Soil sickness is a critical problem for eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) under continuous cropping that affects sustainable eggplant production. Relay intercropping is a significant technique on promoting soil quality, improving eco-environment, and raising output. Field experiments were conducted from September 2010 to November 2012 in northwest China to determine the effects of relay intercrop...

Soil surface electrochemical properties may have a strong influence on nitrifying microorganisms, Hþ and NH4 þ activities, and therefore on the nitrification process. A gradient of surface electrochemical parameters was obtained by amendment of a subtropical acid pine soil (Oxisol) with 0% (control), 3%, 5%, 8%, 10% and 12% pure Ca-Montmorillonite by weight. The Hþ and NH4þ activities, the abun...

In a pot experiment, the potential use of 10 plant species, including six dicotyledon species and four monocotyledon species, was investigated for the EDTA-enhanced phytoextraction of Pb from contaminated soil. Mung bean and buckwheat had a higher sensitivity to the EDTA treatment in soils. In the 2.5 and 5.0 mmol kg(-1) EDTA treatments, the Pb concentrations in the shoots of the six dicotyledo...

Grasslands and savannas worldwide are experiencing increases in woody plant abundance. In the subtropical Rio Grande Plains of southern Texas and northern Mexico, this change in physiognomy typically results in soil C and N accumulation. The extent to which this accumulation is the result of increased C and N inputs vs. decreased losses is not known. To address this issue, we compared soil C an...

This research was conducted to evaluate the trend of cadmium accumulation in wheat tissue and cultivated soil affected conventional cropping systems and different growth stage via split plot experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications during 2014-2015 seasonal year. The main factor included two cropping systems (wheat-rice, fallow-wheat) and growth stage at thre...

A green house nursery study was conducted to assess the interaction between arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus, Glomus aggregatum and some plant growth promoting rhizomicrooganisms (PGPR's), Bacillus coagulans and Trichoderma harzianum, in soil and their consequent effect on growth, nutrition and content of secondary metabolities of Solanum viarum seedlings. Triple inoculation of G. aggregatum+...

[1] We conducted two experiments, one long term with a 2 C increase (Experiment 1) and one short term with a 4.4 C increase (Experiment 2), to investigate main and interactive effects of warming, clipping, and doubled precipitation on soil CO2 efflux and its temperature sensitivity in a U.S. tallgrass prairie. On average, warming increased soil CO2 efflux by 13.0% (p < 0.01) in Experiment 1, by...

Four populations of Pratylenchus penetrans did not differ (P > 0.05) in their virulence or reproductive capability on Lahontan alfalfa. There was a negative relationship (r = -0 .7 9 ) between plant survival and nematode inocula densities at 26 +/- 3 C in the greenhouse. All plants survived at an inoculum level (Pi) of 1 nematode/cm(3) soil, whereas survival rates were 50 to 55% at 20 nematodes...

BACKGROUND: Overuse of fertilizers can lead to groundwater contamination, depletion of soil microorganisms and beneficial insects, increased crop susceptibility to diseases, acidification or alkalization of soil, damage to soil structure, reduced organic matter and soil fertility. Therefore, for achieve sustainable agricultural, it is necessary to reduce the consumption of conv...