This research was conducted to study the effect of adding humic and fulvic acids to the irrigation water on soil properties and germination percentage of two cucurbit plants: zucchini and cucumber. The study was conducted in an open field in Sokhna District in the governorate of Zarqa (Jordan). The field soil was transported to calcareous sandy soil. In the beginning, the weeds and stones were removed, and the land was smoothed and plowed. Effort was made to control weeds and insects at all stages of plant growth. Then, an irrigation network was installed. The fulvic acid-humic acid (FA-HA) biostimulant mixture was incorporated with the irrigation water, and irrigation was practiced three days per week for four weeks. During this period, every irrigation round lasted for two to three hours. A mixture of humic acid (8.0%) and fulvic acid (8.0%) was added to the irrigation water. Three treatments were considered, corresponding to three acid mixture concentrations: 0.50 mL.L-1, 1.00 mL.L-1, and 1.50 mL.L-1. The acid mixtures were added continuously at all stages of plant growth until plant maturity and harvest. Four replicates of the experiment were made. The plant growth variables of interest were germination percentage, number of leaves, date of fruition, size of fruit, and overall mass of fruits. Meanwhile, the soil parameters of interest were soil pH and soil salinity (electric conductivity (EC)) before and after adding the FA-HA mixture. The study found that the 0.5 mL.L-1 acid mixture treatment led to the early growth of the zucchini plant seeds and that fruition took place 12 days after planting. In addition, the results showed an increase in plant germination under the 0.5 mL.L-1 acid mixture treatment in light of the increase in the number of male and female plant flowers, with fruiting taking place on time. In conclusion, the relationship between zucchini growth and yield with FA-HA mixture concentration is non-linear. It is also concluded that the optimum acid mixture concentration and application rate are crop-specific. Hence, for each crop, the most appropriate acid mixture concentration should be determined first before the broad-scale application of amendments to the soil to ensure the contribution of this environmentally friendly practice to sustainable agriculture.

Fencing for grazing exclusion and grazing are common land-use methods in the semi-arid areas of the Loess Plateau in China, which have been widely found to change grassland soil organic carbon (SOC); however empirical studies that evaluated driving factors of soil carbon (C) stocks under the different land use are still weak. In this study, we investigated soil physicochemical and soil respiration (Rs) in the fenced and grazed grassland, to study the soil C stock variations and the main driving mechanism of soil C accumulation. The results showed that bulk density (BD), soil moisture content (SMC), and soil porosity (SP) had no significant difference between fenced and grazed grassland. Fencing increased the SOC, total nitrogen (TN), and C/N ratio, and significantly increased the aboveground biomass (AGB), belowground biomass (BGB), and the amount of soil large macro-aggregates in the topsoil layer (0-10 cm), and the soil stability was improved. Meanwhile, grazing increased soil temperature (ST) and Rs. The soil C stock in the topsoil layer (0-10 cm) of fenced grassland was significantly higher than that of grazed grassland. The soil C/N ratio, BD, and MWD explained large proportions of the variations in soil C stocks. Our results indicate that fencing can improve the stability of soil structure, and reduce Rs, then increase soil C stocks, which is an effective way to improve soil C stocks of grassland ecological in semi-arid areas of northwest China.

A field experiment on direct-seeded rice was conducted during kharif 2011 and 2012 at the College Farm, ANGRAU Hyderabad, to study the influence of different doses of bispyribac sodium 10% SC (10, 15, 20, 25 and 40 g a.i/ha) on physical, physico-chemical and fertility properties of the soil. Persistence of the herbicide in soil from application to harvest of the crop and the residues in plant samples at harvest were also studied. No significant changes in physical (texture, bulk density, particle density, pore space, maximum water holding capacity), physico-chemical (pH, EC, CEC, organic carbon) and fertility properties of the soil (available N, P2O5 and K2O) were noticed at any of the applied doses. Bispyribac sodium dissipation in soil followed a first-order decay process. Half-life (DT50) of bispyribac sodium was 13.10 days, 10.21 days and 9.93 days at 40 g/ha, 25 g/ha and 20 g/ha doses respectively. DT90 values were also calculated. No detectable residues of bispyribac sodium were found in the straw or grain at the time of harvest.

The burning of crop residues (traditionally called ‘Parali’) has recently become a hot topic in India because it is presumed to be one of the reasons for abnormally high levels of air pollution in New Delhi, the capital city of India, after harvesting of Kharif crops during winter months. During the process of finding out a feasible solution for quick disposal of agricultural waste in a safer way, a novel method has been developed by the authors in which crop residue is converted into a useful product, biochar, which can be applied back to the fields for amendment of soil. It not only reduces the introduction of harmful gases into the environment but also improves the physical and chemical properties of the soil. This method is very simple and can be adopted by an individual farmer without much investment and technical skills. Many studies have been conducted on the factors involved in the production and use of biochar as a soil amendment; but in India, not much work has been carried out yet, as it is relatively a new concept in terms of using biomass for biochar production and application. Although biochar is not a new product, it has drawn the attention of researchers and other stakeholders in the near past because of its usefulness in improving the physical and chemical properties of the soil and at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emission, which is one of the biggest challenges for the modern world to protect the environment.