Improving Jatropha curcas L. photosynthesis-related parameters using poultry litter and its biochar

Poultry litter and biochar contribute to improved plant growth due to their high nutrient content. However, to the best of our knowledge, how incorporating poultry litter and its biochar in soil affects photosynthesis-related parameters of Jatropha curcas L. has not been reported. Therefore, a greenhouse pot experiment was conducted using a complete randomised design with three replicates per treatment to determine the effects of poultry litter, biochar pyrolysed at 350 °C and 750 °C at different application rates (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3 gkg-1) on Jatropha curcas L. photosynthesis parameters.  The control plants recorded the lowest values of photosynthesis-related parameters compared to the treated plants except for water use efficiency. The study observed a significant (P < 0.05) increase in leaf surface area (1807 m2, PL), dark-adapted Fv/Fm ratio, carbon dioxide uptake, and transpiration rate for PL and BC350 with increased application rates, compared to BC750 treatments. BC350 treated plants exhibited higher values (0.79) of Light-adapted Fv’/Fm’. The quantum yield of PSII electron transport displayed an increase with an application rate of 3 gkg-1in PL (0.75) treated soils. Comparing organic amendments used, BC350 exhibited a significantly higher value of carbon dioxide uptake rate (2.67 μmol m-2 s-1) and transpiration rate (2.20 mmol m-2 s-1); however, WUE increased at an application rate of 3 gkg-1 in BC750 (3.8 µmol (CO2) mol-1(H2O)) treated plants. The study results indicate that poultry litter and biochar produced at a lower temperature significantly improved photosynthesis parameters than biochar produced at a higher temperature

Biochar and sewage sludge phosphorus fertilizer effects on phosphorus bioavailability and spinach ( Spinacia oleracea L.) yields under no-till system in semi-arid soils

Purpose This field study evaluated the interactive effects of biochar (BC) and sewage sludge (SS) on P bioavailability and spinach yields for two seasons.Method Treatments were combinations of biochar (0, 2.5 and 5 Mg ha-1) and sewage sludge (0, 6 and 12 Mg ha-1), or mineral fertilizer (200, 28, and 18.9 kg ha-1), amended in a randomized complete block design to Luvisol and Cambisol.Results Significant (p 0.05) yields compared to sole amendments. Mehlich – 3 extractable P (M3-P) in control plots (CONT) increased between seasons, presumably due to P inputs from the irrigation water. Co-amendments on the Cambisol resulted in higher M3-P increase over mineral fertilizer than on the Luvisol in both seasons. Accumulation of M3-P in control plots confounded correlations between crop yields and available P. Higher P under BC compared to SS amended soils emphasize biochar capacity to capture P from irrigation water.Conclusion The results suggest that combined low rates of SS and BC can have significant effects on P availability and crop yields. Biochar enhanced plant P uptake, but decrease in yields with simultaneous increase in M3-P between seasons warrants further research

Physicochemical Properties of Soil from Five Villages in Botswana with Respect to Soil Degradation

A field study was conducted at five villages of Botswana namely, Tsabong, Tshane, Mathathane, Motlhabaneng and Tsetsejwe during the periods of June to August 1999 and June to August 2000. The objective of the study was to assess and compare the soil physicochemical properties of soils at the five villages and to study the effect of cultivation on some soil physical properties. Parameters measured in the field included soil pH, organic carbon (OC), phosphorus (P), cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg, K and Na), bulk density (BD), soil penetration resistance and infiltration rate. Soil pH, OC, CEC, Mg, Ca and BD were found to be significantly different in the five villages. The non-cultivated soil was found to have significantly lower bulk density, higher infiltration rate and higher penetration resistance compared to the cultivated soil. Soil from the Kgalagadi area was found to be significantly lower in nutrients in comparison with the soil from the Bobirwa area. The cultivated soil was found to have higher, bulk density, lower infiltration rate and lower penetration resistance

Biogeographical survey of soil microbiomes across sub-Saharan Africa:structure, drivers, and predicted climate-driven changes

BACKGROUND: Top-soil microbiomes make a vital contribution to the Earth’s ecology and harbor an extraordinarily high biodiversity. They are also key players in many ecosystem services, particularly in arid regions of the globe such as the African continent. While several recent studies have documented patterns in global soil microbial ecology, these are largely biased towards widely studied regions and rely on models to interpolate the microbial diversity of other regions where there is low data coverage. This is the case for sub-Saharan Africa, where the number of regional microbial studies is very low in comparison to other continents. RESULTS: The aim of this study was to conduct an extensive biogeographical survey of sub-Saharan Africa’s top-soil microbiomes, with a specific focus on investigating the environmental drivers of microbial ecology across the region. In this study, we sampled 810 sample sites across 9 sub-Saharan African countries and used taxonomic barcoding to profile the microbial ecology of these regions. Our results showed that the sub-Saharan nations included in the study harbor qualitatively distinguishable soil microbiomes. In addition, using soil chemistry and climatic data extracted from the same sites, we demonstrated that the top-soil microbiome is shaped by a broad range of environmental factors, most notably pH, precipitation, and temperature. Through the use of structural equation modeling, we also developed a model to predict how soil microbial biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa might be affected by future climate change scenarios. This model predicted that the soil microbial biodiversity of countries such as Kenya will be negatively affected by increased temperatures and decreased precipitation, while the fungal biodiversity of Benin will benefit from the increase in annual precipitation. CONCLUSION: This study represents the most extensive biogeographical survey of sub-Saharan top-soil microbiomes to date. Importantly, this study has allowed us to identify countries in sub-Saharan Africa that might be particularly vulnerable to losses in soil microbial ecology and productivity due to climate change. Considering the reliance of many economies in the region on rain-fed agriculture, this study provides crucial information to support conservation efforts in the countries that will be most heavily impacted by climate change. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40168-022-01297-w

Use of neutron probe and tensiometry techniques in determining water characteristics of the two soil types

Characterisation of soil water, in particular water flow dynamics is fundamental in assessing the environmental implications to soil management. Soil water characterisation was assessed by measuring soil water content and soil water potential in a draining profile of sandy and loamy soils. Mercury manometers and Neutron probe meter were connected to a 1.2 m high metal-reinforced container filled with soil samples, to simultaneously measure soil water potential and volumetric water content, respectively. Soil water contents (SWC) were found to decrease monotonically with time, with a rapid decrease in the first 50 hrs of free drainage in both soils. Sandy soil was more prone to huge losses of water than loamy soil attributed to numerous large drainable pores in sandy soil. An appreciable difference of SWC in the upper layer (SWC= 0.22 cm3/cm3) and the bottom layer (SWC= 0.35 cm3/cm3), in the case of loamy soil was attributable to its poor drainage properties.Key words: Soil water content; water potential; soil water characteristic; mercury manometer; neutron prob

Efficiency of chelating agents in retaining sludge-borne heavy metals in intensively applied agricultural soils

This paper presents an evaluation of different chelating agents for their effectiveness in removing Cu, Co and Zn in three distinctly different types of sludge-amended soils. Soil types (Luvisol, Arenosol and Vertisol) were each mixed with an anaerobically digested sludge at a 1:1 ratio followed by leaching with three types of chelating agents, namely: ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid and acetic acid. Aqua regia method was used to quantify pseudo total metal before and after treatment. Generally, chelating agents can be out competed by soil colloids in attracting cations. The efficiency of chelating agents was found to follow this order ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid < nitrilotriacetic = acetic acid in all the three metals, with ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid being the most effective chelating agent. More heavy metals were removed in Luvisol and Arenosol than in Vertisol implying that soils rich in clay fraction retain more cations than soils with minimal clay fraction. Similarly, copper responded positively to chelation than zinc and cobalt in Luvisols and Arenosols, although the results were not conclusive for Vertisols

Comparative analysis of heavy metal concentration in secondary treated wastewater irrigated soils cultivated by different crops

The use of treated urban wastewater for irrigation is a relatively recent innovation in Botswana and knowledge is still limited on its impact on soil heavy metal levels. The aim of this study is to analyze and compare heavy metal concentration in secondary wastewater irrigated soils being cultivated to different crops: olive, maize, spinach and tomato in the Glen Valley near Gaborone City, Botswana. The studied crop plots have been cultivated continuously under treated wastewater irrigation for at least 3 years. Most crop farms have sandy loam, loamy sand soils. Based on food and agriculture organization, heavy metal threshold values for crop production have been studied. Results showed that the wastewater irrigated soils in the Glen Valley have higher cadmium, nickel and copper than desirable levels, while the levels of mercury, lead and zinc are lower than the maximum threshold values recommended for crop production. The control sites show that the soils are naturally high in some of these heavy metals (e.g copper, zinc, nickel) and that crop cultivation under wastewater irrigation has actually lowered the heavy metal content. Comparing between the crops, mercury and cadmium levels are highest in soils under maize and decline linearly from maize to spinach to olive to tomato and control site. By contrast, concentrations of the other metals are at their lowest in maize and then increase from maize to spinach to olive to tomato and to control site