustainable farming practice with a reduced carbon footprint. Despite its traditional use, Jeevamrit faces criticism due to a lack of scientific evidence. This study investigated the comparative effect of Jeevamrit and chemical fertilizers on the growth and yield of marigold cv. Siracole. In this study mother block of marigold was raised for both summer and winter seasons. The cuttings were harvested from the mother block and then kept for rooting. The rooted cuttings were planted at monthly intervals and evaluated for flowering parameters and compared to those treated with RDF (30:20:20 N, P, and K g/m2). Soil supplied with Jeevamrit enhanced bacteria (26.33%), fungi (18.92%), and actinomycetes (31.21%) populations compared over the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) (i.e. N:P: K @ 30:20:20 g m-2). Jeevamrit-treated plants have marketable flower yield per square meter (3.98 %) and shelf life (9.93 %) compared to RDF. The study concludes that Jeevamrit @ 2 liter m-2 is a sustainable and effective alternative to traditional fertilizers for enhancing marigold production in the mid-hills of the Himalayan region, where natural farming is already accepted.

A typical orchard's mechanical operation consists of three or four stages: lining, digging for plantation, moving the seedling from nurseries to the farm, moving the seedling to the planting hole, and planting the seedling in the hole. However, the digging the planting hole is the most time-consuming operation. In fruit orchards, robots' usage is increasingly becoming more prevalent to increase operational efficiency. They offer practical and effective services to both industry and people, whether they are assigned to plant trees, reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, or carry heavy loads to relieve staff. Robots can operate for extended periods of time and can highly adept at repetitive tasks like planting many trees. The present study aims to identify the locations for planting trees in orchards using geographic information systems (GIS), to develop an autonomous drilling machine and use the developed robot to open planting holes. There isn't a comparable study on autonomous hole planting in the literature in this regard. The agricultural mobile robot is a four wheeled nonholonomic robot with differential steering and forwarding capability to stable target positions. The designed mobile robot can be used in fully autonomous, partially autonomous, or fully manual modes. The drilling system, which is a y-axis shifter driven by a DC motor with reducer includes an auger with a 2.1 HP gasoline engine. SOLIDWORKS software was used for designing and drawing of the mobile robot and drilling system. The Microsoft Visual Basic.NET programming language was used to create the robot navigation system and drilling mechanism software. The cross-track error (XTE), which determines the distances between the actual and desired holes positions, was utilized to analyze the steering accuracy of the mobile robot to the drilling spots. Consequently, the average of the arithmetic means was determined to be 4.35 cm, and the standard deviation was 1.73 cm. This figure indicates that the suggested system is effective for drilling plant holes in orchards.

This review examines methodologies studying soil carbon in urban green spaces, a field requiring higher attention as their ecosystem services are valued and urban mitigation plans against climate change are developed. In the growing global urbanization, urban green spaces play a crucial role as nature-based solutions to address climate challenges, demanding efficient carbon accounting and reduction strategies. In this research, a systematic review was conducted assessing publications from 2021 to 2023 in the databases Web of Science and Scopus. Findings expose the lack of standardization in the methodologies used to study soil carbon in urban green spaces, evidencing in situ measurements at different sampling depths and studies without longitudinal monitoring over time. In addition, studies originated primarily in universities from China, United States and Spain, which focused on carbon in the form of Soil Organic Carbon and Total Carbon. Based on these findings, recommendations are made advocating for the combination and standardizing methodologies. This review offers valuable insights that shed light on an ignore and often overseen issue. Further studies and standardized methodology are needed, to help cities efforts in their pursuit of carbon neutrality by acknowledging the influential role of urban soils, especially green spaces.

In arid and semi-arid regions like Tunisia, irrigation water is typically saline, posing a soil and crop salinization risk and yield reduction. This research aims to study the combined effects of soil matric and osmotic potential stresses on tomato root water uptake. Plants were grown in pot and field experiments in loamy-clay soils and were irrigated with three different irrigation water qualities: 0, 3.5, and 7 dS/m. The Hydrus-1D model was used to simulate the combined dynamics of subsurface soil water and salts. Successful calibration and validation of the model against measured water and salt profiles enabled the examination of the combined effects of osmotic and matric potential stresses on root water uptake. Relative yields, indirectly estimated from actual and potential transpiration, indicated that the multiplicative stress response model effectively simulated measured yields and the impact of saline water irrigation on crop yields. The gradual salinization of the root zone further evidenced this effect. The scenario considering a temperature increase of 2°C had no significant impact on crop yields in the pot and field experiments.

A decade or so of research led to the conclusion, in 2022, that the Soil Realm is home to ~2.1 x 10²⁴ taxa and supports >99.9% of global species biodiversity, mostly Bacteria or other microbes based upon topographic field data. A subsequent 2023 soil biodiversity report tabulated a central value of just 1.04 × 10¹⁰ taxa and claimed soils had 59±15% (i.e., 44–74%) of total species on Earth, incidentally confirming upper values of ~90% for Bacteria. Incompatibility of these two studies is reviewed, supporting the prior global biodiversity data with a vast majority of species inhabiting soil, this despite excluding virus entities (now with >5 x 10³¹ virions and up to 10²⁶ species, 80–90% being in soils). The true status of Oligochaeta (earthworms) and other taxa marked “?” in the 2023 paper are clarified. Although soil biota totals are raised enormously, inordinate threats and the reality of species extinctions yet pertain, specifically to those biota – such as microbes and earthworms – essential for rich, healthy soils that house & nourish almost all the Tree of Life presently on Earth.

The substitution of chemical fertilizers by organic manure plays a critical role in sustainable crop production. Nevertheless, organic amendments promote the global warming potential (GWP) in rice paddies due to increased methane (CH4) emissions. Increasing evidence shows that lime application can reduce CH4 emissions from acidic paddy soils, while it is still not clear whether liming can reduce the GWP in rice fields under organic manure substitution. A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the impacts of pig manure substitution and lime application on grain yield, CH4 and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in a subtropical double-cropped rice field in China. The experiment consisted of three treatments: chemical fertilization (CF, 100% N from urea), 50% of chemical N substituted by pig manure (1/2N + M), and the 1/2N + M treatment plus lime amendment (1/2N + M + L). On average, 1/2N + M reduced rice yield by 5.65% compared to CF, while lime application had no effect on rice yield. Mean cumulative CH4 emissions were 218.8% higher in 1/2N + M than in CF, whereas 1/2N + M + L reduced CH4 emissions by 36.6% compared to 1/2N + M. Neither pig manure substitution nor lime application affected N2O emissions. Consequently, 1/2N + M increased the GWP and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) by 214.6% and 228.3%, respectively, compared to CF. In contrast, 1/2N + M + L reduced the GWP and GHGI by 36.4% and 36.5% compared to 1/2N + M. Lime application can mitigate CH4 emissions and GWP induced by pig manure amendment in double-cropped rice fields.

Due to the growth of tourism, mining and manufacturing, economy of the Hainan Island, southern China has swiftly expanded, but also poses a risk of soil pollution by mercury (Hg) due to the traffic and mineral processing. In order to investigate the characteristics of soil Hg pollution in the Hainan Island and assess the health risk, a total of 239 samples were gathered from five representative regions across the island. A vehicle-mounted potable mercury analyzer was used to measure the atmospheric Hg and soil Hg concentrations in the collected samples. The results indicate that the soil Hg concentration of the five sub-study areas exhibits notable fluctuations, which was found to be influenced by various factors, including wind direction, mining activities, and economic development conditions. The degree of Hg pollution was assessed using both the Single Pollution Index Method and the Geoaccumulation Index Method. The results showed that although nearly half of the sampling points were contaminated, the current soil Hg level does not pose a non-carcinogenic risk to human health.

In this field pot study, effect of drainage method (e.g., intermittent drainage (ID) and continuous flooding (CF)) on greenhouse gas (GHGs: CO2 and CH4) emission was determined from three Korean paddies (BG, MG, and JS series), varying soil properties such as soil texture, labile carbon, and mineral types. Emission of GHGs was evidently influenced by the irrigation, to a different extent, depending on paddy’s redox (Eh) shift upon flooding events. The Eh decline upon flooding was slower in JS pot, where pore-water concentration of ferric and sulfate ions is the highest (~ up to 3-fold) among three paddies. MG pot was 2- to 3-fold percolative than others and the Eh drop during flooding period was the smallest (staying above -50 mV). In ID treatment, CH4 emission (t CO2-eq ha-1 yr-1) was reduced in a wide range by 5.6 for JS pot, 2.08 for BG pot, and 0.29 for MG pot relative to CF, whereas CO2 emissions (t CO2-eq ha-1 yr-1) was increased by 1.25 for JS pot, 1.07 for BG pot, and 0.48 for MG pot due to the enhanced oxidation of labile carbon. Grain yield and aboveground biomass production from ID were no less than those from CF (p &lt; 0.05). Consequently, gain of global warming potential (S GWP) by ID varied as the order of JS (37%) &gt; BG (14%) &gt; MG (~0 %) pots, and negligible effect observed for MG pot is due to the equivalent trade-off between CO2 and CH4. Our findings suggest that the efficacy of ID practice on GHGs emission can be further improved by the consideration of redox response of paddy system.

A substantial amount of phosphorus (P) in soil is not readily available for plant uptake. Certain species may enhance P availability from poorly soluble P forms. This research aimed to compare the P solubilization capacity of the soil of two Lupine species, L. albus, and L. angustifolius, with a control crop of oats (Avena strigosa L.). Plants were planted in pots in four soils with varying texture, organic matter content, acidity, and P availability. Phosphorus solubilization capacity was assessed on variations of P availability (PBray1) at four points in time, comparing soils with lupine to oat-containing soils and their baseline values. At harvest, measurements of plant shoot biomass included their shoot dry weight and some nutrient concentrations such as P, nitrogen (N), manganese (Mn), and lupine nitrogen fixation. Compared to soils containing oats, lupine soils significantly increased PBray1 concentrations; increments ranged from 0.9 to 5.4 mg kg-1, depending on species, sampling time, and soil type. Lupine-induced soil acidification did not fully explain this P increase., As a proxy measurement of organic acid exudation, Manganese concentration was high in both lupine species' shoot biomass; however, these legumes had divergent Mn accumulation responses to soil acidity and P availability. Nitrogen fixed quantity varied with Lupine species (105-240 mg pot-1) and soil type (60-240 mg pot-1). Lupinus albus had a higher ability to mobilize non-labile P and provide N through biological N fixation (BNF), positioning it as a suitable crop for diversifying Uruguay's agricultural crop rotation systems.

The aim of this study is to present a method for developing fragility curves for soil liquefaction that are consistent with the seismic hazard using Monte Carlo simulation. This method can account for all the uncertainties and variabilities of the input parameters. The seismic parameters of earthquake magnitude (M) and the associated peak ground acceleration (PGA) are considered together for the liquefaction assessment. The liquefaction potential and damages obtained by this method are more realistic. A case study is performed using data from a sand-boil site in Yuanlin, Changhua county, where liquefaction occurred during the Chi-Chi earthquake in Taiwan in 1999. The results show that the liquefaction potential index, IL, the post-liquefaction settlement, St, and the liquefaction probability index, PW, are all suitable parameters for evaluating the liquefaction damages. The fragility curves for soil liquefaction developed by this method can support the performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE) approach, provide guidance for liquefaction evaluation to the ‘Taiwan Earthquake Loss Estimation System’-TELES, and serve as a basis for scenario simulation and an earthquake early warning system for liquefaction damages.

E-waste is considered the fastest-growing global waste stream and has become an emerging environmental challenge. The widespread usage of digital devices has generated a large amount of e-waste. According to the Ministry of Commerce, India annually generates ~14.5 lakh metric tons of e-waste and recycles only ~5 % of e-waste. Annually, the global production of e-waste has been expected to increase by 4–5 %. Advancements in IT and communication divisions have improved the usage of electronic equipment. Heavy metals such as (Pb), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), tin (Sn), and organic chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PBDDs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are subsequently released from e-wastes and contaminates soil and water sources. These toxic compounds are hazardous to human health and the environment. They are capable of entering various biological systems and causing alterations in respiratory functions of the lungs, DNA damage, impaired functioning of the thyroid, and increased risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular ailments. Such concerns raise the quintessential need to manage e-waste to prevent future hazards. This manuscript critically reviews the sources, health and environmental impact, disposal techniques, recycling, and regulation of e-waste.

In Ethiopia, climate change risks are anticipated to have significant consequences for agriculture and food security. This study investigated the past (1981-2010) and the future (2041-2070) climate change trends and their influence on crop length of growing seasons in North-Western (NW) Ethiopian highlands. Climate data were obtained from National Meteorological Agency of Ethiopia and the most valid and high resolution CMIP5 rcp6 (Coupled models Intercomparison Project representative concentration path six) model data were extracted and applied for the analysis purpose. Standard statistical methods are then applied to compute soil water content as well as to evaluate climate variability and trends and their impact on crop Length of Growing Season (LGS). Maximum temperature (tasmax) and minimum temperature (tasmin) inter-annual variability anomalies show the region has experienced coolest years than hottest years during the past. However, in the future the coolest years will highly decrease by -1.2oC while the hottest years increase by +1.3oC. During the major rainfall season (JJAS), the area has received an adequate amount of rainfall in the past and is very likely to get similar rainfall in the future. Whereas the February to May (FMAM) season assists only for early planting and October to January (ONDJ) season for lengthen growing season of JJAS if properly utilized. Otherwise, the season will have the possibility to destroy crops before and during the harvesting time. The soil water content change in the future remains close to past condition, The length of growing seasons has less variable onset and cessation dates while the projected length of growing period (LGP) 174 to 177 days will be suitable for short, long cycle crops and double cropping that could benefit crop production yield of NW-Ethiopian highlands in the future.

Soil transverse isotropy results in different stiffness characteristics in the horizontal and vertical directions. However, the effect is usually neglected in the seismic motion analysis. In this study, an equivalent linear anisotropic soil model was established based on the finite element method and investigated the impact of anisotropic parameters on ground motion at the site under various seismic wave inputs. It is found that the anisotropic parameters have a more significant effect for the seismic waves with the dominant frequency closer to the fundamental frequency of the site. As an example, the soil dynamic parameters in Shanghai Yangshan Port were calibrated by a series of bending elements, resonance columns, and cyclic triaxial tests. The influences of anisotropy on the peak ground acceleration (PGA) and response spectrum are studied for Yangshan Port. Addi-tionally, the standard design response spectra considering the soil anisotropy were provided. A comparison reveals that the existing isotropic design response spectrum may lead to dangerous seismic design for the structures at Yangshan port.

The protection of all environmental compartments (water, soil, air) is of great interest for the normal functioning of life on Earth. Namely, the environment is systematically polluted with different concentrations of physical, biological and chemical pollutants. For the purpose of environmental protection, numerous in situ and ex situ biological, chemical and physical remediation techniques have been developed. Most techniques have limitations such as high costs, processing time and environmental feasibility. In general, biological techniques have proven to be the most environmentally friendly compared to chemical and physical techniques. Furthermore, remediation is an extremely complex procedure due to the complexity of the pollutant composition. Therefore, the implementation of individual physical, biological or chemical remediation techniques is often not sufficient for adequate remediation of the polluted environment. Accordingly, for more economical and efficient environmental remediation, it is recommended to use a combination of techniques that should meet the requirements of efficiency and treatment duration. Ultimately, this short review presents a concise overview of the recent application of physical, biological and chemical remediation techniques to all compartments of the polluted environment (water, air, soil). A critical review of existing knowledge on environmental remediation through a search of relevant literature helped to assess the basic challenges and limitations that arise in the issue of environmental remediation, as well as providing recommendations and guidelines for future research.

Brassicaceae are well known as non-arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) host plants. This study was aimed to examine effects of two Brassica; cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. cv. cabitata) and mustard (B. juncea Coss.) on three AM species (Acaulospora, Entrophospora and Glomus) and to examine effect of root incorporation into soil on root AM infectivity in maize growing in iron toxicity soil. Experiment 1, cabbage and mustard crop reduced spore density of Acaulospora, but there was no effect on spore density of Entrophospora. While, mustard crop had more effect on Glomus spore density than cabbage crop. Experiment 2, AM spore from two conditions; without and with 6 weeks of root residues (cabbage, mustard and maize) incorporation was examined for its infectivity in maize roots. At D21, without root incorporated, the infectivity of Acaulospora, Entrophospora and Glomus were not different. By contrast, cabbage and mustard root incorporation depressed infec-tivity of Acaulospora but, there was no effect on Entrophospora. Whereas, cabbage root incorporation only depressed infectivity of Glomus. However, AM infectivity was recovered at D42. These results suggested that Brassica root incorporated into soil was the actual effect on the viability of AM spore resulting in reduction of AM infectivity at the early stage.

The vibration response of soil is a key property in the field of agricultural soil tillage. Vibration components of tillage machinery are generally used to reduce tillage resistance and improve work efficiency, the pressure variation under low-frequency vibration will affect the fragmentation and dispersion of farmland soil. However, the gradient of pressure variation, frequency domain response, and effective transmission range are unclear. A new method based on DEM (Discrete Element Method) is presented to study the vibration response and pressure transmission under low-frequency vibration. Bench test results showed that peak pressure positively correlates with the vibration frequency and attenuates rapidly at the vibration distance of 100 to 250 mm. The results data were also selected to determine the simulation model parameters. Amplitude, vibration frequency, and soil depth were used as test factors in single-factor simulation tests, and their effects on the peak pressure, frequency domain response, and effective transmission distance were analyzed. The results showed a positive relationship between the peak pressure and the test factors. The peak pressure increases with a maximum gradient of 19.02 kPa/mm at a vibration distance of 50 mm. The amplitude, vibration frequency, and soil depth positively correlate with the dominant frequency amplitude. The main frequency is independent of amplitude and soil depth. At the vibration distance of 250 mm, the dominant frequency is approximately twice the vibration frequency at 7–11 Hz and approximately equal to the vibration frequency at 13–15 Hz. Multiple exponential functions were used to fit the peak pressure attenuation function, obtaining an effective transmission distance range of 347.15 to 550.37 mm for the 5kPa cut-off pressure. For a soil depth of 300 mm, the vertical shear wave diffusion angle is greater than the horizontal shear wave diffusion angle. The study clarifies the vibration response of soil under low-frequency vibration, which helps to design vibration type soil-engaging components of tillage machinery and match vibration parameters for energy saving and resistance reduction in soil tillage.

The oil spilled from the Gulf war caused land pollution and various petroleum compounds. Among petroleum compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known for toxicity, and have been designated as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and endocrine disrupting substances by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). According to the USEPA, toxic equivalents quotient (TEQ), and mutagenic equivalents quotient (MEQ) can be calculated by multiplying the toxic equivalency factor (TEF) and mutagenic equivalency factor (MEF) by the concentration of PAHs. The USEPA calculates the relative TEF for other PAHs by setting the TEF value of benzo(a)pyrene, which is highly toxic, to 1. Relative MEF is also calculated in the same way. In this study, the TPH concentrations of crude oil-contaminated soils collected from the Burgan in Kuwait were measured to be 5, 8, and 20% and TEQ and MEQ of the soils were calculated by multiplying the 16 PAHs concentrations measured for each sample by TEF and MEF, respectively. When the TPH concentration was increased by 4 times from 5% to 20%, the TEQ was increased by about 9 times and the MEQ was increased by about 10 times. Therefore, it was concluded that as the TPH concentration increases, the carcinogenicity and mutation rate increase greatly. In addition, ecotoxicity assessment was performed using luminescent bacteria to compare the relationship between the calculated TEQ and MEQ and actual ecotoxicity, and benzo(a)pyrene among 16 PAHs showed a coefficient of determination of 0.95. In this study, ecotoxicity in PAHs-contaminated environment can be estimated by analyzing benzo(a)pyrene as a representative substance.

Mentha is one of the predominant cash crops in India. However, it is a heavy feeder of nutrients. Organic sources of nutrients not only help in adequate nutrition but also maintain favorable physicochemical and biological soil environments. The present study was conducted to evaluate the response of different combinations of nutrients with microbial bio-fertilizer on mentha crops from 2020 to 2022. The experiment was carried out in the Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications and eight treatments viz; T1 - Control, T2 - RDF (N 75 kg ha-1, P2O5 20 kg ha-1), T3 - RDF + water soaking of roots, T4 - RDF + root soaking with bio-fertilizer, T5 - RDF + bio-fertilizer @ 10 kg ha-1, T6 - 100% N from FYM + water soaking of roots, T7 - 100% N from FYM + root soaking with bio-fertilizer and T8 - 100% N from FYM + bio-fertilizer @ 10 kg ha-1. The treatment T8 (100% N from FYM + bio-fertilizer @10 kg ha-1) significantly outperformed and recorded the highest growth and yield attributes viz; emergence count, stools count, plant height, leaf area index, leaf stem ratio, fresh and dry herb yield.