scholarly journals Manioc peel and charcoal: a potential organic amendment for sustainable soil fertility in the tropics

2004 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
St�phanie Topoliantz ◽  
Jean-Fran�ois Ponge ◽  
Sylvain Ballof
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Organic Amendment ◽  
The Tropics

scholarly journals Influence of soil fertility on waterlogging tolerance of two Brachiaria grasses

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan De la Cruz Jiménez ◽  
Juan Andrés Cardoso ◽  
David Arango-Londoño ◽  
Gerhard Fischer ◽  
Idupulapati Rao
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Nutrient Availability ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Soil Drainage ◽  
Waterlogging Tolerance ◽  
Waterlogged Soil ◽  
Fe And Mn ◽  
The Tropics

As a consequence of global warming, rainfall is expected to increase in several regions around the world. This, together with poor soil drainage, will result in waterlogged soil conditions. <em>Brachiaria</em> grasses are widely sown in the tropics and, these grasses confront seasonal waterlogged conditions. Several studies have indicated that an increase in nutrient availability could reduce the negative impact of waterlogging. Therefore, an outdoor study was conducted to evaluate the responses of two <em>Brachiaria</em> sp. grasses with contrasting tolerances to waterlogging, <em>B. ruziziensis </em>(sensitive) and <em>B. humidicola</em> (tolerant), with two soil fertility levels. The genotypes were grown with two different soil fertilization levels (high and low) and under well-drained or waterlogged soil conditions for 15 days. The biomass production, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic efficiency, and macro- (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S) and micronutrient (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn and B) contents in the shoot tissue were determined. Significant differences in the nutrient content of the genotypes and treatments were found. An increase of redoximorphic elements (Fe and Mn) in the soil solution occurred with the waterlogging. The greater tolerance of <em>B. humidicola</em> to waterlogged conditions might be due to an efficient root system that is able to acquire nutrients (N, P, K) and potentially exclude phytotoxic elements (Fe and Mn) under waterlogged conditions.  A high nutrient availability in the waterlogged soils did not result in an improved tolerance for <em>B. ruziziensis</em>. The greater growth impairment seen in the <em>B. ruziziensis</em> with high soil fertility and waterlogging (as opposed to low soil fertility and waterlogging) was possibly due to an increased concentration of redoximorphic elements under these conditions.

scholarly journals 298 Biosolids and Soil Solarization Effects on Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum) Production and Soil Fertility in a Sustainable Production System

HortScience ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 443A-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Ozores-Hampton ◽  
Phillip A. Stansly ◽  
Thomas A. Obreza
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Capsicum Annuum ◽  
Methyl Bromide ◽  
Organic Amendment ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Bell Pepper ◽  
Soil Solarization ◽  
Fertilization Program ◽  
Sustainable Solutions

Methyl bromide will be unavailable to conventional vegetable growers in the year 2005, and it cannot be used by organic growers. Chemical alternatives are more expensive and may also be subject to future restrictions. Non-chemical alternatives like solarization and organic amendments are as yet largely unproven but do offer promise of sustainable solutions free of government regulation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil-incorporated biosolids and soil solarization on plant growth, yield, and soil fertility. Main plots were a biosolids soil amendment (37 Mg·ha-1 and a non-amended control. Treated main plots had received some type of organic amendment for the previous 6 years. Sub-plots were fumigated with methyl bromide as they had been for 6 years, or non-fumigated. Non-fumigated plots were further split into solarized and non-solarized plots. Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum `X 3R Aladdin') was grown for 8 months. Nitrogen fertilization was reduced to 50% of the recommended rate in the biosolids plots due to expected N mineralization from the biosolids amendment. Plant biomass was higher in the biosolids plots compared with the non-amended plots but there were no differences in marketable pepper yields between biosolids and non-biosolids plots. Plants grown in solarized soil produced lower plant biomass and yields than the methyl bromide and non-fumigated treatments. Soil pH and Mehlich 1-extractable P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Mn, Fe, and Cu were higher in biosolids plots than in non-amended control plots. Soil organic matter concentration was 3-fold higher where biosolids were applied compared with non-amended soil. The results suggest that regular organic amendment applications to a sandy Florida soil can increase plant growth and produce similar yields with less inorganic nutrients than are applied in a standard fertilization program. However, methyl bromide and non-fumigated treatments produced higher yields than soil solarization.

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