Hamidreza BEHRAVAN; REZA KHORASANI; Amir Fotovat; Abdol Amir Moezei; Mehdi Taghavi
Abstract
Introduction: Sugarcane cultivation has been revived in Khuzestan province of Iran since the 1960s and due to good results, it gradually began to grow from north to south of this region. Currently, sugarcane is cultivated in more than 100,000 hectares of the provinceand almost 25% of the country needs ...
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Introduction: Sugarcane cultivation has been revived in Khuzestan province of Iran since the 1960s and due to good results, it gradually began to grow from north to south of this region. Currently, sugarcane is cultivated in more than 100,000 hectares of the provinceand almost 25% of the country needs for sugar arebeing produced in this region. Sugarcane fields of Khuzestan province are mainly rich in lime percentage and poor in organic matter and phosphorus. Soil pH in this region of the country also is about 8-8.5 and phosphorus uptake by plants and phosphorus fertilizer efficiency in these soils (alkaline and calcareous soils) are expected to be low. The optimum use of phosphorus fertilizer and proper phosphorus uptake is essential for the quantitative and qualitative function of sugarcane plants. Due to the very low mobility of phosphorus in the soil, its uptake by plants such as sugar cane is affected by number of soil and plant factors (especially plant root characteristics). Changes in these factors can lead to a reduction or increase of P uptake by the crop.
Materials and Methods: Because of the role of organic compounds in the improvement of mobility and phosphorus uptake, the use of organic material has been considered in many types of research. Organic compounds can play a direct and indirect role in plant factors and in phosphorous uptake improvement. In this regard, a greenhouse pot experiment was conducted in 2016-2017 at Farabi Agro Industry Co, 35 km south of Ahvaz, Iran (48º 36' E, 30º 59' N). This research carried out by using three levels of humic acid (immersion of settes in three concentrations of 0, 0.3 and 0.5% of humic acid) as well as three levels of phosphorus fertilizer (triple super phosphate) 0, 50 % and 100% of the recommended amount in the region (250 kg/ha) in two different harvesting periods (45 and 90 days after planting). The experiment set up as a factorial, based on complete randomized design with three replicates. In this experiment, the effects of different levels of phosphorous fertilizers and humic acid on aerial part (shoot height, shoot dry weight), underground part (root length, root dry weight and root hair length), and also root CEC of sugar cane plant in two harvest times were studied. Finally, uptake and influx of phosphorus in different treatments were investigated.
Results and Discussion: As the results show, although the range of the changes was different, the use of humic acid could improve almost all of these factors. Shoot height, shoot dry weight in humic acid treatments showed a significant increase in both harvests compared to non-used humic acid treatments and also in phosphorus fertilizer treatments as the fertilizer levels rose. These results show that humic acid can increase the uptake of phosphorus from the soil reservoir (treatments without phosphorus fertilizer) and source of soil and phosphorus fertilizer (phosphorus fertilizer treatments). The underground plant parts have also shown similar results. Root length and root dry weights have also been shown positive results in humic acid treatments. Therefore, an increase in phosphorus uptake in non-use phosphorous fertilizer treatments or phosphorous fertilizer treatments, along with humic acid, relative to non-humic acid treatments could be explained. The humic acid application seems to increase the uptake capacity of phosphorus from soil and fertilizer sources by increasing root length and root dry weight. In addition, the use of humic acid in alkaline soil can increase the solubility of phosphorus in water and therefore the phosphorus uptake by the roots of the plant could be increased. Based on the results, using humic acid due to improved phosphorus fertilizer use efficiency, phosphorous uptake by plant is expected to be increased and hence the fertilizer use would be reduced. Phosphorus influx results had not the same direction with uptake and application of phosphorus fertilizer. P influx results showed an inverse relationship with root length. In other words, phosphorus uptake was more dependent on the root growth.
Conclusion: This study showed that it is possible to use humic acid in the practical form during the cultivating of sugarcane setts, but it seems that further research is needed to examine other important points such as the use of humic acid during plant growth season and other its application forms, such as spraying or application in irrigation water.
Akbar Karimi; abdolamir moezzi; Mostafa Chorom; Naeimeh Enayatizamir
Abstract
Introduction: Zinc is a key micronutrient which takes part in plant physiological functions. One of the extensively wide range abiotic stresses arises from Zn shortage in agricultural calcareous soils. Zn is one of the most prevalent disorders among various crops. Zinc deficiency is very common in most ...
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Introduction: Zinc is a key micronutrient which takes part in plant physiological functions. One of the extensively wide range abiotic stresses arises from Zn shortage in agricultural calcareous soils. Zn is one of the most prevalent disorders among various crops. Zinc deficiency is very common in most calcareous soils. Different mechanisms are involved in the deficiency of Zn In calcareous soils. The presence of calcium carbonate, lack of organic matter and high pH lead to Zn deficiency. Knowledge on the total Zn contents of in soil gives little information for their bioavailability. In order for better understanding availability of Zn to plant, knowledge about their mobility, and distribution in soil fractions is necessary. Biochar is a carbon-rich material produced by pyrolysis of biomass under oxygen-limited conditions and relatively low temperature. Biochar as a valuable soil amendment has received much attention due to its beneficial effects on carbon sequestration, soil physiochemical properties, soil microbial activity as well as soil fertility. Pyrolysis temperature has a significant influence on biochar physicochemical properties. Furthermore, biochar may alter the distribution of Zn fractions in calcareous soils. The impact of produced biochars at different pyrolysis temperature on distribution of Zn fractions in calcareous soils has been less studied. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the changes in distribution of Zn fractions in a calcareous soils treated with sugarcane bagasse derived biochars at different pyrolysis temperature.
Materials and Methods: An incubation experiment was carried out in laboratory condition as a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete design with two factors: (1) biochar type in four levels including control (without biochar) and biochar produced at 200 (B200), 350 (B350) and 500 ˚C (B500), (2) biochar application rate in two levels including 1 and 2% (w/w), and in three replications. Biochars were produced at 200, 350 and 500˚C pyrolysis temperatures under slow pyrolysis conditions with a heating rate of 5 °C min−1. Heating at this temperature lasted for 2 h. Then biochars were sieved to pass through 2 mm sieve and some properties were measured using the standard methods. The soil used in this study was sampled from the surface layer (0 to 20 cm depth), then, air-dried and sieved through 2 mm. Biochars produced at 200, 350 and 500˚C were mixed at 1 and 2% (w/w) with the 300 g of soil sample and incubated in ambient temperature at laboratory conditions (25 ± 2°C), for 90 days. Soil moisture content was maintained at 80% of field capacity. The samples were weighted every day and the required amounts of distilled water were added. At the end of incubation period, soil samples were air-dried and soil chemical parameters such as pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were measured.Chemical fractions of Zn in the incubated soil were determined according to the Tessier fractionation method. The Tessier sequential extraction method categorized Zn into 5 different fractions including: the exchangeable (Exch), bound to carbonate fraction (Car), bound to organic matter (OM), bound to Fe and Mn-oxides (FeMnOx) and residual fraction (Res).
Results and Discussion: Result indicated that application of different biochars significantly increased soil CEC and TOC. Maximum CEC and TOC were measured in B200 and B350 treatments, respectively, while their minimum values were observed in control treatment. In B200 treatments (B200, 1% and B200, 2%), pH significantly decreased compared to control, while this value significantly increased in B350, 1% , B500, 1% and B500, 2% treatments. B350 1% treatment did not have a significant effect on the soil pH. Application of 1 and 2% B200 significantly enhanced DOC (23.9 and 38%, respectively), compared to the control, but increase of DOC in B350 and B500 treatments was not significant compared to the control. Results showed that concentration of exchangeable Zn fraction decreased by 9.3, 19.5 and 9.5 % in B350, 2%, B500, 1% and B500, 2% treatments, respectively, compared to the control. However, B200 treatments (B200, 1% and B200, 2%) caused a significant increase in concentration of exchangeable Zn fractions (12.5 and 21.6%) compared to the control. The concentration of OM and Car Zn fractions increased in all biochar treatments compared to control. The highest concentration of OM and Car Zn fractions was observed after application of 2% B200 and 2% B500, respectively. Results showed that application of B350 and B500 had no significant effect on concentration of FeMnOx Zn fraction, while, this concentration significantly increased after B200 was applied. There were no significant (P ≤0.05) differences in concentration of residual Zn fraction among all the biochar treatments. The mean comparison results showed that the concentration of residual Zn in B200 treatments was significantly (P ≤0.05) lower than B350 and B500 treatments. There were no significant differences in this concentration among B500, B350 and the control treatments. Results revealed that in all treatments, different Zn fractions in the soil were distributed in the following order: Res > FeMnOx > Car > OM > Exch. The largest effect of biochars on the change in distribution of Zn fractions of soil was observed at 2% application rate.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that biochar B200 application could be an effective amendment for improving chemical properties and conversion of Zn from less available fractions to fractions with more bioavailability in the calcareous soil. Moreover, the biochar produced at 350 and 500˚C is better suited for enhancing soil organic carbon and Zn stabilization in calcareous soil.
M. Biria; Abdulamir Moezzi; H. AmeriKhah
Abstract
Introduction: Among wide variety of soil pollutants including heavy metals, acidic precipitation and other toxicants, the importance of heavy metals due to their pollution capacity has received growing attention in recent years. These metals enters into soil through municipal and industrial sewage as ...
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Introduction: Among wide variety of soil pollutants including heavy metals, acidic precipitation and other toxicants, the importance of heavy metals due to their pollution capacity has received growing attention in recent years. These metals enters into soil through municipal and industrial sewage as well as direct application of fertilizer and pesticides. High cadmium and lead concentration in soil lead to severe environmental pollution. Such pollution not only has a destructive effect on crop yield but also endangers human being and other creatures’ health after entering in their food chain. Several physical, chemical and biological methods used to reduce the adverse effect of high concentration of heavy metals in soil. In spite of the hight cost, these methods are not always suitable for reclamation of small area and mostly have side effect on physico-chemical and biological characters of soil, after application. Biochar produced by thermal decomposition of biomass in the absence or presence of low oxygen. These material due to their high spacific surface area and high cation exchange capacity may have great ability to absorb charged material including heavy metals. Therefore in this study attempt is made to evaluate the effect of sugarcane bagasse –derived biochar in improving maize plant growth in cadmium and lead contaminated soils.
Material and methods: This study was carried out during the year 2014 in two separate experiments in Shahid Chamran university. The treatments in each case consisted of two levels of sugarcane bagasse made biochar (0 and 4 percent by weight) in combination with each soil, properly contaminated with 50 and 100 mg cadmium per kg soil in first experiment and 500 and 1000 mg lead per kg soil in the second. The treated soils were applied to pot and arranged in a complete randomized block designe and replicated 3 times. Prior to introduction of soil to pots, the heavy metal contaminated soils with moisture content around 70 percent of F.C. were incubated for 30 days. During incubation period sugarcane bagasse was dried, milled, sieved, compacted and subjected to traditional furnace at 550 oc for 3 hours on low pyrolysis. The furnace temperature was controlled manually using lesser thermometer. The furnace cooled down and the collected sugarcane bagasse made biochar sieved again. The incubated soil mixed with proper amount of sugarcane bagasse made biochar and incubated under previous condition for 45 days. The treated soils were poured to the labeled pots and 3 maize seeds were sown in each pot and two weeks after emergence thinned to one plant per pot. Nineteen days after sowing, the height of the plants and chlorophyll index were recorded and plants were harvested and leaf area of each plant was recorded, maize root content of each pot were carefully separated from soil and along with shoot property washed, dried, weighed and after milling subjected to chemical analysis. Prior to sowing maize seeds some of physic- chemical properties of untreated soil were estimated. Furthermore few charactoristics of sugarcane bagasse made biochar including pH and EC in 1 : 10 solution of biochar to water recorded. N, C, H, O concentration were estimated by elementary analyzer. Cation exchange capacity of sugarcane bagasse made biochar was measured by ammonium acetate method. Moreover its functional group determined by FT-IR method. Specific surface area estimated as per Branuar Emmet Teller (BET) method. Sugarcane bagasse made biochar image was obtained from scanning electron microscope. Cadmium and lead concentration in root and shoots were estimated by atomic absorption spectrometer after wet digestion. SAS software was used for statistical analysis data which fallowed by Duncan test to compare the mean values.
Results and discussion: The results showed that implementation of cadmium and lead led to decrease in chlorophyll index, leaf area, height of plant and root and shoot dry weight significantly. But the sharp decline in the concentration of cadmium and lead in root and shoot after sugarcane bagasse made biochar application improved chlorophyll index, leaf area, height of plant, root and shoot dry weight. Application of 4% Sugarcane bagasse made biochar, decreased transfer factor (TF) and bioaccumulation factor (BF) of these elements compared to control. The results showed high capability of sugarcane bagasse made biochar to absorb cadmuim and lead and reduce their availability to plant respectively. In fact application of sugarcane bagasse made biochar dwindled cadmium and lead absorption as well as their transfer factor and bioaccumulation factor, and hence improved plant growth.
Conclusion: The results obtained after sugarcane bagasse made biochar application mainly initiated due to high cation exchange capacity of which eventually was created by large number of functional groups in its high specific surface area (table 2) to stabilize cadmium and lead and render them unavailable to plant and hence improve its growth.
hamidreza boostani; mostafa chorom; abdolamir moezzi; najafali karimian; naimeh enayatizamir; mehdi zarei
Abstract
Introduction: Zinc (Zn) is an important nutrient element for humans and plants that controls many biochemical and physiological functions of living organisms. Zinc deficiency is common in high pH, low organic matter, carbonatic, saline and sodic soils. Salinity is a major abiotic environmental stresses ...
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Introduction: Zinc (Zn) is an important nutrient element for humans and plants that controls many biochemical and physiological functions of living organisms. Zinc deficiency is common in high pH, low organic matter, carbonatic, saline and sodic soils. Salinity is a major abiotic environmental stresses that limits growth and production in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Bioavailability of Zn is low in calcareous and saline soils having high levels of pH and calcium. Desorption of Zinc (Zn) from soil as influenced by biological activities is one of the important factors that control Zn bioavailability. Few reports on the effects of salinity on the availability and desorption kinetics of Zn are available. Rupa et al. (2000) reported that increasing the salt concentration led to increase Zn desorption from soil due to ion competition on soil exchangeable sites. Different kinetic equations have been used to describe the release kinetics of nutrients. Reyhanitabar and Gilkes (2010) found that the power function model was the best equation to describe the release of Zn from some calcareous soil of Iran, whereas Baranimotlagh and Gholami (2013) stated that the best model for describing Zn desorption from 15 calcareous soils of Iran was the first-order equation.less attention has been paid to kinetics of Zn release by DTPA extractant over time by inoculation of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and mycorrhizae fungi in comination with soil salinity.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and mycorrhizae fungi (MF) inoculation on release kinetic of Zn in a calcareous soil at different salinity levels after in cornplantation
Materials and Methods: A composite sample of bulk soil from the surface horizon (0-30 cm) of a calcareous soil from southern part of Iran was collected, air dried, passed through 2 mm sieve, and thoroughly mixed. Routine soil analysis was performed to determine some physical and chemical properties. The experiment was conducted in the greenhouse of agriculture college of Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran. A factorial experiment as a completely randomized design with three replications was conducted in greenhouse conditions. The first factor consisted of salinity levels (0, 15 and 30 cmol(c) kg-1 salt supplied as a 3:2:1 Na:Ca:Mg chloride salts) and the second factor was microbial inoculation (without inoculation, fungi, bacteria, bacteria + fungi).Soil samples were extracted using DTPA extractant for periods of 0.5, 1, 2, 6, 12 and 24 hours. Cumulative Zn released (q) as a function of time (T) was evaluated using seven different kinetic models. A relatively high values of coefficient of determination (r2) and low values of standard error of estimate (SEE) were used as criteria for the selection of the best fitted models. Statistical analysis of data was done using MSTATC package (Mstatc, 1991). Comparison between means was performed using Duncan's multiple range test (DMRT) at the significant level of P < 0.05. Also, charts were drawn by excel computer package.
Results and Discussion: Investigation of Zn release patterns showed that the control and all treated soils had a uniform pattern of Zn release. Overall, Zn release patterns were generally characterized by an initial fast reaction at first two hours, followed by slower continuing reaction. It seems likely that the release of zinc is controlled by two different mechanisms. Two-step process of releases (rapid and subsequent slow) is attributed to the existence of places with different energy. The use of all microbial treatments increased the initial release of Zn compared to control. The most and the least Zn initial release observed in fungi-bacterial and bacterial treatment respectively. By application of all microbial treatments, Zn release rate declined compared to control and the lowest decrease observed in fungal treatment. In general, Zn initial release was increased and Zn desorption rate was decreased by increasing of salinity levels. Also, soluble and exchangeable forms of Zn had the highest influence on Zn release control.
Conclusions: Results showed that simplified Elovich, two constant rate and parabolic diffusion kinetics models showed good description of the Zn release. Based on the highest correlation coefficient and the lowest mean standard error of the estimate, simplified elovich determined as the best kinetic model. So it seems that the main mechanism controlling the Zn release in the tested soil is diffusion phenomena.
A. Aama Azghadi; R. Khorassani; M. Mokarram; A. Moezi
Abstract
Abstract
Nowadays, fuzzy technique is used to prepare the map in different sciences, extensively. With due attention to important role of soil fertility in modern agriculture, the preparation of soil fertility map seems to be necessary to plan for appropriate using of fertilizers for crops. This study ...
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Abstract
Nowadays, fuzzy technique is used to prepare the map in different sciences, extensively. With due attention to important role of soil fertility in modern agriculture, the preparation of soil fertility map seems to be necessary to plan for appropriate using of fertilizers for crops. This study was conducted to prepare a distinct map for evaluating soil fertility according to soil available K and P, and soil organic matter factors in Shavor region in Khuzestan province. The fuzzy technique and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) were used for mapping soil fertility into Geographic Information System (GIS). For this, the amount of soil organic matter, and available soil phosphorus and potassium obtained form 282 profiles of soil, as the input data, were used. In the first stage the interpolation of data was done by Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) model into GIS. Then a membership functions was defined for each factor. Finally, the map of soil fertility was prepared by using AHP technique into program of Expert Choice with adjustment rate of 0.05. Results showed that 51, 26, 12 and 11 percentage of lands were classified base on soil fertility into groups of very weak, weak, moderate and suitable, respectively. As a final result, this types of distinct soil fertility map can able us to manage the appropriate using of fertilizer.
Keywords: Geography Information System (GIS), Fuzzy logic, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Soil fertilize