Arsenic contamination poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity and food security, especially in Cicer arietinum L. (chickpea). This study evaluates the potential of silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) to mitigate arsenic stress in C. arietinum (Noor 2022). The experiment was conducted at The Islamia University of Bahawalpur using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with a factorial arrangement and three replications. A pot experiment was conducted using seven treatments comprising various concentrations of SiNPs applied alone or combined with arsenic [T0 (control, no SiNPs), T1 (3.5% SiNPs), T2 (7% SiNPs), T3 (10.5% SiNPs), T4 (3.5% SiNPs + 30 ppm Ar), T5 (7% SiNPs + 30 ppm Ar), and T6 (10.5% SiNPs + 30 ppm Ar)]. SiNPs were applied as foliar sprays in three splits from the second to fourth weeks after sowing. Morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters were assessed, including chlorophyll content, total soluble proteins, proline, and antioxidant enzyme activities. The results demonstrated that SiNPs significantly enhanced stress tolerance in chickpea plants. At 10.5% SiNPs, chlorophyll content increased by 35%, carotenoids by 42%, and proline by 68% compared to arsenic-stressed plants without SiNPs, indicating improved photosynthetic efficiency and osmotic adjustment. Antioxidant enzyme activities, including peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), increased by 50%, 47%, and 53%, respectively, mitigating oxidative damage. Soluble sugars and phenolic content also rose by 28% and 32%, respectively, under 10.5% SiNPs. However, when combined with arsenic, some antagonistic effects were observed, with a slight decrease in chlorophyll and antioxidant activity compared to SiNPs alone. These findings suggest that SiNPs are a promising tool for improving crop resilience in arsenic-contaminated soils, offering insights into sustainable agricultural practices. Further research is warranted to explore long-term impacts and optimize application strategies.

Globally, salt stress is one of the most significant abiotic stresses limiting crop production in dry-land regions. Nowadays, growing crops in dry-land regions under saline irrigation is the main focus. Soil amendment with organic materials has shown the potential to mitigate the adverse effects of salinity on plants. This study aimed to examine the ameliorative impact of soil amendment (manure + sandy, compost + sandy, clay + sandy and sandy soil) on the growth, yield, physiological, and biochemical attributes of Hedysarum scoparium Fisch. et Mey (HS) and Avena sativa L. (OT) under fresh and saline water irrigation in dry-land regions. The results showed that salt stress negatively affected both plant species' growth, physiological traits, yield, and chloride ions. In response to saline irrigation, plants of both species increased catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities as part of a self-defense mechanism to minimize damage. Salt stress also significantly raised levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), and chloride ions (Cl). However, soil amendment treatments like manure + sandy and compost + sandy soil countered the negative effects of saline irrigation, significantly improving plant growth and yield compared with sandy soil. Thus, organic soil amendment is a promising strategy for sustainable crop production under saline irrigation in dry-land regions. This study provides valuable insights into enhancing agricultural production by fostering resilient halophytes and salt-tolerant plant species in challenging environments.

Revalorized olive waste impacts root microbiome.Root microbiome modulates plant-induced defense.Insect's exudate simulates the pest attack.The objective of this study was to investigate the combined effect of soil amendments and pest attack on plant-induced defense and their impact on a biological control agent's behavior. The effects of olive mill wastes revalorized through vermicomposting on the aboveground tri-trophic interactions among olive trees (Olea europaea), the olive seed-feeder, Prays oleae, and its natural predator, Chrysoperla carnea, were evaluated. The findings demonstrate that soil nitrogen and organic carbon levels, in conjunction with fungal diversity and functionality within olive roots, exert a significant influence on the volatile compounds emitted by the plant under attack that are most appealing to C. carnea. Moreover, the attractiveness of aerial volatiles was found to correlate with soil organic carbon content and the taxonomic and functional diversity of both bacteria and fungi in the olive root system. It is worthy of note that three particular volatile compounds, namely 5-hepten-2-one-6-methyl, acetic acid and nonanal, were consistently observed to attract C. carnea. These findings highlight the potential of soil amendments to enhance biological control strategies. Future research should prioritise the validation the greenhouse findings through large-scale field trials and the assessment of the practical applications of soil amendments in pest management programmes.

Rubble deposits with a high concentration of rock debris were created after the powerful earthquakes in Jiuzhaigou. Because of the restricted soil resources, water leaks, and nutrient deficits, these deposits pose serious obstacles for vegetation regeneration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the main mechanisms controlling soil water retention and evaluate the effects of different amendments on the hydraulic characteristics and water-holding capacity of collapsed rubble soils. Fine-grained soil, forest humus, crushed straw, and organic components that retain water were added to the altered soils to study the pore structure images and soil-water characteristic curves. Comparing understory humus to other supplements, the results showed a considerable increase in the soil's saturated and wilting water content. The saturated water content and wilting water content rose by 17.9% and 4.3%, respectively, when the percentage of understory soil reached 30%. Additionally, the enhanced soil's microporosity and total pore volume increased by 45.33% and 11.27%, respectively, according to nuclear magnetic imaging. It was shown that while clay particles and organic matter improved the soil's ability to adsorb water, they also increased the soil's total capacity to store water. Fine particulate matter did this by decreasing macropores and increasing capillary pores. These results offer an essential starting point for creating strategies for soil repair that would encourage the restoration of plants on slopes that have been damaged.

D UE TO climate change, salinity is one of the most important problems facing global food security in most agricultural lands. So, many studies were conducted to improve the crop yield and production under salinity conditions using various methods and compounds. Application of soil amendments and foliar application such as biochar, compost, vermicompost, green manure, farmyard manures, silicon, salicylic acid (SA), nano particles and plant growth promoting bacteria were used to mitigate the deleterious impacts of salinity and improve the growth characters and yield of several plants. To mitigate salinity stress, soil amendments were added to soil and led to improve morphophysiological and biochemical characters like stem length, leaves number, fresh weight, chlorophyll content, relative water content, osmotic adjustment and enzymes activity in the stressed plant. Furthermore, foliar application with some treatments especially, SA and plant growth promoting bacteria led to increase plant tolerance to salt stress via improving water status, ion homeostasis and plant anatomical structure as well as yield production. However, foliar application with these treatments caused significant decreases in lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species and electrolyte leakage as well as oxidative damages in the salt stressed plants. Because our aim is to increase the growth, and development as well as crop yield under salt conditions, the current review addresses the application of soil amendments and foliar application on morphological, physiological and biochemical as well as yield characteristics in the stressed crops as effective strategy for sustainable agriculture.

Objectives: This study addresses the critical issue of Cd contamination in agricultural soils, posing substantial risks to crop productivity and food safety. While prior pot experiment has undertook this issue on a small scale, this study aims to evaluate the efficacy of selected best soil amendments, at a large-scale field experiment. Methodology: Press mud and humic acid were applied at 0.5%, while gypsum and Fe2O3 were applied at 5 mg/kg alone and with foliar application of Fe nanoparticles at 5 mg/L. Analysis: Comparative analysis with control revealed the immobilization efficiency of all amendments in descending order of effectiveness as follows: 100, 102, 104, 104, 105, 102, 105, and 105% for PM, HA, GYP, Fe, PM + Fe Nps, HA + Fe Nps, GYP + Fe Nps, and Fe + Fe Nps. Additionally, reduced growth, photosynthetic activities, and elevated levels of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide, indicative of oxidative damage in control plant. Findings: Application of these amendments with foliar spraying of Fe Nps effectively mitigates Cd toxicity in maize crops, leading to improved growth, biomass, photosynthetic pigments, and antioxidant enzyme activities. Novelty/Improvement: These findings highlight the significance of exploring innovative approach of combining different amendments with foliar application of nanoparticles to mitigate Cd contamination and enhance soil health, thereby contributing to global efforts in ensuring food safety and security.

Cadmium (Cd) has become an important heavy metal pollutant because of its strong migration and high toxicity. The industrial production process aggravated the Cd pollution in rice fields. Human exposure to Cd through rice can cause kidney damage, emphysema, and various cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, posing a grave threat to health. As modern technology develops, the Cd accumulation model in rice and in-situ remediation of Cd pollution in cornfields have been extensively studied and applied, so it is necessary to sort out and summarize them systematically. Therefore, this paper reviewed the primary in-situ methods for addressing heavy metal contamination in rice paddies, including chemical remediation (inorganic-organic fertilizer remediation, nanomaterials, and composite remediation), biological remediation (phytoremediation and microbial remediation), and crop management remediation technologies. The factors that affect Cd transformation in soil and Cd migration in crops, the advantages and disadvantages of remediation techniques, remediation mechanisms, and the long-term stability of remediation were discussed. The shortcomings and future research directions of in situ remediation strategies for heavily polluted paddy fields and genetic improvement strategies for low-cadmium rice varieties were critically proposed. To sum up, this review aims to enhance understanding and serve as a reference for the appropriate selection and advancement of remediation technologies for rice fields contaminated with heavy metals.

The efficacy of RemBind (R) 300 to immobilize per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aqueous film forming foam (AFFF)-impacted soil (& sum;(28) PFAS 1280-8130 ng g(-1); n = 8) was assessed using leachability (ASLP) and bioaccumulation (Eisenia fetida) endpoints as the measure of efficacy. In unamended soil, & sum;(28) PFAS leachability ranged from 26.0 to 235 mu g l(-1), however, following the addition of 5% w/w RemBind (R) 300, & sum;(28) PFAS leachability was reduced by > 99%. Following exposure of E. fetida to unamended soil, & sum;(28) PFAS bioaccumulation ranged from 18,660-241,910 ng g(-1) DW with PFOS accumulating to the greatest extent (15,150-212,120 ng g(-1) DW). Biota soil accumulation factors (BSAF) were significantly (p < 0.05) higher for perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSA; 13.2-50.9) compared to perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCA; 1.2-12.7) while for individual PFSA, mean BSAF increased for C-4 to C-6 compounds (PFBS: 42.6; PFPeS: 52.7; PFHxS: 62.4). In contrast, when E. fetida were exposed to soil amended with 5% w/w RemBind (R) 300, significantly lower PFAS bioaccumulation occurred (& sum;(28) PFAS: 339-3397 ng g(-1) DW) with PFOS accumulation 23-246 fold lower compared to unamended soil. These results highlight the potential of soil amendments for reducing PFAS mobility and bioavailability, offering an immobilization-based risk management approach for AFFF-impacted soil.

One of the main abiotic stresses that affect plant development and lower agricultural productivity globally is salt in the soil. Organic amendments, such as compost and biochar can mitigate the opposing effects of soil salinity (SS) stress. The purpose of this experiment was to look at how tomato growth and yield on salty soil were affected by mineral fertilization and manure-biochar compost (MBC). Furthermore, the study looked at how biochar (organic amendments) work to help tomato plants that are stressed by salt and also a mechanism by which biochar addresses the salt stress on tomato plants. Tomato yield and vegetative growth were negatively impacted by untreated saline soil, indicating that tomatoes are salt-sensitive. MBC with mineral fertilization increased vegetative growth, biomass yield, fruit yield, chlorophyll, and nutrient contents, Na/K ratio of salt-stressed tomato plants signifies the ameliorating effects on tomato plant growth and yield, under salt stress. Furthermore, the application of MBC with mineral fertilizer decreased H2O2, but increased leaf relative water content (RWC), leaf proline, total soluble sugar, and ascorbic acid content and improved leaf membrane damage, in comparison with untreated plants, in response to salt stress. Among the composting substances, T-7 [poultry manure-biochar composting (PBC) (1:2) @ 3 t/ha + soil-based test fertilizer (SBTF)] dose exhibited better-improving effects on salt stress and had maintained an order of T-7 > T-9 > T-8 > T-6 in total biomass and fruit yield of tomato. These results suggested that MBC might mitigate the antagonistic effects of salt stress on plant growth and yield of tomatoes by improving osmotic adjustment, antioxidant capacity, nutrient accumulation, protecting photosynthetic pigments, and reducing ROS production and leaf damage in tomato plant leaves.

Salt damage affects crop yields and wastes limited water resources. Implementing water-saving and salt-controlling strategies along with amendments can enhance crop productivity and support the development of salinized soils towards. In this study, we used Jia Liang 0987 maize as the test material, and a two-factor split block design was executed to investigate the effects of synergistic management of irrigation volume (W1: 360 mm, W2: 450 mm, and W3: 540 mm) and amendments (T1: microbial agent 816.33 kghm-2, T2: humic acid 6122.45 kghm-2, T3: microsilica powder 612.25 kghm-2) on water, salt and soil indices, and growth characteristics. The combination of 450 mm of irrigation with humic acid (W2T2) or with microsilica powder (W2T3) significantly lowered the groundwater level by 0.24 m and 0.19 m, respectively. The soil mineralization was significantly reduced by 2.60 g/L and 1.75 g/L with W2T2 and 540 mm of irrigation combined with humic acid (W3T2), respectively. The soil moisture content increased with depth and over time, showing the greatest improvement with W2T2. This combination also showed optimal results for pH and total salt, organic matter, available phosphorus, quick-acting potassium, Cl-, and SO42- contents. W2T2 and W3T2 improved soil field capacity and HCO3- contents, and significantly increased total nitrogen and phosphorus content, improving the soil nutrient grade. W2T2 showed the greatest maize plant height (323.67 cm) and stem thickness (21.54 mm for diameter), enhancing above-ground dry biomass (72,985.49 kghm-2) and grain yield (14,646.57 kghm-2). Implementing water-saving and salt-controlling strategies with amendments effectively improved soil fertility and crop yield in salinized soils, and the amendments factor played a major role. In saline-alkali soils in the northwest of China, 450 mm of irrigation combined with humic acid is especially helpful for enhancing soil fertility and maize productivity.