The impact of a urea-formaldehyde (UF) fertilizer on bacterial diversity in onion bulbs and main roots of sugar beet were examined using a 16S rRNA gene clone library. The UF fertilizer markedly increased bacterial diversity in both plants. The results of principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) revealed that nearly 30% of the variance observed in bacterial diversity in both the onion and sugar be...

In order to investigate effect of application of Nitroxin and nitrogen chemical fertilizer on yield and yield components, split plot experiment on the basis of Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications was conducted. Four levels of Nitrogen fertilizer (N1: 100% chemical fertilizer, N2: 75% chemical fertilizer + 100% biological fertilizer, N3: 50% chemical fertilizer + 100% biologi...

Nitrogen utilization by corn (Zea mays L.) is influenced by the form of inorganic N present in the root zone. A field experiment was conducted on Enon sandy loam (fine, mixed, thermic Ultic Hapludalf) to determine N use efficiency and its partitioning in various plant parts of corn. Ammonium nitrate labeled either as NH4-N or NO3-N and applied at 50, 100, or 200 kg N ha" was evaluated. Microplo...

Fertilizer with different ratios of nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P) can influence crop plant performance and defense against herbivores. Spodoptera exigua is an important agricultural pest that has caused serious economic loss, especially in recent decades. In the present study, we explored effects of different intensities and durations of S. exigua herbivory on host plant biomass and on S. exig...

Nitrogen (N) is an essential and often limiting nutrient to plant growth. Maize grain yields are highly responsive to supplemental N, leading to annual application of an estimated 10 million metric tons of N fertilizer to the maize crop worldwide (FAO 2004). Nearly all cultivated maize in developed countries receives some form of N fertilizer and N use is increasing in developing countries, whe...

With rising input costs, beef cattle producers are forced to make decisions based upon the return on investment. Chemical fertilizer application is a common used method by beef cattle producers in the southeastern United States to improve pasture yield and quality [1]. Application of 80 kg N/ha to smooth bromegrass pastures resulted in an increase of crude protein by two percentage points, and ...

One of the main factors limiting the yield and productivity of irrigated rice in the Sahel of West Africa is the high cost of fertilizers and inefficient use of nutrients in the cropping systems. A two-year experiment was conducted over four consecutive seasons at Ndiaye (16°11’N, 16°15’W) and Fanaye (16°32’N, 15°11’W) along the Senegal River Valley to investigate alternative fertilizer managem...

The fates of Pseudomonas striata (P-27) and its mutant were compared in the rhizosphere of soybean at different fertilizer level. Three lacZ tagged mutant strains designated as superior, inferior and homologous to parent with respect to P-solubilization (T-80, T-128, T-125) and IAA production (T-49, T-57, T-87) were selected for establishment studies. The comparison of mutants for their ability...

In this chapter, we investigate the determinants of inorganic fertilizer use on major cereal crops in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda. By using panel data in the three countries, we estimate the determinants of the fertilizer price and application at the household level and evaluate the fertilizer policies in each country. The determinants of the DAP price and application in Kenya can be mostly exp...

The rising fertilizer use accompanying more people eating more has been called exponential (1) and prompted fears of polluted water and consequent methemoglobinemia (2) and hypoxia (3). It also has raised alarm about greenhouse warming (4) and an altered global N cycle and thus primary production (5) and diversity (1) of vegetation. In this plethora of issues we concentrate on a few, beginning ...