Minimum tillage is a soil conservation practice involving a reduction in soil disturbance and topsoil compaction, which could minimize environmental impact of the tobacco cultivation system. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the development and growth responses of Nicotiana tabacum and the changes in the physical and hydrological soil properties after the application of two differen...

The soil microbial communities play an important role in plant health, however, the relationship between the below-ground microbiome and above-ground plant health remains unclear. To reveal such a relationship, we analyzed soil microbial communities through sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons from 15 different tobacco fields with different levels of wilt disease in the central south part of C...

Emissions of nitric oxide (NO) were measured during the summer of 1995 from 4 crops, located at three different sites throughout North Carolina. These sites were chosen to represent major physiographic regions of the Southeast US, in an effort to compare fluxes from different agriculturally managed soils. Emission rates were determined using a dynamic flow-through chamber system. In order to un...

Yellow plums (Prunus domestica L) conventionally and organically grown in the same farm were selected to study the influence of different agronomic practices on antioxidant vitamins (ascorbic acid, vitamin E, beta-carotene) and phenolics (total polyphenols, phenolic acids, flavonols) concentration. Conventional plums were grown on tilled soil. Three organic cultivations were performed: tilled s...

The improvement of New Zealands pastures over the last ISO years has increased the nutrient status of the soil as a result of the application of fertiliser, an increased soil organic matter content and increased biological activity. The grazing animal has also influenced the nutrient status of the soil by increasing the rate at which nutrients cycle between the soil, plants and animals. However...

Extensive data used to quantify broad soil C changes (without information about causation), coupled with intensive data used for attribution of changes to specific management practices, could form the basis of an efficient national grassland soil C monitoring network. Based on variability of extensive (USDA/NRCS pedon database) and intensive field-level soil C data, we evaluated the efficacy of...

The Activities of the wide range of organisms in soil play an important role in natural ecosystems. Their processes contribute to the soil’s health, ability to retain nutrients and make them available for plant. Soil biological, physical and chemical processes are interrelated and all contribute to plant health & productivity. The chemical and physical environment in soil will influence the bio...

Microsporidia are eukaryotic organisms that cause zoonosis and are major opportunistic pathogens in HIV-positive patients. However, there is increasing evidence that these organisms can also cause gastrointestinal and ocular infections in immunocompetent individuals. In Korea, there have been no reports on human infections with microsporidia to date. In the present study, we used real-time PCR ...

Management options were explored using DairyNZ’s Whole Farm Model (WFM) to predict farmscale milksolids (MS = fat + protein) production and operating profit. Predictions of urinary-N excretions from individual cows were linked to the Agricultural Production System Simulator (APSIM) suite via a Urine Patch Framework (UPF) to estimate N leaching on a farm scale while accounting for urine patches ...

Conservation agriculture (CA) integrates ecological management with scientific agricultural production. CA promotes minimal disturbance of the soil by tillage (zero tillage), balanced application of chemical inputs (only as required for improved soil quality and healthy crop and animal production), and careful management of residues and wastes. CA Promotes application of fertilizers, pesticides...