soil nitrogen News
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Microbes play important role in soil’s nitrogen cycle
Under our feet, in the soil, is a wealth of microbial activity. Just like humans have different metabolisms and food choices, so do those microbes. In fact, microbes play an important role in making nutrients available to plants. A recent review paper from Xinda Lu and his team looks at different roles that various soil microbes have in soil’s nitrogen cycle. Lu is a researcher at ...
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Rising CO2 robs crops of protein
New analysis suggests that rising CO2 levels will affect the protein content of major food crops, and indeed this may already be taking place. Experts suggest this change in the composition of the foods we eat could have consequences for human nutrition. Farmers can limit these effects by using more nitrogen-based fertilisers, but these in turn have a high environmental cost. Research ...
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Straw residue helps keep nitrogen on the farm
Scientists are exploring ways to reduce non-point pollution from agriculture. A new study finds that using straw residue in conjunction with legume cover crops reduces leaching of nitrogen into waterways, but may lower economic return. Agriculture is the largest source of nitrogen non-point pollution to waterways in the United States, flowing into streams and rivers via erosion from farmlands, ...
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Jatropha can revive degraded land, says study
Large-scale cultivation of Jatropha – known as a potential source of biofuel – can improve the soil quality of degraded lands and address climate change, says a new study. Jatropha curcas seeds yield oil that can be processed into biodiesel, but scientists at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, have found that Jatropha plantations ...
By SciDev.Net
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Nitrogen fertilizers` impact on lawn soils
Nitrogen fertilizers from farm fields often end up in aquatic ecosystems, resulting in water quality problems, such as toxic algae and underwater ‘dead zones’. There are concerns that fertilizers used on lawns may also contribute to these problems. All of the lawns in the United States cover an area almost as large as Florida, making turfgrass our largest ‘crop’ and lawn ...
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Farmers’ use of renewable fertilisers to be revolutionised by new research
Farmers’ and growers’ confidence in digestate and compost has been given a welcome boost, as new ground-breaking research published today, shows smart use of these renewable fertilisers can increase yields and reduce bills with no negative impact on crop quality or safety. The programme of field experiments, ‘Digestate & Compost in Agriculture’ ...
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Plant strategies for optimising nitrate intake
The less nitrogen there is in the soil, the better plants are at using it. Researchers from INRA, CNRS and CIRAD, in cooperation with Czech colleagues, have recently shed light on the crucial role of a protein that enables plants to not only assess their environment but also activate the proper adaptive response based on the conditions. This research, published in the 2 March 2015 issue of Nature ...
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Integrating animal and crop production can reduce nutrient leaching from agricultural fields
Nutrient leaching, the movement of plant nutrients from soil to water, can have negative effects on aquatic ecosystems due to eutrophication, which reduces the oxygen available in water, causing species and habitat loss. Ecological Recycling Agriculture (ERA), which is based on ecological principles and integrates crop production and animal husbandry, may limit this effect. This study ...
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Soil biodiversity reduces nitrogen pollution and improves crops’ nutrient uptake
Increased soil biodiversity can reduce nitrogen pollution, improve nutrient uptake by plants and even increase crop yields, new research suggests. The two-year study found that levels of nitrogen leaching from soil with an abundant soil life were nearly 25% lower than for soil with a reduced level of soil life. Practices which enhance soil biodiversity such as reduced tilling, crop rotation and ...
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Desert bacteria could help boost crop yields
Desert soil microbes could help halt desertification and boost agriculture in arid regions of the Middle East and North Africa, according to a study. Scientists from the United Arab Emirates [UAE] have isolated local salt- and drought-tolerant strains of Rhizobia, soil bacteria that fix nitrogen when they become established inside the root nodules of legumes. Rhizobia bacteria establish a ...
By SciDev.Net
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Balancing Act: Reconciling the Laws of Minimum and the Maximum
Does going to the extreme in fertilizer application overcome yield limitations? When it comes to plant development and yield, imbalance is more likely to threaten soil health, production and your pocketbook. Instead, achieving nutrient balance is crucial to crop success. With that in mind, we reflect on the often-perceived conflicting theories – Liebig’s Law of Minimum and ...
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Iron deficiency in soil threatens soybean production
An expansion of soybean production into areas where soybean has seldom, if ever, been grown can be problematic for some farmers. Soils having high pH values and large amounts of calcium and/or magnesium carbonate are notoriously iron deficient. Iron deficient soils in the North Central United States are estimated to reduce soy bean production by 12.5 million bushels every year. John Wiersma, a ...
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Soil moisture monitoring for better irrigation and crop nutrition in Cucumbers
Soil moisture monitoring is often thought of as a water saving technology. While this is true, there are other significant benefits from soil moisture monitoring. Crop nutrition is intrinsically linked to crop irrigation. Many nutrients move quickly with water or only move through plants when water is available. Nitrogen (N) is released in water and too much irrigation can result in nitrogen ...
By Wildeye
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Less nitrogen could increase profit & sustainability
More fertilizer doesn't always mean more profit. That's one conclusion from a 10-year study conducted by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists at the agency’s Soil Plant Nutrient Research Unit in Fort Collins, Colo., and colleagues at Colorado State University. From 1998 to 2008, the researchers evaluated and compared potential management strategies for reducing nitrogen and nitrate ...
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Sandwich system found effective in organic apple orchards
In organic apple orchards, one of the most serious challenges for growers is determining ways to limit weed competition while improving soil quality and ensuring high yields of quality apples. Scientists from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences published a study of orchard floor management systems (HortScience, March 2015) that revealed the benefits of using "sandwich systems" in ...
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Early Spring Pasture Management
Having a blue moon is a rare sight that we were blessed with in January this year, but now as we creep slowly into spring, day length will lengthen, grass will start to take on a greener colour and temperatures will rise. This is a good time to prepare pastures for the year ahead. Grass that was closed off early last autumn should be the most advanced on farms at this stage. Pasture ...
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Improve crop yield by removing manure solids
Manure has long been used as a crop fertilizer, but the challenge of finding an efficient use of the nutrients found in manure is ever present. The ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus in manure is low in relation to the nutrient needs of most crops. Therefore, crops tend to be overloaded with manure to meet the nitrogen requirement of agricultural crops, but the excess phosphorus from the process can ...
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New Tool Offers Growers Easy Option to Measure Soil Organic Matter Content
Researchers with Ohio State University's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences have developed a new tool that allows farmers to easily predict soil organic matter content and can help them make decisions about whether or not to sell crop residue. The tool can benefit growers by providing information for more timely planting and harvesting, reducing operating costs, increasing ...
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Many Countries Reaching Diminishing Returns in Fertilizer Use
By Lester R. Brown When German chemist Justus von Liebig demonstrated in 1847 that the major nutrients that plants removed from the soil could be applied in mineral form, he set the stage for the development of the fertilizer industry and a huge jump in world food production a century later. Growth in food production during the nineteenth century came primarily from expanding cultivated area. It ...
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The Role of Charcoal Making Machines in Agricultural Development
Charcoal has long been a valuable resource in agriculture, contributing to soil enrichment and energy generation. However, recent advancements in charcoal making machine has revolutionized its role in agricultural development. This article explores the significance of charcoal in agriculture, the evolving technology behind charcoal making machines, and the multifaceted impact on modern farming ...
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