Coleus forskohlii L. is an important medicinal plant species found in tropical regions of India. Roots and tubers are used for treating a variety of purposes, including treating asthma, bronchitis, insomnia, epilepsy and angina.Due to diverse use, the species has been largely exploited from natural habitat leading to its threatened status. A field experiment was conducted to study the influence...

Urban agriculture has been recently highlighted with the increased importance for recreation in modern society; however, soil quality and public health may not be guaranteed because of continuous exposure to various pollutants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the soil quality of urban agriculture by soil microbial assessments. Two independent variables, organic and inorganic fertili...

The gross alpha (α) and beta (β) activities and trace heavy elemental concentrations have been determined in Single Super Phosphate (SSP) and Nitrogen Phosphorous Potassium (NPK) fertilizers samples used for agricultural purposes in Nigeria. Cultivated farm soil samples from two regions (north and south) in the country and samples of phosphate rocks were also analyzed for gross α and β radioact...

nterest in organic fertilizers is growing in the greenhouse industry, but experience and trials are not keeping up. There is little information available on how well the new types of fertilizers provide nutrition for plants compared to traditional water-soluble chemical fertilizers. The most widely available “organic” fertilizers for application like traditional water-soluble fertilizers are fi...

We develop an approach to utilize anisotropic metamaterials to solve one of the fundamental problems of modern plasmonics--parasitic scattering of surface waves into free-space modes, opening the road to truly two-dimensional plasmonic optics. We illustrate the developed formalism on the examples of plasmonic refractor and plasmonic crystal, and discuss limitations of the developed technique an...

This chapter provides information on some recent developments of fertilizer production and use that improve nutrient efficiency and minimize environmental impact. The nutrients discussed are mainly N, P, and S. Improving N nutrient efficiency includes use of (1) controlled-release coated urea products, (2) slowrelease urea–aldehyde polymer products, (3) urea supergranules for deep placement, (4...

Tracking information about fertilizers consumption in the world is very important since they are used to produce agriculture commodities. Brazil consumes a large amount of fertilizers due to its large-scale agriculture fields. Most of these fertilizers are currently imported. The analysis of consumption of major fertilizers, such as Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium (NPK), Sulfur, Phosphate Rock, P...

This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers on nutritive value of safflower forage and silage by in situ and in vitro methods. The safflower forage was harvested at flowering stage, chopped to 3-5 cm particles and then ensiled in the laboratory silos for 60 days. The experimental treatments included: 1. Unfertilized forage (control), 2. Phosphor...

Israel is a small country with a total land area of 21,000 km, from which 20% is arable land. More than half of Israel has an arid to semi-arid climate. Approximately half of the cultivated area (200,000 hectares) has to be irrigated due to lack of rainfall and other water resources. Approximately 80% of the irrigated land in Israel uses the fertigation method, combining the application of wate...

To address the effect of organic fertilizers on rice insect pests and diseases, an experiment was carried out in Cuulong Delta Rice Research Institute (CLRRI) based on the randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments were including a combination of four animal manure compost levels (2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 tons/ha) and four organic fertilizer levels (2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 ...