Composting of waste plant materials and its use in agriculture and landscape sites is an environmental friendly way of reducing waste material and conserving the environment. In this perspectives a survey has been performed at the Dubai based International Center for Biosaline Agriculture to compost the plants based waste material (lawn cuttings-grass) to compost. The material was inoculated with a consortium of microbes leading to form stable and mature compost with high organic matter (38%). In order to conduct seed germination tests, Fulvic acid was extracted from the compost. A pot experiment was conducted over a period of 30 days in the green house to study the effect of Fulvic acid on the seed germination, and plant growth of Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce (Ghaff) and Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne. Seeds of both trees were treated with Fulvic acid at 0.5% and 1% and water treatment was used as control. Generally seed germination and biomass were increased at both rates of fulvic acid. However, a pronounced increase was found in seed germination when fulvic acid was used at 1.0% (Prosopis cineraria 27%; Acacia tortilis 20% increase over control). Similarly biomass (shoot and root) of A. tortilis and P. cineraria was increase 34% and 94% respectively.
Hawai‘i Low Land Mesic Forest Restoration Manual (May 2015)HHFplanners
This manual has been produced as part two of a series on Hawaiian native ecosystem restoration. Part one of this series is the "Hawai‘i Native Plant Microbiome Manual."
SALT is a diversified farming system which can be considered agroforestry since rows of permanent shrubs like coffee, cacao, citrus and other fruit trees are dispersed throughout the farm plot.
The strips not occupied by permanent crops, however, are planted alternately to cereals (corn, upland rice, sorghum, etc.) or other crops (sweet potato, melon, pineapple, castor bean, etc.) and legumes (soybean, mung bean, peanut, etc.).
Effects of salinity stress on growth, Water use efficiency and biomass partit...Innspub Net
Future crop production is predicted to face significant challenges from salinity stress due to secondary salinization. Therefore future-proofing crop production in these conditions is an essential path towards addressing food security. We evaluated the effect of irrigation with water of 0, 4 and 8 ppt salinity on growth, biomass partitioning, WUE and chlorophyll fluorescence of Vernonia hymenolepis A.Rich as ameliorated by fertilization with three levels of NPK20:10:10. Data were analysed for variance using the General Linear Model ANOVA procedure, after positive tests for normality and homogeneity of variance. Means were separated through the Dunnett test. Pearson Correlation was done to determine relationship between variables and these were spatially projected using the Factor Analysis procedure, without rotation. Under fertilization at 8 g NPK20:10:10 per plant, growth was stimulated by salinity increase to 4 ppt (35.43cm) compared to 30.43cm for control plants. Fertilizer application significantly improved all the biomass fractions of plants irrigated with water of 4 ppt relative to the control, while root:shoot ratios were highest for unfertilized plants indicating resource re-allocation to roots for better foraging. Chlorophyll fluorescence ranged between 0.716 and 0.727 and did not differ significantly across treatments. These values indicate that all treatments were under stress, including control plants. Values of WUE and RGR indicate that fertilization of plants irrigated with water of 4ppt salinity enhances growth and Harvest Index of V. hymenolepis, in spite of the registered stress. This is significant to future food security.
Hawai‘i Low Land Mesic Forest Restoration Manual (May 2015)HHFplanners
This manual has been produced as part two of a series on Hawaiian native ecosystem restoration. Part one of this series is the "Hawai‘i Native Plant Microbiome Manual."
SALT is a diversified farming system which can be considered agroforestry since rows of permanent shrubs like coffee, cacao, citrus and other fruit trees are dispersed throughout the farm plot.
The strips not occupied by permanent crops, however, are planted alternately to cereals (corn, upland rice, sorghum, etc.) or other crops (sweet potato, melon, pineapple, castor bean, etc.) and legumes (soybean, mung bean, peanut, etc.).
Effects of salinity stress on growth, Water use efficiency and biomass partit...Innspub Net
Future crop production is predicted to face significant challenges from salinity stress due to secondary salinization. Therefore future-proofing crop production in these conditions is an essential path towards addressing food security. We evaluated the effect of irrigation with water of 0, 4 and 8 ppt salinity on growth, biomass partitioning, WUE and chlorophyll fluorescence of Vernonia hymenolepis A.Rich as ameliorated by fertilization with three levels of NPK20:10:10. Data were analysed for variance using the General Linear Model ANOVA procedure, after positive tests for normality and homogeneity of variance. Means were separated through the Dunnett test. Pearson Correlation was done to determine relationship between variables and these were spatially projected using the Factor Analysis procedure, without rotation. Under fertilization at 8 g NPK20:10:10 per plant, growth was stimulated by salinity increase to 4 ppt (35.43cm) compared to 30.43cm for control plants. Fertilizer application significantly improved all the biomass fractions of plants irrigated with water of 4 ppt relative to the control, while root:shoot ratios were highest for unfertilized plants indicating resource re-allocation to roots for better foraging. Chlorophyll fluorescence ranged between 0.716 and 0.727 and did not differ significantly across treatments. These values indicate that all treatments were under stress, including control plants. Values of WUE and RGR indicate that fertilization of plants irrigated with water of 4ppt salinity enhances growth and Harvest Index of V. hymenolepis, in spite of the registered stress. This is significant to future food security.
Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a concept for resource-saving agricultural crop production system that strives to achieve acceptable profits together with high and sustained production levels while conserving the environment.
It is based on minimum tillage, crop residue retention, and crop rotations, has been proposed as an alternative system combining benefits for the farmer with advantages for the society.
Conservation Agriculture remains an important technology that improves soil processes, controls soil erosion and reduces production cost.
Effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer (SLF) prepared from Sargassum wightii an...researchagriculture
The effect of Seaweed Liquid Fertilizer (SLF) of
Sargassum wightii
and
Hypnea
musciformis
were evaluated on the seedling growth and biochemical parameters of
the pulse,
Cyamopsis tetragonoloba
(L). The seeds of
C. tetragonoloba
soaked in SLF
performed better when compared to the water soaked controls in terms of growth
and certain biochemical attributes. The seeds were sown in soil and SLF were added
to soil bed in four different concentrations separately (0.5%, 1%, 2% and 5% w/v).
C.
tetragonoloba
seedlings showed positive response at 0.5% concentration of aqueous
seaweed extracts in almost all the growth parameters studied. Similarly, a significant
increase in the content of photosynthetic pigments and biochemical constituents such
as soluble protein and starch was noted. The use of
Sargassum
and
Hypnea
extracts
proved to be effective.
Soil Health definition and relationship to soil biology
Characteristics of healthy soil
Assessment of soil health
Framework for evaluating soil health
Indicators
Types of indicators
Biological indicators
Role of biological indicators
Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a concept for resource-saving agricultural crop production system that strives to achieve acceptable profits together with high and sustained production levels while conserving the environment.
It is based on minimum tillage, crop residue retention, and crop rotations, has been proposed as an alternative system combining benefits for the farmer with advantages for the society.
Conservation Agriculture remains an important technology that improves soil processes, controls soil erosion and reduces production cost.
Effect of seaweed liquid fertilizer (SLF) prepared from Sargassum wightii an...researchagriculture
The effect of Seaweed Liquid Fertilizer (SLF) of
Sargassum wightii
and
Hypnea
musciformis
were evaluated on the seedling growth and biochemical parameters of
the pulse,
Cyamopsis tetragonoloba
(L). The seeds of
C. tetragonoloba
soaked in SLF
performed better when compared to the water soaked controls in terms of growth
and certain biochemical attributes. The seeds were sown in soil and SLF were added
to soil bed in four different concentrations separately (0.5%, 1%, 2% and 5% w/v).
C.
tetragonoloba
seedlings showed positive response at 0.5% concentration of aqueous
seaweed extracts in almost all the growth parameters studied. Similarly, a significant
increase in the content of photosynthetic pigments and biochemical constituents such
as soluble protein and starch was noted. The use of
Sargassum
and
Hypnea
extracts
proved to be effective.
Soil Health definition and relationship to soil biology
Characteristics of healthy soil
Assessment of soil health
Framework for evaluating soil health
Indicators
Types of indicators
Biological indicators
Role of biological indicators
There is a great contamination of water, soil, air, soil erosion, pest resistance
and extensive use of chemical fertilizers cause a turn to induce agriculture for
producing safe and clean products. For this purpose, by using natural materials like
algae on the beach, organic and environmentally friendly fertilizer was prepared. In
this investigation effect of Seaweed Liquid Fertilizer (SLF) of Ulva fasciata at
concentrations of 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10% on some parameters of wheat
(Triticum aestivum var. chamran) has been investigated. Based on the results, above
algae can be used as a food supplement solution in the form of foliar spray at 2.5%
concentration with a significant increase in morphological and biochemical indices.
Influence of NPK Fertilizer and Poultry Manure on the Growth of Okra (Abelmos...AI Publications
Field trials were conducted during the 2018 rainy season at the Federal University Dutsin-Ma Teaching and Research Farm, Badole. The aim of the work was to evaluate the influence of different levels of NPK fertilizer (0, 40, 80 kg ha-1) and poultry manure (0, 4, 8 tons’ ha-1) on the growth of okra. The trial was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and replicated three times. The application of 4 and 8 tons’ ha-1 of poultry manure showed significant difference on the number of plant per plot at 4 and 6WAS. While the application of NKP 15:15:15 at all level were statistically at par on the number of plant per plot. The application of poultry manure and NPK 15:15:15 showed significant difference among the treatment to plant height, number of leaves, leaves area, stem girth at various weeks of data collection. The increase in the level of poultry manure and NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer showed the significant effects on number plant, number of leave per plant, leave area, plant height, stem girth. And some of parameters were statistically at far by varied level of factors and time. Okra variety Clemson spineless significantly gave taller plants and increase in the plant organs. Both NPK fertilizer and poultry manure were found to play a significant role in increasing the growth of okra plant.
Effect of Pseudomonas Fluorescens in the Germination and Growth of Prosopis L...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
Mesquite (Prosopis laevigata) is a tree of arid and semi-arid areas of northern and central Mexico. This species allows erosion control, atmospheric nitrogen fixation, and improves soil quality. Pseudomonas fluorescens is a rhizobacterium that favors plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Also, promotes seed germination and development of Mesquite plants under adverse environmental conditions. The aim is to evaluate the role of bacterial strains A7 and Sv of P. fluorescens, using two types of soil (vertisol and phaeozem), and adding vermicompost (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 tons/ha) in the germination and growth stages of mesquite (Prosopis laevigata).We tested the characteristics developed by the plants over 180 days. A randomized experimental design with four repetitions was used to test the seed germination rate and 16 more variables in the greenhouse, such as morphology, dry biomass accumulated, and morphological indices through the randomized factorial experimental design with three factors, 2x3x5x3. Regarding the control treatment, the use of the bacterial strain A7 of P. fluorescens inhibited the germination of mesquite seeds, while the strain Sv favored seedlings development. We observed opposite effects; inhibition and growth in the germination stage, and development of the seedlings observed at 180 days when using the A7 and Sv strains of P. fluorescens.
Utilization of Marginal Soils with Application of Phosphorus and Ethephon for...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
— Abundance of marginal soils is among the major constraint to achieve high yield for crop production due to unsuitable physical and chemical properties of the soils. Commonly, farmers would manage the marginal soil by adding soil amendment, compost and fertilizer which increase the cost of production. Alternatively, application of fertilizer together with plant growth regulator (PGR) during crop management can be practiced to utilize the marginal soil effectively. The aim of this experiment was to determine effects of phosphorus (P) fertilizer and PGR namely ethephon on growth performance of sweet corn grown in three marginal soils namely Rasau, Kuah and Dampar. The treatments were arranged as factorial randomized complete block design with four rates of P fertilizer and standard rate of ethephon replicated four times. The results indicated that the physical properties of the marginal soils vary which Rasau dan Kuah series have low content of silt (10.30% and 36.10%), respectively and clay (9.40% and 11.86%) while Dampar series has low sand content (21%). Consequently, Dampar series depicted highest soil moisture content (18.80%) compared to Rasau and Kuah with high content of silt and clay at 42.43% and 36.43%, respectively. At tasseling stage, where application of P fertilizer with combination of ethephon at 0 and 15 kg P 2 O 5 ha-1 there were significant difference between soil series on root length, total biomass wet and dry weight but exception for total biomass dry weight at 0 kg P 2 O 5 ha-1. Moreover, at 45 kg P 2 O 5 ha-1 there were significant difference among soil series on leaf number and total biomass dry weight whereas at highest P rate of 60 kg P 2 O 5 ha-1 only root length and root volume were affected. Most of the results were observed highest on Rasau soil series which contain highest sand particle instead of silt and clay compared to Kuah and Dampar series. However, the addition of ethephon and several P rates did not affect plant height among soil series. The results suggest that, the marginal soil can be utilized for sweet corn production by addition of combined P fertilizer at low rate and PGR.
Effect of Rhinoceros Beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros) Larvae Compost and Vermicomp...Premier Publishers
This study aimed to investigate the effect of Oryctes rhinoceros larvae compost and vermicompost on the selected soil chemical properties. The soil was incubated with 0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 % of these composts arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. The experiment was carried out at the Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. 100 mL of distilled water were added regularly to the soil-compost mixture throughout the incubation period. The soil-compost were sampled after one and four weeks of incubation. The samples were analysed for soil pH, soil electrical conductivity (EC), available P, total N and total C. Application of composts induced a positive effect on soil pH, and available P; soil pH increased from 6.29 (initial) to range 6.31-6.55, while available P of the soil increased from 1.39 mg kg-1 to range 1.73-2.02 mg kg-1. It was found that the capability of rhinoceros beetle larvae composts on the soil chemical properties have a similar effect with vermicompost. It made the insect compost are potentially beneficial for farm and can be profitable if commercially produced. It would also help in reducing rhinoceros beetle pests’ problem in oil palm plantation if this insects’ larvae were hunted for composting process.
4 ijfaf nov-2017-2-allelopathic effect of eucalyptusAI Publications
Laboratory and greenhouse experiments were carried out at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Gezira, Sudan in season 2014/15 to study the allelopathic effects of Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh) leaf on seed germination and seedling growth of some poaceous crops. Laboratory experiments were conducted to study the allelopathic effects of leaf aqueous extract of Eucalyptus on seed germination of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench), millet (Pennisetum glaucum [L.] R. Br.), maize (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum vulgare L.). Six concentrations (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100%) of the leaf aqueous extract of Eucalyptus were prepared from the stock solution (50 g / l). Treatments, for each crop, were arranged in completely randomized design with four replicates. The seeds were examined for germination at three days after initial germination. Greenhouse experiments were conducted to study the allelopathic effects of Eucalyptus leaf powder on seedling growth of the same crops. The leaf powder of Eucalyptus was incorporated into the soil at rate of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0% on w/w bases in pots. Treatments, for each crop, were arranged in completely randomized design with four replicates. The experiments were terminated at 30 days after sowing and the plant height, number of leaves and root length of crop seedlings were measured as well as plant fresh and dry weight. Data were subjected to analysis of variance procedure. Means were separated for significance using Duncan`s Multiple Range Test at p 0.5. The results showed that the leaf aqueous extract of Eucalyptus significantly reduced seed germination of the tested poaceous crops and there was direct negative relationship between concentration and germination. Also, the results showed that incorporating leaf powder of Eucalyptus into the soil significantly decreased plant height, number of leaves and root length of crop seedlings as well as seedling fresh and dry weight. In addition, the reduction in seedling growth was increased as the leaf powder increased in the soil. Based on results supported by different studies, it was concluded that Eucalyptus has allelopathic effects on seed germination and seedling growth of the poaceous crops.
Role of alfalfa in natural environment | Jbes vol-15-no-4-p-25-31Innspub Net
The Alfalfa deep rooting pattern is highly beneficial to hold soil in place. A canopy of alfalfa quickly covers the soil, protecting the soil from wind and water erosion. The dense vigorous alfalfa canopy shades these weeds and frequent cutting prevents weed seed production. Many crops must be cultivated several times per year to remove weeds. One of the key values of alfalfa is its ability to ‘fix’ nitrogen gas (N2) from the air so that N is available for plant growth. Available N is very limited in the Earth’s crust and is frequently deficient in plants. Nitrogen is a basic building block for plant proteins, and for human protein nutrition. Alfalfa canopies provide an effective cover for many species for feeding, sleeping, nesting, or escaping predators. There is a wide range of insects, both herbivores and predators that are present in large populations in alfalfa fields. High water absorption and deep roots also make it a valuable crop to manage water tables. Roots can efficiently degrade petroleum products and carcinogenic polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Alfalfa can be used for the effective recycling of many different types of organic wastes. It is naturally derived and an evolved product of the Earth, the benefits that arise from using it are abundant. The alfalfa plant is naturally high in many essential vitamins (A, D, E, vitamin B) and minerals.
Research Inventy : International Journal of Engineering and Science is published by the group of young academic and industrial researchers with 12 Issues per year. It is an online as well as print version open access journal that provides rapid publication (monthly) of articles in all areas of the subject such as: civil, mechanical, chemical, electronic and computer engineering as well as production and information technology. The Journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the general criteria of significance and scientific excellence. Papers will be published by rapid process within 20 days after acceptance and peer review process takes only 7 days. All articles published in Research Inventy will be peer-reviewed.
Research Inventy : International Journal of Engineering and Science is published by the group of young academic and industrial researchers with 12 Issues per year. It is an online as well as print version open access journal that provides rapid publication (monthly) of articles in all areas of the subject such as: civil, mechanical, chemical, electronic and computer engineering as well as production and information technology. The Journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the general criteria of significance and scientific excellence. Papers will be published by rapid process within 20 days after acceptance and peer review process takes only 7 days. All articles published in Research Inventy will be peer-reviewed.
Research Inventy : International Journal of Engineering and Science is published by the group of young academic and industrial researchers with 12 Issues per year. It is an online as well as print version open access journal that provides rapid publication (monthly) of articles in all areas of the subject such as: civil, mechanical, chemical, electronic and computer engineering as well as production and information technology. The Journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the general criteria of significance and scientific excellence. Papers will be published by rapid process within 20 days after acceptance and peer review process takes only 7 days. All articles published in Research Inventy will be peer-reviewed.
Fertilizer plant waste carbon slurry has been investigated after some processing as an adsorbent for the removal of dyes and phenols using columns. The results show that the carbonaceous adsorbent prepared from carbon slurry being porous and having appreciable surface area (380 m2/g) can remove dyes both cationic (meldola blue, methylene blue, chrysoidine G, crystal violet) as well as anionic (ethyl orange, metanil yellow, acid blue 113), and phenols (phenol, 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol) fruitfully from water. The column type continuous flow operations were used to obtain the breakthrough curves. The breakthrough capacity, exhaustion capacity and degree of column utilization were evaluated from the plots. The results shows that the degree of column utilization for dyes lies in the range 60 to 76% while for phenols was in the range 53-58%. The exhaustion capacities were quite high as compared to the breakthrough capacities and were found to be 217, 211, 104, 126, 233, 248, 267 mg/g for meldola blue, crystal violet, chrysoidine G, methylene blue, ethyl orange, metanil yellow, acid blue 113, respectively and 25.6, 72.2, 82.2 and 197.3 mg/g for phenol, 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol, respectively
Reforestation is one of the Philippines’ government efforts to restore and rehabilitate degraded mangrove ecosystems. Although there is recovery of the ecosystem in terms of vegetation, the recovery of closely-linked faunal species in terms of community structure is still understudied. This research investigates the community structure of mangrove crabs under two different management schemes: protected mangroves and reforested mangroves. The transect-plot method was employed in each management scheme to quantify the vegetation, crab assemblages and environmental variables. Community composition of crabs and mangrove trees were compared between protected and reforested mangroves using non-metric multi-dimensional scaling and analysis of similarity in PRIMER 6. Chi-squared was used to test the variance of sex ration of the crabs. Canonical Correspondence Analysis was used to determine the relationship between crabs and environmental parameters. A total of twelve species of crabs belonging to six families were identified in protected mangroves while only four species were documented in reforested mangroves. Perisesarma indiarum and Baptozius vinosus were the most dominant species in protected and reforested mangrove, respectively. Univariate analysis of variance of crab assemblage data revealed significant differences in crab composition and abundance between protected mangroves and from reforested mangroves (P<0.05).><0.05).Environmental factors and human intervention had contributed to the difference in crab assemblages in mangrove ecosystems.
Estuaries are well known for their potential in removing metal from fresh water to provide micro-nutrients to aquatic life. In the present investigation, we have tried to bring out the metal removal potential of estuaries during accidental spills. For this purpose artificial river water containing high concentration of Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni and Pb were mixed with sea water at different salinity regimes. Water samples were taken from a station on the main branch of Tajan River that flows in to the Caspian Sea. For this purpose, solutions with a concentration of 5 mg/L of each studied metal (Mn,Cu, Zn, Pb) were prepared in Tajan River water. The salinity regimes include 3, 6, 8, 10 and 11 ppt. It was noted that metal concentration decreased by increasing salinity. Metals were flocculated at different rates: Cu (88%) > Ni (86%) > Pb (84%) > Mn (74%).Thus, as average about 80% of total elemental content flocculates. Hence, it was concluded that a large amount of micro nutrients is carried by the river and flocculated in the estuary where the river water mixes with the sea water which may play a vital role in supplying nutrients to the aquatic animals. Cluster analyses have shown that Mn and Ni are governed by EC, pH and salinity.
The current investigation presents the role of gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus) seeds as an effective biosorbent for remediating chromium (VI)), a toxic heavy metal pollutant commonly found in effluents from tanneries and relevant industries. Biosorption was affected by pH, temperature and initial metal concentration. Furthermore, there is a need to understand the holistic effect of all variables to ascertain the best possible conditions for adsorption, therefore, these factors were considered and a total of 17 trials were run according to the Box Behnken design. Quadratic model had maximum R2 value (0.9984) and larger F value (1109.92). From the Analysis Of Variance table and R2 value, quadratic model was predicted to be the significant model with the best fit to the generated experimental data. The optimal parameters obtained from the contour plot for the maximum removal of chromium(VI) were initial metal concentration of 60 mg/L, pH value of 2, and temperature of 27°C. Under these conditions, maximum removal of 92% was obtained. Thus this biosorbent substantially eliminates chromium(VI) under optimized conditions, enabling its use in larger scale.
The present work was carried out to evaluate the removal of p-nitrophenol by adsorption onto olive cake based activated carbon having a BET surface area of 672 m²/g. The batch adsorption experimental results indicated that the equilibrium time for nitrophenol adsorption by olive cake-based activated carbon was 120min. The adsorption data was modeled by equilibrium and kinetic models. The pseudo- first and second order as well as the Elovichkinetic models were applied to fit the experimental data and the intraparticle diffusion model was assessed for describing the mechanism of adsorption. The data were found to be best fitted to the pseudo-second order model with a correlation coefficient (R2=0.986). The intraparticle diffusion mechanism also showed a good fit to the experimental data, showing two distinct linear parts assuming that more than one step could be involved in the adsorption of nitrophenol by the activated carbon. The equilibrium study was performed using three models including Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin. The results revealed that the Temkin equilibrium model is the best model fitting the experimental data (R2=0.944). The results of the present study proved the efficiency of using olive cake based activated carbon as a novel adsorbent for the removal of nitrophenol from aqueous solution.
his study investigated the microbial community in a full scale anaerobic baffled reactor and sequencing batch reactor system for oil-produced water treatment in summer and winter. The community structures of fungi and bacteria were analyzed through polymerase chain reaction–denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and Illumina high-throughput sequencing, respectively. Chemical oxygen demand effluent concentration achieved lower than 50 mg/L level after the system in both summer and winter, however, chemical oxygen demand removal rates after anaerobic baffled reactor treatment system were significant higher in summer than that in winter, which conformed to the microbial community diversity. Saccharomycotina, Fusarium, and Aspergillus were detected in both anaerobic baffled reactor and sequencing batch reactor during summer and winter. The fungal communities in anaerobic baffled reactor and sequencing batch reactor were shaped by seasons and treatment units, while there was no correlation between abundance of fungi and chemical oxygen demand removal rates. Compared to summer, the total amount of the dominant hydrocarbon degrading bacteria decreased by 10.2% in anaerobic baffled reactor, resulting in only around 23% of chemical oxygen demand was removed in winter. Although microbial community significantly varied in the three parallel sulfide reducing bacteria, the performance of these bioreactors had no significant difference between summer and winter.
In recent decades, necessity to protect environment has been a serious concern for all people and international communities. In appropriate development of human economic activities, subsistence dependence of the growing world population on nature decreases the natural diversity of ecosystems and habitats day by day and provides additional constraints for life and survival of wildlife. As a result, implementation of programs to protect species and ecosystems is of great importance. The current study was carried out to implement a comprehensive strategic environmental management plan in the Mond protected area in southern Iran. Accordingly, the protected area was zoned using multi criteria decision method. According to the numerical models, fifteen data layer were obtained on a scale of 1:50,000. The results revealed that 28.35% out of the entire study area belongs to nature conservation zone. In the following step, in order to offer the strategic planning using strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats method, a total number of 154 questionnaires were prepared and filled by the relevant experts. For this purpose, after identifying the internal and external factors, they were weighted in the form of matrices as; internal factor evaluation and external factor evaluation. Analytical hierarchy process and expert choice software were applied to weight the factors. At the end, by considering the socioeconomic and environmental issues, the strategy of using protective strategies in line with international standards as well as a strong support of governmental national execution with a score of 6.05 was chosen as the final approach.
The major aim of the present study was to investigate element (Fe, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) concentrations in sediment and different tissues of Phragmities australis and Typha latifolia in Hor al-Azim Wetland Southwest Iran. Sampling of sediments and aquatic plants was carried out during spring and summer 2014. Results showed that the mean concentrations of elements in Phragmities australis in root and stem-leaf were as follows: Iron:4448 mg/kg, Nickel: 28 mg/kg, Lead:8 mg/kg, Vanadium:10 mg/kg and Zinc 15.5 mg/kg in root and: Fe:645 mg/kg, Ni:15 mg/kg, Pb:4 mg/kg, V:4 mg/kg and Zinc 16 mg/kg respectively. Also, the mean concentrations of Fe, Ni, Pb, V and Zn in roots of Typha latifolia were 8696 mg/kg, 34 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, 19 mg/kg and 27 mg/kg respectively. The mean concentrations of Fe, Ni, V, Pb, Zn in stem-leaves of Typha latifolia were as follows: 321 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, 7 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg and 14 mg/kg respectively. The mean concentrations of Fe, Ni, V, Pb and zinc were as: 40991 mg/kg, 65 mg/kg, 60 mg/kg, 31 mg/kg, 60 mg/kg respectively in surface sediment of study area. Concentration pattern of elements in sediment were as: Fe>Ni>Zn>V>Pb. The highest concentration of elements in the plant was seen in the roots. Also, Typha latifolia can uptake more concentration of elements than Phragmities australis. Based on the enrichment factor, Ni in summer had the highest EF values among the elements studied and it has a moderate enrichment.
In recent years managing solid wastes has been one of the burning problems in front of state and local municipal authorities. This is mainly due to scarcity of lands for landfill sites. In this context experts suggest that conversion of solid waste to energy and useful component is the best approach to reduce space and public health related problems. The entire process has to be managed by technologies that prevent pollution and protect the environment and at the same time minimize the cost through recovery of energy. Energy recovery in the form of electricity, heat and fuel from the waste using different technologies is possible through a variety of processes, including incineration, gasification, pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion. These processes are often grouped under “Waste to Energy technologies”. The objective of the study is twofold. First authors assessed the current status of solid waste management practices in India. Secondly the leading barriers are identified and Interpretive structural modeling technique and MICMAC analysis is performed to identify the contextual interrelationships between leading barriers influencing the solid waste to energy programs in the country. Finally the conclusions are drawn which will assist policy makers in designing sustainable waste management programs.
Water is a unique natural resource among all sources available on earth. It plays an important role in economic development and the general well-being of the country. This study aimed at using the application of water quality index in evaluating the ground water quality innorth-east area of Jaipur in pre and post monsoon for public usage. Total eleven physico–chemical characteristics; total dissolved solids, total hardness,chloride, nitrate, electrical conductance, sodium, fluorideand potassium, pH, turbidity, temperature) were analyzed and observed values were compared with standard values recommended by Indian standard and World Health Organization. Most of parameter show higher value than permissible limit in pre and post monsoon. Water quality index study showed that drinking water in Amer (221.58,277.70), Lalawas (362.74,396.67), Jaisinghpura area (286.00,273.78) were found to be highly contaminated due to high value of total dissolved solids, electrical conductance, total hardness, chloride, nitrate and sodium.Saipura (122.52, 131.00), Naila (120.25, 239.86), Galta (160.9, 204.1) were found to be moderately contaminated for both monsoons. People dependent on this water may prone to health hazard. Therefore some effective measures are urgently required to enhance the quality of water in these areas.
Sub critical water as a green solvent for production of valuable materialsGJESM Publication
gricultural waste biomass generated from agricultural production and food processing industry are abundant, such as durian peel, mango peel, corn straw, rice bran, corn shell, potato peel and many more. Due to low commercial value, these wastes are disposed in landfill, which if not managed properly may cause environmental problems. Currently, environmental laws and regulations pertaining to the pollution from agricultural waste streams by regulatory agencies are stringent and hence the application of toxic solvents during processing has become public concern. Recent development in valuable materials extraction from the decomposition of agricultural waste by sub-critical water treatment from the published literature was review. Physico-chemical characteristic (reaction temperature, reaction time and solid to liquid ratio) of the sub-critical water affecting its yield were also reviewed. The utilization of biomass residue from agriculture, forest wood production and from food and feed processing industry may be an important alternative renewable energy supply. The paper also presents future research on sub-critical water.
Sub critical water as a green solvent for production of valuable materialsGJESM Publication
Agricultural waste biomass generated from agricultural production and food processing industry are abundant, such as durian peel, mango peel, corn straw, rice bran, corn shell, potato peel and many more. Due to low commercial value, these wastes are disposed in landfill, which if not managed properly may cause environmental problems. Currently, environmental laws and regulations pertaining to the pollution from agricultural waste streams by regulatory agencies are stringent and hence the application of toxic solvents during processing has become public concern. Recent development in valuable materials extraction from the decomposition of agricultural waste by sub-critical water treatment from the published literature was review. Physico-chemical characteristic (reaction temperature, reaction time and solid to liquid ratio) of the sub-critical water affecting its yield were also reviewed. The utilization of biomass residue from agriculture, forest wood production and from food and feed processing industry may be an important alternative renewable energy supply. The paper also presents future research on sub-critical water.
Methylene blue is widely used in various industrial branches. Due to insufficient treatment, its occurrence in wastewater is frequently detected, which may result in serious environment problems to aquatic organisms. Hydroponic experiments were conducted with rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L. cv. XZX 45) exposed to methylene blue to determine the effective concentration using relative growth rate and water use efficiency as response endpoints. Results showed that acute toxicity of methylene blue to rice seedlings was evident. Although a linear decrease in relative growth rate and water use efficiency was observed in rice seedlings with increasing methylene blue concentrations, relative growth rate of rice seedlings was more sensitive to change of methylene blue than water use efficiency. Using non-linear regression, EC-48 h values for 10%, 20% and 50% inhibition of the relative growth rate were estimated to be 1.54, 3.22 and 10.13 mg MB/L for rice seedlings exposed to methylene blue, respectively, while smaller EC were obtained for 96 h exposure. In conclusion, the toxic response of young rice seedlings to methylene blue is obvious and inhibitory effects are highly dependent on response endpoints and the duration of exposure period.
Equilibrium and kinetic study on chromium (vi) removal from simulatedGJESM Publication
Gooseberry seed (Phyllanthus acidus) was used as an adsorbent to determine its feasibility for the removal of Cr(VI). Various parameters such as pH, temperature, contact time, initial metal concentration and adsorbent dosage were investigated to determine the biosorption performance. Equilibrium was attained within 60 minutes and maximum removal of 96% was achieved under the optimum conditions at pH 2. The adsorption phenomenon demonstrated here was monolayer represented by Langmuir isotherm with R2 value of 0.992 and the Langmuir constants k and q0 was found to be 0.0061 (L/mg) and 19.23 (mg/g). The adsorption system obeyed Pseudo second order kinetics with R2 value of 0.999. The results of the present study indicated that gooseberry seed powder can be employed as adsorbent for the effective removal of hexavalent chromium economically.
Effect of the chemical nature of fixed bed reactor support materials onGJESM Publication
This study investigated the effect, on reactor performance and biomass retention inside the bed, of the material used to make the supports of anaerobic fixed-bed reactors. Three inert supports of similar shape but made of three different materials polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, high-density polyethylene were manufactured and used. All three supports had the same specific surface area but different relative densities. Three identical 10 L lab-scale upflow anaerobic fixed-bed reactors were filled (80% of the working volume) each respectively with polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and polyethylene support, and fed with vinasse (44 g total COD/L) for 140 days at 35 °C. The organic loading rates were increased from 0.5 g/L.d to the maximum acceptable by each reactor. Fairly similar maximum organic loading rates were reached for each type of support, with values above 20 g of COD/L.d and more than 80 % soluble chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency. A very large amount of biomass was entrapped and attached in all the supports and represented more than 95% of the total biomass inside the reactors. In terms of performance and biomass accumulation, this study demonstrated quite similar behavior for anaerobic fixed-bed reactors with supports made of different materials, which suggests that the nature of the material used to make the supports has no major influence. The chemical nature of the support material clearly has negligible effect and thus the size, shape, and porosity of the support must be more influential.
Deposition of carbon nanotubes in commonly used sample filter mediaGJESM Publication
There is no single standard technique or methodology to characterize the size, structure, number, and chemical composition of airborne carbon nanotubes. Existing analytical instruments and analytical techniques for evaluating nanoparticle concentrations cannot simultaneously provide morphology, state of agglomeration, surface area, mass, size distribution and chemical composition data critical to making occupational health assessments. This research utilized scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis to assess the morphology and mass of carbon nanotubes collected using various commercial sample filters. It illustrated carbon nanotube agglomeration, deposition and distribution in commonly used sample filter media. It also illustrated that a sufficient mass for carbon nanotube analysis by thermogravimetric analysis is uncommon under most current research and production uses of carbon nanotubes. Individual carbon nanotubes were found to readily agglomerate with diameters ranging from 1 – 63 µm. They were collected at the face of or within the filter. They were not evenly distributed across the face of the filters.
Comparative potential of black tea leaves waste to granular activated carbonGJESM Publication
The adsorption properties and mechanics of selected endocrine disrupting compounds; 17 β-estradiol, 17 α – ethinylestradiol and bisphenol A on locally available black tea leaves waste and granular activated carbon were investigated. The results obtained indicated that the kinetics of adsorption were pH, adsorbent dose, contact time and temperature dependent with equilibrium being reached at 20 to 40 minutes for tea leaves waste and 40 to 60 minutes for granular activated compound. Maximum adsorption capacities of 3.46, 2.44 and 18.35 mg/g were achieved for tea leaves waste compared to granular activated compound capacities of 4.01, 2.97 and 16.26 mg/g for 17 β- estradiol, 17 α-ethinylestradiol and bisphenol A respectively. Tea leaves waste adsorption followed pseudo-first order kinetics while granular activated compound fitted better to the pseudo-second order kinetic model. The experimental isotherm data for both tea leaves waste and granular activated compound showed a good fit to the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models with the Langmuir model showing the best fit. The thermodynamic and kinetic data for the adsorption indicated that the adsorption process for tea leaves waste was predominantly by physical adsorption while the granular activated compound adsorption was more chemical in nature. The results have demonstrated the potential of waste tea leaves for the adsorptive removal of endocrine disrupting compounds from water.
Keywords
Biochar impact on physiological and biochemical attributes of spinachGJESM Publication
Disastrous effect of nickel on spinach was discussed by number of authors but the effect of amendments like biochar with nickel on Spinacea oleraceaL. is not still discussed by any author of the world because biochar was used as soil amendments which play a vital role in reducing mobilization and uptake of nickel by spinach plants. As nickel contaminated plants are very harmful for the consumption by living organisms. Nickel can be gathered in agronomic soils by anthropogenic actions such as Ni-Cd batteries. In this study, the growth, physiological, photosynthetic and biochemical responses of Spinacia oleracea grown in Ni-spiked soil (0, 25, 50 and 100 mg Ni/Kg soil) at three levels of cotton-sticks-derived biochar “CSB” (0, 3 and 5 %) were evaluated. The results exposed significant decrease in growth, photosynthetic, physiological, and biochemical traits of S. oleracea when grown in Ni-polluted soil. However, this decrease was less pronounced in CSB amended soil. A steady rise in the MDA (0.66 µg/g to 2.08 µg g-1), ascorbic acid (1.24 mg/g to 1.57 mg/g)and sugar concentrations (1.73 mg/g to 2.16 mg/g)was observed with increased concentration of Ni. The increasing percentages of CSB from 3 % to 5 % decreased Ni concentrations in root and shoot of experimental plant. Higher production of chlorophyll, amino acids and protein with CSB amendment looked like alleviation in Ni toxicity. Therefore, it is concluded that, Ni toxicity and availability to the plants can be reduced by CSB amendments.
Particulate matter effect on biometric and biochemical attributes of fruiting...GJESM Publication
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different sites of Multan, Pakistan. Leaves of both plants were used for analyzing biometric (leaf area, fresh and dry
weights) and biochemical attributes (chlorophyll contents, carotenoids and ascorbic acid). Maximum dust accumulation was occurred in the plants growing near road sites, while, minimum dust accumulation occurred in the plants of Bahauddin Zakariya University. Most of the biometric and biochemical attributes of F. carica showed significant response towards dust but it had not significant influence on some attributes of P. guajava. Biochemical traits of P. guajava appeared to be more prone than foliage ones. A positive correlation was found between dust accumulation and foliage attributes in F. carica. On the other hand, in P. guajava opposite was observed, however, the reverse was true for leaf biomass. Biochemical contents had shown an inconsistency as chlorophylls (a, b & total), carotenoid contents declined but ascorbic acid increased with an increase in dust accumulation in both species.
Plankton diversity and aquatic ecology of a freshwater lake (L3) at Bharti Is...GJESM Publication
The Larsemann Hills range is an ice-free oasis on the Ingrid Christensen Coast of Princess Elizabeth
Land, East Antarctica, which includes Bharti Island, Fisher Island, McLeod Island, Broknes Peninsula, Stornes
Peninsula, and several other islands, promontories, and nunataks. The Larsemann Hills is an ice-free area of
approximately 50 km2, located halfway between the Vestfold Hills and the Amery Ice Shelf on the south-eastern
coast of Prydz Bay, Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica. The ice-free area consists of two major peninsulas (Stornes and Broknes), four minor peninsulas, and approximately 130 near shore islands. The Larsemann Hills area contains more than 150 lakes at different Islands and peninsulas. Bharti Island of Larsemann Hills in east Antarctica was selected as a sampling site for the present study. Water sample was collected from a freshwater lake during XXXth Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (ISEA) and analyzed for the physico-chemical parameters, major elements, trace metals and major plankton diversity in surface lake water by following standard methodology. The concentrations of metals Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn and Cr were measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Phytoplankton and zooplankton were also assessed in the aquatic ecosystem of Lake L3 at Bharti Island, Larsemann Hills over east Antarctica. Psychrophillic bacteria were found 71 cfu in lake water, while total bacterial count was found to be 5.4 × 102cfu.
Willie Nelson Net Worth: A Journey Through Music, Movies, and Business Venturesgreendigital
Willie Nelson is a name that resonates within the world of music and entertainment. Known for his unique voice, and masterful guitar skills. and an extraordinary career spanning several decades. Nelson has become a legend in the country music scene. But, his influence extends far beyond the realm of music. with ventures in acting, writing, activism, and business. This comprehensive article delves into Willie Nelson net worth. exploring the various facets of his career that have contributed to his large fortune.
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Introduction
Willie Nelson net worth is a testament to his enduring influence and success in many fields. Born on April 29, 1933, in Abbott, Texas. Nelson's journey from a humble beginning to becoming one of the most iconic figures in American music is nothing short of inspirational. His net worth, which estimated to be around $25 million as of 2024. reflects a career that is as diverse as it is prolific.
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Humble Origins
Willie Hugh Nelson was born during the Great Depression. a time of significant economic hardship in the United States. Raised by his grandparents. Nelson found solace and inspiration in music from an early age. His grandmother taught him to play the guitar. setting the stage for what would become an illustrious career.
First Steps in Music
Nelson's initial foray into the music industry was fraught with challenges. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue his dreams, but success did not come . Working as a songwriter, Nelson penned hits for other artists. which helped him gain a foothold in the competitive music scene. His songwriting skills contributed to his early earnings. laying the foundation for his net worth.
Rise to Stardom
Breakthrough Albums
The 1970s marked a turning point in Willie Nelson's career. His albums "Shotgun Willie" (1973), "Red Headed Stranger" (1975). and "Stardust" (1978) received critical acclaim and commercial success. These albums not only solidified his position in the country music genre. but also introduced his music to a broader audience. The success of these albums played a crucial role in boosting Willie Nelson net worth.
Iconic Songs
Willie Nelson net worth is also attributed to his extensive catalog of hit songs. Tracks like "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," "On the Road Again," and "Always on My Mind" have become timeless classics. These songs have not only earned Nelson large royalties but have also ensured his continued relevance in the music industry.
Acting and Film Career
Hollywood Ventures
In addition to his music career, Willie Nelson has also made a mark in Hollywood. His distinctive personality and on-screen presence have landed him roles in several films and television shows. Notable appearances include roles in "The Electric Horseman" (1979), "Honeysuckle Rose" (1980), and "Barbarosa" (1982). These acting gigs have added a significant amount to Willie Nelson net worth.
Television Appearances
Nelson's char
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Diabetes is a rapidly and serious health problem in Pakistan. This chronic condition is associated with serious long-term complications, including higher risk of heart disease and stroke. Aggressive treatment of hypertension and hyperlipideamia can result in a substantial reduction in cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes 1. Consequently pharmacist-led diabetes cardiovascular risk (DCVR) clinics have been established in both primary and secondary care sites in NHS Lothian during the past five years. An audit of the pharmaceutical care delivery at the clinics was conducted in order to evaluate practice and to standardize the pharmacists’ documentation of outcomes. Pharmaceutical care issues (PCI) and patient details were collected both prospectively and retrospectively from three DCVR clinics. The PCI`s were categorized according to a triangularised system consisting of multiple categories. These were ‘checks’, ‘changes’ (‘change in drug therapy process’ and ‘change in drug therapy’), ‘drug therapy problems’ and ‘quality assurance descriptors’ (‘timer perspective’ and ‘degree of change’). A verified medication assessment tool (MAT) for patients with chronic cardiovascular disease was applied to the patients from one of the clinics. The tool was used to quantify PCI`s and pharmacist actions that were centered on implementing or enforcing clinical guideline standards. A database was developed to be used as an assessment tool and to standardize the documentation of achievement of outcomes. Feedback on the audit of the pharmaceutical care delivery and the database was received from the DCVR clinic pharmacist at a focus group meeting.
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The carbon cycle is a critical component of Earth's environmental system, governing the movement and transformation of carbon through various reservoirs, including the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and living organisms. This complex cycle involves several key processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and carbon sequestration, each contributing to the regulation of carbon levels on the planet.
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By studying the carbon cycle, scientists can identify carbon sources and sinks, measure carbon fluxes, and predict future trends. This knowledge is crucial for crafting policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, enhancing carbon storage, and promoting sustainable practices. The carbon cycle's interplay with climate systems, ecosystems, and human activities underscores its importance in maintaining a stable and healthy planet.
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Priming of prosopis cineraria (l.) druce and acacia tortilis (forssk) seeds
1. Global J. Environ. Sci. Manage., 1(3): 225-232, Summer 2015
*Corresponding Author Email: s.gill@biosaline.org.ae
Tel.: +971553891707; Fax: +971553891707
Note. This manuscript was submitted on February 5, 2015;
approved on March 12, 2015; published online on June 1, 2015.
Discussion period open until October 1, 2015; discussion can
be performed online on the Website “Show article” section for
this article. This paper is part of the Global Journal of
Environmental Science and Management (GJESM).
Priming of prosopis cineraria (L.) druce and acacia tortilis (forssk) seeds
with fulvic acid extracted from compost to improve germination and
seedling vigor
*S. Gill; A. Al-Shankiti
International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, Dubai, P.O. Box 14660, United Arab Emirates
ABSTRACT: Composting of waste plant materials and its use in agriculture and landscape sites is an environmental
friendly way of reducing waste material and conserving the environment. In this perspective, we have taken the initiative at
the Dubai based International Center for Biosaline Agriculture to compost the plant based waste material (lawn cuttings-
grass) to compost. The material was inoculated with a consortium of microbes leading to the formation stable and mature
compost with high organic matter (38%). In order to conduct seed germination tests, fulvic acid was extracted from the
compost.Apot experiment was conducted over a period of 30 days in the green house to study the effect of fulvic acid on the
seed germination, and plantgrowth ofProsopis cineraria (L.)druce (Ghaff) andAcacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne. Seeds ofboth
trees were treated with fulvic acid at 0.5% and 1% concentrations water treatment was used as control. Generally seed
germination and biomass were increased at both rates of fulvic acid application, However, a pronounced increase was found
in seed germination when fulvic acid was used at 1.0% (Prosopis cineraria 27%; Acacia tortilis 20% increase over control).
Similarly biomass (shoot and root) of A. tortilis and P. cineraria showed an increase of increase 34% and 94% respectively.
Keywords: Acacia tortilis, Biomass, Pant growth, Prosopis cineraria, Seed germination
Global J. Environ. Sci. Manage., 1(3): 225-232, Summer 2015
ISSN 2383 - 3572
Received 5 February 2015; revised 27 February 2015; accepted 12 March 2015; available online 1 June 2015
INTRODUCTION
The Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce is native to the
UnitedArabEmirates(UAE)anditsArabicnameisGhaff.
A large and well known example of the species is the
Tree of Life in Bahrain – approximately 400 years old
and growing in a desert devoid of any obvious sources
of water. It is also the national tree of the United Arab
Emirates. The citizens of the UAE are urged to plant it in
their gardens to combat desertification and to preserve
their country’s heritage. It has many uses, such as but
not limited to the wood a good fuel source, and provides
excellent charcoal. The leaves and pods are consumed
by livestock and are beneficial forage (Robertson et al.,
2012;Maliketal.,2013).Driedpodsalsoformrichanimal
feed, which is liked by all livestock. The tree is well-
suited for an agroforestry setting, because it has a single-
layered canopy, it is a nitrogen fixer (thus enriching the
soil), and its deep roots avoid competition for water with
arable crops. In the UAE, among other measures,
prevention of shifting sand dunes is accomplished
through plantations of Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne.
There are few local tree species suitable for planting in
the desert region and these are slow growing. Acacia
tortilis has proved to be the most promising species for
desert greening. It has been observed in the literature
that the germination of seeds of both the trees is low to
moderate, and this is an area which needs further
attention to increase seed germination and plant growth,
ultimately leading to optimize desert rehabilitations. In
Prosopis cineraria, for example, the seed germination
may vary from 5 to >70% and a similar is true for Acacia
species (Arya et al., 1993). Considering the importance
of such need, we have attempted to prime the seeds with
fulvic acid extracted from the compost prepared at
2. Global J. Environ. Sci. Manage., 1(3): 225-232, Summer 2015S. Gill; A. Al-Shankiti
International Center for BiosalineAgriculture (ICBA)
to improve seed germination.
Inherent soil fertility of sandy soils in the UAE is very
low due to low organic matter and clay contents, poor
structure, unfavorable air-waterbalance,and lownutrient
content. Ability of such soils to support agriculture can
be improved by the addition of inorganic and organic
amendments, which can either be obtained from mined
material (inorganic) and biomass grown in situ (green
manure), or through the incorporation ofcomposts in the
soil. Composts are known to improve the productivity of
sandy soils on a sustainable basis (Tester, 1990; Leifeld
et al., 2001). Besides, the composts serve as a carrier as
well as anenrichment mediumfor microorganisms.
The addition of organic matter (including
composts) in soil has number of benefits. It has
positive impact on soil fertility and productivity
(Carter, 2002; Mohammadi et al., 2011), physical and
chemical properties of sandy soils (Debosz et al.,
2002), soil aggregation (Wortmann and Shapiro, 2008),
nutrient supply (Hargreaves et al., 2008), water
holding capacity (Werner, 1997), soil pH (Crecchio et
al., 2001), air-water balance for root development and
proliferation (Werner, 1997), microbial population and
functions (Stamatiadis et al., 1999), and stable organic
matter content of the soil (Rivero et al., 2004).
Besides multifarious beneficialeffects of composts on
soil fertility/structure and plant growth/nutrition (Lee and
Bartlett, 1976; Wang et al., 1995; Piccolo et al., 1997;
Nardi et al., 2000), humic compounds in compost can
increase seed germination and seedling vigour. The
positive effect ofhumates (humic acid and fulvic acid) on
soil-plant system is widely accepted and recognized
(Smidova, 1962; Schnitzer and Poapst, 1967;Azam and
Malik, 1983; Reynolds et al., 1995; Kelting et al., 1998,
Nardi et al., 2000; Arancon et al., 2006; Edwards et al.,
2006; Ferrara et al., 2007). In composts, the humates
originate mainly from the fungal activities including
synthesis of phenolic compounds that subsequently
polymerize (Felbeck, 1965; Haider and Martin, 1967;
Mayhew,2004).
In general, humic compounds are obtained from
naturally occurring lignite (brown coal) and leonardite
(Youngs and Frost, 1963). It is very seldom to extract
these growth promoting substances from composted
materials to establish their role in seed germination and
seedling establishment.At the Dubai based ICBA, a long
term programis underway to standardizethe composting
process (in terms of quality and time required) and uses
to improve soil quality of sandy soils.
The objective of this preliminary studyis to determine
the effect of fulvic acid extracted from compost on seed
germination and seedling vigor ofP. cineraria (L.) Druce
and A. tortilis. (Forssk.) Hayne. The test plants were
selected with the realization that these trees are suitable
for arid zones, and the seeds are difficult to germinate.
Theirseed coatisimperviousto waterleadingtodormancy
that may extend over months or years. Species of Acacia
and Prosopis are of interest to United Arab Emirates. In
Prospis cineraria for example the seed germination may
vary from 5 to >70% and the same is true for Acacia
species (Arya et al., 1993). Not only is the percent seed
germination low, ittakesalong time (upto several weeks)
for seeds to germinate. For mass plantation of both trees
species, it is important to secure efficient and rapid seed
germination. Therefore, pre-sowing seed treatment is
essential to break dormancyto increaseseed germination.
Numerous techniques have been used to make the seeds
permeabletowater(Cavanagh,1980;Bonneretal.,1974).
Fulvic acid is also reported to substantially enhance seed
germination and seedling vigour (Rauthan and Schnitzer,
1981;Piccoloetal.,1993).
The objective of this study was to study the extent
to which recently synthesized humic compounds in
composts facilitate seed germination and seedling vigour
of P. cineraria (L.) Druce and A. tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne.
Hypothesis to be tested
It is hypothesized that the seed germination and
biomass of P. cineraria (L.) Druce and A. tortalis
(Forssk.) Hayne. can be improved when the seeds are
primed with different concentrations of fulvic acid
extracted from compost.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Raw material (feedstock) for compost preparation
Thefeedstockused for composting waslawn clippings
and tree trimmings, such as grasses (Distichlis spicata
(L.) Greene , Paspalum vaginatum (Sw.) Griseb,
Sporobolus virginicus (L.) Kunth, Sporobolus arabicus
(Boiss. ), herbs (Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.), Ipomea
pescarpea (L.), Portulaca grandiflora (Hook.), Wedalia
tribulata (L.)A.S. Hitchc.), shrubs (Atriplexnummularia
(Lindl.),A.halimus(L.),A.lentiformis(Torr.)S.Wats.and
trees (Phoenix dactylifera (L.), Azadirachta indica (A.
Juss.), Plumeria alba (L.).At ICBAa landscape has been
established (Shahid, 2014)for educational purposes,from
this landscapefeedstock (lawn and treetrims) is available
onceaweekinsummer(March-September)andfortnightly
in winter (October –February).
226
3. Global J. Environ. Sci. Manage., 1(3): 225-232, Summer 2015
During the composting process, the heaped feedstock
(approximately 500 kg) was moistened (50-60%) and
covered with polyethylene sheet to minimize moisture
loss. The material was manually aerated weekly by
turning/mixing to initiate and hasten the decomposition
process.After 8 weeks, dark brown to blackish compost
was ready for use in the experiment. Standard analytical
methods (Burt, 2004) were used for all the parameters
while humate content was determined by extracting an
aliquot of the material with 0.1N NaOH, drying the
extract and determining the dry matter as a percent of
the compost sample used. The final compost had pH
(7.7) at (1:10, compost:water; electrical conductivity
(8.47 mS/cm); organic matter (38.15%); organic C
content (21.94%); total N (0.67%); humates content
(4.36%); and moisture content ( 9.89%). Compost
characteristics were essentially similar to those
reported by other workers (Daldoum andAmeri, 2013;
Sanchez-Monedero et al., 2001; Anonymous, 2014).
Soil Taxonomic class
According to the United Arab Emirates Keys to Soil
Taxonomy(Shahidetal.,2014)thesoilused inthepresent
study is classified as carbonatic, hyperthermic Typic
Torripsammens.The Typictorripsammentsmeans typical
sandy soil; Carbonatic is mineralogy class, means, any
particle-size class and more than 40 percent (by weight)
carbonates (expressed as CaCO3
) plus gypsum, either in
the fine-earthfraction or in thefraction less than 20mmin
diameter, whichever has a higher percentage of
carbonates plus gypsum; Hyperthermic is temperature
regime,themeanannualsoiltemperatureis22o
Corhigher,
andthedifferencebetweenmeansummerandmeanwinter
soil temperaturesis6 o
C ormore eitherata depthof50 cm
below the soil surface or at a densic, lithic, or paralithic
contact, whichever is shallower.
The recentlycompleted soil surveyofthe UnitedArab
Emirates (EAD, 2009a,b) revealed sandysoils (Entisols)
are dominant in the UAE. Therefore, the findings of the
present study will have wider application not only in the
UAE, but other GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,
Qatar, Saudia Arabia) where these soils have been
reported to dominate the landscape (MAW, 1985; MAF,
1990; KISR, 1999; MMAA, 2005; Scheibertet al.,2005;
Shahid andAbdelfattah, 2008; EAD, 2009a,b; Omar and
Shahid,2013).
Physical and Chemical Characteristics
Air-dried and sieved (<2mm) soil was analyzed for
selected physical (soil texture, color) and chemical
characteristics.TheanalyticalmethodsusedarefromBurt,
(2004) except where otherwise specified. The results
revealed the soil is fine sand in texture (sand 98%, silt
1%, clay 1%), slightly alkaline (pHs 7.6), non-saline
( E C e 1 . 5 4 d S m
-1
), saturation percentage (26); strongly
calcareous (calcium carbonate equivalents 53%), very
low organic matter content (0.22%) and very low total
N (0.007 mg/kg).
Extraction of fulvic acid from compost
To the compost a known volume of 0.1 N KOH was
added to develop 1:10 (compost: extractant)
suspension, and the suspension was shaken (150 rpm)
at room temperature (20 o
C) on a to-and-fro shaker for
4 hours. The suspension was centrifuged and the
supernatant containing humic and fulvic acids was
collected and acidified to pH 1.5 using 6N H2
SO4
with
constant stirring following by heating at 90 o
C for 30
minutes.Acidified extract was centrifuged to separate
humic acid (settled) and to collect fulvic acid as
supernatant (Asing et al., 2004). The fulvic acid was
neutralized to pH 7.0 using 2N KOH solution.
Seed treatment with fulvic acid
Seeds were softened by immersing in concentrated
sulfuric acid for 15 minutes followed by repeated
washings with distilled water to completely remove
acidity. Subsequently, the seeds were soaked for 24
hours in the following media:
1- 0.1N KOH acidified to pH 1.5 and then neutralized to
pH 7.0 (Control)
2- 0.5 % solution of fulvic acid fraction in water (1:200
dilution of FAfraction)
3- 1.0 % solution of fulvic acid fraction in water (1:100
dilution of FAfraction)
0.5% and 1.0% concentrationof fulvic acid were used
based on the findings of Khang (2011), who reported
the higher concentration than 1% decreased plant
height.
Pot experiment
A greenhouse experiment was conducted in July
2014 for four weeks. The plastic containers (400 cm3
)
were filled with three hundred g portions of the air-
dried and sieved (<2 mm) soil and moistened to field
capacity (12% by weight). Five seeds each of Acacia
tortalis and Prosopis cineraria were sown in each
container and the treatments were triplicated. The
seeded containers were kept under greenhouse
conditions to study the seed germination and different
227
(ECe 1.54 dS/m), saturation percentage (26); strongly
4. Global J. Environ. Sci. Manage., 1(3): 225-232, Summer 2015Seed priming with fulvic acid extracted form compost
seedling vigour parameters including i) root and shoot
length, ii) fresh and dry weight of root and shoot and
iii) number of leaves.
Seed germination was recorded after every 24 hours
until germination ceased completely and the data
collected was used to calculate four germination indices
i.e. total germination (GT- percent viability of seeds
germinated), speed of germination (S-howfast the seeds
weregerminated),accumulatedspeed ofgerminationover
time (AS) and coefficient rate ofgermination (CRG).
The data obtained was subjected to basic statistical
analyses using microsoft excel software.
Fig. 1 shows seed germination in plastic containers
with Acacia tortilis and Prosopis cineraria.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Analyses of the soil used in seed germination
experiment revealed native soil at ICBA is fine sand in
texture, non-saline, moderately alkaline and strongly
calcareous. Organic matter is very low (<0.5%) and the
Munsell soil color-dry (Gretag Macbeth, 2000) is 10YR
6/4 pale brown, which is a composite reflection from the
dominance of carbonates and sand, with insignificant
contribution oforganic matter to color composition. The
high CaCO3
(53%) can cause soil buffering capacity and
affect nutrient availability to plants. Available water
capacity is low (4-5%), suggesting careful water
management plan to offset plant requirements and to
avoid pressure on drainage system.
Treatment of compost with alkali and acidification
of the alkaline extract revealed a total of 13.75% humate
i.e. 8.7% fulvic acid and 5.05% of humic acid. These
results suggest composts to be a good source of microbial
synthesized humate. Binner et al., (2011) reported a
broad range (2.5 – 47%) of humate in composts and
attributed this variation to the chemistry of feedstock
and the composting conditions. The humate in composts
result from the synthetic and transformational activities
of microorganisms, particularly fungi (Felbeck, 1965;
Haider and Martin, 1967). Large varieties of fungi are
reported to synthesize phenolic compounds from simple
as well as complex carbonaceous materials followed by
polymerization into complex and high molecular weight
compounds (Martin and Haider, 1971; Haider et al.,
1977).
Data presented in Table 1 shows soaking of seeds in
fulvic acid solution improved seed germination (at 1.0%
fulvic acid) which is recorded as 20% (Acacia tortilis)
and 27% (Prosopos cineraria) increase over control.
Positive effect of both the humic acid and fulvic
acid on the efficiency, pace of seed germination and
overall plant growth has been reported in earlier studies
(Katkat et al., 2009;Azam and Malik, 1983; Malik and
Azam, 1984; Smidova, 1962; Reynolds et al., 1995).
The improvement in seed germination is attributed to
enhancepermeabilityof theseed coat, the cell membranes
and thus moisture uptake necessary for activating the
metabolicactivities(Merloletal.,1991).Humiccompounds
arealsoreportedtoaffectenzymesinvolvedincelldivision
andcellularenlargement(Piccoloetal.,1993).
Results (Table 2 and Fig. 2) showthat the application
of fulvic acid at both concentrations (0.5 and 1.0%) has
significantly stimulated the seedling growth in both
plant types, however, seedling growth was better at
1% fulvic acid application over other treatments
(0.5% fulvic acid and control). Maximum root length
of 12.27 cm and 12.53 in Acacia and Prosopis was
recorded (at 0.1% fulvic acid) against 0.87 cm and
Fig. 1: Seed germination in plastic containers, a) Acacia tortilis, b) Prosopis cineraria. Plastic containers from
left to right, control, 0.5% fulvic acid, and 1.0% fulvic acid
228
5. Global J. Environ. Sci. Manage., 1(3): 225-232, Summer 2015
Treatment
Acacia tortalis
Control
Fulvic acid 0.5%
Fulvic acid 1.0%
Prosopis cineraria
Control
Fulvic acid 0.5%
Fulvic acid 1.0%
Shoot
Acaci
2.53c
3.10b
3.53a
Prosopa
1.87c
3.20b
3.67a
Root
Acacia tortalis
0.87c
11.20b
12.27a
Prosopis cineraria
5.27c
8.93b
12.53a
Shoot
Ac
3.07c
4.80b
6.13a
A3.33c
5.27b
6.73a
Length (cm) No. of leaves
The values sharing a similar letter in a column for each plant species do not differ significantly at 5% probability level.
Table 2: Effects of fulvic acid on seedling growth of Acacia tortalis and Prosopis cineraria
Control
Fulvic acid 0.5%
Fulvic acid 1.0%
Prosopis cineraria
Control
Fulvic acid 0.5%
Fulvic acid 1.0%
73.3b
93.3a
93.3a
Prosopis cineraria
73.3c
93.3b
100.0a
Acacia tortalis
0.58c
0.81b
1.06a
Prosopis cineraria
0.53b
0.56b
1.19a
Acacia tortalis
1.61c
2.25b
2.72a
Prosopis cineraria
1.10c
1.61b
3.00a
Acacia tortalis
35.2c
40.9b
51.9a
Prosopis cineraria
30.2c
33.8b
52.7a
Treatments Germination(%) Speed of germination
Accumulated speed of
germination (AS)
Coefficient of rate of
germination
The values sharing a similar letter in a column for each plant species do not differ significantly at 5% probability level.
Table 1: Effect of various concentrations of fulvic acid (0.5 to 1.0%) on the germination of Acacia tortalis and Prosopis cineraria seeds
5.27 cm in control treatment, respectively. Similar
trend is observed in shoot length where 3.53 cm and
3.67 cm shoot length was recorded against 2.53 cm
and 1.87 cm recorded in control treatment (water
229
Fig. 2: Relative sizes and densities of acacia and ghaff grown with different treatments to seeds
ControlControl 0.5% FA0.1% FA0.1% FA 0.5% FA
6. Global J. Environ. Sci. Manage., 1(3): 225-232, Summer 2015S. Gill; A. Al-Shankiti
soaking) after 30 days of Acacia and Prosopis,
respectively. The effect being statistically significant.
A positive effect of compounds on plant growth is
reported by Ferrara et al., (2007). An increase in root
growth after the application of humic compounds was
reported by Arancon et al., (2006). Fulvic acid also
stimulated the emergence of leaves and the number
increased significantly from 3.07 and 3.33 in respective
controls to 6.13 and 6.73 (1% fulvic acid treatment) in
Acacia and Prosopis, respectively. The treatment with
1% fulvic acid has shown better effect on plant growth
relative to where 0.5% fulvic acid was applied and the
control treatment (water soaking only). The statistical
analyses revealed significant difference among
various treatments. Fulvic acids are reported to
increase the permeability of seed coat, plant cell
membranes and enhance enzymatic activity of the root
system leading to increased root proliferation
(Trevisan et al., 2010). It is visualized from the present
study that the fulvic acids influences plants to grow
stronger and healthier.
Table 3 clearly shows that fresh and dry biomass of
both Acacia and Prosopis plantsis significantlyincreased
due to fulvic acid treatment of seeds; the positive effect
was better at higher concentration (1% fulvic acid
treatment). Positive effect of humic compounds and
specifically fulvic acid fraction on plant growth has been
reported in many studies (Adani et al., 1998, Arancon et
al.,2006;AzamandMalik,1983;Chenetal.,2004;Katkat
et al., 2009; Merlol et al., 1991; Patil, 2011; Rauthan and
Schnitzer, 1981; Vaughan and Linehan, 2004; Reynold et
al., 1995; Trevisan et al., 2010). The increase in root
proliferation (Table 2) translates into enhanced seedling
vigourindifferentcrops(Piccoloetal.,1993;Adanietal.,
1998). Some of these effects are also manifested in an
increase or decrease in the activity of crucial enzymes
(Ladd and Bulter, 1971; MalcolmandVaughan, 1979a,b;
Vaughan and Malcolm, 1979). In fact, humic compounds
act more like plant growth regulators or hormones
(VaughanandMalcolm,1985;Muscoloetal.,1998,Nardi
etal.,2000).
CONCLUSION
Results of this preliminary study suggest that fulvic
acid extracted from composts can be used as a seed
soaking treatment for improving efficiency and pace of
seed germination. This is particularly of significance for
crops/trees with seeds that are hard to germinate and
have a long dormancy period. Although sulfuric acid
treatment has conventionally been used for breaking the
dormancy and to soften the seed coat, fulvic acid will
have added advantage as suggested by the results of
this study. Based on the results it is concluded that the
hypothesis is proved and hence fulvic acid can be used
to improve seed germination and increase plant vigor. In
view of the results obtained, it could also be suggested
that use of composts in raising the seedlings may be
beneficial. However, fulvic acid is only soluble in dilute
alkali;therefore,itmaybemorebeneficialtoextractfulvic
acid from composts prepared from locally available
feedstock and prime the seeds to improve seed
germination. With the improvement in seed germination,
more plants can be produced in specified time; this will
have significant impact on the pace of desert
rehabilitation with plantation of Prosopis cineraria and
Acacia tortilis.
Treatment
Acacia tortalis
Control
Fulvic acid 0.5%
Fulvic acid 1.0%
Prosopis cineraria
Control
Fulvic acid 0.5%
Fulvic acid 1.0%
Root
Acaci
0.27b
0.54a
0.59a
Prosopa
0.33c
0.55b
1.02a
Shoot
Acacia tortalis
0.38c
0.62b
0.93a
Prosopis cineraria
0.85c
0.92b
1.27a
Total
Prosria
Root
Acacs
0.04c
0.05b
0.06a
Prosop
0.05c
0.12b
0.20a
Shoot
Ac
0.09c
0.16b
0.19a
Proso
0.16c
0.24b
0.30a
Total
Acac
0.13c
0.21b
0.25a
Proso
0.21c
0.35b
0.50a
Fresh weight (g) Dry weight (g)
The values sharing a similar letter in a column for each plant species do not differ significantly at 5% probability level.
Table 3: Effect of fulvic acid treatments on fresh and dry weight of shoot and root of Acacia tortalis
and Prosopis cineraria seedlings
230
7. Global J. Environ. Sci. Manage., 1(3): 225-232, Summer 2015
CONFLICTOFINTEREST
The authors declare that there is no conflict of
interests regarding the publication of this manuscript.
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AUTHOR (S) BIOSKETCHES
Shagufta Gill, S., Ph.D., Post Doctoral Fellow; Natural Resources Management, Research and Innovation Division, International Center
for Biosaline Agriculture, Dubai, UAE. Email: s.gill@biosaline.org.ae
Al-shankiti, A., Ph.D., Senior Soil Management Scientist; Natural Resources Management, Research and Innovation Division, International
Center for Biosaline Agriculture, Dubai, UAE. Email: a.alshankiti@biosaline.org.ae
How to cite this article: (Harvard style)
Gill, S.; Al-Shankiti, A., (2015). Priming of prosopis cineraria (L.) druce and acacia tortilis (forssk) seeds with fulvic acid extracted
from compost to improve germination and seedling vigor, Global J. Environ. Sci. Manage., 1(3): 225-232.
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