732 research outputs found
Studio clinico: effetti di un food supplement a base di harpagophytum procumbens DC e di boswellia serrata Roxb. Nei confronti della capacità antiossidante totale di pazienti affetti da osteoartrite.
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Co-application of wood distillate and biochar improves soil quality and plant growth in basil (Ocimum basilicum)
No full textBackground: Nowadays, an ever-increasing attention toward eco-friendly and sustainable agricultural practices, such as the use of biological fertilizers that do not alter the ecological balance of soil, has been grown worldwide. Aim: To evaluate the effect of wood distillate (WD), biochar (B), and their combination (BWD) in increasing soil biomass, soil biological activities, and plant growth in basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) by determination of plant biomass. Methods: Plants of basil were cultivated in greenhouse with three different amendments. WD was applied at a 1% dilution through fertigation. B was applied at a rate of 2% (w/w) corresponding to 34 t ha–1. Organic carbon (OC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), soil microbial biomass carbon (MB-C), and enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase, phosphatase, arylsulfatase, β-glucosidase, and urease) were determined at the end of the cultivation period (4 weeks) in bulk soil and in the rhizospheric soil. The alteration index three (AI3), which calculates the balances between three enzymes and potentially allows to quantify in relative terms the differences between soils due to different management practices, was also determined. Results: WD and B significantly increased OC and MB-C content, whereas B preferentially retains soil DOC species and the organic substance of the WD in the BWD treatment. Phosphatase and urease activities were the most increased with the combination of the two amendments. AI3 in controls suggests that the application of WD and B at the right doses promotes the activity of soil microorganisms, enhancing the soil biological quality. Conclusion: The presence of the two organic sources increased the availability of nitrogen and phosphorus, with a positive response in terms of basil dry biomass. WD and B have been confirmed as suitable and sustainable amendments for potential application in crops cultivation
Numerical Characterization of Dynamic Hysteresis Loops and Losses in Soft Magnetic Materials
No full textThis paper deals with the characterization of dynamic loops shapes and losses in soft magnetic materials. An experimental and theoretical
analysis has been done in order to describe static and dynamic hysteresis on soft ferrite cores. A parallelogram-loop-based
hysteresis modeling is described and discussed. The possibility of the model to include vector hysteresis and the related properties are
then discussed, with particular attention to the case of a rotating magnetic field into an isotropic and anisotropic medium
Soil quality under the energetic crop giant reed (Arundo donax L.), cropping sequence and natural grassland
No full textThe objective of this study was to determine, on the same pedological, topographic and climatic conditions, the effect of a continuous giant reed cropping (GR), a cropping sequence (CS) as well as of untilled native grassland (NG) on some soil quality characteristics. Between the examined parameters, total soil organic carbon (TOC), light fraction carbon (LFC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) cumulative mineralized carbon (Cm), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), basal respiration, metabolic quotient (qCO2), potentially mineralizable carbon (C0), dehydrogenase (DHA), catalase (CA) and ß-glucosidase (GL) activities, as well as fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis (FDA), biological index of fertility (BIF) and initial potential rate of carbon mineralization (C0•k), were higher in the continuos giant reed cropping than in the cropping sequence. The C mineralization rate (k) was lower in GR than in CS, while the metabilc potential (MP) was similar in the two sites.
For what concerns the difference between GR and NG, this last usually considered as a reference or base line in evaluating attributes of soil quality, GR showed higher values for TOC, LFC, DOC and catalase activity. TOC and catalase, also for their analytical semplicity, may be suggested as the most suitable soil biochemical indicators for differentiating the effects of different crop management systems
Soil biological activities during the bioremediation of diesel contaminated soils
No full textThe responses of six agricultural soils, different in chemical, physical and biological characteristics, to diesel contamination were monitored during a 90-d incubation period. An evaluation of some enzyme activities and soil basal respiration as biological soil parameters to monitor soil status and quality during the decontamination process from total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) was carried out. Three samples were used: S (control, uncontaminated soil), CS (contaminated soil), SCS (sterilized contaminated soil). The relationships between soil parameters and the levels of TPH residues were investigated.
Results showed large loss of TPH, ranging between 28% and 40%, due to volatilization in all treatments during the first 10-d incubation period. The most effective biodegradation ability was in organic and coarse-textured soils. TPH strongly inhibited enzyme activities, mainly lipase and dehydrogenase. The soil respiration dynamics was reproduced satisfactorily by a kinetic model able to fit a flush of C mineralization followed by a stabilization phase. β-glucosidase activity and basal respiration were the best biochemical parameters for monitoring soil status and quality during the bioremediation process
Effects of combined biochar and vermicompost solution on leachate characterization and nitrogen balance from a greenhouse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivation soil
No full textBoth biochar (B) and vermicompost (V) can provide the soil with soluble organic matter. We evaluated the effect of B in reducing nitrate and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) losses from soil via leaching together with the effect of B combined with V solution (vermiwash) in increasing the efficiency of plant nitrogen. Tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) were cultivated in a greenhouse with soil under three different amendments (B, V and a mix BV). B was applied at a rate of 2% w/w corresponding to 34 t ha−1. V was applied at 25 mg per plant through fertigation. Leachate and soil were monitored in terms of nitrates and DOC throughout the trial (120 days), and plants and fruits were monitored in terms of nitrogen balance index (NBI) and dry matter biomass. B and BV significantly decreased NO3–_N content in the leachate in all recovered times by 66.8% and 71.3%, respectively. In contrast, the absence of biochar in the V treatment led to a 38.1% increase in NO3–_N concentration. Similar results were found for DOC content. The dry biomass of plants increased in B and BV treatments by 19.5 and 28.7%, respectively. The dry biomass of tomato fruits was enhanced by 18.5, 12.1, and 37% in V, B and BV treatments, respectively. Synergisms were found between the char material and complex organic compounds derived from the vermicompost process in terms of safeguarding the quality of the soil, the underground water, and the sustainability of crops. © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Impact of salinity on soil biological activities: a laboratory experiment
No full textIn a laboratory study, the impact of sodium chloride (NaCl) on soil quality was examined through the monitoring of soil biological activity. Artificially salinized samples were prepared from the nonsaline soil by adding NaCl at electrical conductivities (EC) 2, 4, and 8 dS · m -1 in saturated extracts. The samples were kept at 25 °C and at 50% field capacity during an incubation period of 40 days. The ATP, soil basal respiration, protease, amylase, alkaline phosphatase, dehydrogenase, and catalase activities were monitored. The biological index of fertility (BIF), the enzyme activity number (EAN), and the metabolic potential (MP) were calculated. A regression analysis was used to calculate parameters from cumulative data of carbon dioxide (CO 2) evolution. The size of microbial biomass, measured throughout the determination of ATP, was decreased by increasing salinity. Increasing concentrations of salt up to an EC of 4 dS · m -1 led to an increase of soil respiration. During incubation, protease and dehydrogenase were inhibited by NaCl; however, amylase, alkaline phosphatase, and catalase were not affected by the salt addition. Between indices, EAN confirmed the general depressive effect of NaCl on the biological properties of soil, while MP showed a pattern similar to that of soil respiration. Results of this study chiefly indicate that ATP, soil respiration, protease, dehydrogenase, EAN, and MP were able to put in evidence the effects of NaCl on soil biological activity and may be regarded as suitable tools to show the physiological reaction of soil microbial biomass under saline stress
Using Biochar and Vermiwash to Improve Biological Activities of Soil
No full textThe recycling of key nutrients and bioenergy from waste materials is a goal of sustainable agriculture. The co-application of biochar and a vermicompost solution (vermiwash) could enhance the positive effects of both materials on soil biomass and biological activities. Tomato plants were grown in soil amended with biochar, mixed at a rate of 2% w/w, and vermiwash, applied through fertigation at a rate of 25 mg per plant, alone (B and V) and in combination (BV). Organic C, dissolved organic C (DOC), soil biomass C, and some enzymatic activities were determined at the start (T0) and the end (T100) of the cultivation period in bulk soil and rhizosphere soil. B and V significantly increased the organic C and soil biomass contents. In addition, B retained the DOC species derived from the soil and, in the BV treatment, also the humic substance of the vermiwash. Generally, all the parameters achieved higher values in the rhizosphere than in the bulk soil. The altered soil index three (AI3) of enzyme activities suggests that applying V and B is helpful for the soil microorganisms. Synergisms between B and V were low in the bulk soil and clearly evident in the rhizosphere
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