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Development and Application of Sustainable Organic Fertilizer

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A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2021) | Viewed by 11984

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. José María García-Mina

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Guest Editor

Department of Environmental Biology, University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
Interests: plant mineral nutrition; soil organic matter; fertilizers; humic substances.

Dr. Jörg Gerke

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Guest Editor

Reetwiesenhof (Institution), Ausbau 5, 18258 Rukieten, Germany
Interests: soil chemistry; humic substances; soil organic matter and soil fertility; phosphate; iron nutrition of higher plants; nutrient (mainly P, Fe, Cu) mobilization by root exudates; sustainable agriculture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to announce the launch of a new special Issue dealing with the development of green organic fertilizers. The main goal of this issue is to cover all research focused on the development of different types of fertilizers based on the use of organic materials that can be previously treated in order to increase nutrient availability and the biostimulant action of the organic moiety.

It is also very interesting to explore the interactions within the fertilizer matrix of the organic material with specific microorganisms with the ability to both increase fertilizer efficiency and plant growth. In this framework, the ability of these types of fertilizers to improve soil quality and fertility is also covered by the issue.

Likewise, the formulations of organic material with other sources of nutrients such as rock phosphate or other minerals are also considered.

Prof. Dr. José María García-Mina
Dr. Jörg Gerke
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Organic fertilizers
Microorganisms–organic material interactions
Plant nutrient efficiency
Soil fertility
Soil microbiota
Crop fertilization
soil nutrient availability
stability of soil organic carbon

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2920 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Two Distinct Soil Disinfestations Differently Modify the Bacterial Communities in a Tomato Field

by Masaru Nakayasu, Kyoko Ikeda, Shinichi Yamazaki, Yuichi Aoki, Kazufumi Yazaki, Haruhiko Washida and Akifumi Sugiyama

Agronomy 2021, 11(7), 1375; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11071375 - 07 Jul 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3627

Abstract

Reductive soil disinfestation (RSD) and soil solarization (SS) were evaluated based on environmental factors, microbiome, and suppression of Fusarium oxysporum in a tomato field soil. Soil environmental factors (moisture content, electric conductivity, pH, and redox potential (RP)) were measured during soil disinfestations. All factors were more strongly influenced by RSD than SS. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of RSD- and SS-treated soils was performed. The bacterial communities were taxonomically and functionally distinct depending on treatment methods and periods and significantly correlated with pH and RP. Fifty-four pathways predicted by PICRUSt2 (third level in MetaCyc hierarchy) were significantly different between RSD and SS. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that both treatments equally suppressed F. oxysporum. The growth and yield of tomato cultivated after treatments were similar between RSD and SS. RSD and SS shaped different soil bacterial communities, although the effects on pathogen suppression and tomato plant growth were comparable between treatments. The existence of pathogen-suppressive microbes, other than Clostridia previously reported to have an effect, was suggested. Comparison between RSD and SS provides new aspects of unknown disinfestation patterns and the usefulness of SS as an alternative to RSD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of Sustainable Organic Fertilizer)

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11 pages, 279 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Uptake and Utilization of Nitrogen from Organic Fertilizers Influenced by Different Doses of Copper

by Beata Kuziemska, Joanna Trębicka and Andrzej Wysokinski

Agronomy 2021, 11(6), 1219; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11061219 - 15 Jun 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1677

Abstract

Copper is a microelement involved in the metabolism of nitrogen compounds in plants. Good utilization of nitrogen from soil and fertilizers by plants requires an adequate supply of copper. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of increasing levels of copper (100, 200, and 300 mg Cu·kg⁻¹ of soil) applied together with various organic fertilizers (cattle manure, chicken manure, and spent mushroom substrate) on nitrogen content and uptake by cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) and the coefficient of nitrogen utilization from organic fertilizers. The pot experiment was carried out in three growing seasons (May–September) in greenhouse, and in this cocksfoot was grown and harvested four cuts in each year. Copper and organic fertilizers were applied once in the first year before sowing cocksfoot, and the after-effect was investigated in the second and third years. Application of different amounts of copper did not influence the nitrogen content in the biomass of cocksfoot. At the same time, soil application of this micronutrient in the amount of 100 mg Cu∙kg⁻¹ of soil caused an increase in nitrogen uptake in the biomass of cocksfoot. Application of 100 and 200 mg Cu·kg⁻¹ of soil caused an increase in the coefficient of nitrogen utilization from the organic fertilizers, which was highest effect in the case of cattle manure. All of the organic materials used increased the content of nitrogen and its uptake by cocksfoot, but the greatest effect was noted following application of chicken manure. The study showed no synergistic or antagonistic relationships between copper and nitrogen. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of Sustainable Organic Fertilizer)

16 pages, 2354 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Agronomic Valorization of Unsulfured Molasses and Defatted Soybean Meal as an Optimized Formulation of Bio-Organic Fertilizer Enriched with High Cell Density P-Solubilizing Bacteria

by Muhamad Aidilfitri Mohamad Roslan, Izzalan Sohedein, Puan Sheau Ling, Zulfazli M. Sobri, Ali Tan Kee Zuan, Sim Choon Cheak and Nor Aini Abdul Rahman

Agronomy 2021, 11(5), 996; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11050996 - 18 May 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3016

Abstract

The application of plant beneficial bioinoculants such as phosphate solubilizing bacteria is a sustainable approach to expanding crop performance in agriculture. However, bioinoculant strains, particularly non-sporulating bacteria are often exposed to detrimental conditions throughout the production process and a long period of storage. This will negatively influence their viable cell density and eventually limit its efficacy in the field. To overcome such a scenario, an optimal formulation of biofertilizer should be prioritized. In this report, a sustainable valorization of molasses and defatted soybean meal as formulation of biofertilizer enriched with Enterobacter hormaechei 40a was proposed. Through the two-level factorial design and central composite design, the optimal formulation and fermentation conditions of bio-organic fertilizer to achieve maximum cell density of strain 40a were achieved. The highest cell density of strain 40a in the optimized molasses-DSM (OMD) medium was 12.56 log CFU/mL after 24 h which was 99.7% accuracy towards the predicted value. Interestingly, the solubilized P was increased by 62.4% in the OMD medium (174.07 µg/mL P) as compared to the standard P medium (65.38 µg/mL P). The shelf life of strain 40a after 180 days of storage was improved significantly around 10 log CFU/mL, when the OMD medium was amended with 0.1% sodium alginate. The strategy described here offers opportunities for agronomic formulation and large-scale bio-organic fertilizer production in the agriculture industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of Sustainable Organic Fertilizer)

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Review

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12 pages, 542 KiB

Open AccessReview

Carbon Accumulation in Arable Soils: Mechanisms and the Effect of Cultivation Practices and Organic Fertilizers

by Jörg Gerke

Agronomy 2021, 11(6), 1079; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11061079 - 27 May 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2713

Abstract

The organic carbon content of soils is a key parameter of soil fertility. Moreover, carbon accumulation in soils may mitigate the increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration. The principles of carbon accumulation in arable soils are well known. The inclusion of clover/alfalfa/grass within the rotation is a central instrument to increase soil organic carbon. In addition, the regular application of rotted or composted farmyard manure within the rotation can increase soil organic carbon contents much more than the separate application of straw and cattle slurry. Humic substances, as a main stable part of soil organic carbon, play a central role in the accumulation of soil carbon. A major effect of compost application on soil carbon may be the introduction of stable humic substances which may bind and stabilize labile organic carbon compounds such as amino acids, peptides, or sugars. From this point of view, a definite soil carbon saturation index may be misleading. Besides stable composts, commercially available humic substances such as Leonardite may increase soil organic carbon contents by stabilization of labile C sources in soil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of Sustainable Organic Fertilizer)

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