scholarly journals The Use of Microalgae and Cyanobacteria in the Improvement of Agricultural Practices: A Review on Their Biofertilising, Biostimulating and Biopesticide Roles

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 871
Author(s):  
Ana L. Gonçalves

The increase in worldwide population observed in the last decades has contributed to an increased demand for food supplies, which can only be attained through an improvement in agricultural productivities. Moreover, agricultural practices should become more sustainable, as the use of chemically-based fertilisers, pesticides and growth stimulants can pose serious environmental problems and lead to the scarcity of finite resources, such as phosphorus and potassium, thus increasing the fertilisers’ costs. One possible alternative for the development of a more sustainable and highly effective agriculture is the use of biologically-based compounds with known activity in crops’ nutrition, protection and growth stimulation. Among these products, microalgal and cyanobacterial biomass (or their extracts) are gaining particular attention, due to their undeniable potential as a source of essential nutrients and metabolites with different bioactivities, which can significantly improve crops’ yields. This manuscript highlights the potential of microalgae and cyanobacteria in the improvement of agricultural practices, presenting: (i) how these photosynthetic microorganisms interact with higher plants; (ii) the main bioactive compounds that can be isolated from microalgae and cyanobacteria; and (iii) how microalgae and cyanobacteria can influence plants’ growth at different levels (nutrition, protection and growth stimulation).

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Е.В. Абакумов ◽  
Е.Н. Моргун

Agricultural practices in agrocenoses of different ages and in fallow lands of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Region of the Russian Federation were studied with account for post-agrogenic transformations of soils under cryogenic conditions. Agricultural practices in the YNAR are much consistent with those in Finnish Lapland, Southern Greenland, and remote fishing villages in Alaska. Well-drained areas with sandy, light and medium loamy, sod-meadow or sod-podzolic soils, which are easily warmed and not floating in cases of heavy rainfall, are selected for gardens and fields. The depth of permafrost is reduced in plowed areas and depends on the age of their development. The content of available forms of phosphorus and potassium in the upper layer of fallow soils remains very high even through 5-20 years. The use of agricultural techniques, including mulching, drainage, and application of manure and compost derived from fish, increases soil fertility. Currently, agriculture in YNAR decays for such reasons as remoteness (logistics problems), dependence on weather conditions, difficulties in field cultivation, lack of market for agricultural products, and limited choice of products due to natural conditions and the specifics of the agricultural industry. The small indigenous peoples and the landscapes of the North are inseparable and may be sustainable only based on the traditional ways of life harmonized with the natural and social environments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-316
Author(s):  
L. Nenova ◽  
M. Benkova ◽  
Ts. Simeonova ◽  
I. Atanassova

Abstract. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of different fertilizer doses on the content of macroelements (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in dry biomass and grain of maize during the 2016 – 2018 period. A field experiment with fertilization of maize was carried out on Alluvial-meadow soil (Fluvisol) in the region of Tsalapitsa village, near Plovdiv. Three variants of mineral fertilization were studied V2 (N15P10K0), V3 (N20P15K0) and V4 (N25P20K0), and a control variant V1 (N0P0K0) – without fertilization. It was established that N% content in maize dry biomass was affected significantly by the variants of fertilization (18% of the variance). Significant differences (P≤0.05) between the control variant and all the variants of fertilization were established. Increasing the fertilizer dose, nitrogen content in dry biomass increased, too. The highest was the average content of nitrogen in maize leaves (0.94%), followed by the cobs (0.71%) and the lowest was the content in the stems (0.58%). Phosphorus and potassium content of dry biomass were affected significantly by the year of the study (10% and 9% of the variance, respectively). At the 7-8th leaf growth stage of maize, the highest nutrients content (N, P, K) in dry biomass were reported. With aging of plants the nutrient content in their biomass decreased. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content in maize grain was significantly affected by the year of the experiment. Mineral fertilization had impact mostly on the nitrogen content of the grain, which was the highest in V3 variant, accepted as optimal – 0.66% on average.


1969 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-262
Author(s):  
Saulo J. Rodríguez ◽  
R. Bosque-Lugo ◽  
R. Pérez-Pérez ◽  
A. Rodríguez-Cabrera

A set of four experiments with increasing levels of the three main plant nutrients and liming were established in two lateritic soils at two locations in the coffee-growing area of Puerto Rico. Two coffee cultivars were used in the experiments. The results obtained can be summarized as follows: 1. Nitrogen levels significantly affected coffee yields of the Puerto Rico cultivar in a Catalina clay at Maricao grown under shade. 2. Phosphorus and potassium did not significantly affect the yields of these coffee cultivars at the two locations. 3. Liming did not significantly affect the yields.


2022 ◽  
pp. 233-250
Author(s):  
Julius Eyiuche Nweze ◽  
Justus Amuche Nweze ◽  
Shruti Gupta

With the increasing demands for foods and other agriculture-based products, sustainable agricultural practices are the cornerstone for improving low-input agricultural production. In contrast to crop production, plant-microorganism interaction (PMI) plays a crucial role. PMI significantly raises productivity as well as maintaining the overall health of the crop. During harsh and extreme physiological conditions, plant-associated extremophilic microbes (PAEM) are known to contribute to crop production, survivability, and fitness. Thus, the application of extremophiles either in the form of biofertilizer or biopesticides is highly beneficial. Extremophiles have been adapted to withstand diverse harsh environmental conditions. They possess unique mechanisms at the molecular level to produce enormous potential extremozymes and bioactive compounds. Consequently, extremophiles represent the foundation of efficient and sustainable agriculture. This chapter introduces the significance and application of plant-associated extremophilic microbes in sustainable agriculture.


Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1890
Author(s):  
Lara Ivanković Tatalović ◽  
Barbara Anđelić ◽  
Mišel Jelić ◽  
Tomislav Kos ◽  
Hugo A. Benítez ◽  
...  

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is used in assessing the effect of environmental stress on the development stability of individuals by measuring small random deviations from perfect bilateral symmetry. Here, we checked for FA on two predatory carabid beetles, Pterostichus melas and Poecilus koyi, in order to evaluate species response to agricultural practices within Mediterranean agroecosystems, as well as FA as a method. The samples were collected in vineyards and olive groves, both under integrated pest management (IPM) and ecological pest management (EPM), and in pristine habitats in the Mediterranean region of Croatia. Geometric morphometrics (GMMs) were used to analyze the pronotum and abdomen shape variations and left–right asymmetries of each population. In respect to the FA measurements, analyzed species responded differently, with P. koyi displaying a lower intensity of FA than P. melas. On the other hand, P. melas beetles from vineyards showed a higher intensity of FA compared with populations from pristine habitats and olive groves. Accordingly, FA pointed out olive groves as potentially less adverse habitats to predatory carabids, keeping in mind the different levels of asymmetry between the two species. Our study singled out P.melas as a more suitable species for further research, in the effect that different agricultural practices can have their impact on non-target invertebrates analyzed by measuring the FA.


2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 278-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandro Schlemmer Brasil ◽  
Joana Darc Batista ◽  
Nubia França da Silva Giehl ◽  
Marco Bruno Xavier Valadão ◽  
Josias Oliveira dos Santos ◽  
...  

AIMS: Investigated how the loss of environmental integrity affects damselfly species composition in nine sites with different levels of environmental integrity in a Cerrado-Amazon transition region known as "arc of deforestation" in Mato Grosso State, Brazil. We also tested the influence of environmental variables on species composition. METHODS: We collected in transects of 100 m and used ordination (PCoA) and simple linear regression. RESULTS: Species composition was strongly influenced by the environmental quality of sites, and the best model to explain species composition included variables related to channel morphology. CONCLUSIONS: These results are connected to the environmental homogenization and loss of environmental integrity as a result of extensive agricultural practices which alter stream communities of dragonflies in this region.


Author(s):  
Aigbedion Isaac ◽  
Salufu Samuel

Electrical geophysical method was applied, to select viable area with essential soil nutrients for plant’s growth. Conventional soil test analysis was carried out for the purpose of confirmation. A case study was done at Ukpenu-Ibhiese and Iruekpen in Ekpoma. The result of the electrical resistivity geophysical method showed that southwest and northwest of the area has resistivity values that ranged between 80Ωm to 170Ωm while the remaining part of the area has values higher than  170Ωm, ranged from  580Ωm to 950Ωm. Values of organic matter, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium,  obtained from the soil test in area with 80Ωm to 170Ωm indicated good proportion of essential soil nutrients for plant growth while area with resistivity values that ranged from 580Ωm to 950Ωm was deficient in essential soil nutrients for plant growth. The results further proved that soil electrical physical properties thus detected and mapped can be used as a proxy of physical, chemical, and biological features relevant for the appropriate site selection and soils management, based on their resistivity behavior, spatial variability, and time dynamics in the area of study.


2021 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 92-99
Author(s):  
Ye.B. Nikitin ◽  
◽  
T.I. Uryumtseva ◽  
B.A. Sharov ◽  
O.A. Slatvinskaya ◽  
...  

The article is devoted to the development of a technology for obtaining organic fertilizers from poultry waste based on biocatalytic processes. Currently, many poultry farms have become sources of environmental pollution, thereby causing serious environmental problems and economic and social damage. The problem of reliable protection of the natural environment from pollution by bird droppings is currently relevant. In the area of operation of large poultry farms, air pollution by microorganisms, dust, foul-smelling organic compounds, which are decomposition products of organic waste, as well as nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon oxides, is possible. Bird droppings contain acids, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, heavy metals. The content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium changes dramatically depending on the quantity and quality of the feed. Humic substances isolated from brown coal have a sufficiently high sorption activity and are used as cheap sorbents for solving a number of environmental problems in industry. These studies are aimed at minimizing the main disadvantage of the anaerobic digestion process, the low reaction rate, which leads to the need to create large-volume bioreactors. On the basis of the research carried out, a technology has been developed for obtaining organic fertilizers from poultry waste by the method of anaerobic fermentation of chicken manure with humidity at a temperature of 27 °C - 50 °C with the addition of sodium humate. The resulting fertilizer is intended for use in agricultural production, horticulture, floriculture, forestry, municipalities, in household plots in order to increase the yield and quality of crop production. For the developed technology, an application has been submitted for obtaining a Patent for the invention of the Republic of Kazakhstan «Method for producing organic fertilizers» (priority No. 2021-22818, dated July 13, 2021). The invention allows to significantly reduce the time of fermentation, to enrich the product with organic and mineral products contained in sodium humate, to convert the salts of heavy metals into an insoluble state, to improve the environmental friendliness of the method.


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