Developed Rhizobium Strains Enhance Soil Fertility and Yield of Legume Crops in Haryana, India.

Three strains of Gram-negative bacterium, Rhizobium, were developed by gamma (γ)-irradiation random mutagenesis. The developed strains were evaluated for their augmented features for symbiotic association, nitrogen fixation, and crop yield of three leguminous plants-chickpea, field-pea, and lentil-in agricultural fields of the northern Indian state of Haryana. Crops treated with developed mutants exhibited significant improvement in plant features and the yield of crops when compared to the control-uninoculated crops and crops grown with indigenous or commercial crop-specific strains of Rhizobium. This improvement was attributed to generated mutants, MbPrRz1 (on chickpea), MbPrRz2 (on lentil), and MbPrRz3 (on field-pea). Additionally, the cocultured symbiotic response of MbPrRz1 and MbPrRz2 mutants was found to be more pronounced on all three crops. The statistical analysis using Pearson's correlation coefficients revealed that nodulation and plant biomass were the most related parameters of crop yield. Among the effectiveness of developed mutants, MbPrRz1 yielded the best results for all three tested crops. Moreover, the developed mutants enhanced macro- and micronutrients of the experimental fields when compared with fields harboring the indigenous rhizobial community. These developed mutants were further genetically characterized, predominantly expressing nitrogen fixation marker, nifH, and appeared to belong to Mesorhizobium ciceri (MbPrRz1) and Rhizobium leguminosarum (both MbPrRz2 and MbPrRz3). In summary, this study highlights the potential of developed Rhizobium mutants as effective biofertilizers for sustainable agriculture, showcasing their ability to enhance symbiotic relationships, crop yield, and soil fertility.

The recent genetic modification techniques for improve soil conservation, nutrient uptake and utilization.

Advances in genetic modification (GM) techniques have generated huge interest in improving nutrient utilization, maximizing nutrient uptake, and conserving soil in the pursuit of sustainable agriculture. Unfortunately, little is still known about the recent advancements in the application of GM tactics to enhance each of these areas. This review explores the latest GM strategies intended to support soil conservation, maximize nutrient uptake, and improve nutrient utilization in farming, highlighting the critical roles that soil health and nutrient management play in sustainable farming. GM strategies such as improving the efficiency of nutrient uptake through enhanced root systems and increased nutrient transport mechanisms are well discussed. This study suggests that addressing potential obstacles, such as ethical and regulatory concerns, is a necessity for long-term sustainability applications of GM technologies to raise agricultural yields.

Nanopriming boost seed vigor: Deeper insights into the effect mechanism.

Nanopriming, an advanced seed priming technology, is highly praised for its environmental friendliness, safety, and effectiveness in promoting sustainable agriculture. Studies have shown that nanopriming can enhance seed germination by stimulating the expression of aquaporins and increasing amylase production. By applying an appropriate concentration of nanoparticles, seeds can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), enhance their antioxidant capacity, improve their response to oxidative stress, and enhance their tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses. This positive impact extends beyond the seed germination and seedling growth stages, persisting throughout the entire life cycle. This review offers a comprehensive overview of recent research progress in seed priming using various nanoparticles, while also addressing current challenges and future opportunities for sustainable agriculture.

Biofabricated nanomaterials in sustainable agriculture: insights, challenges and prospects.

One ever-evolving and ever-demanding critical human endeavour is the provision of food security for the growing world population. It could be done by adopting sustainable agriculture through horizontal (expanding the aerable land area) and vertical (intensifying agriculture through sound technological approaches) interventions. Customised formulated nanomaterials have numerous advantages. With their specialised physicochemical properties, some nanoparticulised materials improve plant's natural development and stress tolerance and some other are good nanocarriers. Nanocarriers in agriculture often coat chemicals to form composites having utilities with crop productivity enhancement abilities, environmental management (like ecotoxicity reduction ability), and biomedicines (like the ability of controlled and targeted release of useful nanoscale drugs). The Ag, Fe, Zn, TiO2, ZnO, SiO2 and MgO nanoparticles often employed in advanced agriculture are covered here. Some nanoparticles used for various extended purposes in modern farming practices, including disease diagnostics and seed treatment are covered too. Thus, nanotechnology has revolutionised agrotechnology, which holds promises to transform agricultural (eco)system as a whole to ensure food security in future. Considering the available literature, the article further probes the emergent regulatory issues governing the synthesis and use of nanomaterials in the agriculture sector. If applied responsibly, nanomaterials could help improve soil health. The article provides an overview of the used nanomaterials in distribution of biomolecules, to aid in devising a safer and eco-friendly sustainable agriculture strategy. Through this, agri-systems depending on advanced farming practices might function more effectively and enhance agri-productivity to meet the food demand of the rising world population.

Biodegradation of humic acids by Streptomyces rochei to promote the growth and yield of corn.

Humic acids (HAs) are organic macromolecules that play an important role in improving soil properties, plant growth and agronomic parameters. However, the feature of relatively complex aromatic structure makes it difficult to be degraded, which restricts the promotion to the crop growth. Thus, exploring microorganisms capable of degrading HAs may be a potential solution. Here, a HAs-degrading strain, Streptomyces rochei L1, and its potential for biodegradation was studied by genomics, transcriptomics, and targeted metabolomics analytical approaches. The results showed that the high molecular weight HAs were cleaved to low molecular aliphatic and aromatic compounds and their derivatives. This cleavage may be associated with the laccase (KatE). In addition, the polysaccharide deacetylase (PdgA) catalyzes the removal of acetyl groups from specific sites on the HAs molecule, resulting in structural changes. The field experiment showed that the degraded HAs significantly promote the growth of corn seedlings and increase the corn yield by 3.6 %. The HAs-degrading products, including aromatic and low molecular weight aliphatic substances as well as secondary metabolites from S. rochei L1, might be the key components responsible for the corn promotion. Our findings will advance the application of HAs as soil nutrients for the green and sustainable agriculture.

Optimizing fungal treatment of lignocellulosic agro-industrial by-products to enhance their nutritional value.

This study delves into the dynamic interaction between various fungal strains, substrates, and treatment durations to optimize the nutritional value of these by-products. Six fungi, including Penicillium chrysogenum, Fusarium sp., Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, Penicillium crustosum, and Cosmospora viridescens, were evaluated across three substrates: wheat straw (WS), cedar sawdust (CW), and olive pomace (OP) over treatment periods of 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The study discerned profound impacts of these fungi across multiple parameters, including cellulose variation (C.var), lignin variation (L.var), and in vitro true digestibility variation (IVTD.var). Our results demonstrated that the various fungi had a significant effect on all parameters (p < .001). Noteworthy, F. oxysporum and F. solani emerged as exemplars, displaying notable lignin degradation, cellulose liberation, and IVTD enhancement. Importantly, P. crustosum demonstrated substantial cellulose degradation, exhibiting optimal efficacy in just 4 weeks for all substrates. Notably, F. sp. excelled, yielding favorable results when treating WS. P. chrysogenum achieved optimal outcomes with 8-week treatment for WS. Both Fusarium sp. and P. chrysogenum exhibited slight cellulose release, with remarkable reduction of WS lignin compared to other substrates. Especially, WS and OP displayed superior digestibility enhancements relative to CW. It should be noted that the treatment duration further shaped these outcomes, as prolonged treatment (12 weeks) fostered greater benefits in lignin degradation and digestibility, albeit with concomitant cellulose degradation. These findings underscore the intricate balance between fungal strains, substrates, and treatment durations in optimizing the nutritional value of lignocellulosic agro-industrial by-products. The outcomes of this study lead to the enhancement in the overall value of by-products, promoting sustainable livestock feed and advancing agricultural sustainability.

Development of High-Efficiency Fertilizer by Hydrogels Obtained from Cassava Starch and Citric Acid for Slow Release of Ammonium and Potassium.

Fertilizers with enhanced efficiency or high-efficiency fertilizers increase the nutrient availability, minimize losses, and reduce costs, thereby increasing crop yields and food production while mitigating environmental impacts. This research evaluates the synthesis of biodegradable hydrogels from cassava starch and citric acid for agrochemical applications. Hydrogels were synthesized using water as the solvent and applied for the controlled release of macronutrients (N and K). Four concentrations of nutrient-containing salts were tested (0.5 to 10.0% w/w). Materials were analyzed using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and swelling studies. The presence of nutrients reduced both the crosslinking efficacy and the water absorption capacity, with the latter dropping from 183.4 ± 0.6% to 117.9 ± 3.7% and 157.4 ± 25.0% for hydrogels loaded with NH4Cl and KCl, respectively. The cumulative release of K and N from the hydrogel was monitored for 144 h and examined using kinetics models, revealing that the releases follow Fickian's diffusion and anomalous diffusion, respectively. Additionally, the material was formed using cassava with peel previously milled to reduce the production costs, and its potential for nutrient-controlled delivery was evaluated, with the finding that this hydrogel decreases the release rate of nitrogen. The results suggest that these biomaterials may have promising applications in the agrochemical industry in the making of high-efficiency fertilizers.

Hydroponics with Microalgae and Cyanobacteria: Emerging Trends and Opportunities in Modern Agriculture.

The global population is expected to reach 9.5 billion, which means that crop productivity needs to double to meet the growing population's food demand. Soil degradation and environmental factors, such as climate events, significantly threaten crop production and global food security. Furthermore, rapid urbanization has led to 55% of the world's population migrating to cities, and this proportion is expected to increase to 75% by 2050, which presents significant challenges in producing staple foods through conventional hinterland farming. Numerous studies have proposed various sustainable farming techniques to combat the shortage of farmable land and increase food security in urban areas. Soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics have gained worldwide popularity due to their resource efficiency and production of superior-quality fresh products. However, using chemical nutrients in a conventional hydroponic system can have significant environmental impacts, including eutrophication and resource depletion. Incorporating microalgae into hydroponic systems as biostimulants offers a sustainable and ecofriendly approach toward circular bioeconomy strategies. The present review summarizes the plant growth-promoting activity of microalgae as biostimulants and their mechanisms of action. We discuss their effects on plant growth parameters under different applications, emphasizing the significance of integrating microalgae into a closed-loop circular economy model to sustainably meet global food demands.

Sustainable soil management under drought stress through biochar application: Immobilizing arsenic, ameliorating soil quality, and augmenting plant growth.

Rise in climate change-induced drought occurrences have amplified pollution of metal(loid)s, deteriorated soil quality, and deterred growth of crops. Rice straw-derived biochars (RSB) and cow manure-enriched biochars (CEB) were used in the investigation (at doses of 0%, 2.5%, 5%, and 7.5%) to ameliorate the negative impacts of drought, improve soil fertility, minimize arsenic pollution, replace agro-chemical application, and maximize crop yields. Even in soils exposed to severe droughts, 3 months of RSB and CEB amendment (at 7.5% dose) revealed decreased bulk density (13.7% and 8.9%), and increased cation exchange capacity (6.0% and 6.3%), anion exchange capacity (56.3% and 28.0%), porosity (12.3% and 7.9%), water holding capacity (37.5% and 12.5%), soil respiration (17.8% and 21.8%), and nutrient contents (especially N and P). Additionally, RSB and CEB decreased mobile (30.3% and 35.7%), bio-available (54.7% and 45.3%), and leachable (55.0% and 56.5%) fractions of arsenic. Further, pot experiments with Bengal gram and coriander plants showed enhanced growth (62-188% biomass and 90-277% length) and reduced arsenic accumulation (49-54%) in above ground parts of the plants. Therefore, biochar application was found to improve physico-chemical properties of soil, minimize arsenic contamination, and augment crop growth even in drought-stressed soils. The investigation suggests utilisation of cow manure for eco-friendly fabrication of nutrient-rich CEB, which could eventually promote sustainable agriculture and circular economy. With the increasing need for sustainable agricultural practices, the use of biochar could provide a long-term solution to enhance soil quality, mitigate the effects of climate change, and ensure food security for future generations. Future research should focus on optimizing biochar application across various soil types and climatic conditions, as well as assessing its long-term effectiveness.

Harvesting insect pests for animal feed: potential to capture an unexploited resource.

The demand for animal protein grows as the human population increases. Technological and genetic advances in traditional animal agriculture will not produce enough protein to meet future needs without significant innovations such as the use of insects as protein sources. Insect farming is growing insects, whereas insect harvesting is collecting insects from their natural habitats to produce high-quality protein for animal feed or human food. Intensive agricultural environments produce tremendous quantities of pestiferous insects and with the right harvest technologies these insects can be used as a protein supplement in traditional animal daily rations. An avenue to exploit these insects is to use traps such as the United States Department of Agriculture-Biomass Harvest Trap (USDA-BHT) to efficiently attract, harvest, and store insects from naturally abundant agricultural settings. The modular design allows for a low cost, easy to build and fix device that is user friendly and has customizable attractants to target various pest species. Although insect harvesting faces substantial challenges, including insect biomass quantity, seasonal abundance and preservation, food safety, and economic and nutritional evaluation, the potential for utilizing these pests for protein shows tremendous promise. In this forum, insect harvesting is discussed, including its potential, limitations, challenges, and research needs. In addition, the use of a mass trapping device is discussed as a tool to increase the biomass of insects collected from the environment.

Conceptualization, design, and construction of a novel insect mass trapping device: the USDA Biomass Harvest Trap (USDA-BHT).

The use of insects as animal feed has the potential to be a green revolution for animal agriculture as insects are a rich source of high-quality protein. Insect farming must overcome challenges such as product affordability and scalability before it can be widely incorporated as animal feed. An alternative is to harvest insect pests from the environment using mass trapping devices and use them as animal feed. For example, intensive agricultural environments generate large quantities of pestiferous insects and with the right harvest technologies, these insects can be used as a protein supplement in traditional animal daily rations. Most insect trapping devices are limited by the biomass they can collect. In that context, and with the goal of using wild collected insects as animal feed, the United States Department of Agriculture-Biomass Harvest Trap (USDA-BHT) was designed and built. The USDA-BHT is a valuable mass trapping device developed to efficiently attract, harvest, and store flying insects from naturally abundant agricultural settings. The trap offers a modular design with adjustable capabilities, and it is an inexpensive device that can easily be built with commonly available parts and tools. The USDA-BHT is also user-friendly and has customizable attractants to target various pest species.

A critical systematic review on spectral-based soil nutrient prediction using machine learning.

The United Nations (UN) emphasizes the pivotal role of sustainable agriculture in addressing persistent starvation and working towards zero hunger by 2030 through global development. Intensive agricultural practices have adversely impacted soil quality, necessitating soil nutrient analysis for enhancing farm productivity and environmental sustainability. Researchers increasingly turn to Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to improve crop yield estimation and optimize soil nutrition management. This study reviews 155 papers published from 2014 to 2024, assessing the use of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) in predicting soil nutrients. It highlights the potential of hyperspectral and multispectral sensors, which enable precise nutrient identification through spectral analysis across multiple bands. The study underscores the importance of feature selection techniques to improve model performance by eliminating redundant spectral bands with weak correlations to targeted nutrients. Additionally, the use of spectral indices, derived from mathematical ratios of spectral bands based on absorption spectra, is examined for its effectiveness in accurately predicting soil nutrient levels. By evaluating various performance measures and datasets related to soil nutrient prediction, this paper offers comprehensive insights into the applicability of AI techniques in optimizing soil nutrition management. The insights gained from this review can inform future research and policy decisions to achieve global development goals and promote environmental sustainability.

Assessment of the USDA Biomass Harvest Trap (USDA-BHT) device as an insect harvest and mosquito surveillance tool.

Insects are a promising source of high-quality protein, and the insect farming industry will lead to higher sustainability when it overcomes scaling up, cost effectiveness, and automation. In contrast to insect farming (raising and breeding insects as livestock), wild insect harvesting (collecting agricultural insect pests), may constitute a simple sustainable animal protein supplementation strategy. For wild harvest to be successful sufficient insect biomass needs to be collected while simultaneously avoiding the collection of nontarget insects. We assessed the performance of the USDA Biomass Harvest Trap (USDA-BHT) device to collect flying insect biomass and as a mosquito surveillance tool. The USDA-BHT device was compared to other suction traps commonly used for mosquito surveillance (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps, Encephalitis virus surveillance traps, and Biogents Sentinel traps). The insect biomass harvested in the USDA-BHT was statistically higher than the one harvested in the other traps, however the mosquito collections between traps were not statistically significantly different. The USDA-BHT collected some beneficial insects, although it was observed that their collection was minimized at night. These findings coupled with the fact that sorting time to separate the mosquitoes from the other collected insects was significantly longer for the USDA-BHT, indicate that the use of this device for insect biomass collection conflicts with its use as an efficient mosquito surveillance tool. Nevertheless, the device efficiently collected insect biomass, and thus can be used to generate an alternative protein source for animal feed.

Endophyte mediated biocontrol mechanisms of phytopathogens in agriculture.

The global human population is growing and demand for food is increasing. Global agriculture faces numerous challenges, including excessive application of synthetic pesticides, emergence of herbicide-and pesticide-resistant pathogenic microbes, and more frequent natural disasters associated with global warming. Searches for valuable endophytes have increased, with the aim of making agriculture more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Endophytic microbes are known to have a variety of beneficial effects on plants. They can effectively transfer nutrients from the soil into plants, promote plant growth and development, increase disease resistance, increase stress tolerance, prevent herbivore feeding, reduce the virulence of pathogens, and inhibit the growth of rival plant species. Endophytic microbes can considerably minimize the need for agrochemicals, such as fertilizers, fungicides, bactericides, insecticides, and herbicides in the cultivation of crop plants. This review summarizes current knowledge on the roles of endophytes focusing on their mechanisms of disease control against phytopathogens through the secretion of antimicrobial substances and volatile organic compounds, and the induction of systemic resistance in plants. Additionally, the beneficial roles of these endophytes and their metabolites in the control of postharvest diseases in plants have been summarized.

Invisible Inhabitants of Plants and a Sustainable Planet: Diversity of Bacterial Endophytes and their Potential in Sustainable Agriculture.

Uncontrolled usage of chemical fertilizers, climate change due to global warming, and the ever-increasing demand for food have necessitated sustainable agricultural practices. Removal of ever-increasing environmental pollutants, treatment of life-threatening diseases, and control of drug-resistant pathogens are also the need of the present time to maintain the health and hygiene of nature, as well as human beings. Research on plant-microbe interactions is paving the way to ameliorate all these sustainably. Diverse bacterial endophytes inhabiting the internal tissues of different parts of the plants promote the growth and development of their hosts by different mechanisms, such as through nutrient acquisition, phytohormone production and modulation, protection from biotic or abiotic challenges, assisting in flowering and root development, etc. Notwithstanding, efficient exploitation of endophytes in human welfare is hindered due to scarce knowledge of the molecular aspects of their interactions, community dynamics, in-planta activities, and their actual functional potential. Modern "-omics-based" technologies and genetic manipulation tools have empowered scientists to explore the diversity, dynamics, roles, and functional potential of endophytes, ultimately empowering humans to better use them in sustainable agricultural practices, especially in future harsh environmental conditions. In this review, we have discussed the diversity of bacterial endophytes, factors (biotic as well as abiotic) affecting their diversity, and their various plant growth-promoting activities. Recent developments and technological advancements for future research, such as "-omics-based" technologies, genetic engineering, genome editing, and genome engineering tools, targeting optimal utilization of the endophytes in sustainable agricultural practices, or other purposes, have also been discussed.

Improving Water Stability of Soil Aggregates with Polyvinyl Alcohol as a Polymeric Binder.

Soil degradation threatens agricultural productivity and food supply, leading to hunger issues in some developing regions. To address this challenge, we developed a low-cost, highly efficient, and long-term stable soil improvement method. We chose polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a commercially available polymer that is safe and non-degradable, to serve as a soil adhesive. We mixed PVA solution into the soil and applied a drying treatment to enhance the bonding between PVA and the soil, achieving highly water-stable soil. This PVA-stabilized soil exhibits low bulk density, high porosity, and high permeability, making it an ideal substrate for planting. In a germination test, the PVA-stabilized soil revealed a higher germination rate and growth rate compared to those of the non-treated soil. We believe this simple and efficient soil improvement method can restore degraded soil and contribute to sustainable agriculture.

Building blocks toward sustainable biofertilizers: variation in arbuscular mycorrhizal spore germination when immobilized with diazotrophic bacteria in biodegradable hydrogel beads.

AIM: We investigated whether there was interspecies and intraspecies variation in spore germination of 12 strains of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi when co-entrapped with the diazotrophic plant growth-promoting bacteria, Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 in alginate hydrogel beads. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twelve Rhizophagus irregularis, Rhizophagus intraradices, and Funneliformis mosseae strains were separately combined with a live culture of Azospirillum brasilense Sp7. Each fungal-bacterial consortia was supplemented with sodium alginate to a 2% concentration (v/v) and cross-linked in calcium chloride (2% w/v) to form biodegradable hydrogel beads. One hundred beads from each combination (total of 1200) were fixed in solidified modified Strullu and Romand media. Beads were observed for successful spore germination and bacterial growth over 14 days. In all cases, successful growth of A. brasilense was observed. For arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, interspecies variation in spore germination was observed, with R. intraradices having the highest germination rate (64.3%), followed by R. irregularis (45.5%) and F. mosseae (40.3%). However, a difference in intraspecies germination was only observed among strains of R. irregularis and F. mosseae. Despite having varying levels of germination, even the strains with the lowest potential were still able to establish with the plant host Brachypodium distachyon in a model system. CONCLUSIONS: Arbuscular mycorrhizal spore germination varied across strains when co-entrapped with a diazotrophic plant growth-promoting bacteria. This demonstrates that hydrogel beads containing a mixed consortium hold potential as a sustainable biofertilizer and that compatibility tests remain an important building block when aiming to create a hydrogel biofertilizer that encases a diversity of bacteria and fungi. Moving forward, further studies should be conducted to test the efficacy of these hydrogel biofertilizers on different crops across varying climatic conditions in order to optimize their potential.

Small molecule, big impacts: Nano-nutrients for sustainable agriculture and food security.

Human existence and the long-term viability of society depend on agriculture. Overuse of synthetic fertilizers results in increased contamination of the land, water, and atmosphere as well as financial constraints. In today's modern agriculture, environmentally friendly technology is becoming more and more significant as a substitute for conventional fertilizers and chemical pesticides. Using nanotechnology, agricultural output can be improved in terms of quality, biological support, financial stability, and environmental safety. There is a lot of promise for the sustainable application of nano-fertilizers in crop productivity and soil fertility, with little or no negative environmental effects. In this context, the present review provided an overview of the benefits of using nanofertilizers, its application and types. Mechanistic approach for increasing soil fertility and yield via nanofertilizers also described in detail. We concluded this article to compare the advantages of nanofertilizers over chemicals and nano-chemicals. Nonetheless, additional investigation is required to comprehend the effects and possible hazards of nanomaterials in the food production chain.

Research Progress and Production Status of Edible Insects as Food in China.

Based on the background of the exacerbating food shortage in the world, it is particularly important to diversify food resources in every possible direction. Among the choices available, edible insects have become an important alternative source of animal food with their high nutritional and functional (pharmacological) values, partially replacing normally consumed animal and livestock protein food sources. The utilization of edible insects has been an ancient custom since the dawn of civilization, attributed to their rich nutrition, alternate protein source, medicinal values, and presence of diverse secondary metabolites and alkaloids. This review provides an introduction to three key aspects of edible insects as food: freshness, long-term preservation, and medicinal value. It also provides details on the food source and products of edible insect species, their detailed nutritional composition and medicinal values, and their potential in producing alternative protein sources. Additionally, the review also encompasses rearing and producing technologies, resource utilization, and industrial development in China. Simultaneously, the problems and challenges faced in the artificial rearing and production development of edible insects, the production advantages over traditional livestock, and the farming evaluation and prospects of edible insects, as well as the lack of specific legislation on edible insects in China, are discussed. This review will be helpful in scientific knowledge propagation regarding edible insects for the public, guiding consumers to establish a diverse perception of sustainable agriculture and food sources in the world that has, as yet, been thwarted by food insecurity. Moreover, though edible insects could potentially serve as part of a commercial and industrial agri-enterprise that could generate a huge income, artificial rearing technology and edible insect product manufacturing and processing have not received sufficient attention from the government on a policy level, thereby leaving an open space for extensive research on edible insects as an alternate food source as well as an examination of the industrial prospects of edible insect products.

The Effect of Recycled Spent Coffee Grounds Fertilizer, Vermicompost, and Chemical Fertilizers on the Growth and Soil Quality of Red Radish (Raphanus sativus) in the United Arab Emirates: A Sustainability Perspective.

The overuse of chemical fertilizers degrades the soil ecosystem and restricts the natural development of plants. Various byproducts are produced throughout the production and consumption of coffee within the coffee industry, and they are significant in terms of environmental waste. Spent coffee grounds (SCGs) contains various bioactive compounds that have demonstrated potential applications in various fields. These compounds can enhance soil quality by improving its physicochemical properties and biological fertility, ultimately leading to improved plant growth and reducing food waste and contamination at the same time. This current study examined the impact of chemical fertilizer, vermicompost, SCGs with percentage fertilizer (SCGPF), and SCGs on the top dressing fertilizer (SCGTDF) on red radish (Raphanus sativus) growth and soil quality. This greenhouse experiment tested various concentrations of SCGPF (5%, 10%, 25%, and 50%) and different doses of SCGTDF (0.5 g, 1 g, and 2.5 g). The results showed that the 0.5 g SCGTDF treatment yielded the highest mean plant length (18.47 cm) and fresh weight (27.54 g), while the vermicompost at a 50% concentration produced the highest mean leaf surface area (58.32 cm2). These findings suggest the potential of SCGs as a sustainable fertilizer alternative, contributing to improved plant growth and soil quality, thus supporting sustainable agricultural practices and a circular economy.