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Sustainable Remediation and Management of Agricultural Soil and Water Resources

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A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecosystem, Environment and Climate Change in Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2024) | Viewed by 13907

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Prof. Dr. Jolanta Kwiatkowska-Malina

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Geodesy and Cartography, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-661 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: humic substances; reusable organic additives; biochar; brown coal waste; bioavailability and immobilisation of heavy metals; cirular economy; ecosystem services; marginal land reuse; sustainable agriculture; precise farming

Prof. Dr. Grzegorz Malina

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Guest Editor

Department of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Interests: green remediation; bioavailability; immobilization; contaminants fate in soil water systems; bioremediation; permeable reactive barriers; integrated water management; environmental risk assessment; solid waste management; brownfields re-development
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The issues of contaminated/deteriorated soil and water resources are addressed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, mainly in: "Zero Hunger", "Good Health and Wellbeing", "Clean Water and Sanitation", "Living on Land" and "Living Underwater", and under the EU's Green Deal by 2030. Both documents emphasize the negative impacts of agricultural production on the natural environment rather than providing solutions and approaches to mitigating these detrimental effects. Therefore, in an integrated approach, it is necessary to also focus on sustainable remediation and management measures specifically tailored for agricultural soil and water resources.

This Special Issue focuses on the development of effective, eco-friendly, green remediation measures and integrated agricultural soil and water management leading to improved soil functions and ecosystem services. Contributions will cover eco-friendly (bio)remediation methods, e.g.: soil/surface water phytoremediation with aquatic plants, mulching and ex situ landfarming. Conventional and re-usable organic additives that can be used to immobilize contaminants, improve soil functions and restore marginal land, as well as precision farming to avoid nitrate and phosphate contamination, are also within the scope of this Special Issue. Articles concerning agricultural practices and management leading to soil/water protection, e.g.: wetlands, the revitalization of rural/agricultural ponds, rainwater harvesting, innovative irrigation/drainage, are also welcomed. All kinds of articles such as original research, opinions and reviews are accepted.

Prof. Dr. Jolanta Kwiatkowska-Malina
Prof. Dr. Grzegorz Malina
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

green remediation
re-usable organic additives
bioavailability
immobilization
circular economy
ecosystem services
phytoremediation
mulching
wetlands
village
farm ponds revival
rainwater harvesting
irrigation
drainage innovations
soil
water conservation measures
integrated management

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 9049 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Temperature and Water Distribution of Hot Air in Red Loam Based on Soil Continuous Cropping Obstacles

by Zhenjie Yang, Muhammad Ameen, Yilu Yang, Anyan Xue, Junyu Chen, Junyou Yang, Pengcheng Fang, Yu Lai, Junqian Liu, Yuhan Wang and Yijie Zhang

Agriculture 2024, 14(4), 588; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14040588 - 08 Apr 2024

Viewed by 416

Abstract

In recent years, the problematic circumstances of the constant cropping problem in facility crops have become increasingly serious. Compared to chemical disinfection, soil steam disinfestation offers the benefits of environmental protection and being pollution-free, which can effectively reduce the problem of constant cropping in crops. However, during the steam disinfection procedure, a large quantity of liquid water is formed due to the condensation of high-temperature steam, which causes soil pore blockage, seriously affecting the mass and heat transfer efficacy of steam and, thus, affecting the disinfection efficiency. Therefore, to solve this problem, this paper proposes the use of hot air dehumidification to remove excess water from soil pores and achieve the goal of dredging the pores. However, further exploration is needed on how to efficiently remove excess water from different pore structures through hot air applications. Therefore, this paper first used CFD simulation technology to simulate and analyze the hot air flow field, mass, and heat transfer in soil aggregates of different sizes (<2 mm to >8 mm). Then, based on the soil hot air heating experimental platform, research was conducted on the mass and heat transfer mechanism of hot air under diverse soil pore conditions. The results show that as the soil particle size increases from <2 mm to >8 mm, the number of soil macropores also increases, which makes the soil prone to the formation of macropore thermal currents, and the efficiency of hot air heating for dehumidification first increases and then decreases. Among them, the 4–6 mm treatment has the best dehumidification effect through hot air heating, with a deep soil temperature of up to 90 °C and a water content reduction of 6%. The 4–6 mm treatment has a high-temperature heating and dehumidification area of 15–20 cm deep. The above results lay the theoretical foundations for the parameters of hot air heating and dehumidification operations, as well as the placement of the hot air pipe. This paper aims to combine hot air dehumidification technology, for the removal of excess water from soil, and dredging soil pores, ultimately achieving the goal of improving soil steam disinfection efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Remediation and Management of Agricultural Soil and Water Resources)

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12 pages, 5497 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in Enzyme Activities in Salt-Affected Soils during Incubation Study of Diverse Particle Sizes of Rice Straw

by Sandeep Sharma, Nihar Gupta, Anmoldeep Singh Chakkal, Neha Sharma, Saud Alamri, Manzer H. Siddiqui and Fasih Ullah Haider

Agriculture 2023, 13(9), 1694; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13091694 - 28 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1156

Abstract

Soil enzymes are linked to the plant–soil–enzyme–soil nutrients of the soil system, which play an important role in carbon cycling and phosphorus mineralization in soil. Monitoring soil biological quality, particularly enzyme activities, after receiving organic amendments is a prerequisite for the sustainable management of soils. An incubation study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different particle sizes of rice residue (control, powdered, 1 cm, 2 cm, 5 cm, and 10 cm) on the enzymatic activities in three soils (normal, saline, and sodic). The soils used in the study were alkaline in reaction with a pH range of 7.05–8.86 and an electrical conductivity (EC) gradient from 0.41 to 2.5 dS m⁻¹. Significant changes in the soil enzyme activity (dehydrogenase, fluorescein diacetate, and alkaline phosphatase) were observed with the incorporation of rice residue as compared to control. The enzymatic activities were substantially enhanced with a decrease in the size of the residue up to 28 days during the incubation period. The maximum enzymatic activity in the three soils was found to be in the order of normal > sodic > saline soils. These results suggest that the particle size of rice residues and salt levels should be considered important factors in residue decomposition in soils, as they directly influence the activity of soil enzymes for the overall improvement of the biological pools in soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Remediation and Management of Agricultural Soil and Water Resources)

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16 pages, 615 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Can Organic Matter from Waste-Derived Amendments Limit Phosphorus Losses from Soil to the Aquatic Environment?

by Ewa Szara, Jolanta Kwiatkowska-Malina and Grzegorz Malina

Agriculture 2023, 13(2), 375; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13020375 - 04 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1571

Abstract

When introducing innovative waste-derived amendments, their potential impact on soil retention capacity towards phosphorus (P) should be accounted for to limit its losses and thus water eutrophication. The study was aimed at evaluating P sorption properties of organic waste-derived amendments conifer woodchip biochar (BIO) and brown coal waste (BCW), and assessing their impact on P sorption properties in soil five years after their application in terms of limiting P losses from soils to the water sources. In batch tests samples of amendments and sandy acid soil (Haplic Luvisol) were exposed for 24 h to balancing solutions with a different P content, respectively 0–80 mg P L⁻¹ for amendments and 0–20 mg P L⁻¹ for soil. Three treatments were studied: (1) conifer woodchip biochar (BIO, (2) brown coal waste (BCW) and (0) soil without amendment (control). Organic amendments were applied to soil at a rate equivalent of 10.2 t C ha⁻¹ once at the start of the trial and they amounted to 24.2 t ha⁻¹ for BCW and 12.8 t ha⁻¹ for BIO. Based on the results of the bath tests and the Langmuir and Freundlich equations, sorption parameters of P were determined for BIO, BCW and the soil after their application. The maximum sorption capacities (S_max) of BIO and BCW were 832.3 and 250.4 mg kg⁻¹, respectively, and were controlled mainly by the organic surfaces of their structures. Within the range of concentrations used in the balancing solutions (5–20 mg P L⁻¹), sorption of P was generally higher in unfertilized soil compared to soil amended with BCW and BIO. The application of BIO significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the S_max (17%), while BCW decreased the bonding energy of P (k) by 15% compared to the untreated soil. The content of dissolved P increased significantly in the case of both BCW and BIO applications, which may indicate an increase in soil susceptibility to P losses. However, the effectiveness of these amendments in limiting P losses with the use of other doses and in different soil and climatic conditions cannot be excluded. Further research is recommended to better understand the effect of biochar feedstock and temperature of its production on P retention/losses in various types of soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Remediation and Management of Agricultural Soil and Water Resources)

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18 pages, 5705 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Use of Spectral Indices to Recognize Waterlogged Agricultural Land in South Moravia, Czech Republic

by Marek Bednář, Bořivoj Šarapatka, Patrik Netopil, Miroslav Zeidler, Tomáš Hanousek and Lucie Homolová

Agriculture 2023, 13(2), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13020287 - 25 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1712

Abstract

The agricultural landscape of the Czech Republic is facing climate change, and drought is among the most severe stress factors. Thousands of small ponds and naturally wet areas have been drained and transformed into agricultural parcels. Their restoration could increase the landscape’s resilience to climate change. Therefore, we describe the possibility of using hyperspectral aerial surveying for the identification of waterlogged areas in the agricultural landscape based on the example of one of the warmest and driest regions of the Czech Republic—the South Moravian region, an area where water retention in the landscape is highly relevant. Within our study, a total of 33 spectral indices related to the waterlogging of soil selected from previous studies were evaluated. The maximum entropy model (MAXENT) was used in the analysis of these indices. The analysis, which was carried out in several locations during different periods of the year (spring and autumn), shows the varying applicability of individual groups of indices. Regardless of the season, chlorophyll-based indices (MCARI—31.8, CARI—26.3, TCARI2—24.3 average percentage contribution) made the most significant contribution to the creation of probability maps of the occurrence of waterlogged areas. However, more accurate results could be achieved in the spring period by using the NVI index (40.5 average percentage contribution). The results show that remote sensing could be used for the identification of waterlogged sites, especially for initial identification, which should then be confirmed by field survey. Furthermore, the research points out the role of the LAI and chlorophyll content. According to the NVI, low LAI contributes the most to the probability of occurrence in the spring season, while chlorophyll-based indices prove to be the best, contributing high values, which is rather contradictory but could be resolved only by subsequent field research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Remediation and Management of Agricultural Soil and Water Resources)

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14 pages, 1310 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Sewage Sludge and Fly Ash Fertilization on the Total Number of Bacteria (TNB) and Bradyrhizobium Species in Soybean Agroecosystem

by Izabella Pisarek and Katarzyna Grata

Agriculture 2023, 13(1), 201; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13010201 - 13 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1692

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of different chemical properties in soil, including changes in magnetic susceptibility and the impact of humic substances from sewage sludge and fly ash on the microbial community in the soybean agroecosystem. A field experiment was carried out using the random plot method on Cambisol with a texture of silt loam. The experiment consisted of 24 plots (six treatments and four replications) using different dozes of sewage sludge and fly ash. The following physicochemical and chemical analyses were performed in the soil samples: pH in KCl, conductivity (λ), total content of heavy metal, magnetic measurements and fractional composition of organic matter. The TNB and the number of the species of Bradyrhizobium in the field cultivation of the soybean variety Lissabon were evaluated using the spread plate method. The total content of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Ni, Pb, Cr, Hg, Fe) in the analyzed treatments showed a significant difference between them. The study of the magnetic parameter χ indicated a significant differentiation between treatments from 34.0 to 65.8 × 10⁻⁸·m³·kg⁻¹. High correlation coefficients between χ and Fe (r = 0.789), Zn (r = 0.653), Cr (r = 0.617) and TOC (r = 0.949) indicated that the source of these elements was external organic matter. Biological tests (TNB and species of Bradyrhizobium) in different experimental treatments indicated significant relationships between them and showed the resistance of the microbial community in the field cultivation of Lissabon soybean to heavy metal contamination from sewage sludge and fly ash. The study confirmed that external organic matter, such as sewage sludge, can be used as an alternative to natural fertilizers for soybean production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Remediation and Management of Agricultural Soil and Water Resources)

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14 pages, 1323 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantitative Carbon Changes of Selected Organic Fractions during the Aerobic Biological Recycling of Biodegradable Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) as a Potential Soil Environment Improving Amendment—A Case Study

by Jakub Bekier, Elżbieta Jamroz, Magdalena Dębicka, Irmina Ćwieląg-Piasecka and Andrzej Kocowicz

Agriculture 2022, 12(12), 2058; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12122058 - 30 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1267

Abstract

The aim of the investigation was to determine the quantitative changes of selected organic compounds during composting of municipal solid wastes (MSWs). The object of the study was a differently matured compost produced according the to open pile/windrow semi-dynamic technology from selectively collected biodegradable municipal solid waste. During the experiment, the temperature and moisture of the composted wastes were monitored. In the collected samples—taken from differently matured compost—the total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) were determined. The organic matter fractionation method described by Stevenson and Adani et al. was adopted, which allows to determine the carbon content of the following groups of organic compounds: hydrophobic (HSC), hydrophilic (WEOC), acidophilic (C_AC), cellulose (CCEL), core-HA (ligno-humic, CALK) and residual carbon (non-hydrolysing, CR). The TOC and TN content, as well as the origin and quality of the starting materials, allow the product tested to be classified for fertiliser purposes. The most intense changes were observed during the thermophilic composting phase. In spite of the optimal technological conditions of the process, the predominance of the CR and CCEL fraction was observed, and the share of humic compounds did not exceed 30% TOC. The investigated compost met legal, ecological and economic criteria for products of biological recycling, thus can be used as a good organic amendment to improve the soil organic matter balance, stimulate the soil biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Remediation and Management of Agricultural Soil and Water Resources)

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22 pages, 4744 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hydrogeochemical Studies to Assess the Suitability of Groundwater for Drinking and Irrigation Purposes: The Upper East Region of Ghana Case Study

by Franklin Obiri-Nyarko, Stephen Junior Asugre, Sandra Vincentia Asare, Anthony Appiah Duah, Anthony Yaw Karikari, Jolanta Kwiatkowska-Malina and Grzegorz Malina

Agriculture 2022, 12(12), 1973; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12121973 - 22 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1604

Abstract

Groundwater is increasingly being used to help meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 and 6 in many parts of the world, including Ghana. Against this background, hydrogeochemical and multivariate statistical studies were conducted to determine the physicochemical characteristics and suitability of groundwater in some agrarian communities in the Upper East Region of Ghana for drinking and irrigational farming. Additional analyses were also performed to identify potential health risks associated with the groundwater use and to better understand the hydrogeochemical processes controlling groundwater evolution for its effective management. The results showed that the groundwater is typically fresh; moderate to very hard in character; undersaturated with calcite, dolomite, halite, and gypsum; and supersaturated with quartz and amorphous silica. The physicochemical characteristics of the groundwater are controlled by both anthropogenic and natural activities/processes, such as fertilizer application, irrigation return flows, rock weathering, and forward/reverse cation exchange. The total dissolved solids (TDS) (165–524 mg/L), electrical conductivity (EC) (275–873 μS/cm), sodium percentage (Na%; 9.05–17.74%), magnesium ratios (MR) (29.25–53.3%), permeability index (PI) (36.6–74.6%), and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) (0.20–0.51) point to the possibility of using the groundwater for irrigation, however, with some salinity control. The water quality and health risk analysis also revealed that the groundwater can be used for drinking; however, the high concentrations of fluoride, which can cause noncarcinogenic health issues such as dental and skeletal fluorosis in both adults and children, must be reduced to the WHO required level of 1.5 mg/L. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Remediation and Management of Agricultural Soil and Water Resources)

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14 pages, 878 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Delayed Effect of Low-Energy Lignite Organic Matter on the Treatment Optimization of Zea mays L. Grown for Silage

by Barbara Symanowicz, Marcin Becher, Dawid Jaremko, Martyna Toczko, Rafał Toczko and Sebastian Krasuski

Agriculture 2022, 12(10), 1639; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12101639 - 08 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1225

Abstract

The field experiment was conducted in the central-eastern Poland. The aim of the research was to determine the effect of low-energy lignite organic matter applied to the preceding crop in the form of an organomineral fertilizer on the treatment optimization of Zea mays L. maize grown for silage. Two factors were taken into account in the research: factor I—five fertilization plots control plot—without fertilization (1), NPKMgS (2), NPKMgS + N1(3), NPKMgS + N2 (4), NPKMgS + N3 (5); factor II—three varieties of Zea mays L. Nitrogen was applied as fertilizers 3, 4 and 5 at doses of N1-20, N2-40 and N3-60 kg per hectare. In the spring each year, selected plots were pre-sown with mineral fertilizers at doses of 100 kg·N, 35 kg·P, 125 kg·K, 12 kg·Mg and 14 kg·S per hectare. Organomineral fertilizer based on low-energy lignite was applied to the preceding crop (maize grown for silage) on two plots, in 1 and 5 t·ha⁻¹ doses. Mineral fertilizers used in research significantly reduced the content of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sulphur in the dry matter of plants. The uptake of the nutrients reached the highest values for maize treated with NPKMgS + N1, NPKMgS + N2 and NPKMgS + N3. The agronomic efficiency (AE) of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sulphur, all of which were applied in the form of the polyfoska^® fertilizer, M-MAKS (NPKMgS), potassium salt and urea, reached the highest values for plots treated with NPKMgS + N1 and NPKMgS + N2. In turn, the treatment of NPKMgS and NPKMgS + N3 with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sulphur resulted in the highest values of physiological efficiency (PE). Based on the three-year research carried out with the use of polyfoska^® M-MAKS (NPKMgS), potassium salt and urea in the fertilization of maize grown for silage, it is possible to recommend the optimal dose of NPKMgS + N1 mineral fertilizers (100-35-125-12-14 pre-sowing, 20 kg top dressing N) and NPKMgS + N2 (pre-sowing 100-35-125-12-14, top dressing 40 kg·N). The low-energy lignite applied to the preceding crop in doses of 1 t and 5 t at the NPKMgS + N1 and NPKMgS + N2 plots contributed to the achievement of the analyzed parameters (uptake, AE and AE) at a high level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Remediation and Management of Agricultural Soil and Water Resources)

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19 pages, 5376 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Analysis of the Coupling Characteristics of Water Resources and Food Security: The Case of Northwest China

by Xian Liu, Yueyue Xu, Shikun Sun, Xining Zhao and Yubao Wang

Agriculture 2022, 12(8), 1114; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12081114 - 28 Jul 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 1836

Abstract

Exploring the coupling characteristics of regional water resources and food security helps to promote the sustainable development of grain production and is of great significance for achieving global food security. From the aspects of regional “water supply”, “water use” and “water demand”, the coupling characteristics of water resources and food security were systematically revealed; the new challenges faced by regional food security from the perspective of water resources were clarified; and effective ways to promote the utilization of regional water resources and the sustainable development of grain production were explored. This paper took Northwest China, which is the most arid region, where water-resource utilization and food security are in contradiction, as the research area. The water-resource load index, the water footprint of grain production and the water-consumption footprint were used to quantify the regional water-resource pressure index, as well as the residential grain-consumption types, population urbanization, the industrial-grain-processing industry and their corresponding water-consumption footprints from 2000 to 2020. The coupling characteristics of water resources and food security were systematically revealed. The results showed the following: (1) In 2000–2020, the water-resource load index increased from 4.0 to 10.7, and the load level increased from III to I. At the same time, agricultural water resources were largely allocated elsewhere. (2) During the period, the food rations showed a significant decreasing trend, and the average annual reduction was 3.4% (p < 0.01). The water footprint of animal products increased, particularly for beef and poultry (the average annual growth rates were 9.9% and 6.3%, respectively). In addition, the water footprint of industrial food consumption increased by 297.1%. (3) With the improvement of the urbanization level, the water-consumption footprint increased by 85.9%. It is expected that the water footprint of grain consumption will increase by 39.4% and 52.3% by 2030 and 2040, respectively. Exploring how to take effective measures to reduce the water footprint to meet food-security needs is imperative. This study proposed measures to improve the utilization efficiency of blue and green water and reduce gray water and the grain-consumption water footprint from the aspects of regional planting-structure optimization potential, water-saving irrigation technology, dietary-structure transformation and virtual water trade; these measures could better relieve the water-resource pressure and promote the sustainable development of grain production and water-resource utilization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Remediation and Management of Agricultural Soil and Water Resources)

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