The article presents the results of studies aimed to identify the effect of foliar treatments of winter wheat, sugar beets and soybeans with mineral and bioorganic fertilizers. Their positive effect on increasing the concentration of mineral forms of nitrogen in soil was revealed. The crop types have a greater influence on the size of nitrous oxide emissions: in winter wheat crops - 679 µg/m3, soybeans - 637.2 µg/m3, sugar beets - 576.8 µg/m3. The amounts of nitrous oxide emissions were lower in the variants without the use of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. The Ruter AA fertilizer showed the greatest efficiency on winter wheat crops - 42.7 c/ha. Soybean grain yield of 44.2 c/ha was also achieved by using Ruter AA, as well as Geo-humate together with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. On the background of the actual supply of phosphorus and potassium, maximum yield was obtained when using N30 on the leaf - 39.3 c/ha. Foliar feeding ensured a yield of sugar beet root crops of up to 67.1-77.4 c/ha on the backdrop of the application of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers with the advantage of using Amino turbo. The largest yield of sugar beet roots without use of mineral phosphorus and potassium was ensured by N30 treatment of the leaf in the phases of 4-6 and 8 leaves - 63.2 t/ha. Of the organo-mineral fertilizers and biostimulants, the best result was shown by the use of Ruter A - 62.6 t/ha. We believe that foliar feeding of crops can be a sustainable farming method that can increase crop yields and reduce N2O emissions.

.Maize cultivation in Thailand faces challenges owing to climate change and soil organic carbon (SOC) loss. This highlights the importance of comparing maize soil with paddy soil in terms of the role of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nutrient availability, as they influence SOC content. Soil samples from Chiang Mai province, primarily Fluvisol, were collected for the cultivation of paddy rice and maize, analysed for carbon fractions and chemical properties, and categorised into layers. Comparative analysis revealed that maize soils had lower levels of labile carbon components and organic carbon than paddy soils (P

Soil organic matter (SOM) is essential for nutrient cycling and soil carbon (C) accumu-lation, both of which are heavily influenced by the quality and quantity of plant litter. Since SOM dynamics in relation to plant diversity are poorly understood we investigated the effects of willow variety and mixture, and site on the soil C stocks, SOM chemical composition and ther-mal stability. Using pyrolysis-field ionization mass spectrometry we analysed the top 10 cm of soil from two 7-year-old experimental sites in Germany and Sweden, with monocultures and mixtures of two willow varieties (Salix spp.) belonging to different species. Overall, site had the strongest effect on SOM quality. Results showed significant variability across sites for willow identity and mixture effects on C accumulation and SOM chemistry. In the German site (Ros-tock), yearly soil C accumulation was higher (p < 0.05) for variety ‘Loden’ (1.0 Mg C ha-1 year-1) compared to ‘Tora’ (0.5 Mg C ha-1 year-1), whilst in the Swedish site (Uppsala), both varieties ex-hibited similar soil C accumulation rates of around 0.6 Mg C ha-1 year-1. Willow variety identity significantly affected SOM quality at both sites, while mixing had minor effects. Our findings emphasize the significance of site-specific context and variety or species identity in shaping soil C accumulation in willow plantations.

SOC stock (SOCS) changes caused by land use changes are still unclear, and understanding this response is essential for many environmental policies and land management practices. In this study, we investigated the temporal-spatial and vertical distribution characteristics of SOCS on the Western Sichuan Plateau (WSP) using the sparrow search algorithm-random forest regression (SSA-RFR) models with excellent model applicability and accuracy. The temporal-spatial varia-tions in the SOCS were modeled using 1080 soil samples and a set of nine environmental covariates. We analyzed the effect of land use changes on the SOCS on the WSP. The total SOCS increased by 18.03 Tg C from 1990 to 2020. The results of this study confirmed that the SOCS in the study area has increased significantly since 2010, with an increase of 27.88 Tg C compared to the total SOCS in 2010. We found that the spatial distribution of the SOCS increased from southeast to northwest, and the vertical distribution of the SOCS in the study area decreased with increasing soil depth. Forest and grassland are the main sources of SOCS, the total SOCS in the forest and grassland accounted for 37.53 and 59.39% of the total SOC pool in 2020, respectively. Expansion of the wetlands, forest, and grassland areas could increase SOCS in the study area.

The long-term use of fertilizers and pesticides in conventional cultivation has resulted in a decrease in soil productivity and vegetable yields in greenhouses. However, only a limited number of studies have explored the impacts of organic cultivation on greenhouse soil. Specifically, there is a scarcity of research examining the alterations in soil aggregate mediated organic carbon and microbial communities, which are known to enhance soil productivity. This study investigated the properties of soil aggregates, including the levels of organic carbon fractions, microbial community, and enzyme activity with the three aggregate classes microaggregates (&lt;0.25 mm), small macroaggregates (2-0.25 mm) and large macroaggregates (&gt;2 mm). These investigations were conducted under three different cultivation methods in a greenhouse: conventional cultivation (CC), integrated cultivation (IC), and organic cultivation (OC) in greenhouse. The results showed that (1) OC and IC promoted the formation of small macro-aggregates and enhanced aggregate stability compared to CC, (2) SOC in the three size fractions of OC increased by 98.99%-92.06% compared to CC; EOC increased by 98.47%-117.59%; POC increased by 138.59%-208.70%; MBC increased by 104.71%-230.61%; DOC increased by 21.93%-40.90%, respectively; (3) Organic cultivation significantly increased enzyme activity in all three particle size aggregates and increased the relative abundance of bacteria in micro-aggregates as well as the relative abundance of fungi in small macro-aggregates. Structural equation model (SEM) analysis revealed that organic farming practices fostered the development of smaller macro-aggregates, elevated microbial and enzyme activities within soil aggregates, and facilitated the conversion of soil nutrients and carbon sequestration. consequently, this led to an increase in soil organic carbon content and improved vegetable yield in greenhouse environments. In conclusion, the soil carbon content and vegetable yield are enhanced through long-term organic cultivation in greenhouses, primarily by increasing the proportion of small macro-aggregates.

Conventional fertilization practices can lead to many ecological problems, such as nutrient imbalance, soil acidity, and reduced soil fertility in natural rubber plantations. To address these challenges, a field investigation was strategically carried out to substitute inorganic fertilizer with organic fertilizers consisted of six treatments, i.e., no fertilization (CK), inorganic fertilizer (NPK), 25 % replacement of inorganic through organic (25%M), 50 % replacement of inorganic through organic (50%M), 75 % replacement of inorganic through organic (75%M), and 100% organic fertilizer (100%M). The soil physicochemical properties (SOC, TN, AN, C:N, pH, NH4+-N, and NO3--N) and carbon and nitrogen converting enzymes (BG, NAG, and LAP) were all determined. The partial substitution of inorganic fertilizers with organic fertilizers (i.e., 75%M at surface soil layer) showed higher SOC (14.52 g.kg-1), TN (1.06 g.kg-1), AN (20.07 mg.kg-1), C:N (14.63), NH4+-N (10.63 mgkg-1), and NO3--N(11.06 mg.kg-1) than NPK and CK. Such increase in physicochemical properties in partial replacement of inorganic with organic fertilizers plots resulted from higher carbon and nitrogen enzymes activities (BG (143.17 nmol.g-1.h-1), NAG (153.96 nmol.g-1.h-1), and LAP (153.48 nmol.g-1.h-1)) compared to NPK and CK, and further the person correlation and RDA analysis confirmed a significant positive correlation between SOC, AN, and soil enzymes. This study presents a new strategy for assessing the impact of partially replacing inorganic fertilizers with organic fertilizers in rubber plantations, mainly by modifying the soil nutrient composition in tropical regions.

The influence of long-term chemical fertilization in paddy soils is based on the interaction between labile carbon and phosphorus fractions and how this influences soil organic carbon (SOC). Four soil depths (0–30 cm) were analyzed in this study. Easily oxidized organic carbon components, such as permanganate oxidized carbon (POXC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and other physicochemical soil factors were evaluated. The correlation and principal component analyses were used to examine the relationship between soil depth and the parameter dataset. The results showed that Fe-P concentrations were greater in the 0–5 cm soil layer. DOC, inorganic phosphate fraction, and other soil physiochemical characteristics interacted more strongly with SOC in the 0–5 cm soil layer, compared to that in the 10–15 cm layer, influencing soil acidity. An increase in DOC in the 0–5 cm soil layer had a considerable effect on lowering SOC, consistent with P positively correlated with POXC, but negatively with SOC and water-soluble carbon (WSC). The changes in SOC could be attributed to the relationship between DOC and inorganic phosphate fractions (as Fe-P) under a specific soil pH condition. An increase in soil DOC could be caused by changes in the P fraction and pH. The DOC:Avai. P ratio could serve as a compromise for the C and P dynamic indicators. The soil depth interval is a critical element that influences these interactions. Agricultural policy and decision-making may be influenced by the P from chemical fertilization practices, considering the yields and environmental effects.

This research presents a novel approach for estimating soil organic carbon (SOC) content in agricultural soils using a photocatalytic Chemical Oxygen Demand (PeCOD) analyzer integrated with Geographic Information System (GIS) technology for spatial analysis. The PeCOD method, which relies on photochemical oxidation of organic carbon, demonstrated an uncanny correlation between its values and SOC content, making it a quick and accurate way to estimate SOC levels. Finer materials, such as clayey soils, demonstrated higher SOC content compared to coarser ones and decreased with increasing soil depth. GIS georeferencing enabled precise mapping of SOC distribution and identification of hotspot areas with high SOC content. This study highlights the significance of soil texture and depth on SOC distribution and emphasizes its significance within geological context when studying soil properties. Research results have practical ramifications for sustainable agriculture, climate change mitigation and soil health management - providing farmers and land managers with strategies that increase carbon sequestration while simultaneously improving soil health. Integrating PeCOD analyzer technology with GIS technology offers promising avenues for advanced soil carbon monitoring practices that promote climate-smart agricultural practices.

Crop rotation diversification using legumes has been advocated as one of the solutions to improve the resilience of the crop system to various environmental stresses and the use of nitrogen resources. However, when forage legumes or grass-legumes are ploughed, there is a high risk of nitrate leaching, especially in sandy soils. The aim of the study was to determine the effect strip tillage intercropping management on soil mineral nitrogen (SMN), water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC) content and winter wheat (WW, Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield compared to forage legume and WW monocropping with conventional tillage. In intercropping was used winter wheat - black medick (Medicago lupulina L.) WW+BM, winter wheat - white clover (Trifolium repens L.) WW+WC, and winter wheat - Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) WW+EC. Research was repeated in two experiments. The results showed that after strip tillage and WW sowing less or similar SMN content cud be detected, as in conventional tillage and WW + forage legumes intercropping. WW grain yield in intercrops decreased, compared to the grasses monocultures that were ploughed before WW sowing. The highest amount of WEOC was in intercropping soil growing WW+WC or in all fields (except WW+EC) after applying strip tillage. During the research period, the amounts of mobile humic substances (HSs) and mobile humic acids (HAs) changed analogously. Their content increased substantially in fields with WC and EC, regardless of whether the grasses were ploughed or grown with WW.

Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is an important woody species for production in Ecuador. Woody species have the potential to incorporate soil organic carbon (SOC) into the soil. The province of Manabí is known for its cocoa plantations and several cocoa species, which generates interest in their analysis. This study aimed to determine the concentration and accumulation of SOC in three cocoa species (EET95, EET103 and EET116) 15 years old, both under the tree and in the rows, at different depths 0-5, 5-10, 10-20 and 20-30 (cm). The results showed that soil SOC concentration was higher in the row for EET116 (2.51%) and significantly different under the tree for EET103 (1.57%) at 0-5 cm. No significant differences were found in the other sections. In the whole profile analyzed (0-30 cm), the EET116 species accumulated 41 t ha-1 and 54 t ha-1 under the tree and in the row, respectively. The species EET103 in the row presented 47 t ha-1 with no significant differences. Species EET95 and EET103 had the lowest values, but without significant differences between sampling locations, with 36 t ha-1, 37 t ha-1, and 47 t ha-1 under the tree and in the windrow, respectively. In conclusion, the species EET116 accumulated more organic carbon due to several factors, possibly a higher decomposing biomass, not only from the tree but also from other trees in the area, which contributes to the incorporation of organic matter throughout the soil profile.

Soil water content (SWC) and soil organic carbon (SOC) are two important factors to consider when revegetation in degraded land of arid and semiarid areas. Knowing the response of SWC and SOC to vegetation restoration as well as their coupling interaction is important for sustainability of vegetation restoration. In this study, three common plantations of the same recovery years were selected on China’s Loess Plateau, which included Pinus sylvestris, Pinus tabuliformis and Populus simonii, to evaluate the response of SWC and SOC to vegetation restoration as well as their interactions, and then revealed the influencing factors of SWC and SOC variations. Results showed that compared to the grassland, three plantations all exacerbated the deficit of deep soil water, but Populus simonii increased the SOC, while the rest all decreased the SOC. And tradeoff of Populus simonii had the lowest root mean squared error (RMSD). Therefore, Populus simonii was identified as representing a suitable revegetation technique for this region. There was strong interaction between SWC and SOC for shallow soil layers. Land use type (LUT) has an important effect on deep SOC variations, while SOC and soil texture for deep SWC variations. The results were helpful to the sustainable development of artificial forests in this region as well as other similar arid and semiarid areas.

As a member of smart materials, electrorheological elastomers (EREs) formed by pre-treating active electrorheological particles are attracting more and more attention. In this work, four Mg-doped strontium titanate particles with spherical, dendritic, flake-like and pinecone-like morphorlogies were obtained by hydrothermal and low-temperature co-precipitation. XRD, SEM, Raman and FT-IR were used to characterize the obtained products. The results showed that the sizes of Mg-doped strontium titanates are about 1.5‒2.0 μm, and the phase structure are dominated by cubic crystal. These Mg-doped strontium titanates were dispersed in a hydrogel composite elastic medium. Then, Mg-doped strontium titanate/glycerol/gelatin electrorheological composite hydrophilic elastomers were obtained with or without electric field. The electric field response properties of Mg-doped strontium titanate composite elastomers were investigated. It concluded that dendritic Mg-doped strontium titanate composite elastomers is high-performance EREs. And the maximum value of energy storage modulus of Mg-doped strontium titanate composite elastomers has achieved 8.70 MPa. This high electrorheological performance of the products is helpful for their applications in vibration control, force transducers, smart structures, dampers, and other fields.

Land’s basic metric is soil organic carbon (SOC) yet global estimates range 1,417–15,000 Gt C. Erosion of ancient topsoil and loss of soil taxa are most urgent of all context-triage concerns, and most ignored. Re-evaluation of topographical terrain on a non-flat Earth increases most soil dynamic inventories. Carbon credits of our neglected and disappearing SOC stocks are enumerated for mineral soils (~4,100 Gt C plus ca. 20–30% glomalin), Permafrost (>4,200 Gt C), peat (1,123 Gt C), plant roots (916 Gt C), litter (600 Gt C), microbes (200 Gt C), fungi (30 Gt C), biocrust (10–20 Gt C), earthworms (2.3–3.6 Gt C), termites (0.15 Gt C), nematodes (0.06 Gt C), ants (0.024 Gt C), and soil viruses (0.02–4.0 Gt C). Net contribution to atmospheric CO₂ is more from biotic topsoil loss (>10 Gt C/yr) than fossil fuels (<10 Gt C/yr). Although higher CO₂ results in a terrestrial greening effect with Net Primary Productivity (NPP) now ~220 Gt C/yr (cf. ~20 Gt C/yr Ocean NPP), this is arguably offset by topsoil erosion, desert expansion, plus fire at net ~16–20 Gt C/yr lost due, in part, to extravagant meat-eating with unsupportable, humus-depleting farm management. In particular, excess synthetic Nitrogen acidifies topsoil and destroys the natural SOC biota. Review shows critical topsoil loss up to 20,000 tonnes per second and, when soil microbes/invertebrates are properly considered, extinctions as high as 23 taxa per second. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) fail without solid soil foundation. Rather, heritage farm-data points to resolution in organic husbandry. Remedy via natural vermi-compost, 100% organic farming and practical Permaculture is under a simple premise that the Problem (i.e., SOC loss) is the Solution (viz., SOC restoration).

There is a growing need for an area-wide knowledge of SOC contents in agricultural soils at field scale for food security, monitoring long-term changes related to soil health and climate change. In Germany, large-scale SOC maps are mostly available with a spatial resolution of 250 m to 1 km2. The nationwide availability of both digital elevation models at various spatial resolutions and multi-temporal satellite imagery enables the derivation of multi-scale terrain attributes and Landsat-based multi-temporal soil reflectance composites (SRC) as explanatory variables. On the example of an Bavarian test of about 8000 km2, the scale-specific dependencies between the representativeness of 220 soil samples and different aggregation levels of the explanatory variables were analyzed for their scale-specific predictive power. The aggregation levels were generated by applying a region-growing segmentation procedure, the SOC content prediction was realized by the Random Forest algorithm. In doing so, established approaches of (geographic) object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) and machine learning were combined. The modeling results revealed scale-specific differences. Compared to terrain attributes, the use of SRC parameters lead to a significant model improvement at large field-related scale levels. The joint use of both terrain attributes and SRC parameters resulted in further model improvements. The best modeling variant is characterized by an accuracy of R2=0.84 and RMSE=1.99.

Present study on land use land cover analysis and taluka wise combination of cropped area, carried out in Beed district of Maharashtra state in India and studied 11 talukas of the district. Secondary data on land use land cover and area in various crops has been collected, compiled and analyzed from various secondary sources. Simple descriptive statistics used to examine the agricultural land use land cover and J.C. Weaver’s crop combination technique was used for taluka wise analysis of crop combinations and on the basis of highest to smallest area engaged in particular crop, crops have been ranked. The study showed that, in the district as a whole, percentage of uncultivated land other than fallow was about 46 percent as compare to net sown area is only 35 percent in total geographical area (1063855ha) of Beed district. The study further revealed that about 42 percent area engaged in food crops and about 58 percent area occupied by nonfood crops, which includes cereals (25%), cotton (19%), pulses (13%), oilseed (12%), sugarcane (5%) and fruits and vegetables (3%). Results of Weaver’s crop combination technique showed that the Wadwani taluka demarcated as most diversified taluka by means of maximum number (sixteen) of crops combinations with the lowest variance value (14) found in the present investigation. Further, the study revealed that the high crop diversity found in Dharur taluka with eighteen crop combinations and the taluka has given first rank amongst others. To derive the crop diversity ranking, taluka wise maximum to minimum number of crop combinations derived in different talukas and given ranks accordingly. The study concluded that, agricultural land use analysis is essential for solving and optimizing the land use problem, maintaining socio-ecological balance, best utilization of scarce resources. The authors enlightened that the rational use of agricultural land has important for food security and biodiversity which increase the productivity and profitability of the agriculture sector and it indicates the decision making ability of farmers in study area.

The use of chemical pesticides in agriculture contributes to soil, water and air pollution, biodiversity loss and can harm non-target species. The European Commission has already established a Harmonized Risk Indicator to quantify the progress in reducing the risks linked to pesticides. Therefore, there is an increasing need to promote biopesticides or so-called low-risk pesticides (LRP). Extract from Melaleuca alternifolia – tea tree oil (TTO) is known for its antiseptic, antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. Tea tree oil has been extensively studied in pest management as well as in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry and there are already products based on its active substances on the market. This review focuses on the overall evaluation of tea tree oil in terms of effectiveness and safety as a biopesticide for the first time. The collected data can be an added value for further evaluation of tea tree oil in terms of the authorization extension as a fungicide in 2026.

Visible-light photocatalysis, particularly in its application to organic synthesis, has experienced a big renaissance in the past decade. The rational design of new photocatalysts with designed and improved photocatalytic properties, that at the same time circumvents the necessity of using scarce and toxic transition metals, will predictably play a key role in photocatalysis in the next few years. Although free-base porphyrins were identified some years ago as a promising, easily accessible and easily tunable class of organic photoredox catalysts, a systematic study on the effect of the electronic nature and of the position of the substituents on both the ground-state and the excited-state redox potentials of these compounds is still lacking. We have prepared a set of known functionalized derivatives of meso-tetraphenyl porphyrin containing different substituents either in one of the meso-positions or at a beta-pyrrole carbon and we have determined their ground- and (singlet) excited-state redox potentials. This survey has led us to conclude that the introduction of a carbonyl group at the beta-pyrrolic position strongly increases the facility of the monoelectronic reduction of the porphyrin both in the ground state and in the singlet excited state. We have also prepared a second set of four previously unknown benzoyl derivatives of meso-tetraphenylporphyrin, and we have confirmed the validity of our conclusions.

In the Vietnamese Mekong delta, soil quality and crop yield are steadily declining under rice monocultures with three crops per year. The objective of this study was to evaluate the medium-term effects of rotating rice with upland crops and adding organic amendments on rice yield and relate it to soil quality. A field trial with split-plot design including two factors and three replicates was carried out from 2017 to 2020, over the course of nine consecutive cropping seasons. Crop rotations and organic amendments were applied as main-plot and subplot factors, respectively. The rotations were: 1) rice–rice–rice (R–R–R), 2) soybean–rice–rice (So–R–R), and 3) sesame–rice–rice (Se–R–R), while organic amendment treatments included: i) no amendment (NO-AM); ii) compost of rice straw and cow manure (RS+CM), and iii) sugarcane compost (SGC); the composts were applied at a rate of 2.0 t ha-1. The rotation cycle started with the so-called spring–summer (SS), followed by summer–autumn (SA) and ended with the winter–spring (WS) season. Rice yield significantly (P &lt; 0.05) increased by organic amendments after nine growing seasons (2019–2020 WS), with an increment of 5.1% for RS+CM (7.07 ton/ha) and 6.1% for SGC (7.14 ton/ha). Contrary to our expectation, rotations with upland crops did not significantly increase rice yield. Rice yield significantly and positively correlated with an integrated soil quality index SQI (r = 0.86) for the topsoil (0–15 cm), but not for the subsoil (15–30 cm). The increased availability of soil nutrients (Si and marginally also P) and improved soil physical properties probably induced by organic amendments, along with other soil properties under study, cumulatively attributed to enhanced rice yield. Use of a SQI involving several soil quality indicators enables to overall quantify the importance of soil fertility for rice yield versus other factors and it provides an effective means of quantifying the integrated effect of improved management. Moreover, integrating a wide range of soil quality indicators in a SQI ensures its applicability across diverse settings, including different crop rotations and various soil types.

In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon stock (SOC stock) and the associated uncertainties in two soil layers (0–10 cm and 0–30 cm; SOC stock 10 and SOC stock 30 respectively), in Valchiavenna, an alpine valley located in northern Italy . We employed the digital soil mapping (DSM) approach within different machine learning models, including multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), random forest (RF), support vector regression (SVR), and elastic net (ENET). Our dataset comprised soil data from 110 profiles, with SOC stock calculations for all sampling points based on bulk density (BD), whether measured or estimated, considering the presence of rock fragments. As environmental covariates for our research we utilized environmental variables, in particular geomorphometric parameters derived from a digital elevation model (with a 20 m pixel resolution), land cover data, and climat-ic maps. To evaluate the effectiveness of our models, we evaluated their capacity to predict SOC stock 10 and SOC stock 30 using the coefficient of determination (R2). The results for the SOC stock 10 were as follows: MARS 0.39, ENET 0.41, RF 0.69, and SVR 0.50. For the SOC stock 30, the corresponding R2 values were: MARS 0.45, ENET 0.48, RF 0.65, and SVR 0.62. Additionally, we calculated the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) for further assessment. To map the spatial distribution of SOC stock and address uncertainties in both soil layers, we chose the RF model, due to its better performance, as indicated by the highest R2 and the lowest RMSE and MAE. The resulting SOC stock maps using the RF model demonstrated an accuracy of RMSE = 1.35 kg.m-2 for the SOC stock 10 and RMSE= 3.36 kg.m-2 for the SOC stock 30. To further evaluate and illustrate the precision of our soil maps, we conducted an uncertainty assessment and mapping by analyzing the standard deviation (SD) from 50 iterations of the best-performing RF model. This analysis effectively highlighted the high accuracy achieved in our soil maps. The maps of uncertainty demonstrated that the RF model better predicts the SOC stock 10 compared to the SOC stock 30.

This study investigated the spatial variability of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) in Hongqipao reservoir dominated by different vegetation types and the possible relationships with other soil properties. Top 0–50cm soil samples were collected in sites dominated by different vegetation types within the reservoir littoral zone. There was high spatial variability for SOC, TN, SMBC and SMBN in the Hongqipao reservoir. In addition, the SOC, TN, SMBC and SMBN contents decreased with increasing soil depth. This could be attributed by the fact that when plants detritus decompose, most of their organic matter is mineralized and a new soil layer which contains a greater amount of organic carbon is formed at the top. According to Pearson's correlation values and redundancy analysis (RDA) results, SOC was significantly and positively correlated with TN likely because the vegetation organic matter and liter could be the main nitrogen sources. Similarly, soil moisture content (MC) was significant positive correlated with SOC and TN. Conversely, BD was significant negative correlated with SOC and TN contents in the 0-50 cm soil profiles. However, no significant correlations were observed between SOC, TN, SMBC and SMBN contents and soil pH values. SMBN was significantly and positive correlated with C:N ratio and BD and negative related with MC. Multiple linear regression model revealed that all measures soil properties in this study could explain higher significant variability of the response variables (SOC, TN, SMBC and SMBN contents). This implies that all the measured soil variables within the different vegetation types in the reservoir played a crucial role in determining the contents of SOC, TN, SMBC and SMBN. This study further suggests that vegetation types play a major role in determining the spatial characteristics of SOC and TN. Any changes in the vegetation types in the reservoir may influence the distribution of SOC and TN. This may affect the global carbon budget and the atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration significantly.

Agricultural soils serve as crucial storage sites for soil organic carbon (SOC). Their appropriate management is pivotal for mitigating climate change. To evaluate spatial and temporal changes in SOC within agricultural fields, continuous monitoring is imperative. In-field data sets of Vis-NIR soil spectra were collected on a long-term experimental site using an on-the-go spectrophotometer. Data processing for continuous SOC prediction involves a two-steps modelling approach. In Step 1, a Partial Least Square (PLSR) regression model is trained to establish a relationship between the SOC content and the spectral information also including spectral preprocesisng. In Step 2, the predicted SOC content obtained from the PLSR models is interpolated using ordinary kriging. Among the tested spectral preprocessing techniques and semivariogram models, SG and gapDer preprocessing along with a Gaussian semivariogram model, yielded the best performance resulting in a root mean square error of of 1.24 and 1.26 g kg-1. A striping effect due to the transect-based data collection was addressed by testing the effectiveness of extending the spatial separation distance, employing data aggregation, and defining the distribution based on treatment plots using block kriging. Overall, the results highlight the immense potential of on-the-go spectral Vis-NIR data for field-scale spatial-temporal monitoring of SOC.

Biochar soil amendment along with non-tillage agriculture, are often proposed as a strategy for organic carbon sequestration in soil. How the quality of biochar might influence the priming effect on soil organic matter mineralization and whether the addition of fresh organic matter will affect its stability in soil is still questionable. In the study, six biochars of different biomass origin and three exogenous organic matter sources were added to two distinct arable soils. CO2 emission was monitored for 100 days of incubation and CO2 flux was estimated. Results showed that biochar application increased soil CO2 fluxes. The highest peaks were recorded in treatments with food waste biochars, suggesting that this feedstock serves as sources of labile C fractions to soil microbes. Co-application of raw organic materials (manure and fresh clover biomass) enhanced CO2 emission and estimated carbon losses, especially in sandy soil with low organic carbon content. Biochar properties and content of labile C fractions can stimulate CO2 emission, however in a long-term period this contribution is negligible. Findings of our study showed that more attention should be paid to priming effects caused by addition of exogenous organic matter e.g. fertilizers or cover crops when applied to biochar amended soils.

Although carbon (C) efflux from soils treated with organic wastes was widely covered in temperate and cold regions, still such data is not sufficient from arid and semi-arid regions. Saudi Arabia produces more than 335,000 tons/year of cow manure (CM), this CM either left as raw manure or being composted. The application of high C/N amendments is expected to increase soil organic carbon and reduce CO₂ fluxes. A 90-day incubation experiment was conducted to study CO₂ efflux, organic C microbial biomass C, available NH₄+and NO₃-when added to agricultural soil. Six manure types were added: cow manure, cow manure compost, cow manure biochar, cow manure stripped ammonia at pH 12 with a temperature of 95oC, cow manure stripped ammonia at pH 9 with a temperature of 95oC and control. The application of CM resulted in a considerable increase in soil available nitrogen, CO₂ efflux compared to other treatments. Cow manure biochar showed the lowest CO₂ efflux. Cumulative CO₂ effluxes of cow manure effluents were lower than CM this possibly due to the relatively high C:N ratio of manure effluent. The content of, P, Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn were decreased as incubation time increased. microbial biomass C of cow manure stripped ammonia at pH 12 with a temperature of 95oC were increased at 7 and 60 days illustrating to temperature effect on the decomposing of manure materials.

Recent technological advancements in conservation genetics and genomics have resulted in diverse tools for aiding conservation of species. The precision and resolution of high throughput sequencing technologies provide valuable insights to aid conservation decisions, but these technologies are often financially unfeasible or unavailable in resource constrained countries. Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers, when combined with sensitive automated detection systems, provide a simple, cheap means to investigate genetic diversity and discriminate closely related species. Here we apply this technology to assess genetic diversity and taxonomic delimitation in the Encephalartos eugene-maraisii species complex, a highly threatened, taxonomically dubious group of cycads in South Africa. Our analyses support taxonomic singularity of E. dyerianus, E. dolomiticus and E. eugene-maraisii. Relationships between E. nubimontanus and E. cupidus remain uncertain. E. middelburgensis samples showed no clustering but had poor amplification success. This study demonstrates the suitability of automated ISSR fingerprinting as a method for plant conservation studies, especially in resource-constrained countries, and we make recommendations as to how this methodology can be effectively implemented.

The article offers a comprehensive overview of recent breakthroughs in eco-friendly polymers and polymer composites, underscoring their pivotal role in addressing sustainability challenges across diverse industrial sectors. Despite encountering obstacles related to performance and processability, biopolymers sourced from renewable materials emerge as promising alternatives for the plastics that are currently used by human beings. Natural fillers are highlighted as a strategic avenue for crafting sustainable composites, with residual natural fillers being particularly explored. Heightened environmental concerns propel discussions on the criticality of integrating biodegradable materials with natural fillers, underlining the urgency for clear frameworks and financial incentives to support adoption of these materials. Additionally, the article examines the potential of biodegradable polymers and polymer composites, with a specific emphasis on the utilization of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) in composite materials and its market prospects. Moreover, it emphasizes the indispensable need for ongoing research and development endeavors to address environmental challenges within the polymer sector, reflecting a mounting interest in sustainable materials across industries.

Livestock farming plays a crucial role in agriculture and is important in meeting people's needs for a better life in the new era. However, due to China's "double carbon" target, the development of animal husbandry has been affected by the level of carbon emissions. To study the spatial dis-tribution and dynamic evolution of livestock carbon emissions in Shandong Province, we used panel data from 16 prefecture-level cities in Shandong Province from 2001 to 2022 to determine the spatial differentiation of livestock carbon emissions in Shandong Province and their dynamic evolution by combining spatial and non-parametric estimation methods based on livestock carbon emissions and livestock emission intensity measured by city. The results of the study show that the distribution of carbon emissions from animal husbandry in Shandong Province is in a "dis-persed-aggregated" pattern, and the intensity of carbon emissions shows a gradual downward trend, with a ladder-like distribution characterized by high in the west and low in the east. Through the analysis of the dynamic evolution of nuclear density, we observe that the regional differences of animal husbandry carbon emissions in Shandong Province are expanding, showing the characteristics of polarization. The difference of carbon emissions in the peninsula is gradually narrowing, and the phenomenon of polarization is weakening. The carbon emissions of animal husbandry in the central and western regions of Shandong are polarized.

To investigate the effects of organic fertilizer combined with reduced chemical fertilizer on radish yield, quality, and soil environment in high mountainous areas (elevation: 1800 m), and to mitigate the environmental pollution caused by excessive use of chemical fertilizers. The field trial was conducted to study the effects of different fertilizer treatments. (Control:local fertilizer application rate: 375 kg·hm² reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² organic fertilizer; T1:12% reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² organic fertilizer; T2:20% reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² of organic fertilizer; T3:28% reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² organic fertilizer). Four different fertilizer ratios were studied to assess their impacts on radish quality, yield, and soil environment. The findings showed that T2 significantly increased radish yield by 12.92%. Moreover, it led to significant improvements in the content of vitamin C, soluble sugars, soluble solids, soluble proteins, titratable acidity, and glucosinolates, which increased by 10.62%, 2.15%, 50.00%, 26.90%, 43.90%, and 44.57%, respectively. Treatment T2 also significantly increased soil nutrient content, with a 7.69% and 14.29% increase in total nitrogen and total phosphorus content compared to the control (Control) treatment, and a significant reduction of 21.64% in soil bulk density . T2 treatment significantly enhanced soil urease activity, sucrase activity, alkaline phosphatase activity, and catalase activity, showing an improvement of 28.97%, 55.92%, 52.08%, and 17.47% compared to the control, respectively (p&lt;0.05). Moreover, treatment T2 resulted in a relative abundance increase of 12.25% and 10.43% in Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria respectively. Thus, the combined application of T2:20% reduction in chemical fertilizer + 4500 kg·hm² of organic fertilizer improved the quality and yield of radish while optimizing the soil environment. T2 effectively promoted radish growth, enhanced radish yield and quality, and improved the soil environment.

Lake sediment records are of great importance for understanding the evolution of watershed environments. Various studies have been carried out to constrain the depositional ages of lake sediments and examine their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, aiming to construct historical vegetation, environment and climate patterns in Chinese lake watersheds. In this study, we obtained relevant literature on lake sediment records by searching the key word 'age-depth' from the databases – Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, the largest Chinese academic database). We analyzed the literature based on its type (published in a Chinese/English journal or as a Master’s/PhD thesis), period of publication, journal (if published in a journal), key authors, study area, dating scale, and main aims. The results suggest that the lakes in the plateau regions are the most popular research topic typically covering 100–200 years (short-term) and 500–30,000 years (long-term). The literature focuses on a wide range of topics, from past environmental evolution in the watershed to lake ecology, and provides a solid foundation for better understanding regional climate change and the preservation of lake environments and ecosystems. In the future, resulting data from environmental reconstruction with lake sediments will be needed to integrate with emerging information processing technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence and meta-analysis), to disentangle the complex interplay between Earth surface processes and global climate change; furthermore, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration will deepen our comprehension of man-land relationship and promote the sustainable management of lake ecosystems in the context of global climate change.

The objectives of the study were to determine the spatial rate of CO₂ flux (Net Ecosystem Exchange) and soil moisture in a wetland ecosystem applying Sentinel-1 IW (Interferometric Wide) data of VH (Vertical Transmit/Horizontal Receive—cross polarization) and VV (Vertical Transmit/Vertical Receive—like polarization) polarization. In-situ measurements of carbon flux, soil moisture, and LAI (Leaf Area Index) were carried out over the Biebrza Wetland in north-eastern Poland. The impact of soil moisture and LAI on backscattering coefficient (σ°) calculated from Sentinel-1 data showed that LAI dominates the influence on σ° when soil moisture is low. The models for soil moisture have been derived for wetland vegetation habitat types applying VH polarization (R² = 0.70 to 0.76). The vegetation habitats: reeds, sedge-moss, sedges, grass-herbs, and grass were classified using combined one Landsat 8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) and three TerraSAR-X (TSX) ScanSAR VV data. The model for the assessment of Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) has been developed based on the assumption that soil moisture and biomass represented by LAI have an influence on it. The σ° VH and σ° VV describe soil moisture and LAI, and have been the input to the NEE model. The model, created for classified habitats, is as follows: NEE = f (σ° Sentinel-1 VH, σ° Sentinel-1 VV). Reasonably good predictions of NEE have been achieved for classified habitats (R² = 0.51 to 0.58). The developed model has been used for mapping spatial and temporal distribution of NEE over Biebrza wetland habitat types. Eventually, emissions of CO₂ to the atmosphere (NEE positive) has been noted when soil moisture (SM) and biomass were low. This study demonstrates the importance of the capability of Sentinel-1 microwave data to calculate soil moisture and estimate NEE with all-weather acquisition conditions, offering an important advantage for frequent wetlands monitoring.

We investigated and quantified soil organic carbon (SOC) stock at the mangrove forest (Magyi, That Bot Khan and Wette) of Shwe Thaung Yan coastal region in Myanmar and estimated the SOC stock changes in Magyi mangrove forest over six years using repeated field measurements. The study sites were characterized by different mangrove vegetation, soil types, and sediment deposition from different water sources. Results showed that the mangrove preservation and restoration efforts had a significant effect on soil C storage, with soil carbon stocks in 2021 (1954.43 ± 33.24 ton/ha) being 2.7 times higher than the estimated carbon stock in 2015 (732.26 ± 6.99 ton/ha). The results also revealed slight differences in SOC between Magyi and the Tha-Bot-Khan and Wette areas, as the mangrove plants in the latter areas have an additional source of nutrients from Pho-Thoung-Gyi, a deep-sea bay near the forest. Our research findings are beneficial in understanding the role of Myanmar’s mangrove ecosystems in carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation efforts.

In view of the fact that the field monitoring information can more intuitively and accurately reflect the stability state of slopes, this paper takes the warning threshold of slope deformation rate monitoring as the slope stability evaluation standard, and puts forward a method for solving the safety coefficient of rocky slopes. The discrete element method 3DEC, which is suitable for rocky slopes, is selected as the numerical calculation tool, and the convergence criterion of its strength reduction method is modified to the slope deformation rate threshold, and the method is realized by the bifurcation method through its built-in FISH programming language. The results of the classical case show that, by selecting the slope deformation rate threshold in the appropriate interval, the results of this paper's method are very close to those of the finite unit stress method and the limit equilibrium method, which verifies the reliability of this paper's method. Further, the method of this paper is applied to an open-pit mine slope project, based on the slope deformation on-site monitoring data, through the time series prediction method to determine the slope deformation rate warning threshold, using the threshold as an evaluation criterion to solve the slope's coefficient of safety, the calculation results show that: the slope's coefficient of safety in natural working conditions is 1.086, basically stable, suffered from continuous rainfall, the slope body is gradually saturated, the slope's coefficient of safety is reduced to 0.987, the slope's safety is reduced to 0.987. After continuous rainfall and gradual saturation of the slope, the coefficient of safety decreased to 0.987, destabilizing and destroying, which is consistent with the site conditions.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is important for the global carbon cycle, and hyperspectral remote sensing has proven a promising method for fast SOM content estimation. However, soil physical properties significantly affect the sensitivity of satellite hyperspectral imaging to SOM, leading to poor generalization ability of the estimation model. This study aims to improve the spatiotemporal transferability of the SOM prediction model by alleviating the coupling effect of soil physical properties on the spectra. Based on satellite hyperspectral images and soil physical variables, including soil moisture (SM), soil surface roughness (root mean squared height, RMSH), and soil bulk weight (SBW), a soil spectral correction strategy was established based on the information unmixing method. Two important grain-producing areas in Northeast China were selected as study areas to verify the performance and transferability of the spectral correction model and SOM content prediction model. The results showed that soil spectral corrections based on fourth-order polynomials and the XG-Boost algorithm had excellent accuracy and generalization ability, with residual predictive deviations (RPD) exceeding 1.4 in almost all bands. In addition, when the soil spectral correction strategy was adopted, the accuracy of the SOM prediction model and the generalization ability after model migration were significantly improved. The SOM prediction accuracy based on the XG-Boost corrected spectrum was the highest, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.76, root mean square error (RMSE) of 5.74 g/kg, and RPD of 1.68. The prediction accuracy, R2, RMSE, and RPD of the model after migration were 0.72, 6.71 g/kg, and 1.53, respectively. Compared with the direct migration prediction of the model, adopting the soil spectral correction strategy based on fourth-order polynomials and XG-Boost reduced the RMSE of the SOM prediction results by 57.90% and 60.27%, respectively. The performance comparison highlighted the advantages of considering soil physical properties in regional-scale SOM prediction.

The soil organic matter (SOM) content and stability in natural gypsum soils and soils from mining/industrial areas were compared, in terms of their physical, chemical and micromorphological properties, to determine whether the old brownfield soils were acting as carbon (C) sinks, counteracting increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. The mining/industrial soils were 50–400 years old, so had been left sufficiently long for full self-restoration. Despite having very different origins, both natural and brownfield soils stored similar amounts of SOM, and had similar pH values, calcium carbonate contents and textures. They were also fully covered with similar grass plant communities. The mining/industrial soils exhibited similar microstructures to the gypsum soils and were often quite porous. The most striking difference between them and the natural gypsum soils was that the mining/industrial soils were strongly polluted with zinc, lead and cadmium. The 50-year-old brownfield soils differed from the others in terms of having a lower state of SOM transformation, with a much higher C/N ratio, lower aggregate water resistance index, lower dehydrogenase activity and greater areas of undecomposed or slightly decomposed plant residues. These parameters in the older (150–400 years) brownfield soils were similar to those of the natural soils.

:Peat substrate is made from peat from drained peatlands, which is a limited resource. A realistic estimate is that 50% of the world’s wetlands have been lost. Peat is used in horticulture, especially for the cultivation of vegetables in greenhouses. The consequences of peatland exploitation are an in-crease in the greenhouse effect and a decrease in carbon stocks. Wood fiber can be used as an al-ternative to peat. The chemical properties of the growing media interact and change continuously due to the small volume of the growing media, which is limited by the growing container. This study aims to gain new knowledge on the impact of nutrient changes in the microbial degradation of carbon compounds in wood fiber and mixtures with peat substrate on the content and uptake of nutrients required by plants. Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) variety “Dirigent H” developed in the Netherlands, were cultivated in growing media of peat substrate and wood fiber: (1) peat substrate (PS); (2) wood fiber (WF); (3) wood fiber and peat substrate 50/50 v/v (WF/PS 50/50); (4) wood fiber and peat substrate 25/75 v/v (WF/PS 25/75). The rates of fertilization were the following: (1) con-ventional fertilization (CF); (2) N13; (3) N23; (4) N30. The experiment was carried out in three repli-cations. As the amount of wood fiber increased, the humidity and pH of the growing medium in-creased. Fertilization of cucumbers with different rates of nitrogen influenced the nutrient uptake. Plants grown in 50/50 and 25/75 growing media had the best Cu uptake when fertilized with N23. When the plants grown in the wood fiber media and the 50/50 media were fertilized with N13, N23, and N30, the Mn content in the growing media at the end of the growing season was significantly lower than the Mn content in the media with conventional fertilization. Thus, nitrogen improved the uptake of Mn by plants grown not only in the wood fiber but also in combinations with peat sub-strate. Growing plants in wood fiber and fertilizing them with N13 can result in optimum uptake of micronutrients. The number and mass of cucumber fruits per plant were influenced by the amount of wood fiber in the growing media and the application of nitrogen fertilizer. The highest number of fruits and mass of fruits per plant was obtained significantly higher when cucumbers were grown on WF/PS 50/50 growing media with additional N13 fertilization.

: Greenhouse plants are usually grown in containers filled with growing media. Peat is the main component of the growing media used in greenhouses. However, peat substrate is made from peat from drained peatlands, which is a limited resource. Wood fiber can be an alternative to use as a growing media for controlled-climate crops. The chemical properties of the growing media interact and change continuously due to the small volume of the growing media, which is limited by the vegetative container. Therefore, this study aims to gain new knowledge on the impact of nutrient changes in the microbial degradation of carbon compounds in wood fiber and mixtures with peat substrate on the content and uptake of nutrients required by plants. Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) were cultivated in growing media of peat substrate and wood fiber: (1) peat substrate (PS); (2) wood fiber (WF); (3) wood fiber and peat substrate 50/50 v/v (WF/PS 50/50); (4) wood fiber and peat substrate 25/75 v/v (WF/PS 25/75). The rates of fertilization were the following: (1) conventional fertilization (CF); (2) N13; (3) N23; (4) N30. Fertilization of cucumbers with different rates of nitrogen influenced the nutrient uptake. Plants grown in WF/PS 50/50 and WF/PS 25/75 growing media had the best Cu uptake when fertilized with N23. When the plants grown in the wood fiber media and the 50/50 media were fertilized with N13, N23, and N30, the Mn content in the growing media at the end of the growing season was significantly lower than the Mn content in the media with conventional fertilization. Thus, nitrogen improved the uptake of Mn by plants grown not only in the wood fiber but also in combinations with peat substrate. Growing plants in wood fiber and fertilizing them with N13 can result in optimum uptake of micronutrients. The number and mass of cucumber fruits per plant were influenced by the amount of wood fiber in the growing media and the application of nitrogen fertilizer. The highest number of fruits and mass of fruits per plant was obtained significantly higher when cucumbers were grown on WF/PS 50/50 growing media with additional N13 fertilization.

To evaluate the nutrient load due to the grazing of laying hens in outdoor runs, soil characteristics were monitored in three Italian organic farms. For each farm, soil samples were taken from three increasing distances from the hen house and two depths and different chemical parameters were evaluated. The comparison among the results from the different distances shows that N-NO3 and Olsen P are the most affected parameters by hen faeces: both present high values with a statistically significant difference in the area close to the poultry house and for the most superficial layer. Even TKN and TOC show significant differences between the concentrations of the first layer (more concentrated) and those of the second layer (less concentrated). In general, the surface soil layer closest to the chicken house is the portion of the outdoor run most affected by chicken droppings and represents the most critical point in terms of potential environmental impact. Therefore, it is necessary to intensify the management of the outdoor run with tools that can facilitate the grazing of animals and with vegetation that can absorb nutrients by limiting leaching and run-off.

This investigation explores the potential of enhancing aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) through the introduction of a novel cathode material, NH4V4O10 (NVO), combined with reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Utilizing Density Functional Theory (DFT), it was hypothesized that the incorpora-tion of rGO would increase the interlayer spacing of NVO and diminish the charge transfer in-teractions, thus promoting enhanced diffusion of Zn2+ ions. These theoretical predictions were substantiated by experimental data acquired from hydrothermal synthesis, which indicated a marked increase in interlayer spacing. Significantly, the NVO-rGO composite exhibits remarkable cyclic durability, maintaining 95% of its initial specific capacity of 507 mAh g−1 after 600 cycles at a current density of 5 A g−1. The electrochemical performance of NVO-rGO not only surpasses that of pristine NVO but also outperforms the majority of existing vanadium oxide cathode materials reported in the literature. This study underscores the effective integration of theoretical insights and experimental validation, contributing to the advancement of high-performance energy storage technologies.

This study explores the enhancement of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) using ammonium-enhanced vanadium oxide cathodes. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations reveal that NH₄⁺ incorporation into V₆O₁₆ lattices significantly facilitates Zn²⁺ ion diffusion by reducing electrostatic interactions, acting as a structural lubricant. Subsequent experimental validation using (NH₄)₂V₆O₁₆ cathodes synthesized via a hydrothermal method corroborates the DFT findings, demonstrating remarkable electrochemical stability with a capacity retention of 90% after 2000 cycles at 5 A g⁻¹. These results underscore the potential of NH₄⁺ in improving the performance and longevity of AZIBs, providing a pathway for sustainable energy storage solutions.

Asymmetric lithium salts, such as Lithium (difluoromethanesulfonyl)(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiDFTFSI), have been demonstrated to surpass traditional symmetric lithium salts with improved Li+ conductivity and the capacity to generate stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) while maintaining compatibility with aluminum (Al0) current collector. However, the intrinsic reductive mechanism through which LiDFTFSI influences battery performance remains unclear and under debate. Herein, the detailed SEI reactions of LiDFTFSI-based electrolytes were investigated by combining density functional theory and molecular dynamics, aiming to clarify the formation process and atomic structure of SEI. Our results show that asymmetric DFTFSI– weakens the interaction between carbonate solvents and Li+, and substantially alter the solvation structure, exhibiting a well-balanced coordination capacity to bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (TFSI–). Nanoseconds hybrid molecular dynamics simulation further reveals that the preferential decomposition of LiDFTFSI produces sufficient LiF and Li2O to facilitate a robust SEI. Moreover, the abundant F– generated from LiDFTFSI decomposition accumulates on the Al surface and subsequently combines with Al3+ from the current collector to form AlF3, potentially inhibiting corrosion of the current collector. Overall, these findings elucidate how LiDFTFSI regulates the solvation sheath and SEI structure, advancing the development of high-performance electrolytes compatible with current collector.

The Loess Plateau is an important region for vegetation restoration in China, however, changes in soil organic carbon (SOC), soil nutrients, and stoichiometry after restoration in this vulnerable ecoregion are not well understood. Typical restoration types, including orchardland (OL), grassland (GL), shrubland (SL), and forestland (FL) were chosen to examine changes in the stocks and stoichiometry of SOC, soil total nitrogen (TN), and soil total phosphorus (TP) at different soil depths and recovery times. Results showed that SOC stocks first increased and then stabilized in OL, GL, and SL at 0–30 cm depth, while in FL, stocks gradually increased. Soil TN stocks first increased and then decreased in OL, SL, and FL with vegetation age at 0–30 cm depth, while soil TP stocks showed little variation between restoration types. In the later stages of restoration, the stocks of SOC and soil TN at 0–30 cm soil depth were still lower than those in natural grassland (NG) and natural forest (NF). The overall C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios increased with vegetation age. Additionally, the SOC, soil TN and soil TP stocks, and C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios decreased with soil depth. The FL had the highest rate of change in SOC and soil TN stocks, at 0-10 cm soil depth. These results indicate a complex response of SOC, soil TN, and soil TP stocks and stoichiometry to vegetation restoration, which could have important implications for understanding C, N, and P changes and nutrient limitations after vegetation restoration.

Particulate organic carbon (POC) is a pivotal component within the marine carbon cycle, actively involved in diverse biogeochemical processes. This study focuses on Mediterranean as the research region, selecting the most influential factors from 47 potential ones influencing surface POC. Using geographic detector for factor identification, ten primary influencers were identified. Preliminarily optimized random forest (BRF), backpropagation neural network, adaptive boosting, and extreme gradient boosting were utilized to construct POC assessment models. Notably BRF exhibited superior performance in estimating the sea surface POC. Further optimization of RF using the tuneRanger R package resulted in R² of 0.868, mean squared error of 1.119 (mg/m³) ², and mean absolute error of 1.041 (mg/m³). Surface POC concentrations in the Mediterranean for May and June 2017 were estimated. Spatial distribution analysis unveiled higher concentrations in the west, lower in the east, higher in the north, lower in the south, with higher levels near the coast and lower far from the coast. Additionally, the study deliberated on the impact of human activities on surface POC in the Mediterranean. This research contributes a high-precision method for satellite retrieval of surface POC concentrations in the Mediterranean, thereby enriching the understanding of POC dynamics in the area.

The effect of land use on sandy soils of southern Botswana was carried out by comparing the composition and properties of soil organic matter. Virgin and disturbed soils were sampled from savanna ecosystems (Central District and Kweneng District). The biodegradability of organic matter was evaluated by incubation in the laboratory. Humic fractions were quantified and humic acids were analyzed by visible and infrared spectroscopy. The results indicate that continued disturbance, whether due to grazing or subsistence farming, has resulted in small significant changes in the concentration of available nutrients and organic matter in the soil. Nevertheless, substantial changes could be established in soil C/N ratio, humic acid/fulvic acid ratio and in the biodegradability of soil organic matter and the structural characteristics of humic acids. The increased aromaticity of humic acid (visible and IR spectroscopies) following disturbance, suggests increased biogeochemical activity and/or the impact of abiotic processes (such as periodic fires) selectively removing aliphatic constituents. The overall results indicate a low potential soil fertility, the sustainable preservation of which depending more on features related to quality than to the total amount of the soil organic matter, which shows considerable aromatization parallel to its degree of association with the mineral fraction.

Revealing the spatial distribution mechanism of the coupling effect between soil water and salt is essential for managing saline-alkali farmland. This study utilized the multifractal method to analyze soil water and salt under varying water content levels in arid saline-alkali farmland. Soil samples were collected on the second (S1), fifth (S2), eighth (S3), eleventh (S4), and fourteenth (S5) days after a rainfall event. The findings showed that a significant decrease in soil water content, contrasting with an increase in soil salt content throughout the soil layers post-rainfall. As water content decreased, the spatial variability of soil water initially increased from S1-3 and then decreased, while the spatial variability of soil salt decreased. The spatial distribution between soil water and salt exhibited a high correlation at S3-4 (with relative water content of soil ranging from 0.52 to 0.75) due to their coupling effect. However, soil salt was unevenly leached by rainfall at high water content levels (S1-2) and precipitated at low water content levels (S5), resulting in low spatial variability correlations between soil water and salt. This study elucidated the coupling process of soil water and salt, identifying their spatiotemporal distribution mechanism in dryland agricultural areas.

The aim of this work is research dedicated to the search for new bactericidal systems for use in cosmetic formulations, dermocosmetics, or the production of wound dressings. Over the last two decades chitosan due to its special biological activity, has become a highly indispensable biopolymer with very wide application possibilities. Literature reports on the antibacterial effects of chitosan are very diverse, but our research has shown that they can be successfully improved through chemical modification. Therefore, in this study, results on the synthesis of new Schiff bases chitosan – dCsSB-SFD and dCsSB-PCA obtained using two aldehydes: sodium 4-formylbenzene-1,3-disulfonate (SFD) and 2-pyridine carboxaldehyde (PCA) respectively. Chitosan derivatives synthesized in this way demonstrate stronger antimicrobial activity. Carrying out the procedure of grafting chitosan with a caproyl chain allowed obtaining compatible blends of chitosan derivatives with κ-carrageenan, which are stable hydrogels with a high swelling coefficient. Furthermore, covalently bounded PCL improved the solubility of obtained polymers in organic solvents. With this respect, the Schiff base-containing polymers obtained in this study, with special hydrogel and antimicrobial properties are very promising materials for the potential use as a controlled-release formulation of both, hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs in cosmetic products for skin health.

This study presents the synthesis and electrochemical evaluation of nitrogen-doped vanadium oxide (N-V2O3/C) as a cathode material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), using a hydrothermal method. Compared to undoped V2O3/C, N-V2O3/C exhibits enhanced electrical conductivity, capacity, and electrochemical kinetics, attributed to the incorporation of pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen. Initial charge-discharge cycles indicate phase transitions to amorphous vanadium oxides, enhancing conductivity. N-V2O3/C shows a high specific capacity of 168.4 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1 and remarkable reversibility, highlighted by the transient existence of intermediate species during cycling. Optimal electrochemical performance is achieved with a vanadium to nitrogen molar ratio of 2:3, indicating the significant impact of nitrogen doping concentration on the material’s efficiency. This work underscores the potential of N-V2O3/C as a superior cathode material for AZIBs.

Using density functional theory (DFT), the density of states of NH4V3O8 (NVO) was analyzed pre and post-oxygen defects (Od) formation. The findings revealed a reduced bandgap in NVO after Od introduction, emphasizing the role of Od in enhancing conductivity of the material, thus improving its electrochemical attributes. Through the water bath method, both NVO and its oxygen-deficient counterpart, (NH4)2V10O25⸱8H2O (NVOd), were synthesized as potential cathode materials for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Experimental outcomes resonated with DFT predictions, highlighting the beneficial role of oxygen defects in boosting electrical conductivity. Notably, the refined material displayed a remarkable capacity of 479.3 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1, underscoring its promise for advanced energy storage solutions.

Soil aggregates, as the basic component of soil, make great contributions to the stability of soil structure and soil carbon (C) sequestration. Recently, grassland is experiencing continuous grazing, which greatly affects soil aggregation and soil C storage. However, how soil aggregates and soil C in different grassland respond to grazing remain unclear. In this study, three national fenced grassland monitoring field stations which represented mountain meadow (MM), temperate steppe (TS), temperate steppe desert (TSD) were selected, soil samples at 0–10 cm depth of inside and outside the fence were collected to explore the effect of grazing and grassland type on composition, stability and nutrients of soil aggregates. The results showed that the bulk soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), available nitrogen (AN) and available phosphorus (AP) varied greatly among the three grassland types, with the highest values in MM. Soil aggregates composition showed significantly response to both grassland type and grazing, especially the proportion of soil aggregates &gt;2 mm, which significantly decreased 51.68% on average in grazing plots compared with fenced plots, whereas sharply decreased in MM and TSD. A significant decrease (on average 25.08%) of the mean weight diameter (MWD) of soil aggregates under grazing was detected across all grassland types. The effect of grazing on nutrients in macroaggregates (&gt;0.25 mm) was greater than that in microaggregates (&lt;0.25 mm). Aggregate-associated SOC concentration decreased under grazing in MM and TSD, however, SOC density showed different response to grazing across all grassland types, with minor effect on MM, decreasing SOC density in TS and increasing on TSD, respectively. The magnitude of grazing effect size on aggregate-associated SOC varied in different soil particle size, with greater response in aggregates &gt; 2 mm and the biggest value in TDS. In addition, correlation analysis showed that MWD of soil aggregates had significant negative correlation with soil bulk density, but significant positive correlation with SOC, TN and TP concentration. Results of RDA showed that BD, soil nutrients were the main influence factors of the composition and stability of aggregates. Overall, grazing had significant influence on soil aggregation, stability and SOC, played a crucial role in grassland soil stability and the accumulation of SOC.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization is closely related to carbon source or sink of terrestrial ecosystem. Understanding soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization under plum plantation is essential for improving our understanding of SOC responses to land-use change in karst rocky desertification ecosystem. In this study, 2-y, 5-y and 20-y plum plantations and adjacent woodland were sampled and a 90-day incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of plum plantation with different years on SOC mineralization in subtropical China. Results showed that: (1) there was no significant difference in SOC content between different planting years, but there were significant differences in accumulative SOC mineralization (C_t) and potential SOC mineralization (C₀); (2) the dynamics of the SOC mineralization was a good fit to a first-order kinetic model. Both C₀ and C_t in calcareous soil of this study was several to ten folds lower than that in other soils, indicating that SOC in karst region has higher stability. (3) Correlation analysis revealed that both C_t and C₀ was significantly correlated with soil calcium (Ca) and C/N, indicating the important role of Ca and C/N in SOC mineralization in karst rocky desertification area.

Transport of carbon, major and trace element by rivers in permafrost-affected regions is one of the key factor of circumpolar aquatic ecosystem response to climate warming and permafrost thaw. While seasonal and annual export fluxes (yields) of carbon (C) and inorganic solutes are fairly well known for all large Arctic rivers, spatial variations in elementary concentration along the river length and among its tributaries remain poorly understood. Moreover, the landscape factors controlling riverine element concentration in permafrost-affected regions are still poorly constrained. This is especially true for the largest river of Eastern Siberia, the Lena River, which drains through continuous permafrost zones with highly variable lithology and vegetation. Here we present the results of C, major and trace element measurements over a 2600-km transect of the Lena River main stem (upper and middle reaches) including its 30 tributaries, conducted at the peak of the spring flood. There were two main group of solutes in the main stem depending on their spatial pattern: i) elements that decreased their concentrations downstream, from SW to NE (Cl, SO4, DIC, Li, B, Na, Mg, K, Ca, As, Sr, Mo, Sb, Ba and U), which probably reflected a decrease in the proportion of carbonate rocks in the watershed and the degree of groundwater feeding, and ii) elements that increased their concentrations downstream (Al, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ga, Rb, Y, Zr, Nb, Cs, REEs, Hf and Th), which was tentatively linked to an increase in organic C stock in soils, larch forest coverage and enhanced mobilization of lithogenic elements from silicate soil minerals. Based on landscape parameters of Lena tributaries, we tested the impact of major environmental factors on major and trace element spatial pattern. Among all the variables, the proportion of sporadic permafrost on the watershed strongly controlled concentrations of soluble highly mobile elements (Cl, B, DIC, Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Sr, Mo, As and U). Another important factor of element concentration control in the Lena River tributaries was the coverage of watershed by light (B, Cl, Na, K, U) and deciduous (Fe, Ni, Zn, Ge, Rb, Zr, La, Th) needle-leaf forest (pine and larch). The latter, however, could also reflect the DOC-enhanced transport of low-soluble trace elements in the NW part of the basin. This part of the basin is dominated by silicate rocks and continuous permafrost, as compared to carbonate rock-dominated and groundwater-affected SW part of the Lena River basin. Overall, the impact of rock lithology and permafrost on major and trace solutes of the Lena River basin during the peak of spring flood was mostly detected at the scale of the main stem. Such an impact for tributaries was much less pronounced, because of the dominance of surface flow and lower hydrological connectivity with deep groundwater in the latter. Future changes in the river water chemistry linked to climate warming and permafrost thaw at the scale of the whole river basin are likely to be linked to changes in spatial pattern of dominant vegetation, rather than to the permafrost regime. We argue that comparable studies of large, permafrost-impacted rivers during most contrasting seasons, including winter baseflow, should allow efficient prediction of future changes in riverine ‘inorganic’ hydrochemistry induced by permafrost thaw.

Batch and transport experiments were used to investigate the remediation of a loamy sand soil contaminated with Cr(VI) using zero valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) stabilized by the carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC-nZVI). The effect of pH, ionic strength (IS), and flow rate on the removal efficiency of Cr(VI) were investigated under equilibrium (uniform transport) and non-equilibrium (Two-site sorption) transport using the Hydrus-1D model. The overall removal efficiency ranged from 70 to over 90% based on the chemical characteristics of the CMC-nZVI suspension and the transport conditions. The concentration and pH of the CMC-nZVI suspension had the most significant effect on the removal efficiency and transport of Cr(VI) in the soil. The average removal efficiency of Cr(VI) was increased from 24.1 to 75.5% when the concentration of CMC-nZVI nanoparticles was increased from 10 to 250 mg L-1, mainly because of the increased total surface area at larger particle concentration. Batch experiments showed that removal efficiency of Cr(VI) was much larger under acidic conditions. The average removal efficiency of Cr(VI) reached 90.1 and 60.5 % at pH 5 and 7, respectively. The Two-site sorption model described quite well (r2 = 0.96-0.98) the transport of Cr(VI) in soil as compared to the uniform transport model (r2 = 0.81-0.98). The average retardation of Cr(VI) was 3.51 and 1.61 at pH 5 and 7, respectively, indicating earlier arrival for the breakthrough curves and shorter time to reach maximum relative concentration at lower pH. The Hydrus-1D model has proven to be an efficient tool for assessing the removal of Cr(VI) pollutants, offering innovative, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly remediation methodologies.

Our study aimed to assess sprinkler irrigation's impact on the activity of selected soil enzymes concerning nitrogen metabolism and oxidation-reduction processes in the soil with different doses of inorganic nitrogen fertilizers. The soil Alfisol was sampled from the experimental field of spring barley in the University Research Center in the central part of Poland in the moderate transitory climate during the growing seasons 2015–2017. The index resistance (RS) was derived to recognise the resistance enzymes of drought. In the maturity phase, nitrate reductase activity was at an 18% higher level in irrigated soils and the activity of other enzymes was higher in no-irrigated treatments by 25% in dehydrogenase, 22% in peroxydase 33% in catalase and 17% in urease case. The development stage of barley influenced nitrate reductase activity. Enzymatic activity has been changing in the examined years of the research, depending on the weather conditions. During the maturity stage, the soil's lower ammonium nitrogen content resulted from higher spring barley uptake due to drought stress. Irrigation probably contributes to increased leaching of nitrate in soil. The highest index of resilience was presented in the soil catalase activity.

Achieving the thermal conductivity required for efficient heat management in semiconductors and other devices requires the integration of thermally conductive ceramic fillers at concentrations of 60 vol% or higher. However, the increased filler content often negatively affects the mechanical properties of the composite matrix, limiting its practical applicability. To address this issue, in this paper, we present a new strategy to reduce the required ceramic filler content: the use of a thermally conductive ceramic composite filler with carbon nanotubes (CNT) grown on aluminum nitride (AlN). We have combined catalyst coating technology with vacuum filtration to ensure that the catalyst is uniformly applied to micrometer-sized AlN particles, followed by efficient and uniform synthesis of CNTs using a water-assisted process in a vertical furnace. By carefully controlling the number of vacuum filtration cycles and the growth time of the CNTs, we demonstrate precise control over the number and length of the CNT layers, thereby adjusting the properties of the composite to the intended specifications. When AlN/CNT hybrid fillers are incorporated into silicone rubber, while maintaining the mechanical properties of rubber, the thermal diffusivity achieved at reduced filler levels exceeds that of composites using AlN-only or simultaneous AlN and CNTs formulations. This demonstrates the critical role of CNTs on AlN surfaces. Our study represents a significant advancement in the design of thermally conductive materials with potential implications for a wide range of applications.

In forests, the microbial populations living in the soil can directly affect the carbon decomposed by the surface plants, and promote carbon storage and stability. In this study, 3 plots of 25.82 m×25.82 m were set up in 5 stand types, respectively. Soil samples were collected from 0~20 cm, 20~40 cm and 40~60 cm layers. Soil microbial composition, organic carbon component, pH, water content, bulk density, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other physicochemical indexes and correlations were determined, and the correlations between soil carbon components and soil microbial functional modules in different mixed modes were analyzed. The results showed that: (1) The SOC of the same soil layer varied significantly, which also showed significant differences on the composition of soil bacteria and fungal microbial communities. Moreover, the bacterial community was more sensitive to the vegetation change environment, and the fungal community structure was more resistant to the influence of soil environment changes. (2) Fun_mod 1,6 and Bac_mod 7 were the microbial functional modules that played a decisive role in the process of soil carbon pool change, and the diversity and composition of bacterial community had more positive effects on soil organic carbon than that of fungal community. (3) Linear fitting and RDA results showed that POC in soil had the strongest correlation with SOC content, indicating that soil microorganisms affected the storage and stability of soil carbon mainly by regulating the conversion of surface plants (carbon sources) into POC. The soil environment of different mixed modes has different effects on soil carbon accumulation. Soil microorganisms affect soil carbon storage and stability mainly by regulating the conversion of surface plants (carbon sources) into POC forms.

This review provides a comprehensive and updated information on chalcones, presenting their sources, methods of identification and properties putting emphasis on applications in agricultural industry. Vast exploitation of synthetic pesticides led to the weed and pest resistance issue, causing economic loss but more importantly health risk due to pesticide overuse. Because one of the aim of the European Green Deal 2030 is the Farm to Fork strategy which targets on reducing by 50% the use of chemical pesticides by 2030, and push towards natural pesticides which are more environmentally friendly and restore natural resources, chalcones and their derivatives seem to fit perfectly. They have herbicidal, fungicidal, bactericidal and antiviral properties. Moreover, chalcones are naturally occurring substances, known for their favorable health effect for years, working on many areas. This review is complementary to the previous ones describing chalcones use in agriculture, updates them but additionally shows methods of detection.

Phosphite (Phi) has gained attention in agriculture due to its biostimulant effect on crops. This molecule has been found to benefit plant performance by providing protection against pathogens, improving yield and fruit quality, and improving nutrient and water use efficiency. It is still unclear how Phi enhances plant growth and protects against multiple stresses. It has been hypothesized that Phi acts by directly affecting the pathogens and interacting with the plant cellular components and molecular machinery to elicit defense responses. This study delves into elucidating the mechanisms underlying Phi’s beneficial effects on plants, revealing a complex interplay with fundamental signaling pathways. A RNA-seq study of Arabidopsis seedlings under optimal and limiting phosphate conditions helped us unveil Phi’s role in promoting plant growth by activating the expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis and signaling pathways associated with abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), and jasmonic acid (JA). Expression of ABA-related genes, known for their involvement in stress response and development regulation, is triggered by Phi treatment, contributing to enhanced resilience and growth. Simultaneously, the activation of the SA pathway, associated with defense responses, suggests Phi’s potential in bolstering plant immunity. Moreover, Phi influences JA biosynthesis and signaling, which are crucial for defense against herbivores and pathogens, thereby strengthening plants’ defenses. Our findings reveal a multifaceted mechanism through which Phi benefits Arabidopsis development. Understanding its intricate interplay with key signaling pathways opens avenues for leveraging Phi as a strategic tool to enhance plant resilience, immunity, and growth in agricultural and ecological contexts.

Understanding the dynamics of Organic Carbon mineralization is fundamental in forecasting biosphere to atmosphere Net Carbon Ecosystem Exchange (NEE). With this perspective, we developed 3D-CMCC-PSM, a new version of the hybrid Process Based Model 3D‐CMCC FEM where also heterotrophic respiration (R_h) is explicitly simulated. The aim was to quantify NEE as a forward problem, by subtracting Ecosystem Respiration (R_eco) to Gross Primary Productivity (GPP). To do so, we developed a simplification of the Soil Carbon dynamics routine proposed in DNDC [1]. The method calculates decomposition as a function of soil moisture, temperature, state of the organic compartments, and relative abundance of microbial pools. Given the pulse dynamics of soil respiration, we introduced modifications in some of the principal constitutive relations involved in phenology and littering sub-routines. We quantified the model structure related uncertainty in NEE, by running our training simulations over 1000 random parameter-sets extracted from parameters distributions expected from literature. 3D-CMCC-PSM predictability was tested on independent time series for 6 Fluxnet sites. The model resulted in daily and monthly estimations highly consistent with the observed time series. It showed lower predictability in Mediterranean ecosystems, suggesting that it may need further improvements in addressing evapotranspiration and water dynamics.

Purpose: The study investigates soil pores' impact on carbon dynamics and sequestration processes, examining their physical and chemical characteristics and their mechanisms for carbon sequestration.Research Method: Existing literature and research on soil pores, carbon dynamics, and carbon sequestration are analyzed. The interrelationships between soil pore structure, water movement, microbial activity, root penetration, carbon input, soil aggregation, and gas exchange are examined. Traditional techniques and advanced imaging methods are used to quantify and characterize soil pores.Findings: Soil pores play a critical role in facilitating carbon sequestration through various mechanisms. They affect water movement, microbial activity, root penetration, carbon input, soil aggregation, and gas exchange. Understanding these relationships is crucial for sustainable soil management.Research Limitations: This study relies on existing literature and research, which may have limitations and uncertainties. Further research is needed to address these gaps and enhance understanding.Originality Value: This research enhances the existing knowledge by comprehensively examining the significance of soil pores in carbon dynamics and sequestration. It incorporates both traditional and advanced methods, providing insights for soil management and contributing to climate change mitigation efforts.

The study of biologically active substances from natural sources shows the prospect of obtaining a new type of antimicrobial agents, highly effective against pathogenic microorganisms and non-toxic to humans. Our study reveals for the first time that Cornu aspersum mucus has the potential to act as a source of antibacterial agents against bacterial pathogens such as Bacillus cereus 1085, Propionibacterium acnes 1897, Salmonella enterica 8691, Enterococcus faecalis 3915, and Enterococcus faecium 8754. Both mucus fractions with MW<20 kDa and MW>20 kDa showed antimicrobial activity and antioxidant properties that’s why they can be turned into an alternative agent to expensive synthetic antibacterial compounds. Using de novo sequencing 16 novel peptides with potential antibacterial activity were identified by in a fraction with MW<20 kDa. The results of electrophoretic and proteomic analysis of mucus fraction with MW >20 kDa presented proteins with potential antibacterial activity highly homologous to hemocyanins, mucus protein Aspernin, lectins, L-amino acid oxidase-like protein, and mucins (mucin-5AC, mucin-5B, mucin-2 and mucin-17). Thanks to the synergistic action of the bioactive components, the mucus fraction with MW > 20 kDa in low concentrations per 8–2 µg/mL showed promising antimicrobial activity against the tested bacteria, comparable to Vancomycin and without unwanted cytotoxic effects against non-target cells. Additionally, C. aspersum mucus fractions were found to have a positive effect on eukaryotic organisms by reducing the levels of intracellular oxidative damage and increasing the antioxidant capacity of the cell. These findings could serve as a basis for the development of a potent non-cytotoxic antibacterial agent to replace conventional antibiotics and avoid the development of antibiotic resistance.

This review examines methodologies studying soil carbon in urban green spaces, a field requiring higher attention as their ecosystem services are valued and urban mitigation plans against climate change are developed. In the growing global urbanization, urban green spaces play a crucial role as nature-based solutions to address climate challenges, demanding efficient carbon accounting and reduction strategies. In this research, a systematic review was conducted assessing publications from 2021 to 2023 in the databases Web of Science and Scopus. Findings expose the lack of standardization in the methodologies used to study soil carbon in urban green spaces, evidencing in situ measurements at different sampling depths and studies without longitudinal monitoring over time. In addition, studies originated primarily in universities from China, United States and Spain, which focused on carbon in the form of Soil Organic Carbon and Total Carbon. Based on these findings, recommendations are made advocating for the combination and standardizing methodologies. This review offers valuable insights that shed light on an ignore and often overseen issue. Further studies and standardized methodology are needed, to help cities efforts in their pursuit of carbon neutrality by acknowledging the influential role of urban soils, especially green spaces.

One of the most concerning global environmental issues is the pollution of agricultural soils by heavy metals (HMs), especially cadmium (Cd), which not only affects human health by taking Cd-containing foods but also impacts the quality of rice. The soil's nitrification and denitrification processes, coupled with the release of volatile organic compounds by plants, raise substantial concerns. The understanding of three aspects of paddy soil under conditions of heavy-metal pollution and water management is currently limited. In this review, we summarized recent literature related to the deleterious effects of Cd on both soil processes related to the N cycle and rice quality, particularly aroma, in different water management practices. Under both continuous flooding (CF) and alternate wetting and drying (AWD) conditions, cadmium (Cd) has been observed to reduce both nitrification and denitrification processes. The adverse effects are more pronounced in continuous flooding (CF) compared to alternate wetting and drying (AWD). Similarly, the alteration in rice aroma is more significant in AWD than in CF. The precise modulation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by Cd, remains unclear based on the available literature. Nevertheless, HM accumulation is higher in AWD conditions compared to CF, leading to a detrimental impact on volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The literature concluded that AWD practices should be avoided in Cd contaminated fields to decrease accumulation and maintain the quality of rice. In the future, rhizospheric engineering and plant biotechnology can be used to decrease the transport of HMs from the soil to the plant’s edible parts.

A Berry geometrical phase is identified in a strongly metastable system containing dynamically responsive clathrate hydrate structures within a crystal-fluid material. High energy degeneracy in the associated chemistry produces local stability and false vacuum conditions that lead to non-extensive and non-additive contributions in the fundamental thermodynamic relation. Application of Ginzburg-Landau theory and the scaling laws reveals a coherence length and a penetration depth for a macro-scale dual superconductor. The coherence length determines non-extensive volume changes whilst its inverse gives the Higgs mass. The penetration depth determines the extent of QCD vacuum suppression whilst its inverse gives the vector boson mass together with indirect manifestation as non-additive hyperbolic curvature. Simultaneous emergence of the Ginzburg-Landau superconducting phase transition is consistent with gauge-invariant coupling of the scalar field to the Yang-Mills action in QCD. The discovery of an energy gap in the gradient energy term of the system Lagrangian is associated with a critical correlation length revealed in the transition from a gapped to a gapless superconducting state. Together with the emergence and absorption of the Higgs-like scalar field, a mechanism for describing a renormalized QCD mass gap arises.

This review proposes an overview on the use of organic functionalized carbon nanostructures (CNSs) into solar energy conversion schemes. Our attention has focused in particular on the contribution given by organic chemistry to the development of new hybrid materials that find application in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC), organic photovoltaics (OPV), perovskite solar cells (PSC) and also in photocatalytic fuel production, focusing in particular on the most recent literature. The request for new materials able to accompany the green energy transition that are abundant, low cost, with low toxicity, from renewable sources has further increased the interest in CNSs that meet all these requirements. The inclusion of an organic molecule, thanks to both covalent and non-covalent interactions, into a CNS, leads to the development of a completely new hybrid material able of combining and improving the properties of both starting materials. Besides the numerical data, which unequivocally state the positive effect of the new hybrid material, we hope that these examples can be inspiring for further research in the field of photoactive materials from an organic point of view.

We studied peat stratigraphy at the Mukhrino peatland, which is a typical ombrotrophic bog for the middle taiga zone of Western Siberia, to gain insights about its history, hydrology and carbon fluxes. Seven cores were collected from locations chosen to represent the typical present-day vegetation types, for dating of separated dissolved (DOC) and particulate (POC) organic carbon fractions using the Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS) radiocarbon ($^{14}$C) method. The oldest peat was found at the bottoms of an underlying lake (10,053 cal. year BP) and an ancient riverbed (10,989 cal. year BP). For the whole history of the peatland the average peat accumulation rate was estimated to be 0.067±0.018 cm yr-1 (0.013-0.332 cm yr-1) and the carbon accumulation rate was 38.56±12.21 g m-2yr-1 (28.46–57.91 g m-2 yr-1). There were clear age differences between the separated samples of DOC and POC. DOC was older than POC in the uppermost 150 cm of the peat deposit, and younger in the deeper layers. The difference in age increased with depth, reaching 2,000–3,000 years at the bottom of the peat deposit (depth 430--530 cm). Following consideration of a range of factors that could potentially cause the dating discrepancy, we hypothesised that DOC continuously moves down into the mineral sediment beneath the peat, as an additional carbon flux that results in mixing of younger and older carbon. On this basis we estimated the apparent rate of DOC downward movement and the associated rate of carbon loss. The first estimate of the average rate of DOC downward movement in Western Siberia is 0.047±0.019 cm yr-1.

Crop production in Afghanistan suffers from limited phosphorus (P) availability, which severely hinders national agriculture sustainability. This present study hypothesized that deep fertilizer placement could significantly enhance uptake of immobile P and thus tissue P accumulation and crop yield. A two-year pot experiment growing two maize (Zea mays) hybrid cultivars (Xida-789 and Xida-211) was therefore conducted to test these hypotheses under three contrasting fertilizer placement methods (broadcast, side band, and deep band). In doing so, P concentrations in both maize tissues and soils were compared at 45, 60, and 115 days after sowing (DAS) under nine combinations of nitrogen (N) and P fertilizer rates (kg ha-1: N112P45, N112P60, N112P75, N150P45, N150P60, N150P75, N187P45, N187P60, N187P75). Results have shown that deep band placement significantly increased P uptake efficiency, leading to greater P concentration and accumulation in maize tissues compared to other two fertilization methods. This improved P uptake was attributed to several factors associated with deep placement, including reduced P fixation, enhanced root access to P, and moisture availability for P uptake. Additionally, deep band placement combined with higher N application rates (N187 and N150) further enhanced plant P uptake by promoting P availability and utilization mechanisms. Deep band placement also resulted in significantly higher total soil P, Olsen-P, and P use efficiency than broadcast and side band methods, indicating a more efficient P fertilization strategy for maize that can improve growth and yield. This present study also found positive correlations between P concentration in plant organs and soil Olsen-P, highlighting the importance of adequate soil P levels for optimal plant growth. Overall, our results have showed that deep band fertilizer placement emerged as a superior strategy for enhancing P uptake efficiency, utilization, and maize productivity compared to broadcast and side band placement. This approach can potentially optimize P fertilizer utilization, improve maize growth and yield, while minimizing environmental P losses associated with broadcast applications.

This manuscript explores sustainable agriculture's role in mitigating environmental challenges and meeting the nutritional needs of a growing global population. The objective is to assess the impact of different fertilizers on two distinct tomato-growing soils, each characterized by unique chemical and biological properties. The study compares four fertilizer treatments: Additionally, it evaluates the environmental implications of these fertilizers, focusing on their Carbon and Water Footprints. The findings indicate significant improvements in soil quality with SBO fertilizer. Both soils experienced a shift towards a near-neutral pH, increased organic matter content, and heightened microbial biomass. Enzyme activities were notably superior in SBO-treated soils. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results demonstrate that the SBO-based system is the most sustainable, with the lowest Carbon footprint. NPK exerts the highest environmental impact. The Water Footprint analysis aligns with these results, showing that SBO requires the least water for tomato production. In summary, this study underscores the significance of sustainable fertilization practices in improving soil quality and reducing environmental footprints in agriculture, offering potential benefits for food production and environmental conservation.

The present article describes the synthesis of an isonicotinate-derived meso-arylporphyrin, that has been fully characterized by spectroscopic methods (including fluorescence spectroscopy), as well as by elemental analysis and by HR-MS. The structure of a n-hexane monosolvate has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The radical scavenging activity of this new porphyrin against the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DDPH) radical has been measured. Its antifungal activity against three yeast strains (C. albicans ATCC 90028, C. glabrata ATCC 64677 and C. tropicalis ATCC 64677) has been tested, using the disk diffusion and the microdilution methods. Whereas the measured antioxidant activity was low, the porphyrin showed moderate but encouraging antifungal activity. Finally, a study of its effect on the germination of lentil seeds revealed interesting allelopathic properties.

Maintaining sufficient levels of plant nutrients in the soil and controlling certain heavy metals, which can be toxic to the environment, are critical to ensure sustainable agricultural production. The study aimed to assess the linkage of crop-specific agricultural practices established by farmers in the Kvemo Kartli region (Georgia) with metal accumulation in soils of agricultural lands being subject to influence from polluted irrigation water in the past. In particular, we tried to identify the primary sources of micronutrients, including iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn), and toxic elements such as cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), and share of the contaminated irrigation water and other factors related to agricultural practices under different land uses, such as intensive and extensive arable farming, vineyards, orchards, and permanent pastures having the least disturbed soil. Based on principal component analysis, five primary sources were identified and categorized according to farmers' interviews and previous studies conducted in the region. The results showed that increased concertation of plant-available Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb were mainly associated with irrigation water and intensive use of fungicides; Fe, Mn, and Ni were closely linked to several factors, such as the mineralogical composition of soils, mineral and organic fertilizers inputs, and atmospheric deposition from diffuse sources, where exhausts from transport are probably the primary source. During our study, we attempted to differentiate irrigation water inputs from fungicides using simulation based on irrigation pattern and irrigation water quality on the one hand and fungicide application rate and their metal content on the other. The simulation revealed that the intensive application of fungicides, especially in vineyards, is more significant in enriching soils with Cu and Zn than irrigation water. Identification of factorial dependences was supported by statistical analysis and application of a number of contamination assessment methods: Contamination Factor (CF), Pollution Load Index (PLI), single-factor Pollution Index (PI), Nemerow’s comprehensive pollution index (PIN), Enrichment Factor (EF), and Geo-Accumulation Index (Igeo). Applied environmental indices indicate that the soils under the former and existing vineyards are the most enriched with Cu and Zn, highlighting the significance of agricultural practices on heavy metals accumulation in soils of agricultural lands.

Byers Peninsula is considered one of the largest ice-free areas in Maritime Antarctica. Since 2006, the Spanish Polar Program has taken part in a large number of environmental studies involving effects of climate changes in lives cycles, limnology and microbiology. Soils from maritime Antarctica are generally weakly developed and have chemical, physical and morphological characteristics strongly influenced by the parent material. However, biological activity during the short Antarctic summer promotes intense transference of nutrients and organic matter in areas occupied by different species of birds and marine mammals. To mapping and monitoring those areas with high biological occupation, could be very useful to have models of edaphic properties prepared from satellite images. In this approach, Deep Learning and Linear Regression models of soil properties and spectral indexes as explicative variables were performed. We training models of soil properties closely related to biological activity such as Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) and the iron fraction associated with organic matter (Fe). We tested the best approach to model the spatial distribution of DOC, Fe and pH by training models of Linear Regression and Deep Learning over Sentinel2 and WorldView2 images. The most robust models were used to track possible areas with ornithogenic soils as well as areas of the Byers Peninsula that could support the highest biological development.

Biochars are often proposed as a strategy for long-term carbon sequestration. Nevertheless, application of pyrolysed feedstock, particularly along with exogenous organic matter, may affect carbon dynamics in soil through introduction of labile carbon pools and stimulation of extracellular enzymes activity. The main aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of biochars and unprocessed organic amendments addition in two agricultural soils on the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content and activity of three enzymes involved in carbon turnover. In the incubation experiment, activity of dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, cellulase and DOC content were measured on day 30, 60, 90, 180 and 360. Addition of biochars stimulated the activity of dehydrogenase and β-glucosidase, while cellulase was suppressed. Fresh biomass amendment enhanced activity of the enzymes through priming effect. DOC content tended to be the highest in treatments with high enzyme activity, suggesting that DOC introduced with amendments acted as a source of energy for microbes. Our findings support the hypothesis that biochar properties and presence of exogenous organic matter affect microbial response in soil, what might be crucial for carbon sequestration potential of biochar. However, long-term studies are recommended to fully understand the mechanisms that determine response of soil biota to biochar addition.

The chemical investigation of the anti-yeast methanol extract from the stem bark of Terminalia mantaly led to the isolation of seven compounds: 3-O-methyl-4-O-α-rhamnopyranoside ellagic acid (1), 3-O-mehylellagic acid (2), arjungenin or 2,3,19,23-tetrahydroxyolean-12-en-28-oïc acid (3), arjunglucoside or 2,3,19,23-tetrahydroxyolean-12-en-28-oïc acid glucopyranoside (4), 2α,3α,24-trihydroxyolean-11,13(18)-dien-28-oïc acid (5), stigmasterol (6), stigmasterol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (7). Their structures were established by means of spectroscopic analysis and comparison with published data. Compounds 1-5 were tested in vitro for activity against three pathogenic yeast isolates, Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis and Candida krusei. The activity of compounds 1, 2 and 4 were comparable to that of the reference compound fluconazole (MIC values below 32 µg/ml) against the three tested yeast isolates. They were also tested for inhibitory properties against four enzymes of metabolic significance: Glucose-6-Phosphate Deshydrogenase (G6PD), human erythrocyte Carbonic anhydrase I and II (hCA I and hCA II), Glutathione S-transferase (GST). Compound 4 showed highly potent inhibitory property against the four tested enzymes with overall IC₅₀ values below 4 µM and inhibitory constant (Ki) <3 µM.

Water and nutrients shortage threatens agricultural sustainability in many arid and semiarid areas of the world. It is unknown whether improved water and nutrient conservation practices can be developed to alleviate this issue while increasing crop productivity. In this study, experimental work included the application of straw, biochar and N fertilizer. The straw and biochar were applied alone or combined with N fertilizer (0 and 100 kg N ha-1). Application of biochar and straw in combination with N fertilizer caused a reduction in mean soil temperature by an average of 20.05% and 18.10% relative to soils without carbon. Biochar and straw– amended soils significantly (P &lt; 0.05) increased soil moisture content by 11.04% and 13.68% compared to no carbon treatments. Statistically comparable temperatures and moisture were recorded for both straw and biochar treated plots. Both biochar and straw treated soils produced the lowest bulk density (0–5 cm) at 1.15 g cm–3, and no carbon soils the highest at 1.20 g cm–3. The improved soil quality translated into higher biomass in the biochar (1906 kg ha–1) and biomass (1643 kg ha–1) and soils without carbon the lowest at 1553 kg ha–1. The improvement of soil moisture and the optimization of soil temperature for the two residue treated soils allow us to conclude that combined application of biochar and straw at the rate used in this study can be used as an effective farming model in alleviating water and nutrient shortage in semiarid environments.

Alkaloid-based urea derivatives were produced with high yield through the reaction of anabasine and cytisine with isoxazolylphenylcarbamates in boiling benzene. Their antitumor ac-tivity in combination with the commonly used six anticancer drugs namely cyclophosphane, fluorouracil, etoposide, cysplatine, ribomustine with different mechanisms of action was investi-gated. Based on the quantum chemical calculations data and molecular docking, hypotheses have been put forward to explain their mutual influence when affecting on the С6 rat glioma model cells.

During the last years there has been a high interest in the development of new purely-organic single-component conductors. Very recently, we have reported a new neutral radical conductor based on the perchlorotriphenylmethyl (PTM) radical moiety linked to a monopyrrolo-tetrathiafulvalene (MPTTF) unit by a -conjugated bridge (1). Interestingly, this system behaves as a semiconductor with high conductivity and small energy gap under high pressure. With the aim of developing a new material with improved conducting properties, we have designed and synthesized the radical dyad 2 which was functionalized with an ethylenedithio (EDT) group in order to improve the intermolecular interactions of the TTF subunits. The physical properties of the new radical dyad 2 were studied in detail in solution to further analyze its electronic structure as well as its potential use as radical conductor in the solid state.

Microbial communities play a key role in sustainable agriculture. However, we still need more in-formation, to understand the complex response of the microbial community to long-term organic farming, which aims to reduce synthetic fertilizer and pesticide use in order to produce sustainably and improve soil quality. We have assessed the long-term effect of two organic cropping systems and a conventional system on the microbial soil community structure using high-throughput se-quencing analysis. We analyzed the link between these communities and changes in soil properties and crop yield. Results showed that the crop yield was similar among the three cropping systems. Soil properties, such as total organic carbon, nitrogen, ammonium, magnesium and boron, influ-enced changes in the bacterial community structure. A linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) showed different bacteria and fungi as key microorganism of each of the three different cropping systems, in addition, our results reflected that fungal community were more sensitive than bacteria to cropping system. This research provides an insight about changes occurred in soils, especially in microbial communities considering the effect of that changes in crop yield which were remained stable among the different cropping systems.

The climate change is likely to modify the freezing-thawing cycles in soils and surface waters of permafrost-affected and subarctic regions. Yet, the change of solution chemical composition during ice formation and evolution of remaining fluids remain very poorly known. Towards better understanding of dissolved (&lt; 0.45 µm) organic carbon, major and trace elements behavior in permafrost peatland environments, here we performed laboratory freezing of peat leachates, from complete freezing to complete thawing in order to quantify the partitioning of solutes between the aqueous solution and the remaining ice. We hypothesized the existence of two main groups of solutes, behaving conservatively or non-conservatively during freezing depending on their incorporation into the ice or ability to coagulate in the form of insoluble minerals or amorphous materials in the fluid phase. An unexpected result of this work was that, despite sizable degree of element concentration in the remaining fluid and possible coagulation of organic, organo-mineral and inorganic compounds, the freezing and subsequent thawing produced the final concentrations of most solutes which were not drastically different from initial concentrations in starting leachates, prior freezing. This demonstrates high stability of dissolved (&lt; 0.45 µm) OC, Fe, Al and some trace metals to repetitive freezing and thawing of surface waters in permafrost peatlands.

Japanese plum tree (Prunus salicina Lindl.) is mainly cultivated in temperate areas of China and some European countries. Certain amounts of wood (from pruning works) are generated every year from this crop of worldwide commercial significance. The main objective of this work was to value this agricultural woody residue, for which the chemical composition of pruning wood extracts from six Japanese plum cultivars was investigated, and the antiproliferative activity of extracts and pure phenolics present in those extracts was measured. For the chemical characterization, total phenolic content and DPPH radical-scavenging assays and HPLC‒DAD/ESI‒MS analyses were performed, the procyanidin (‒)-ent-epicatechin-(2α→O→7,4α→8)-epicatechin (5) and the propelargonidin (+)-epiafzelechin-(2β→O→7,4β→8)-epicatechin (7) being the major components of the wood extracts. Some quantitative differences were found among plum cultivars, and the content of proanthocyanidins ranged from 1.50 (cv. ‘Fortune’) to 4.44 (cv. ‘Showtime’) mg/g of dry wood. Regarding the antitumoral activiy, eight wood extracts and four phenolic compounds were evaluated in MCF-7 cells after 48 h of induction, showing the wood extract from cv. ‘Songold’ and (‒)-annphenone (3) the best antiproliferative activity (IC50: 424 ppm and 405 ppm, respectively).

Leishmaniasis are neglected diseases that affect regions such as South Asia, South Africa and Latin America, less developed regions. Current treatment, for cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral leishmaniosis, which are the main forms of the disease, is based on the administration of pentavalent antimonial and amphotericin B. However, these drugs have low efficacy and high toxicity. For this reason, the search for new treatments for this disease is necessary, based on studies of new molecules and their conformations. The research proposed the conformational study of brominated guanidine compounds with potential antileishmanial activity using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The present study involves the bro-minated molecules, LQOF-G2, LQOF-G30, LQOF-G35 and LQOF-G35-Br. The later was synthesized by the reaction of LQOF-G35 with NBS under IR irradiation at 120 Watts of potency and dichloro-methane as solvent by 12-h of exposition. The obtained results demonstrated the efficiency of the bromination method, since two bromines atoms entered the molecule. Furthermore, NMR analysis showed the occurrence of a conformational change from Z to E when compound LQOF-G35 was brominated to LQOF-G35-Br. This feature was well confirmed by comparative DRX study of the LQOF-G35 and LQOF-G35-Br compounds. The antileishmanial activity of LQOF-G2 e LQOF-G35 motivated the synthesis of new brominated compounds LQOF-G30 e LQOF-G35-Br.

The soil has lost organic matter in the past centuries. Adding organic matter to soils is one of the management practices applied to recover the levels of soil carbon of the past. Is it a good practice to reduce global warming? In fact, one of the practices promoted to combat climate change is increasing soil organic matter. However, the addition of organic residues to the soil could facilitate the liberation of CO2 and wastes could also have no positive effects on soil properties. In this sense, what it is important is: a) to know which is the expected effect of the organic matter added to the soil; b) how this application alters the soil processes; c) which are the management practices that should be applied; d) how much is the real amount of carbon sequester by the soil and; e) the balance at short and long period after the application of the organic matter. The adequate strategy should be to favour the increment of biologically stabilized soil organic matter considering medium and long time. However, it is necessary to adapt the strategies to the local environmental conditions.

The stepwise hydrogenation of the C=C bond and C=O group of acrolein on Au₃ and Au₅ model systems is investigated using the density functional theory(DFT) PW91 functional. Our results show that the C=C hydrogenation is more favorable than that of C=O bond on Au₃ with the barriers of the rate-determining step being 0.35 and 0.62 eV respectively. On the other hand, the C=O reduction is preferred over the hydrogenation of the C=C bond on Au₅. The corresponding barriers of the rate-determining steps are 0.45 and 0.54 eV, respectively. This demonstrated that the second hydrogenation step controls the reaction on both Au₃ and Au₅ for C=O and C=C hydrogenation and the C=O hydrogenation on Au₅ is preferred over the hydrogenation of the C=C bond, which is helpful to address the reactivity of small size-selected supported gold clusters.

Soil secondary salinization has seriously affected the greenhouse vegetable production in China. To improve the secondary salinization greenhouse soil and enhance the soil physical-chemical properties in an eco-environmental way, different organic amendments (straw, straw biochar, Trichoderma bio-organic manure, commercial organic manure) were applied using pot experiment for 60 day to comprehensively screen the optimal remediation method. In this study, soil nutrient condition and salt movement were assessed, and predictive models using multi-linear regression (MLR) and Random Forest (RF) were developed to estimate soil salinization parameters. The findings indicated a significant decrease in soil salt content following the application of organic materials compared to the control treatment. Specifically, the addition of straw at a rate of 250g/kg resulted in a 59.38% reduction in soil salt levels after 60 days (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the main salt ions exhibited dynamic changes over the course of the experiment, with reductions observed in Na+, Ca2+, Cl-, and NO3- content under the 250 g/kg straw treatment by 83.63%, 74.67%, 63.26%, 59.07%, respectively, compared to CK (P < 0.05). In addition, the SO42- content under 125 g/kg commercial organic manure amendment reduced by 48.94%, respectively (P < 0.05). Contrary to expectations, the addition of organic materials significantly increased the levels of total nutrients (N/P/K) and available potassium (AK) and phosphorus (AP) in the soil. Specifically, the addition of straw at a rate of 250 g/kg resulted in increases of 18.02%-87.38% in total potassium (TK), 66.67%-200% in total phosphorus (TP), and 142.87%-367.8% in AK after a period of sixty days (P < 0.05). Ultimately, the treatment involving the addition of 250 g/kg of straw demonstrated the most pronounced impact on the physical and chemical properties of the soil. The random forest method shows promise in accurately predicting soil salt and soil sodium adsorption ratio (SAR)indicators, thereby providing a valuable tool for estimating soil properties.

Soil is an extremely significant resource for human survival, and agglomerates, as the basic unit of soil structure, not only enhance soil fertility and control the biological validity of nutrients, but also strengthen the soil's erosion resistance. The mass application of fertilizers may have a significant impact on crop growth and soil structure, and the rational application and dispensing of fertilizers will be an urgent issue to be addressed. Therefore, the effect of fertilizer application on the stability of water-stable soil aggregates needs to be studied under different meteorological and soil conditions to draw more general and feasible conclusions. Our Meta-analysis of data from 220 of 56 published studies found that fertilizer application increased mean weight diameter (MWD) by an average of 18% compared to the no-fertilizer treatment. Among the nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), and organic (OM) fertilizer treatments, the organic fertilizer treatment had a greater stimulatory effect on MWD (26%). Among the different fertilizer levels, low level of phosphorus (<40kg·hm-2·yr-1), high level of N (>120kg·hm-2·yr-1), and low level of organic fertilizer (<5000kg·hm-2·yr-1) increased MWD by 19%, 14%, and 41% respectively. Across soil types and land use types, the response to MWD was positive for red soils and paddy fields, and the stimulatory effect of organic fertilizer was more significant compared to chemical fertilizer. The regression model showed that the response ratio of MWD was negatively correlated with the response ratio of soil pH and bulk density (BD), and positively correlated with the response ratio of soil organic carbon (SOC) and microbial mass carbon (MBC). Meanwhile, the PLS-SEM model showed that average annual temperature was the main factor affecting the stability of soil aggregates, and the average annual rainfall is the secondary factor. Therefore, this study found that the long-term use of organic fertilizers in place of some chemical fertilizers was more effective than chemical fertilizer alone. Temperature and rainfall have greater effects on the response of fertilizer to soil aggregate stability.

The impact of antecedent soil moisture content on soil erosion is a complicated phenomenon, which is still under argument with contradictions in research results. Hence, the objective of this study is to investigate the impact of antecedent soil moisture content to soil loss on clay soil by conducting two-year field experiments under natural rainfall on runoff plots with length of 10 meters, width of 3 meters, and uniform slope of 9%. Volumetric soil moisture sensors were used to log soil moisture changes, and soil moisture readings were used along with rainfall records to quantify the antecedent soil moisture conditions for each rainfall event. Results of this study show duration of the effective erosion event outranks the antecedent volumetric soil moisture content. Field study also suggests that accumulative rain falling within 48 hours (Pp48) prior to an effective erosion event strongly correlated with soil loss per Rainfall-Runoff Erosivity Index (Soil Loss / EI30), particularly when the duration of an effective erosion event is either between 3 ~ 7 hours or 10~ 30 hours. Hence, Pp48 can be considered as an alternative to replace antecedent soil moisture content in RUSLE 2’s cover and management factor.

In the frame of our diversity-oriented research on multitarget small molecule anticancer agents, utilizing convergent synthetic sequences terminated by Sonogashira coupling reactions, a preliminary selection of representative alkyne-tethered vindoline hybrids was synthesized. The novel hybrids with additional pharmacophoric fragments of well-documented anticancer agents, including FDA-approved tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (imatinib and erlotinib) or ferrocene or chalcone units, were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity on malignant cell lines MDA-MB-231 (triple negative breast cancer), A2780 (ovarian cancer), HeLa (human cervical cancer) and SH-SY5Y (neuroblastoma) as well as human embryonal lung fibroblast MRC-5 served as reference non-malignant cell line for the assessment of the therapeutic window of the tested hybrids. The biological assays identified a trimethoxyphenyl-containing chalcone-vindoline hybrid (36) as a promising lead compound exhibiting submicromolar activity on A2780 cells with a marked therapeutic window. These results suggest that ovarian cancer might be considered as a prioritized target of treatment with 36.

For centuries, humans have relied on natural products to prevent and treat numerous health issues. However, biologically active compounds from natural sources, such as polyphenols, face significant challenges, including low solubility, rapid metabolism, and instability, which hinder their effectiveness. Advances in science and nanotechnology have provided solutions to overcoming these problems through the use of porous silica materials. These materials possess unique properties, such as a high specific surface area, adjustable particle and pore sizes, and a surface that can be easily and selectively modified. In this review, we summarize and discuss findings on how the pore and particle size, structure, and surface modification of silica materials influence the preparation of efficient delivery systems for biologically active polyphenols from natural sources. The available data demonstrate how parameters such as adsorption capacity, release and antioxidant properties, bioavailability, solubility, stability, etc. of the studied delivery systems could be affected by the structural and chemical characteristics of the porous silica carriers.

Recently, coastal swamps have been acknowledged for their capability to alleviate shorelines and defend coastal communities. Mangroves play a prominent role in obstructing water currents in riverbanks, shorelines, and coastal areas. Mangrove roots have the significant contribution to the resiliency of the vegetation structure. Yet, mangrove model has lately been called into question by lab experimental evidence. In this paper, the flow characteristics past root models are reviewed. coastal swamps are among the most fruitful and carbon‐rich ecosystems on the planet. Long‐term carbon putting away in coastal wetlands happens mostly below ground as soil organic matter. Mangrove servs as a carbon sink, impacts wetland ecosystem configuration, purpose, and firmness. To expect and ease the properties of climate change, there is a necessity to advance considerate of environmental controls on wetland. The impact of four soil formation factors are reviewed. Across the shorelines, soil organic matter was highest in mangrove forests and it was lower areas.

In the last 10 years, carbon dots (CDs) synthesized from renewable organic resources have been gathered a considerable amount of attention in different fields for their peculiar photoluminescent properties. Moreover, the synthesis of CDs fully responds to the principles of the circular chemistry and the concept of safe-by-design. This review will focus on the different strategies for the incorporation of CDs in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) and on the study of the impact of CDs properties on the OLEDs performance. The main current research outcomes and highlights are summarized to guide users towards the fully exploitation of use these materials in optoelectronic applications.

Indole is a versatile pharmacophore widely distributed in bioactive natural products. This privileged scaffold has been found in a variety of molecules isolated from marine organisms such as algae and sponges. Among these, indole alkaloids represent one of the biggest, most promising family of compounds, having shown a wide range of pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anticancer activities. The aim of this review is to show the current scenario of marine indole alkaloid derivatives, covering not only the most common chemical structures, but also new synthetic routes developed during the last years as well as promising therapeutic applications.

The performance of two bio inoculants either in single or in combined applications with organic fertilizer was tested to determine their effect on plant growth and yield under normal and unfavorable field conditions such as low pH value and low content of P. Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungi ((AMF; three species of Glomus) and the plant growth-promoting bacterial strain Kosakonia radicincitans DSM16656 were applied to barley in two years field experiment with different soil pH levels and available nutrients. Grain yield, content of P, N, K, Mg, and soil microbial parameters were measured. Grain yield and content of nutrients were significantly increased by the applications of mineral fertilizer, organic fertilizer, AMF, K. radicincitans, and combined application of organic fertilizer with AMF and with K. radicincitans over the control under normal growth conditions. Under low pH and low P conditions, only the combined application of the organic fertilizer with K. radicincitans and organic fertilizer with AMF could increase grain yield and content of nutrients of barley over the control.

Reduced nutrient mineralization rates under minimum tillage are usually compensated by mineral fertilizer application. These cannot be applied in organic farming systems, however. We hypothesized that organic minimum tillage based on frequent cover cropping and application of dead mulch will improve soil fertility and can compensate for the potential negative effects of minimum tillage. Two long-term field experiments were set up in 2010 and 2011 comparing plough versus minimum tillage including application of transferred mulch. As second factor, the application of compost versus mineral potassium and phosphorus was compared. In 2019, soils were analyzed for soil pH, organic carbon, macro-, micronutrients, microbial biomass, microbial activity and total nematode abundance. In addition, performance of pea in the same soils was determined under greenhouse conditions. Across both experiments, macronutrients (+52%), micronutrients (+11%), microbial biomass (+51%), microbial activity (+86%), and bacterivorous nematodes (+112%) increased in minimum tillage compared with the plough-based system. In the greenhouse, pea biomass was 45% higher in the soil that had been subjected to minimum tillage compared to the plough. In conclusion, soil fertility can be improved in organic minimum tillage systems by intensive cover cropping and application of dead mulch to levels higher than in a plough-based system.

The rapid urbanization in China has significantly contributed to the vast expansion of urban built-up areas. Precisely extracting and monitoring these areas is crucial for understanding and optimizing the developmental process and spatial attributes of smart, compact cities. However, most existing studies tend to focus narrowly on a single city or global scale with a single dimension, often ignoring mesoscale analysis across multiple urban agglomerations. In contrast, our study employs GIS and image processing techniques to integrate multi-source data for the identification of built-up areas. We specifically compare and analyze two representative urban agglomerations in China: the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in the east and the Chengdu-Chongqing (CC) region in the west. We use different methods to extract built-up areas from socio-economic factors, natural surfaces, and traffic network dimensions. Additionally, we utilize a high-precision built-up area dataset of China as a reference for verification and comparison. Our findings reveal several significant insights: (1) The multi-source data fusion approach effectively enhances the extraction of built-up areas within urban agglomerations, achieving higher accuracy than previously employed methods. (2) Our research methodology performs particularly well in the CC urban agglomeration. The average precision rate in CC is 96.03%, while the average precision rate in YRD is lower at 80.33%. This study provides an objective and accurate assessment of distribution characteristics and internal spatial structure of built-up areas within urban agglomerations. This method offers a new perspective for identifying and monitoring built-up areas in Chinese urban agglomerations.

Valorization of excess sludge through the recovery of high-value products, such as biopolymers, could be a crucial step to implement circular economy principles in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). In this frame, the present study was aimed at evaluating the simultaneous production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), obtainable from the treatment of an agro-industrial wastewater. Two biological systems, one implementing aerobic granular sludge (AGS) and the other a conventional activated sludge operating as a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) were operated for 204 and 186 days, respectively. Both the systems involved a three-stage process for mixed microbial culture enrichment and biopolymers accumulation. The maximum biopolymers accumulation capacity was close to 0.60 mg gVSS^-1 in the AGS when the enrichment reactor was operated at 3 kgCODm^-3d^-1, whereas in the SBR it was slightly more than half (0.35 mg gVSS^-1). Biopolymers extracted from the AGS were mainly constituted by EPS (>70%), which percentage increased with the organic loading rate applied in the enrichment reactor up to 95%. In contrast, SBR enabled to obtain a higher PHA production (50% of the biopolymers). Results suggested that organic carbon was mainly channeled toward metabolic pathways for extracellular storing in AGS, likely as a consequence of metabolic stressors (e.g., hydraulic selection pressure, shear forces) applied for promoting aerobic granulation.

Fabrics comprised of porous fibers could provide effective passive protection against chemical and biological (CB) threats whilst maintaining high air permeability (breathability). Here, we fabricate hierarchically porous fibers consisting of regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) and activated-carbon (AC) prepared through two fiber spinning techniques in combination with ice-templating – namely cryogenic solution blow spinning (Cryo-SBS) and cryogenic wet-spinning (Cryo-WS). The Cryo-WS RSF fibers had exceptionally small macropores (as low as 0.1 µm) and high specific surface areas (SSAs) of up to 79 m2 g-1. The incorporation of AC could further increase the SSA to 210 m2 g-1 (25 wt. % loading) whilst also increasing adsorption capacity for volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Xanthone derivatives, a class of natural compounds abundantly found in plants such as mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) and certain herbs, have garnered substantial interest due to their diverse pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer activities. Recent investigations have unveiled their potential as modulators of enzymatic activity, prompting exploration into their effects on hyaluronidase-mediated HA degradation, and their effects in topical treatment of telangiectasia and rosacea. Telangiectasia and rosacea are common dermatological conditions characterized by chronic skin inflammation, vascular abnormalities, and visible blood vessels, resulting in significant cosmetic concerns and impaired quality of life for affected individuals. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current understanding regarding the interplay between mechanisms of action by which xanthone derivatives exert their therapeutic effects, including the inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines, modulation of oxidative stress pathways, and regulation of vascular endothelial growth factors. Furthermore, we will discuss the implications of harnessing xanthone derivatives as therapeutic agents for mitigating vascular dysfunction and its associated pathologies, thereby offering insights into future research directions and therapeutic strategies in the field of vascular biology.

Assuming that climate warming in the WSL will lead to a northward shift of the forest and permafrost boundaries, a “substituting space for time” approach predicts an increase in concentration of DIC and labile major and trace elements and a decrease of the transport of DOC and low soluble trace metals in the form of colloids in the main stem of the Ob River. However, an unknown factor is the change in hydrochemistry of the largest southern tributary, the Irtysh River, which is impacted by permafrost-free steppe and forest-steppe zone. Overall, seasonally-resolved transect studies of large riverine systems of western Siberia are needed to assess the hydrochemical response of this environmentally-important territory to on-going climate change.

Hydrogen gas (H2) has attracted attention as a next-generation clean energy source. Its efficient and safe preparation and utilization are crucial in both industry and organic chemistry. In this study, a Pt/CB-catalyzed MW-mediated continuous-flow hydrogenation reaction was developed using methylcyclohexane (MCH) as the reducing agent (hydrogen carrier). Alkynes, alkenes, nitro groups, benzyl esters, and aromatic chlorides were chemoselectively hydrogenated using Pt/CB under MW-assisted continuous-flow conditions. This methodology represents a safe and energy-efficient hydrogenation process, as it eliminates the need for an external hydrogen gas supply or heating jackets as a heat medium. Further application of MW-mediated continuous-flow hydrogenation reactions is a viable method for the efficient generation and utilization of sustainable energy.

Soot combustion experiments with 5%O2/He were conducted using model soot, and four distinct compositions of CexPr1-xO2-δ oxides were prepared, varying nominal cerium com-positions (x=0, 0.2, 0.3, and 1). The catalyst samples were comprehensively characterized using techniques such as XRD, Raman spectroscopy, HR-TEM, N2 adsorption at −196 °C, XPS, O2-TPD, H2-TPR, and work function measurements. The Pr-rich compositions, rang-ing from Ce0.3Pr0.7O2-δ to PrO2-δ, resulted in a significant increase in the total evolved O2 amounts and enhanced catalyst reducibility. However, a decrease in textural properties of the catalysts was noted, being particularly important for the pure praseodymia under the synthesis route conducted. The catalytic activity was investigated under two contact modes of mixing between soot and catalyst: loose and tight. The results revealed that the catalytic performance is associated with the surface contact in tight contact mode and with the combination of surface/subsurface/bulk oxygen mobility and the BET surface ar-ea in loose contact mode. Notably, the T10 and T50 parameters were achieved at much lower temperatures than the uncatalyzed soot combustion, even under loose contact conditions. Specifically, the 50% conversion was achieved at 511℃ and 538℃ for Ce0.3Pr0.7O2 and Ce0.2Pr0.8O2, respectively. While no direct correlation between catalytic activity and work function was observed a significant relationship emerges between work function values and the formation of oxy-gen vacancies, whatever the conditions used for these measurements. On the other hand, the ability to generate a high population of oxygen vacancies at low temperatures, rather than the direct activation of gas-phase O2, influences the catalytic performance of Pr-doped ceria catalysts, highlighting the importance of surface/subsurface oxygen vacancy generation, which was the parameter which showed better correlation with the catalytic activity, whatever the soot conversion value or the mode of contact considered.

One of society’s greatest challenges is sequestering vast amounts of carbon to avoid dangerous climate change without driving competition for land and resources. Here we assess the potential of an integrated approach based on enhancement of natural biogeochemical cycles in agro-ecosystems that stimulate carbon capture and storage while increasing resilience and long-term productivity. The method integrates plant photosynthesis in the form of (cover) crops and agroforestry which drives carbon capture. Belowground plant-carbon is efficiently stored as stable soil organic carbon (SOC). Aboveground crop and tree residues are pyrolyzed into biochar, which is applied to the soil reducing carbon release through decomposition. Enhanced weathering of basalt powder worked into the soil further captures and stores carbon, while releasing nutrients and alkalinity. The integrated system is regenerative, through enhanced virtuous cycles that lead to improved plant capture, biomass storage and crop yield, the prerequisites for large-scale carbon sequestration along with food security.

Biogeochemical models estimate soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, crop growth, and yield. The DeNitrification and DeComposition (DNDC) model was used to simulate soil SOC dynamics and harvested C-biomass in rice-wheat rotation under organic/inorganic fertilizations with conventional tillage (CT) and reduced tillage (RT). Before calibration, DNDC under-predicted harvestable grain C-biomass of rice by 29.22% to 42.14% and over-simulated grain C-biomass of wheat by 55.01% with equal amounts of NPK and animal manure applied under CT. However, after calibration by adjusting default values of soil/crop parameters, DNDC simulated harvestable grain C-biomass of both crops very close to observed values (only -2.81% to -6.17% less). DNDC also predicted effects of nutrient management practices on grain C-biomass of rice/wheat under CT/RT using d-index (0.76 to 0.96) and the calculated root mean squared error (RMSE of 165.36 to 494.18 kg C ha-1). DNDC simulated SOC trends for rice-wheat using measured values of several statistical indices. Regression analysis between modeled and observed SOC dynamics was significant with R2 ranging from 0.35 to 0.46 (p < 0.01), and intercept ranging from 0.30 to 1.34 (p < 0.65). DNDC demonstrated that combined inorganic and organic fertilization may result in higher C-biomass and more SOC sequestration in rice-wheat systems.

Our work is regarding the analysis of land use changes, in the light of “saving soil” against the expansion due to unearned plus value of land: The loss of natural and agricultural surface in front of the expanding urban environment is a critical aspect of unsustainability of urban development, especially in the way it was carried out in the past decades. The measure of the physical transition of land use and characters from a more natural condition of land surface to a new artificial one, joint with a parallel analysis of the increase of land value due to such change is nowadays a major land-policy tool. The interplay of urban economics regulation with planning, reveals new key issues in urban governance and environmental preservation. In this paper it will be shown some experiment about the impact assessment of soil take, related with the seek of valorization of property inside the planning process. Our paper reports as well about the experimental activity carried out inside the MITO Lab of the Polytechnic of Bari, where reports about property values and environmental values have been produced, specially looking at the reality of the Apulia, a southern Italian Region, that is rich of farmlands and coastlines, often invaded by constructions with a severe loss of nature, landscape and ecosystems services.

Biochar application to the soil can improve soil quality and nutrient leaching loss. Recent studies have reported that surficial application of biochar to stored swine manure can reduce emissions of odorous compounds and reduce the volatilization loss of ammonia. Our working hypothesis was that the biochar-treated manure application to the soil would decrease nutrient leaching from manure and increase plant-available nutrients. The study objectives were to evaluate the impact of biochar-treated swine manure on soil total C, N, and other major and minor nutrients. Three biochars (i) neutral pH red-oak (RO), (ii) highly alkaline autothermal corn (Zea mays) stover (HAP), and (iii) mild acidic Fe-treated autothermal corn stover (HAPE) were incubated with swine manure for a month. The biochar-manure mixture was applied in triplicate to soil columns with application rate determined by the P₂O₅-P content in manure or manure-biochar mixtures after the incubation. The ammonium (NH₄⁺), nitrate (NO₃^-), and reactive P concentrations in soil column leachates were recorded for eight leaching events. Soil properties and plant-available nutrients were compared between treatments and control manure & soil. Manure-(HAP&HAPE) biochar treatments significantly increased soil organic matter (OM) and increased soil total C, N, and improved soil bulk density. Concentrations of KCl-extractable NH₄⁺ and NO₃^- significantly increased in HAPE column leachates during this 4-week study and in the soil after the experiment. A significant reduction in soil Mehlich3 Cu was also observed for the manure-HAPE mixture compared with the control. Overall, the manure-biochar incubation enabled biochar to sorb nutrients from manure, and the subsequent manure-biochar mixture application to soil improved soil quality and plant nutrient availability in comparison to conventional manure application to soil. This proof-of-the-concept study suggests that biochars could be used to solve both environmental and agronomic challenges and further improve the sustainability of animal and crop production agriculture.