Green manure incorporation accelerates enzyme activity, plant growth, and changes in the fungal community of soil.

Green manure can sustain agricultural production, preserve biodiversity, and mitigate soil degradation caused by long-term application of chemical fertilizers. Moreover, the application of green manure can improve soil health through increased soil biological activities. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to the effects of leguminous and non-leguminous plants on phosphorus- and carbon-related enzyme activities and fungal community composition in soil. In this study, a pot experiment was carried out to elucidate the effects of two green manures on plant growth promoting potential, phosphorus- and carbon-related enzyme activities, and soil fungal community composition. Two green manure treatments (Brassica juncea and hairy vetch), poultry compost and control (no amendment) were applied and soil samples were collected after incorporation of green manure and after plant harvest. The results revealed that plant growth with hairy vetch was significantly higher than that with B. juncea and poultry compost, and soil enzyme activities were markedly higher with hairy vetch than with B. juncea. Both green manure amendments altered the soil fungal community composition. It is possible that the incorporation of green manure into soil and their mineralization and decomposition were controlled by the carbon: nitrogen ratio of the manures and that these manures were easily degradable by soil fungi. In particular, the incorporation of leguminous (hairy vetch) green manure with a low carbon: nitrogen ratio resulted in better plant growth through fast mineralization. Our findings suggest that green manure incorporation is an effective practice and provides substantial benefits to the soil-plant system.

Acceptance Rates and Beliefs toward COVID-19 Vaccination among the General Population of Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Developing countries like Pakistan have previously suffered from barriers to acceptance of vaccination by the public because of financial and belief barriers. This study aims to explore these beliefs and highlight concerns regarding vaccine hesitancy in the general population of Pakistan since they are a hindrance to an effective coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) immunization in the country. A cross-sectional study was performed involving 1,778 participants from all four provinces of Pakistan. Results from the study showed more than half of the participants to be unsure of the safety (50%) and efficacy (51%) of the vaccine, whereas 42% were concerned about the side effects of the vaccine. About 72% of the respondents planned to get vaccinated, whereas 28% refused to do so. Internationally made imported vaccines were more trusted by the participants. Forty-four percent of the participants agreed to receive the vaccine upon recommendation from a physician. Lastly, participants who believed in the efficacy of the polio vaccination also considered the COVID-19 vaccine to be safe and effective.

Effect of co-application of Trichoderma spp. with organic composts on plant growth enhancement, soil enzymes and fungal community in soil.

The application of Trichoderma spp. has the potential to reduce not only mineral fertilizer use in agriculture but also improve soil health through increased soil biological activity. Trichoderma spp. have shown potential as bio-control agents and plant growth promoting ability, but little attention has been paid to the effect of Trichoderma spp. inoculation on nutrient availability and the soil microbiome. In this study, we evaluated the effect of Trichoderma spp. inoculation on nitrogen mineralization and quantified soil enzymatic activities along with plant growth promotion potential. The influence of Trichoderma spp. and organic amendments on the soil fungal community was also investigated. For this purpose, pots and incubation experiment was carried out, and seven treatments were set as follows; poultry compost (PC), poultry compost + RW309 (PCT), cattle compost (CC), cattle compost + RW309 (CCT), rapeseed oil cake (OC), inorganic fertilizer (N) and only soil (S) were set as control. We evaluated that Trichoderma sp. RW309 produced indole-3-acetic acid, which suggested that it could contribute to plant growth enhancement during early plant growth. Inoculation of RW309 with organic materials stimulated nitrogen mineralization and increased soil phosphatase activity. Furthermore, RW309 altered the fungal community in rhizosphere soil. However, cattle compost was a more suitable culture medium for RW309 than poultry compost in terms of nitrogen mineralization, soil enzyme activity, and growth of RW309. In conclusion, Trichoderma sp. RW309 could be considered for use as a bioorganic fertilizer in combination with organic compost to minimize the use of mineral fertilizers.

Soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry drives phosphorus lability in paddy soil under long-term fertilization: A fractionation and path analysis study.

Soil C:N:P stoichiometry plays a vital role in nutrient cycling in ecosystems, but its importance to P transformation in paddy soil remains unclear. We investigated the effect of soil C:N:P stoichiometry on P mobility and uptake under long-term fertilization. Three treatments, CK (no fertilization), NPK (inorganic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilization) and NPKM (combined inorganic NPK fertilizer and manure application), were selected from two long-term experiments of paddy soil that were initiated in 1991 and 1982 in Chongqing and Suining, respectively. The results showed that in comparison the control treatment, under long-term fertilization, soil pH decreased. In comparison with the NPK and CK treatments, the NPKM treatment significantly increased soil nutrient contents, P uptake and phosphatase activities. In comparison to the CK treatment, the NPK and NPKM treatments significantly decreased soil C:N, C:P and N:P ratios. In comparison to NPK and CK treatments, the NPKM treatment decreased residual-P at both sites. Compared with CK treatment, the NPKM treatments increased labile-P and moderately labile-P by 987% and 144%, respectively, and NPK treatment increased these factors by 823% and 125%, respectively, at the Chongqing site. At the Suining site, with NPKM treatment, increases in labile-P and moderately labile-P were 706% and 73%, respectively, and with NPK treatment, the increases were 529% and 47%, respectively. In contrast, non-labile-P was significantly decreased with NPKM treatment in comparison to that with NPK and CK treatments. Moreover, increases in soil C:N and C:P ratios decreased the labile-P pools and increased non-labile-P pools. A path analysis indicated that soil C:N:P stoichiometry indirectly controlled P uptake by directly affecting P transformation from non-labile to labile-P pools. Moreover, the non-labile-P in soil with high SOM and P content directly affected P uptake, indicating that soil P transformation is mainly driven by soil C and P in paddy soil. In conclusion, understanding mechanism of P mobility influenced by soil C:N:P stoichiometry could be helpful to manage soil P fertility under long-term fertilization in paddy soils of these regions.