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Manure Management on Agriculture Soil: Biological and Environmental Benefits

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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 (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 6486

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Quanchao Zeng

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Guest Editor

Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
Interests: soil organic cabron; microbial diversity; aggregates

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agriculture is characterized by an excessive use of chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, etc.). High inputs of chemical fertilizer have resulted in soil acidification, carbon and biodiversity losses, erosion, and water eutrophication. Manure, including animal and green mature, has been considered as an effective amendment to improve soil nutrients, biodiversity, and organic carbon. However, the underlying mechanism by which manure application improves soil health and quality is not well known. Thus, determining how to improve soil organic carbon and nutrients to support green and healthy foods through manure application is attracting attention worldwide. Understanding the impact of manure application on soil element–microbe retractions and the underlying mechanisms is crucial to improve soil carbon sequestration, nutrients and microbial diversity in agroecosystems.

This Special Issue focuses on the following topics: (i) positive and negative effects of manure treatments on soil processes (e.g., carbon and nutrient cycling, aggregates) and microbial dynamics (e.g., microbial diversity and community structure and related functions) in agroecosystems. (ii) The underlying microbial mechanisms of soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous cycling in agroecosystems. (iii) The optimal management for improving soil health and sustainability through manure amendments.

Dr. Quanchao Zeng
Guest Editor

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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

manure
carbon
nutrient cycling
microbial diversity

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1582 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rice (Oryza sativa L.)–Baby Corn (Zea mays L.) Cropping System Response to Different Summer Green Manuring and Nutrient Management

by Vikash Kumar, Manoj Kumar Singh, Nikhil Raghuvanshi and Monalisa Sahoo

Agronomy 2022, 12(9), 2105; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12092105 - 04 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1440

Abstract

The nutrient and biomass supply capacity of green manure (GM) and its complimentary and synergistic relationship with chemical nutrients is needed for a sustainable rice–baby corn cropping system in the eastern part of North India. A two-year field study was performed to assess the effect of GM and nitrogen management (NM) on yield attributes (YA), the yield of rice, and their residual (R) effect with the half-recommended dose of fertilizers on the succeeding baby corn crop. The combination of GM and N levels had significant effects on rice yield, which also influenced the succeeding baby corn crop. A higher number of tillers/m², panicle length (cm), number of grains/panicles, panicle weight (g), grain yield (Mg/ha), straw yield (Mg/ha), and biological yield (Mg/ha) were found with Sesbania aculeata incorporated at 45 DAS (SA), which was statistically on par with water hyacinth 5 t/ha dry weight basis (WH) during both years of the field study. Among the rates of nitrogen fertilizers, 100% RDN (50% N through FYM + 50% N through inorganic) (RDN₁₀₀) was the best treatment with a corresponding increase in all YA and yields of rice. It has been proven that integrated nitrogen management (INM), or the use of organic material along with fertilizer, is an effective way of managing nitrogen. In the present investigation, green manuring and integrated nitrogen management on rice sustainably increased the yield attributes and yield of the succeeding baby corn. These results illustrated the complementary effects of summer green manuring in conjunction with INM in maximizing the yield attributes and yields of rice, its residual effect on succeeding baby corn, and the economics of the system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Manure Management on Agriculture Soil: Biological and Environmental Benefits)

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15 pages, 884 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Vermicomposting Technology as a Process Able to Reduce the Content of Potentially Toxic Elements in Sewage Sludge

by Bayu Dume, Ales Hanc, Pavel Svehla, Pavel Michal, Abraham Demelash Chane and Abebe Nigussie

Agronomy 2022, 12(9), 2049; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12092049 - 28 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2063

Abstract

Sewage sludge (SS) contains potential toxic elements (PTEs) that are harmful to the environment, and their bioaccumulation in the food chain is a major environmental health concern. Vermicomposting has been shown to reduce PTEs during composting of sewage sludge. However, the extent of PTE’s assimilation into the earthworm tissues during composting is largely unknown. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the potential of vermicomposting to decrease PTEs (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn) during composting of SS and whether the bioaccumulation of PTEs in earthworm tissue depends on feed quality. The initial SS was mixed in triplicate with varying proportions of pelletized wheat straw (PWS) (0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% (w/w)) along with a control (100% SS, no earthworms), and the variants were named VC1, VC2, VC3, VC4, and C0 (control), respectively. The experiment was conducted for 120 days using Eisenia andrei. In comparison to the control, mixing SS with PWS reduced Arsenic content by 14–67%, Cadmium content by 4–39%, Chromium contents by 24–77%, Copper content by 20–68%, Lead content by 39–75%, and Zinc content by 16–65%. The bioaccumulation factor’s (BCF) ranges were 20–80% for Arsenic, 20–60% for Cadmium, 6–16% for Chromium, 32–80% for Copper, and 37–115% for Zinc, demonstrating that the accumulation of PTEs in the earthworm tissues explains the low content of PTEs in the vermicompost. In terms of removal rate, the sludge mixtures with bulking agent can be arranged in the following order: VC4 > VC3 > VC2 > VC1. The total carbon loss showed a significant relationship with BCF_As (r = 0.989, p < 0.011), BCF_Cd (r = 0.996, p < 0.004), BCF_Cr (r = 0.977, p < 0.023), BCF_Cu (r = 0.999, p < 0.000), and BCF_Zn (r = 0.994, p < 0.006). The variant containing 75% PWS (VC4) appeared to be a suitable SS mixture to reduce PTEs. Hence, it is suggested that vermicomposting reduces the content of PTEs in SS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Manure Management on Agriculture Soil: Biological and Environmental Benefits)

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Review

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12 pages, 809 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Recovery of Vermicompost Sewage Sludge in Agriculture

by Carmen Otilia Rusănescu, Marin Rusănescu, Gheorghe Voicu, Gigel Paraschiv, Sorin Ștefan Biriș and Ileana Nicoleta Popescu

Agronomy 2022, 12(11), 2653; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12112653 - 27 Oct 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2433

Abstract

Considering that worldwide the amount of sludge from sewage treatment plants has increased, which through storage pollutes the environment, solutions must be found for its management. In this paper, through an analysis of studies from the literature, we present an ecological method of recovery of sewage sludge (SS) in agriculture through vermicomposting with Eisenia etida, Eisenia andrei, Eudrilus eugeniae and Perionyx excavatus earthworms, thus we analyzed the possibility that sewage sludge can be transformed from waste into quality fertilizer that benefits the soil, plants, and people, thus being able to replace chemical fertilizers which, if applied to the soil, can acidify and pollute the soil and agricultural crops. We observed that the total nitrogen content of the phosphorus increased. Through the vermicomposting process, organic substances are rapidly decomposed and nitrogen mineralization is accelerated. We studied the impact of dewatered sewage sludge vermicomposting on pH value, electrical conductivity, porosity, moisture content, nitrogen content, water retention capacity, metal content, and the development of agricultural crops, highlighting the positive impact of vermicompost application on the soil. Adding vermicompost to the soil has been observed to improve plant development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Manure Management on Agriculture Soil: Biological and Environmental Benefits)

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