Contamination of soils with cadmium (Cd) is a serious global issue due to its high mobility and toxicity. We investigated the application of insoluble polyacrylate polymers to improve soil and plant health. Sorghum was grown in a Cd-contaminated sandy soil. Polyacrylate polymers at 0.2% (w/w) were added to half of the soil. Control soil without plants was also included in the experiment. Growth...

Propachlor and other chloroacetanilide herbicides are frequently detected contaminants of groundwater and surface water in agricultural regions. The purpose of this work was to develop a new approach to remove propachlor residues from the environment via chemical remediation by the nitrification inhibitor thiourea. The transformation processes of propachlor and thiourea mixed in aqueous solutio...

Weed suppression is one of the several benefits achieved by soil incorporation of crop residues and such suppression is believed to be allelopathic in nature. The allelopathic potential of different crop residues: viz. sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), brassica (Brassica campestris L.) was evaluated in rice (Oryza sativa L.) and jungle rice (Echinochloa co...

Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells survived for up to 77, >226, and 231 days in manure-amended autoclaved soil held at 5, 15, and 21 degrees C, respectively. Pathogen populations declined more rapidly in manure-amended unautoclaved soil under the same conditions, likely due to antagonistic interactions with indigenous soil microorganisms. E. coli O157:H7 cells were inactivated more rapidly in both ...

Plant residues of broccoli, melon, and tomato with or without addition of chicken manure were used as biofumigants in two pot experiments with Meloidogyne incognita-infested soils. The efficacy of these biofumigants in controlling M. incognita infestation in susceptible tomato bio-assay plants was studied at soil temperatures of 20 masculine, 25 masculine, and 30 masculineC. None of the plant r...

In this study, biochar-amended soil cover was investigated to enhance reduction of CH4 emissions from landfills. This paper presents physical and chemical characteristics of biochar-amended soils. Specifically, moisture content, organic content, ash content, pH, particle size distribution, Atterberg limits, specific gravity, and permeability tests were conducted with biochar alone, soil alone, ...

Plant expression of thermostable endoglucanase (E1) [pdb:1ECE] has been proposed for improved conversion of lignocellulose to ethanol for fuel production. Since E1 was isolated from hot springs and has thermostable properties, it may have increased stability when released to agricultural soils during post-harvest residue decomposition. Endoglucanases are a subclass of cellulases and act by clea...

There is a growing need for better assessment of health risks associated with land-applied biosolids. This study investigated in-situ decay of seeded human adenovirus (HAdV), Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, and bacteriophage (MS2) in biosolids-amended soil under wheat cultivation. The biosolids seeded with microorganisms were placed in decay chambers which were then placed in the topsoil...