Role of phytolith occluded carbon of cereales plants for climate change mitigation

Phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) is highly stable, and constitutes an important source of long-term C storage in agrosystems. This stored carbon is resistant to the processes of oxidation of carbon compounds. In our research phytolith content in barley (Estonia) and oat (Poland) grain and straw was assessed at field trials, with Si as a liquid immune stimulant OPTYSIL and compost fertilisation. We showed that cereals can produce relatively high amounts of phytoliths. PhytOC plays a key role in carbon sequestration, particularly for poor, sandy Polish and Estonian soils. The phytolith content was always higher in straw than in grain regardless of the type of cereals. The phytolith content in oat grains varied from 18.46 to 21.28 mg∙g−1 DM, and in straw 27.89–38.97 mg∙g−1 DM. The phytolith content in barley grain ranged from 17.24 to 19.86 mg∙g−1 DM, and in straw from 22.06 to 49.08 mg∙g−1 DM. Our results suggest that oat ecosystems can absorb from 14.94 to 41.73 kg e-CO2∙ha−1 and barley absorb from 0.32 to 1.60 kg e-CO2∙ha−1. The accumulation rate of PhytOC can be increased 3-fold in Polish conditions through foliar application of silicon, and 5-fold in Estonian conditions. In parallel, the compost fertilisation increased the phytolith content in cereals

Wpływ siarki i nawozu wieloskładnikowego na zawartość Cu, Zn and Mn w różnych typach gleb spod kukurydzy

The aim of the study was to determine the influence of the soil type and differential sulphur rates used with or without Basfoliar 36 Extra on the soil pH as well as the amount of available forms of copper, zinc and manganese based on the micro plots field experiment. Moreover, the relationship between the studied microelements was examined. The experiment was performed in two-factor design; the first-order factor was the soil type (Typic Hapludolls, Typic Hapludalfs, Typic Haplorthods, Typic Endoaquolls), while the second-order factor - fertilization with sulphur and compound fertilizer - Basfoliar 36 Extra. The plant tested was Rota cultivar maize. The use of sulphur and sulphur combined with Basfoliar 36 Extra changed the classification of the soils in terms of their pH. In the soils under study, as a result of the 10-years application of sulphur and/or foliar fertiliser with NPK fertilization as well as growing maize in monoculture showing a high uptake of macro- and micro-nutrients, there was reported a clear decrease in the content of zinc, copper and manganese, as compared with the initial content. With that in mind, one shall assume that growing maize in a 10-year monoculture is connected with an intensive use of soils, which can result in a clear deficit of the elements studied in soil.Celem badań było określenie wpływu typu gleby i zróżnicowanych dawek siarki stosowanych bez/lub z Basfoliarem 36 Extra na wartość pH gleby oraz zawartości dostępnych formy miedzi, cynku i manganu, w oparciu o doświadczenia mikropoletkowe. Ponadto określono zależności pomiędzy badanymi mikroelementami. Eksperyment przeprowadzono jako dwuczynnikowy: gdzie pierwszym czynnikiem był typ gleby (n = 4, czarnoziem, gleba płowa, gleba bielicowa, czarna ziemia), natomiast drugim - nawożenie siarką (S1, S2) bez/lub z Basfoliarem 36 Extra (n = 5) oraz obiekt kontrolny. Rośliną testową była kukurydza odmiany Rota. Stosowanie siarki oraz siarki w połączeniu z Basfoliarem 36 Extra wpłynęło na zmiany klasyfikacji gleb pod względem ich odczynu. W wyniku 10-letniego stosowania siarki bez/lub z Basfoliarem 36 Extra na tle nawożenia NPK oraz uprawy kukurydzy w monokulturze charakteryzującej się dużym pobraniem makro i mikroskładników stwierdzono wyraźne obniżenie zawartości cynku, miedzi oraz manganu w stosunku do zawartości wyjściowej. W związku z powyższym należy przypuszczać, iż uprawa kukurydzy w 10-letniej monokulturze wiąże się z intensywnym użytkowaniem gleb, co powodować może wyraźny niedobór badanych pierwiastków glebie

Impact of traffic routes on the content of trace elements in soils in Warsaw agglomeration

This article presents the results of a study on the content of selected trace metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd) in soils near the main traffic routes of the Warsaw agglomeration. The aim of the study was to determine the extent of soil contamination with trace metals at different distances from the road (by the side the road and 50 meters away from the road). In the soil 50 m away from the road in Łomianki ‘low contamination’ was found for zinc and ‘elevated content’ for copper according to the IUNG guidelines, but the amounts of the trace elements were not found to exceed the permissible levels as specified in the Regulation of the Minister for the Environment of 1 September 2016

Speciation of Cu and Zn in soil solution in a long-term fertilization experiment

Celem pracy była ocena zmian stężenia Cu i Zn oraz określenie procentowego udziału poszczególnych form tych pierwiastków w roztworze glebowym. Badania prowadzono w warunkach wieloletniego doświadczenia nawozowego zlokalizowa- nego w Stacji Doświadczalnej Wydziału Rolnictwa i Biologii SGGW w Skierniewicach. Roztwór glebowy pozyskano metodą pod- ciśnieniową. Poszczególne, możliwe do wystąpienia formy miedzi i cynku w roztworze glebowym obliczono przy wykorzystaniu programu komputerowego MINTEQA2. Uzyskane wyniki badań wskazują, że stężenie Cu i Zn w roztworze glebowym zwiększa się pod wpływem wyłącznego nawożenia mineralnego (NPK). W warunkach stosowania obornika (CaNPK+FYM) zmniejsza się stęże- nie miedzi, a zwiększa stężenie cynku w roztworze glebowy m w stosunku do obiektów' o wyłącznym naw ożeniu mineralnym (NPK, CaNPK). Wapnowanie było czynnikiem wpływającym na zmniejszenie stężenia obydw u badanych pierwiastków w roztworze glebo- wym. Wyniki analizy numerycznej roztw oru glebowego wykazały, że niezależnie od nawożenia dominującą formą miedzi w roztwo- rze glebowym były kompleksy metalo-organiczne. Ich udział w całkow itym stężeniu Cu w roztworze glebowym stanow ił od 76,5 do 85,2%. Pod względem malejącego udziału w roztworze glebowy m poszczególne formy miedzi można uszeregować następująco: kompleksy miedzi z materią organiczną >wolne jony Cu2+ >kompleksy miedzi z węglanami. Natomiast główną formą cynku w roztworze glebowym były wolne jony Zn2+, których udział w ogólnym stężeniu cynku w roztworze glebowym wynosił od 76,9 do 86,4%. Szereg malejącego udziału poszczególnych form cynku w roztworze glebowym przedstawia się następująco: wolne jony Zn2+ >kompleksy Zn z materią organiczną>kompleksy cynku z chlorkami >kompleksy z węglanami

Effect of traffic routes on the trace element concentration in plants in the Warsaw agglomeration

This work presents the results of an analysis of concentration levels of selected trace metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd) in plants and soil near the main roads of the Warsaw agglomeration. The aim of the study was to assess the degree of contamination by selected trace elements of plants growing at different distances from the road (directly at the roadside and 50 meters away from the road) and to examine the relationship between the concentration of the tested parameters in the soil and their content in the plant. It was found that the lack of clear differentiation in the levels of all heavy metals in plants depending on the distance from the road was associated with the possibility of considerable pollutant migration. In addition, it was found that dandelion usually reveals higher concentrations of heavy metals than meadow-grass

Agrotechnical Biofortification as a Method to Increase Selenium Content in Spring Wheat

Selenium (Se) is a micronutrient that is insufficiently present in the human diet. Increasing its content in food through appropriately matched agricultural practices may contribute to reducing Se deficit in humans. The study covered the effect of grain, soil, as well as grain and soil fertilization with selenium combined with foliar application at different stages of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) development. The fertilization involved the application of sodium selenate. Fertilization with selenium had no significant effect on the grain yield. Grain application, soil application, and grain and soil application combined with foliar application at particular development stages of the plant significantly contributed to an increase in selenium content in grain. The study showed that the accumulation of selenium in spring wheat depends on the type of fertilization and term of its application. The best method of introducing selenium into the plant is grain and soil fertilization combined with foliar application at the stage of tillering and stem elongation (G + S + F1-2) for which the highest selenium content was obtained (0.696 mg·kg−1 Se). The applied biofortification methods contributed to the increase in selenium in the grain of spring wheat

Use Bottom Sediment to Agriculture—Effect on Plant and Heavy Metal Content in Soil

Removing bottom sediment from water reservoirs and rivers can, on the one hand, be an effective method to restore lakes, and on the other—be used for plant production, ensuring the recycling of nutrients. The aim of this research was to evaluate the possibilities of using various types of bottom sediment and its impact on heavy metal content in soil and plants. For this purpose, a pot experiment was carried out using white mustard (Sinapis alba) as a test plant. The total content of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb) was determined in soil and plant. The addition of all types of bottom sediment increased heavy metal content in the soil. The results indicate that adding bottom sediment resulted in a significant increase in plant yield in comparison to the control. The highest yield as a result of direct effect was obtained for a combination with a 5% addition of dam sediment, while as a result of residual effect, the highest yield was achieved for a mixture with a 10% addition of pond sediment. The values of the transfer factor (TF = Cplant/Csoil) indicate a high accumulation of zinc and low accumulation of lead in the plant

Selenium Biofortification of Wheat as a Strategy to Improve Human Nutrition

This paper analyses the effects of soil and foliar fertilization with sodium selenate (VI) on the selenium content in spring wheat grain. The research was carried out at the Departmental Experimental Station of the Institute of Agriculture WULS in Skierniewice in 2018 and 2019. The dose of selenium used was 5.00 g Se·ha−1 in various development stages of spring wheat. The results showed that selenium fertilisation did not affect the size of the grain yield, but both soil and foliar fertilisation significantly increased the content of selenium in wheat grain compared to the control group. The highest Se content was obtained with the method of soil fertilisation combined with the foliar application with a total dose of 10.00 g·ha-1 Se in the stem elongation phase (S + F2), and in the tillering and stem elongation phase (S + F1 + F2), which resulted in the values of 0.615 and 0.719 mg·kg−1 Se in grain, respectively. On this basis, it was concluded that the best time to carry out foliar fertilisation treatment is in the stem elongation phase (BBCH 30–39). The results show that the greatest increase in selenium content in the grain is achieved with soil and foliar fertilisation combined

The impact of diverse level of manure application on the chemical properties of the soil

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of various methods of introducing manure in to the soil on the chem- ical properties of the soil. The field experiment was carried out in the Podlasie voivodship on a sandy soil. Cattle manure was ap- plied in a dose of 30 Mg ha-1 and mixed with the soil using a disc harrow or plowed into the depth of 10 and 20 cm. In soil samples, the content of available forms of phosphorus, potassium, mag- nesium, copper, sulfur, boron, manganese, zinc, iron and the soil reaction was determined. The results confirmed the influence of depth of manure application on soil properties. As the cultivation depth increased, the content of phosphorus and organic carbon in soil increased, C/N ratio expanded, but the content of magnesium and potassium in soil decreased. No effect of the cultivation depth on the soil pH value and the content of nitrogen, boron, zinc and sulfur was found. The results of the study indicate a different rate of manure changes in soil and the related need to develop ferti- lizer equivalents depending on the manure application method

Possibilities of Using Organic Waste after Biological and Physical Processing—An Overview

With a rapidly increasing amount of waste, waste management is an extremely important issue. Utilising processes such as combustion and biological processing significantly decreases the accumulation and volume of waste. Despite this, huge volumes of resulting waste that still need to be managed remain. This paper identifies various methods of processing organic waste, discussing both thermal and biological techniques for waste management. Additionally, this paper demonstrates that the end products remaining after processing waste are oftentimes functional for agricultural use. These materials are excellent byproducts used to produce various organic, mineral and organomineral fertilisers. For instance, it appears that the production of fertilisers is the most promising method of utilising fly ash that results from the combustion of waste. In order to minimise the environmental risk of polluting soil with heavy metals, waste, as well as ashes resulting from combustion, must meet the criteria for the limit of contaminants