Soil microbes

Microbiology is the scientific study of microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, protozoa, viruses, prions, and lichens. This field explores the diversity, structure, function, ecology, and pathogenicity of microbes, highlighting their dual role as both beneficial and harmful agents. Originating in the 17th century with the pioneering observations of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, microbiology has since evolved into a multidisciplinary science with branches such as bacteriology, virology, mycology, phycology, protozoology, parasitology, and nematology. Pure microbiology emphasizes the taxonomy, genetics, and physiology of microbes, whereas applied microbiology translates this knowledge into practical domains, including medicine, agriculture, food safety, biotechnology, and environmental science. The article also outlines career opportunities in microbiology, ranging from clinical and pharmaceutical research to environmental management, epidemiology, and entrepreneurship. As molecular tools and biotechnological applications continue to expand, microbiology remains central to addressing global challenges such as infectious diseases, food security, sustainable agriculture, and environmental conservation.

The demand for increased food production has led to enhanced use of "external inputs" like chemicals, fertilizers, irrigation and effluent to boost yields. This has often been accompanied by unintended negative impacts on soil health and the ecosystem services provided by soil biota like earthworms and soil microbes. Intensive pastoralism has also been implicated in global warming because of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This thesis evaluated the usefulness of earthworms and soil microbes as indicators of soil quality and how their occurrence, abundance, biomass and activity changed under different pastoral farming practices i.e. irrigation; effluent dispersal; conversion from sheep and cattle to dairy farming; and conversion from conventional to organic dairy farming. Effluent dispersal and irrigation led to significant increases in earthworm density and biomass that peaked in paddocks receiving both effluent and irrigation water. The epigeic earthworm Lumbricus rubellus increased by 32% where effluent had been spread, 123% if irrigated and by 180% where both effluent and irrigation water was added together. On the other hand, the anecic earthworm Aporrectodea longa was rare (5.9% of individuals and 5.2% of biomass) and appeared to be driven locally extinct in many irrigated sites while the most abundant and widespread earthworm, Aporrectodea caliginosa, varied comparatively little between treatments. . Earthworm density was 15.4% to 36.6% and biomass was -3.3% to 55.8% higher on sheep/beef farms than dairy farms when equivalent treatments were compared. Because of their sensitivity to soil management, L. rubellus and A. longa earthworms qualify as good soil quality indicator species. The strong experimental effects observed for all species between treatments were evident in the top 10 cm of soil only. Greenhouse gas emissions were strongly dependent on soil management, for example re-wetting soils receiving effluent increased CO 2 emissions by 160.6% while it reduced N 2 O emissions by 16.5% but enhanced CH 4 uptake capacity by 286.0%. . In addition, effluent only treated sites had the lowest CO 2 emissions (50% less than untreated sites) yet highest N 2 O emissions were measured from the same sites (72.8% more than untreated sites). Temporal variation in the wetting and drying cycles was particularly high for N 2 O, with peak fluxes measured on the 6 th day after soil wetting that signalled a hot spot for this gas. Irrigation and effluent dispersal increased nutrient levels and reduced soil bulk density on dairy farms. Irrigation also reduced soil bulk density and increased clover (Triloforium repens L.) cover, especially on sheep/beef pastures. There were reduced nutrient levels and more compact soils in land converted to dairy I am grateful to many individuals and organisations who helped me complete this thesis. Special thanks to my supervisors, Professor Henrik Moller and Professor Richard Morgan at the University of Otago. Their inspiration and valuable suggestions formed an integral part of this thesis. Henrik in particular spent much time providing guidance, encouragement and constructive criticism to build my knowledge, academic professionalism and determination to excel. Richard, together with Julie Clark, provided detailed guidance and knowledge of soil quality measurement and tuition on physical and chemical assays of soil samples within the Department of Geography's soil laboratory. Many thanks too to Centre for Sustainability (CSAFE) research team for hosting me and their valuable guidance and support. Nicola Topliss and Susan Davies have provided administrative and caring support throughout. Dr Chris Rosin (Deputy Director and postgraduate student co-ordinator) and several of CSAFE's postgraduate students provided a supportive learning environment, debate and shared lessons on how to navigate scientific writing and presentation. I acknowledge the non-academic support I got from Henrik Moller, Fiona Stirling and Lynda Scott throughout my stay in New Zealand. Overall research directions and field work procedures were guided by Peter Carey (Environmental Services Ltd) and Dave Lucock, Sue Cumberworth, Jayson Benge, and Jon Manhire from the Agribusiness Group. I particularly thank Dave and Sue for their assistance in identifying study farms in the Waitaki catchment and Jayson for introducing me to field soil and earthworm sampling in the North Island. Chrissy Williams (Dairy NZ) also helped immensely by identifying non-irrigated dairy farms in the Waimate region. AgResearch (Invermay) kindly lent me field gas measuring equipment and Dr Tony van der Weerden guided the design of the gas exchange investigation (Chapter 4). Many of the data for my Before-After-Control-Impact analysis of soil and earthworm and soil quality changes following conversion to organics (Chapter 5) were provided by Jayson and Peter, Hill Soil Laboratories and the Agriculture Research Group on Sustainability. Special thanks go to Morven Glenavy Ikawai (MGI) Irrigation Company Board for oversight, encouragement of farmer participation and part funding of this project. The study would not have been possible without the generous contribution of time, trust, access to land and gentle encouragement of so many dairy farm owners and managers. I am particularly grateful to Robin Murphy (Chairman of MGI) who, despite an incredibly busy schedule, went out of his AMN Available mineralisable nitrogen ARGOS Agriculture Research Group on Sustainability xiv

The demand for increased food production has led to enhanced use of "external inputs" like chemicals, fertilizers, irrigation and effluent to boost yields. This has often been accompanied by unintended negative impacts on soil health and the ecosystem services provided by soil biota like earthworms and soil microbes. Intensive pastoralism has also been implicated in global warming because of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This thesis evaluated the usefulness of earthworms and soil microbes as indicators of soil quality and how their occurrence, abundance, biomass and activity changed under different pastoral farming practices i.e. irrigation; effluent dispersal; conversion from sheep and cattle to dairy farming; and conversion from conventional to organic dairy farming. Effluent dispersal and irrigation led to significant increases in earthworm density and biomass that peaked in paddocks receiving both effluent and irrigation water. The epigeic earthworm Lumbricus rubellus increased by 32% where effluent had been spread, 123% if irrigated and by 180% where both effluent and irrigation water was added together. On the other hand, the anecic earthworm Aporrectodea longa was rare (5.9% of individuals and 5.2% of biomass) and appeared to be driven locally extinct in many irrigated sites while the most abundant and widespread earthworm, Aporrectodea caliginosa, varied comparatively little between treatments. . Earthworm density was 15.4% to 36.6% and biomass was -3.3% to 55.8% higher on sheep/beef farms than dairy farms when equivalent treatments were compared. Because of their sensitivity to soil management, L. rubellus and A. longa earthworms qualify as good soil quality indicator species. The strong experimental effects observed for all species between treatments were evident in the top 10 cm of soil only. Greenhouse gas emissions were strongly dependent on soil management, for example re-wetting soils receiving effluent increased CO 2 emissions by 160.6% while it reduced N 2 O emissions by 16.5% but enhanced CH 4 uptake capacity by 286.0%. . In addition, effluent only treated sites had the lowest CO 2 emissions (50% less than untreated sites) yet highest N 2 O emissions were measured from the same sites (72.8% more than untreated sites). Temporal variation in the wetting and drying cycles was particularly high for N 2 O, with peak fluxes measured on the 6 th day after soil wetting that signalled a hot spot for this gas. Irrigation and effluent dispersal increased nutrient levels and reduced soil bulk density on dairy farms. Irrigation also reduced soil bulk density and increased clover (Triloforium repens L.) cover, especially on sheep/beef pastures. There were reduced nutrient levels and more compact soils in land converted to dairy I am grateful to many individuals and organisations who helped me complete this thesis. Special thanks to my supervisors, Professor Henrik Moller and Professor Richard Morgan at the University of Otago. Their inspiration and valuable suggestions formed an integral part of this thesis. Henrik in particular spent much time providing guidance, encouragement and constructive criticism to build my knowledge, academic professionalism and determination to excel. Richard, together with Julie Clark, provided detailed guidance and knowledge of soil quality measurement and tuition on physical and chemical assays of soil samples within the Department of Geography's soil laboratory. Many thanks too to Centre for Sustainability (CSAFE) research team for hosting me and their valuable guidance and support. Nicola Topliss and Susan Davies have provided administrative and caring support throughout. Dr Chris Rosin (Deputy Director and postgraduate student co-ordinator) and several of CSAFE's postgraduate students provided a supportive learning environment, debate and shared lessons on how to navigate scientific writing and presentation. I acknowledge the non-academic support I got from Henrik Moller, Fiona Stirling and Lynda Scott throughout my stay in New Zealand. Overall research directions and field work procedures were guided by Peter Carey (Environmental Services Ltd) and Dave Lucock, Sue Cumberworth, Jayson Benge, and Jon Manhire from the Agribusiness Group. I particularly thank Dave and Sue for their assistance in identifying study farms in the Waitaki catchment and Jayson for introducing me to field soil and earthworm sampling in the North Island. Chrissy Williams (Dairy NZ) also helped immensely by identifying non-irrigated dairy farms in the Waimate region. AgResearch (Invermay) kindly lent me field gas measuring equipment and Dr Tony van der Weerden guided the design of the gas exchange investigation (Chapter 4). Many of the data for my Before-After-Control-Impact analysis of soil and earthworm and soil quality changes following conversion to organics (Chapter 5) were provided by Jayson and Peter, Hill Soil Laboratories and the Agriculture Research Group on Sustainability. Special thanks go to Morven Glenavy Ikawai (MGI) Irrigation Company Board for oversight, encouragement of farmer participation and part funding of this project. The study would not have been possible without the generous contribution of time, trust, access to land and gentle encouragement of so many dairy farm owners and managers. I am particularly grateful to Robin Murphy (Chairman of MGI) who, despite an incredibly busy schedule, went out of his AMN Available mineralisable nitrogen ARGOS Agriculture Research Group on Sustainability xiv

Global food production needs to be increased in order to feed the world's growing population and at the same time, the reliance on inorganic fertilizers and pesticides should be minimized. To accomplish this goal, the various beneficial associations between plants and soil microorganisms should be explored. The soil microbes are bacteria, actinomycetes, viruses, fungi, nematode, and protozoa. They have an important soil function that has fulfilled several useful tasks in the soil system. Microbes support biological nitrogen fixation of different biological transformations that support the accumulation and utilization of key nutrients, support root and shoot growth processes, disease control, and improve soil quality in crop cultivation. Soil microbes offer nutrient-dense nourishment improved crop production and recycle soil solutions. They play an essential role in decomposing organic matter, cycling nutrients, and fertilizing the soil. Besides, they improve plant growth on various physiological parameters of plants by a number of mechanisms. The mechanism involved in growth promotion includes plant growth regulators, production of different metabolites, and conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia in direct and indirect ways. In addition, soil microbes offer resistance against diseases. This review outlines the significant impact of soil microbes on sustainable agricultural growth, the benefits of microbes in maintaining soil health, and their interactions.

Global scenario currently is reduced agricultural cultivable areas, increase in population growth, hence the farmer’s aims to increase the productivity by applying abundant inorganic fertilizer without considering the status of Soil health. Soil health normally refers to an ecological equilibrium balance and function of soil and its vital capacity to have maintain well-balanced ecosystem with abundant biodiversity above and below the surface and productivity. The understanding and interpretation of soil health from the perspectives of soil functions, processes, and properties is summarized. Also the good soil is normally defined by the content of Soil organic carbon content, thereby strongly it impacts soil quality, functionality and health. Incorporating different approaches which tend to maximize the physical, chemical and biological property shall be encountered and practiced. This chapter gives the broad outline over soil health and key indicators, management practices, Sustainable soil management and its approaches. Enhancing and sustaining soil health is also pertinent to advancing Sustainable Development Goals of the U.N. such as alleviating poverty, reducing hunger, improving health, and promoting economic development.

The accumulation of heavy metals in soil and water poses a significant threat to environmental and human health, necessitating innovative and sustainable remediation strategies. This paper explores the potential of genetically engineered microbial communities to accelerate heavy metal degradation through the application of CRISPR-Cas9 technology. By targeting specific genes within microbial strains, a framework is proposed for enhancing metabolic pathways involved in metal ion uptake, transformation, and immobilization. Secondary research highlights the role of genetic modifications in optimizing biofilm formation, improving survivability in contaminated environments, and enabling co-metabolic interactions among engineered species. Furthermore, the study examines the ethical and ecological considerations of deploying genetically modified organisms in open ecosystems. The findings emphasize the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and further primary research to translate theoretical advancements into practical solutions, with a vision of creating a cleaner, more sustainable planet.

Soil is often perceived as a mere substrate for plant growth that harbours a complex and dynamic ecosystem critical to ecological stability and sustainability. This abstract explores the integral roles of soil organisms ranging from microorganisms to vertebrates which helps in shaping ecosystem dynamics. Soil microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi, are pivotal in nutrient cycling, decomposing organic matter, and forming symbiotic relationships with plants, thereby enhancing nutrient availability and plant health. Invertebrates such as earthworms and ants contribute to soil structure formation and fertility through their burrowing activities, which improve aeration and water infiltration. Additionally, soil arthropods play significant roles in organic matter decomposition. These interactions collectively support ecosystem functions such as carbon sequestration, disease suppression, and soil fertility. Understanding the multifaceted roles of soil creatures underscores their importance in maintaining ecological balance and highlights the need for sustainable soil management practices to preserve this vital component of our environment.

Since food is a man’s foremost biological need, feeding the ever-growing world’s populations organically without recourse to agrochemicals becomes a major challenge facing scientists globally. Decades ago, conventional agriculture substantially contributed to the decrease in plant and biodiversity in Agro-ecosystems. Conversely, organic farming is wholesome, environmentally friendly, permitting interactions of soil minerals, organic matter, microorganisms, insects, plants, animals, and humans to create coherent and stable Agro-ecosystems with many benefits and a pollution-free environment. Several different methods of organic farming systems are discussed here for their contributions to the preservation, promotion of biodiversity and plant fitness within agricultural fields. The present review appraises the contributions of some of these approaches, their impacts on soil structure, fertility, plant health and productivity.

Biotechnology is the most prominent and rapidly growing segment of the biological sciences that is making its diversified application in sustainable agriculture. Biofertilizers, biopesticides, bioherbicides, bioinsecticides, and many of the other fungal based and viral based insecticides, obtained using microorganisms, are some of the outcomes of biotechnology playing a key role in sustainable agriculture. Many of other important food products are also obtained by microbial fermentation. Different microbes are added to get the desired effect of food at the specific stages of food production process. Pharmaceutical microbiology includes the manufacturing of different pharmaceutical and medicinal products. This review article has a wide overview of microbes mainly used in agriculture, food industries, and pharmaceutical industries.

The indiscriminate use of synthetic fertilizer disrupts the natural ecosystem. This conventional way of agricultural production is still prevalent because the negative environmental impact is shrouded by the temporary return of investment by farmers and agriculturists. However, the negative consequences in the soil due to unsystematic use of chemical fertilizers will become evident in a few years. This present research attempts to circumvent this deleterious agricultural scheme by using beneficial microorganisms bioactivated organic fertilizers, instead of using the synthetic ones. The effective microorganisms present in the organic fertilizer are expected to create a bioremediating effect when laundry wastes are used to water eggplant. A true experimental design was utilized using randomized complete block design. Two hundred ten eggplant seedlings were grown in pots and organic fertilizers with effective microbes were applied. These eggplants were watered with different levels of laundry waste and were allowed to grow. Results of the present study show the bioremediating effect of beneficial microbes in the organic fertilizers used. Eggplants grown in soils with organic fertilizer containing effective microbes were significantly taller to those eggplants that received chemical fertilizer treatments, even if these eggplants were watered with laundry waste. The effective microbes potentially converted the toxic materials found in laundry waste into useful products or nutrients that are readily assimilated by the eggplants causing the plants to grow better than the control groups. In conclusion, effective microbes found in organic fertilizers have bioremediating role to improve the vegetative growth response of eggplants. Therefore, laundry waste can be used to water eggplants in soils amended with organic fertilizers with effective microbes.

Biotechnology is the most prominent and rapidly growing segment of the biological sciences that is making its diversified application in sustainable agriculture. Biofertilizers, biopesticides, bioherbicides, bioinsecticides, and many of the other fungal based and viral based insecticides, obtained using microorganisms, are some of the outcomes of biotechnology playing a key role in sustainable agriculture. Many of other important food products are also obtained by microbial fermentation. Different microbes are added to get the desired effect of food at the specific stages of food production process. Pharmaceutical microbiology includes the manufacturing of different pharmaceutical and medicinal products. This review article has a wide overview of microbes mainly used in agriculture, food industries, and pharmaceutical industries.

Phoenix dactylifera L commonly called Date palm and Dabino belong to the family Araceae is a perennial, dioecious, diploid monocotyledonous plant that is adapted to arid regions of the Arabian, North Africa, and the Middle East. The Kola nut is the seed of evergreen trees of the genus Cola, primarily of the species Cola nitida and Cola acuminate. Cola nitida belongs to the family Sterculiaceae is indigenous to tropical Africa and has its greatest diversity in West Africa. Its common names are kola nut (both) or bitter kola (Kola nitida). This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of oocyst of Cryptosporidium parvum on Kola nut and Date fruit. The presence oocyst of Cryptosporidium parvum on Kola nut and Date fruit was determined using sedimentation method and microscopy. The intensity of parasitic contamination of kola nut and date fruit was carried out by quantification under the microscope. A total of 20 samples were collected randomly from different vendors within Samaru metropolis. Ten samples for each of Kola nut and Date palm. One (1) of the samples tested positive, with a prevalence of 5%. The result indicates that Kola nut and Date fruit sold within Samaru metropolis has low contamination rate with Cryptosporidium parvum. The risk of infection therefore is low.

Dear Joshua Schimel, Chief Editor Soil Biology and Biochemistry According with Associated Editor and the two reviewers' comments, we have revised the manuscript "Linking organic matter chemistry with soil aggregate stability: insight from 13 C NMR spectroscopy", Ref.: Ms. No. SBB12426. In the revised version, we have changed the text providing answers to all the numerated points raised by the referees. Please, find in attach the reviewer's comments with our point-bypoint responses (reported in italic type and red font) and the revised manuscript with and without changes highlighted (track changes version). Thanks are due to both reviewers for their comments that allowed us to greatly improve the manuscript. We also thank the Editor for giving us a chance to resubmit this manuscript.

Global food production needs to be increased in order to feed the world's growing population and at the same time, the reliance on inorganic fertilizers and pesticides should be minimized. To accomplish this goal, the various beneficial associations between plants and soil microorganisms should be explored. The soil microbes are bacteria, actinomycetes, viruses, fungi, nematode, and protozoa. They have an important soil function that has fulfilled several useful tasks in the soil system. Microbes support biological nitrogen fixation of different biological transformations that support the accumulation and utilization of key nutrients, support root and shoot growth processes, disease control, and improve soil quality in crop cultivation. Soil microbes offer nutrient-dense nourishment improved crop production and recycle soil solutions. They play an essential role in decomposing organic matter, cycling nutrients, and fertilizing the soil. Besides, they improve plant growth on various physiological parameters of plants by a number of mechanisms. The mechanism involved in growth promotion includes plant growth regulators, production of different metabolites, and conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia in direct and indirect ways. In addition, soil microbes offer resistance against diseases. This review outlines the significant impact of soil microbes on sustainable agricultural growth, the benefits of microbes in maintaining soil health, and their interactions.

Climate change is driving movements of many plants beyond, as well as within, their current distributional ranges. Even migrant plants moving within their current range may experience different plant–soil feedbacks (PSF) because of divergent nonlocal biotic soil conditions. Yet, our understanding to what extent soil biotic conditions can affect the performance of within‐range migrant plants is still very limited. We assessed the emergence and growth of migrant forest herbs (Milium effusum and Stachys sylvatica) using soils and seeds collected along a 1,700 km latitudinal gradient across Europe. Soil biota were manipulated through four soil treatments, i.e. unsterilized control soil (PSFUS), sterilized soil (PSFS), sterilized soil inoculated with unsterilized home soil (PSFS+HI) and sterilized soil inoculated with unsterilized foreign soil (PSFS+FI, expected to occur when both plants and soil biota track climate change). Compared to PSFS, PSFUS had negative effects on the growth but ...

The plant-microbe-soil nexus is critical in maintaining biogeochemical balance of the biosphere. However, soil loss and land degradation are occurring at alarmingly high rates, with soil loss exceeding soil formation rates. This necessitates evaluating marginal soils for their capacity to support and sustain plant growth. In a greenhouse study, we evaluated the capacity of marginal incipient basaltic parent material to support native plant growth, and the associated variation in soil microbial community dynamics. Three plant species, native to the Southwestern Arizona-Sonora region were tested with three soil treatments including basaltic parent material, parent material amended with 20% compost, and potting soil. The parent material with and without compost supported germination and growth of all the plant species, though germination was lower than the potting soil. A 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing approach showed Proteobacteria to be the most abundant phyla in both parent material a...

Garden pea productivity and qualities are hampered in zinc (Zn), boron (B), and molybdenum (Mo) deficient soil. Thus, the combination of micronutrients (i.e., Zn, B, and Mo) and rhizobium is necessary to increase the productivity and quality of garden peas, since this management for garden peas is neglected in Bangladesh. Therefore, the present study was made to assess the effectiveness of rhizobium inoculant singly or in combination with the micronutrients (i.e., Zn, B, and Mo) on growth, yield, nutrient uptake, and quality of garden peas. Treatments were: T 1 = Control, T 2 = Rhizobium inoculation at 50 g/kg seed, T

Biodiversity plays a fundamental role in provisioning and regulating forest ecosystem functions and services. Above‐ground (plants) and below‐ground (soil microbes) biodiversity could have asynchronous change paces to human‐driven land‐use impacts. Yet, we know very little how they affect the provision of multiple forest functions related to carbon accumulation, water retention capacity and nutrient cycling simultaneously (i.e. ecosystem multifunctionality; EMF). We used a dataset of 22,000 temperate forest trees from 260 plots within 11 permanent forest sites in Northeastern China, which are recovering from three post‐logging disturbances. We assessed the direct and mediating effects of multiple attributes of plant biodiversity (taxonomic, phylogenetic, functional and stand structure) and soil biodiversity (bacteria and fungi) on EMF under the three disturbance levels. We found the highest EMF in highly disturbed rather than undisturbed mature forests. Plant taxonomic, phylogenetic...

Global food production needs to be increased in order to feed the world's growing population and at the same time, the reliance on inorganic fertilizers and pesticides should be minimized. To accomplish this goal, the various beneficial associations between plants and soil microorganisms should be explored. The soil microbes are bacteria, actinomycetes, viruses, fungi, nematode, and protozoa. They have an important soil function that has fulfilled several useful tasks in the soil system. Microbes support biological nitrogen fixation of different biological transformations that support the accumulation and utilization of key nutrients, support root and shoot growth processes, disease control, and improve soil quality in crop cultivation. Soil microbes offer nutrient-dense nourishment improved crop production and recycle soil solutions. They play an essential role in decomposing organic matter, cycling nutrients, and fertilizing the soil. Besides, they improve plant growth on various physiological parameters of plants by a number of mechanisms. The mechanism involved in growth promotion includes plant growth regulators, production of different metabolites, and conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia in direct and indirect ways. In addition, soil microbes offer resistance against diseases. This review outlines the significant impact of soil microbes on sustainable agricultural growth, the benefits of microbes in maintaining soil health, and their interactions.

Fertiliser application for improved rice productivity without negative environmental impacts remains a major challenge in Nigeria. Two field experiments were carried out at Badeggi, Niger state in 2011 and 2012 to evaluate the response of lowland rice to a bio-fertilizer (OBD). The experimental field was laid out in a strip-plot design with five treatments and three replications. Twenty-one days old seedlings of FARO 44 and FARO 52 rice varieties were transplanted in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The fertilizer which was manufactured by Aratibiotech Limited, Abeokuta, Nigeria from agricultural and animal wastes embedded with microbial inoculants was applied solely  or in combination with inorganic fertilizer. Plots without fertilizer application served as control.

The highest rice grain yield increase of 4.4 t/ha over the control in 2012 occurred in the plot where OBD was applied at 4t/ha in combination with ⅔ inorganic fertilizer’s recommendation. This is far more than Nigeria’s average of lowland rice grain yields of 1.5 t/ha. A lower rate of OBD at 3t/ha in combination with ⅔ recommended inorganic fertilizer was also promising for better net income from the rice farm. Improving soil fertility attendant increase in farm incomes will stimulate forward and backward linkages in the rural economy thereby increasing investment, employment with incomes in related activities.

Keywords:  OBD-Bio-fertilizer, Microbial inoculants, rice yield, production cost.

Biochar has been recently proposed as a management strategy to improve crop productivity and global warming mitigation. Biochar may be added to soils with the goal to improve the soil properties and relocate an amount of conventional fossil fuel based fertilizers and sequester carbon. Biochar production and incorporation in soil must play a role in climate change mitigation. The need for further clarity on optimizing biochar application to various crop yields is necessary if it is to gain widespread acceptance as a soil amendment. There is urgent need to intensify agricultural production to secure food supply for the ever increasing population especially in developing country like India of the tropics. Biochar proponents have placed on biochar stability in soil and it also includes increased soil fertility and water holding capacity, increased crop production and remediation of contaminated soils. The biochar have potential to feasibly and sustainably sequester/offset over 1 Pg of CO 2-carbon equivalents annually. Current carbon market incentives are not sufficient to rapidly increase or maximize the initiation and development of biochar implementation.

Air limbah cucian garam (Bittern) mengandung berbagai macam mineral dan mikroorganisme halofilik. Keberadaan mikroba indigenous yang ada pada air limbah cucian garam belum banyak digali potensinya baik dari jumlah maupun jenisnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui nilai Total Plate Count (TPC) dan jumlah isolat mikroba dari air limbah cucian garam (Bittern) yang berasal dari tambak garam Desa Banyuajuh, Kec. Kamal, Kab. Bangkalan. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan metode purposive sampling, dimana sampel bittern di ambil dari tambak garam desa Banyuajuh, Kec. Kamal dengan melakukan pengukuran salinitasnya terlebih dahulu. Metode penghitungan nilai total bakteri menggunakan metode Total Plate Count (TPC) dan untuk identifikasi bakteri dilakukan isolasi bakteri heterotroph pada media TSA. Hasil penghitungan TPC didapatkan pada seri pengenceran 10-5 yaitu 416 CFU/ mL, sementara pada seri pengenceran 10-6 didapatkan sebesar 157 CFU/ mL, dan seri pengenceran 10-7 didapatkan sebesar 114 CFU/ mL.Sedangkan hasil isolasi didapatkan 10 isolat jenis bakteri Bittern.

Twenty three bacterial strains isolated from the soil of Chollangi mangrove environment and demonstrated Phosphate solubilization potential of isolated bacterial strains. Seven isolates showed phosphate solubilization activity. Morpho physiologically and biochemically identified two isolates (CMB1 and CMB2) as Bacillus subtilis, three isolates (CMFP3, CMFP4 and CMFP5) as fluorescent Pseudomonas and two isolates (CMAZ1 and CMAZ2) as Azotobacter sp. Plant growth promoting ability of seven bacterial strains tested for optimization of P H , carbon source and temperature and estimated phosphate solubilization quantitatively. Isolated strains visualized colonies at P H 8.6 after 72 hrs, where as pure cultures visualized early within 18 hrs at P H 6.8-7.2 range. Observations indicated bacterial isolates of arid mangrove environment can easily adapted to normal soil P H and enhance phosphate content in soil.

Background: Most studies on plant invasion consider the enemy release hypothesis when analyzing native habitats. However, the lower performance of invasive species in the native habitats can be the result of unfavorable soil conditions in the native habitats. While soil biotic and abiotic factors have a potential to restrict the growth of invasive species in their native habitats, our understanding of belowground environment of invasive species in their native habitats is very limited. In this study, we analyzed soil characteristics associated with an exotic invasive plant, Old World Climbing Fern (Lygodium microphyllum), in its native habitat in Australia and the recipient habitat in South Florida. Rhizosphere soil samples from both habitats were analyzed for soil physical, chemical and biological characteristics. Results: Soil characteristics in the recipient habitats were significantly different compared to those in the native habitats. Soil samples from the native habitat had low soil pH, and high concentrations of elements such as aluminum and zinc which are phytotoxic in acidic soil environments. Additionally, mycorrhizal fungi spores were more diverse in the recipient habitat in Florida compared to the native habitat in Australia. Conclusion: Overall, our results indicate that growth of an invasive plant in its native habitats could be restricted by the toxic effects associated with strong soil acidity. Results from this study indicate that invasive plants not only escape from their natural herbivores but also from toxic soil environment in their native habitats.

Soils and crops are particularly vulnerable to climate change and environmental stresses. In many agrosystems, soil biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by soils are under threat from a range of natural and human drivers. Agricultural soils are often subject to agronomic practices that disrupt soil trophic networks and make soils less productive in the long term. In this scenario, sustainable soil use aimed at improving plant/root status, growth and development plays a crucial role for enhancing the biological capacity of agricultural soils. This commentary paper is divided into the following four main sections: (i) the contentious nature of soil organic matter; (ii) soil biological quality/fertility; (iii) soil classification; and, (iv) which agricultural practices can be defined as sustainable? The published literature was analyzed within a holistic framework, with agrosystems considered as living systems where soil, vegetation, fauna and microorganisms co‐evolve and are r...

Biotechnology is the most prominent and rapidly growing segment of the biological sciences that is making its diversified application in sustainable agriculture. Biofertilizers, biopesticides, bioherbicides, bioinsecticides, and many of the other fungal based and viral based insecticides, obtained using microorganisms, are some of the outcomes of biotechnology playing a key role in sustainable agriculture. Many of other important food products are also obtained by microbial fermentation. Different microbes are added to get the desired effect of food at the specific stages of food production process. Pharmaceutical microbiology includes the manufacturing of different pharmaceutical and medicinal products. This review article has a wide overview of microbes mainly used in agriculture, food industries, and pharmaceutical industries.

Biotechnology is the most prominent and rapidly growing segment of the biological sciences that is making its diversified application in sustainable agriculture. Biofertilizers, biopesticides, bioherbicides, bioinsecticides, and many of the other fungal based and viral based insecticides, obtained using microorganisms, are some of the outcomes of biotechnology playing a key role in sustainable agriculture. Many of other important food products are also obtained by microbial fermentation. Different microbes are added to get the desired effect of food at the specific stages of food production process. Pharmaceutical microbiology includes the manufacturing of different pharmaceutical and medicinal products. This review article has a wide overview of microbes mainly used in agriculture, food industries, and pharmaceutical industries.

Në ditët e sotme teknologjia ka lehtësuar shumë gjëra, qoftë nga ana e komunikimit, qoftë në kërkimin e materialeve/informacioneve që janë me qindramijëra sall me një klikim në Google e sajte tjera të panumërta-por haraçi që po e paguajmë si njerëz është zhveshja nga ndjenjat, rrjedhimisht humbja e durimit dhe venerimit të diçkaje ashtu siç i ka hije. Çfarë dua të them me këtë? Jemi dëshmitarë se sot njerëzit, një masë e madhe e tyre le të themi, nuk kanë dot durim fjala vjen për ta dëgjuar/ndjekur fund e krye një operë të Verdit, për ta lexuar me nge një roman të Proust-it apo për të parë një film të kohëve të shkuara. Kam përshtypjen se njerëzit bashkëkohorë vuajnë nga mikrobi që po e quaj padurim. Pra, mikrobi i padurimit. Sapo i hedh një sy ekraneve televizive do të shohësh dendur emisione të formatit entertainment ku shoqi-shoqit, si të thuash, ia bën "rrafsh" duke qeshur me zor me shakatë, duke u munduar që me sforcim t'i bëjnë gjërat më të bukura, "spontane". Ky vërshim i falsitetit kolektiv nuk është veçse pasojë e këtij mikrobi; nuk denjon askush të shpenzojë kohë për të organizuar diçka të mirë, ngase sot gjërat funksionojnë, mesa duket, për mrekulli edhe kështu siç janë, sipërfaqësore e të gënjeshtërta! Të flitet për librin është trend, por jo të lexohet. T'i propozosh dikujt ta lexojë këtë roman apo atë përmbledhje poezish, proporcionalisht do të thotë se tjetri ka për të ta bërë "rrafsh" duke thënë "po, patjetër që do ta lexoj, faleminderit për sugjerimin!" kurse më vonë do t'i lexojë dy-tri fjalë në ndonjë "review" për të pasur material që të flas rreth autorit dhe librit që i ke propozuar. Në masë të madhe ndodh kështu rëndom. Asaj që dua t'i mëshoj është kjo: situata e tillë ku padurimi bëhet qenësor në shoqërinë tonë, i kushton rëndë kulturës, artit, në përgjithësi jetës socio-politike. Sepse krijon njerëz-robotë! Krijon pedagogë, nxënës, artistë, shkrimtarë, politikanë të nesërm që udhëhiqen nga e lehta, sipërfaqësorja, që bren gjithçka të arrirë me mund, gjithçka që ka themel, shkurt: gjithçka të rëndësishme!

This paper estimates the economic value of biochar application on agricultural cropland for carbon sequestration and its soil amendment properties. In particular, we consider the carbon emissions avoided when biochar is applied to agricultural soil, instead of agricultural lime, the amount of carbon sequestered, and the value of carbon offsets, assuming there is an established carbon trading mechanism for biochar soil application. We use winter wheat production in Eastern Whitman County, Washington as a case study, and consider different carbon offset price scenarios and different prices of biochar to estimate a farm profit. Our findings suggest that it may be profitable to apply biochar as a soil amendment under some conditions if the biochar market price is low enough and/or a carbon offset market exists.

Extensive use of imidacloprid in rice ecosystem may alter dynamics of microorganisms and can change soil biochemical properties. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of imidacloprid on growth and activities of microbes in tropical rice soil ecosystem. Four treatments, namely, recommended dose (at 25g a.i. ha(-1), RD), double the recommended dose (at 50g a.i. ha(-1), 2RD), five times the recommended dose (at 125g a.i. ha(-1), 5RD) & ten times the recommended dose (at 250g a.i. ha(-1), 10RD) along with control were imposed under controlled condition. Dissipation half lives of imidacloprid in soil were 19.25, 20.38, 21.65 and 33.00 days for RD, 2RD, 5RD and 10RD, respectively. In general bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi and phosphate solubilising bacteria population were disturbed due to imidacloprid application. Changes in diversity indices within bacterial community confirmed that imidacloprid application significantly affected distribution of bacteria. Total soil micro...

A large portion of the global population relies on food and other agricultural goods. However, the demand for various agricultural goods has gradually grown over time due to the increasing population. Because of modern fertilizers, the soil has deteriorated. Using biochar is a practical choice among the many alternatives. In recent years, carbon-rich biochar has gained attention as a potential solution for restoring damaged soil, improving agricultural efficiency in various systems, and fixing carbon emissions.

Appropriately using phosphorus (P) for the fertilization of sugarcane is critical to achieving high productivity because it is one of the most limiting nutrients in agricultural cropping systems. Thus, the objective of this research was to evaluate the morphological, biochemical, and yield responses of sugarcane, and the soil microbial–chemical properties, under the use of organomineral fertilizer (OF) associated or not with Bacillus velezensis strain UFV 3918 (B) combined with mono ammonium phosphate (MAP) doses. The experimental design used was completely randomized, consisting of eight treatments [Control (3/3 MAP); OF (without MAP); OF + 1/3 MAP; OF + 2/3 MAP; OF + 3/3 MAP; B + OF + 1/3 MAP; B + OF + 2/3 MAP; B + OF + 3/3 MAP] and four replicates. B + OF + 1/3 MAP provided increases in accumulated soil basal respiration (11.9%), carbon of microbial biomass (35.9%), fluorescein diacetate (12.7%), arylsulfatase (25.5%), and acid phosphatase (10.1%) activity compared to the control...

Biochar has been recently proposed as a management strategy to improve crop productivity and global warming mitigation. Biochar may be added to soils with the goal to improve the soil properties and relocate an amount of conventional fossil fuel based fertilizers and sequester carbon. Biochar production and incorporation in soil must play a role in climate change mitigation. The need for further clarity on optimizing biochar application to various crop yields is necessary if it is to gain widespread acceptance as a soil amendment. There is urgent need to intensify agricultural production to secure food supply for the ever increasing population especially in developing country like India of the tropics. Biochar proponents have placed on biochar stability in soil and it also includes increased soil fertility and water holding capacity, increased crop production and remediation of contaminated soils. The biochar have potential to feasibly and sustainably sequester/offset over 1 Pg of C...

Biochar is the by-product of pyrolysis that has been produced for the amendment of soil profile as well as soil biota. At present waste is generated in agriculture, forests and related agro-industries is in tremendous amount. Biochar could provide a key solution by converting these wastes (biomass) into biochar for soil amendment. Biochar is a paradigm shift from chemical view to biological insight into fertility and soil food web which in-turn depends on soil physical properties. Present study was conducted to investigate the effect of pine and bagasse biochar samples on physical properties of soil. After application of these two biochar, soil samples were analyzed for moisture content, BD and WHC of soil. The data were analyzed by applying Tukey HSD test of post hoc treatment in SPSS 16.00 software. Results of study clearly signify the importance of bagasse biochar and it was followed by the pine biochar, both biochar greatly improves the physical properties of soil.

Sixty year ago, Charles Elton posed that species-rich communities should be more resistant to biological invasion. Still, little is known about which processes could drive the diversity-invasibility relationship. Here we examined whether soil-microbe-mediated apparent competition on alien invaders is more negative when the soil originates from multiple native species. We trained soils with five individually grown native species and used amplicon sequencing to analyze the resulting bacterial and fungal soil communities. We mixed the soils to create trained soils from one, two or four native species. We then grew four alien species separately on these differently trained soils. In the soil-conditioning phase, the five native species built species-specific bacterial and fungal communities in their rhizospheres. In the test phase, it did not matter for biomass of alien plants whether the soil had been trained by one or two native species. However, the alien species achieved 11.7% (95% CI: 3.7-20.1%) less aboveground biomass when grown on soils trained by four native species than on soils trained by two native species. Our results revealed soil-microbes-mediated apparent competition as a mechanism underlying the negative relationship between diversity and invasibility.

Humic acid and ZnO nanoparticles were prepared from HA and ZnO by a paralysis method and characterized. The adsorption of toxic heavy metals, Hg(II), Pb(II), Cd(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) was studied using synthetic solutions and was reported elsewhere. The adsorption of toxic heavy metals from industrial wastewaters onto the surface of Humic acid coated with ZnO nanoparticles was studied here. The percent adsorption increased with increase in pH from 4 to 6 and remained constant up to 10. As HA and ZnO are commonly available at economical price in market, the resulting Humic acid ZnO nano particles is expected to be an economical product for the removal of toxic heavy metals from industrial waste waters. Polluted water containing contaminants adversely affects its PH value, creating it inappropriate for use. Inorganic substances such as solvents, heavy metals, metal ions, and ammonia rear gases and proteins, organic debris, plant material, food, nitrate, and a variety of other contaminants are hazards substances that contaminate the water in shallow and overwater. The current study deals with the removal of heavy metals from polluted water using the process of bio sorption. ZnO nanoparticles-humid acid hybrid was used as an adsorbent for the removal of nickel (Ni) from the industrial wastewater. The synthesized adsorbent was characterized by FT-IR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), UV/VIS spectroscopy techniques. During this study effect of adsorbent dose, pH, initial metal ion concentration, contact time and temperature were investigated to obtain optimum conditions.

A 3-year project called "Developing cultivation technique of organically grown strawberry" was carried out at MTT Agrifood Research Finland in 2000-2002. Different plant protection techniques of organic strawberry production were studied in open fields in Mikkeli, Ruukki and Jokioinen. Extensive literature review of organic strawberry cultivation techniques and plant protection was also written. The project was financed by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Intensive land use reduces the diversity and abundance of many soil biota, with consequences for the processes that they govern and the ecosystem services that these processes underpin. Relationships between soil biota and ecosystem processes have mostly been found in laboratory experiments and rarely are found in the field. Here, we quantified, across four countries of contrasting climatic and soil conditions in Europe, how differences in soil food web composition resulting from land use systems (intensive wheat rotation, extensive rotation, and permanent grassland) influence the functioning of soils and the ecosystem services that they deliver. Intensive wheat rotation consistently reduced the biomass of all components of the soil food web across all countries. Soil food web properties strongly and consistently predicted processes of C and N cycling across land use systems and geographic locations, and they were a better predictor of these processes than land use. Processes of car...

Microorganisms are capable of converting insoluble phosphate into a bioavailable form through solubilization and mineralization processes. Hence in the present study a phosphate solubilizing bacterium, PSB-26, was isolated from mangrove of the Mahanadi delta using NBRIP-agar and NBRIP-BPB broth containing tricalcium phosphate as the phosphate source. Based on phenotypic and molecular characterization, the strain was identified as Alcaligenes faecalis. The maximum phosphate solubilizing activity of the strain was found to be 48 g/ml with decrease in pH of the growth medium from 7.0 to 3.2. During phosphate solubilization, various organic acids, such as oxalic acid (289 mg/L), citric acid (0.2 mg/L), malic acid (0.3 mg/L), succinic acid (0.5 mg/L) and acetic acid (0.4 mg/L) produced in the broth culture were detected through HPLC analysis. Crude alkaline phosphatase activity of the strain was determined by p-nitrophenyl phosphate assay and optimized with different growth parameters to obtain maximum enzyme production. Under optimized sets of conditions, maximum alkaline phosphatase activity of 93.7 U/ml was observed. Partially purified alkaline phosphatase exhibited three protein bands of sizes approximately 45 kDa, 25 kDa and 17 kDa. Partially purified alkaline phosphatase during characterization showed maximum activity at pH 9.0 (96.53 U/ml), temperature of 45 • C (97.99 U/ml) and substrate concentration of 1.75 mg/ml (96.51 U/ml). The effect of the bacterium on growth of Arabidopsis thaliana plant showed that inoculation of bacterial culture exhibited better growth in comparison to the control. Hence the phosphate solubilizing and alkaline phosphatase production activity of the bacterium may have probable use for future biotechnological application.

Global climate and land use change are causing woody plant encroachment in arctic, alpine, and arid/semi‐arid ecosystems around the world, yet our understanding of the belowground impacts of this phenomenon is limited. We conducted a globally distributed field study of 13 alpine sites across four continents undergoing woody plant encroachment and sampled soils from both woody encroached and nearby herbaceous plant community types. We found that woody plant encroachment influenced soil microbial richness and community composition across sites based on multiple factors including woody plant traits, site level climate, and abiotic soil conditions. In particular, root symbiont type was a key determinant of belowground effects, as Nitrogen‐fixing woody plants had higher soil fungal richness, while Ecto/Ericoid mycorrhizal species had higher soil bacterial richness and symbiont types had distinct soil microbial community composition. Woody plant leaf traits indirectly influenced soil micr...

Biotechnology is the most prominent and rapidly growing segment of the biological sciences that is making its diversified application in sustainable agriculture. Biofertilizers, biopesticides, bioherbicides, bioinsecticides, and many of the other fungal based and viral based insecticides, obtained using microorganisms, are some of the outcomes of biotechnology playing a key role in sustainable agriculture. Many of other important food products are also obtained by microbial fermentation. Different microbes are added to get the desired effect of food at the specific stages of food production process. Pharmaceutical microbiology includes the manufacturing of different pharmaceutical and medicinal products. This review article has a wide overview of microbes mainly used in agriculture, food industries, and pharmaceutical industries.