Soil type and fertilizer rate affect wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield, quality and nutrient use efficiency in Ayiba, northern Ethiopia

Additional organic and bacterium fertilizer input regulated soybean root architecture and dry matter distribution for a sustainable yield in the semi-arid Region of China

In the dryland area of the Loess Plateau in northwest China, long-term excessive fertilization has led to soil compaction and nutrient loss, which in turn limits crop yield and soil productivity. To address this issue, we conducted experiments using environmentally friendly organic fertilizer and bacterium fertilizer. Our goal was to investigate the effects of additional organic and bacterium fertilizer inputs on soil water migration, crop root architecture, and yield formation. We implemented six different fertilizer strategies, namely: Nm (mulching, N 30 kg/ha), NPK1m (mulching, N 60 kg/ha; P 30 kg/ha; K 30 kg/ha), NPK2m (mulching, N 90 kg/ha; P 45 kg/ha; K 30 kg/ha), NPKOm (mulching, N 90 kg/ha; P 45 kg/ha; K 30 kg/ha; organic fertilizer 2 t/ha), NPKBm (mulching, N 60 kg/ha; P 30 kg/ha; K 30 kg/ha; bacterium fertilizer 10 kg/ha), and N (N 30 kg/ha; no mulching). The results revealed that the addition of bacterium fertilizer (NPKBm) had a positive impact on soybean root system development. Compared with the other treatments, it significantly increased the total root length, total root surface area, and total root length density by 25.96% ~ 94.89%, -19.63% ~ 36.28%, and 9.36% ~ 28.84%, respectively. Furthermore, NPKBm enhanced soil water consumption. In 2018, water storage during the flowering and podding periods decreased by 12.63% and 19.65%, respectively, while water consumption increased by 0.97% compared to Nm. In 2019, the flowering and harvest periods decreased by 23.49% and 11.51%, respectively, while water consumption increased by 0.65%. Ultimately, NPKBm achieved high grain yield and significantly increased water use efficiency (WUE), surpassing other treatments by 76.79% ~ 78.97% and 71.22% ~ 73.76%, respectively. Subsequently, NPK1m also exhibited significant increases in yield and WUE, with improvements of 35.58% ~ 39.27% and 35.26% ~ 38.16%, respectively. The use of bacterium fertilizer has a profound impact on soybean root architecture, leading to stable and sustainable grain yield production.

Effects of Phytogenically Synthesized Bimetallic Ag/ZnO Nanomaterials and Nitrogen-Based Fertilizers on Biochemical and Yield Attributes of Two Wheat Varieties

Wheat is the most important staple food worldwide, but wheat cultivation faces challenges from high food demand. Fertilizers are already in use to cope with the demand; however, more unconventional techniques may be required to enhance the efficiency of wheat cultivation. Nanotechnology offers one potential technique for improving plant growth and production by providing stimulating agents to the crop. In this study, plant-derived Ag/ZnO nanomaterials were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, SEM, EDX, FTIR, and XRD methods. Various concentrations of phytogenically synthesized Ag/ZnO nanomaterials (20, 40, 60, and 80 ppm) and nitrogen-based fertilizers (urea and ammonium sulphate 50 and 100 mg/L) were applied to wheat varieties (Galaxy-13 and Pak-13). The results obtained from this research showed that application of 60 ppm Ag/ZnO nanomaterials with nitrogenous fertilizers (50 and 100 mg/L) were more effective in improving biochemistry and increasing yield of wheat plants by reducing enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants (proline content, soluble sugar content, malondialdehyde, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase); and significantly increasing the protein content, number of grains per pot, spike length, 100-grain weight, grain yield per pot, and harvest index of both wheat varieties, compared to untreated plants. These findings allow us to propose Ag/ZnO nanomaterial formulation as a promising growth- and productivity-improvement strategy for wheat cultivation.