Radicle Group’s Post

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are making significant progress in turning organic waste into eco-friendly fertilizers. They use hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) to convert waste like swine manure into bio-crude oil, leaving nutrient-rich wastewater behind. This leftover wastewater can be treated with a special fungus to boost its nutrient content and remove toxins. Studies have shown that this treatment can increase nitrate and ammonia levels significantly, making it a great candidate for use as fertilizer. The team is now exploring how to use this treated wastewater for growing crops, planning to create a circular system that benefits both waste management and agriculture. #GreenTech #WasteManagement #Sustainability

#Straw is a massive and #renewable green biological resource, and it's rational utilization is inextricably linked to #agricultural #sustainability. Straw return is a widely recommended and environmentally friendly agricultural management strategy with multiple benefits, such as increase or maintaining in #soil #organic matter (SOM), total #nitrogen (N), and available #phosphorus (P) levels, reduces soil exchangeable acids, and increases #crop #yields. In addition, straw incorporation can increase soil organic (SOC), and help mitigate the negative effects of heavy chemical fertilizers. In this collaborative 6-year field experiment with Northwest A&F University and The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia we established five straw return amounts (T0, T1, T2, T3, and T4, representing 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 tons per ha of straw respectively). Our analysis showed that SOC, N, P contents significantly increased under straw return treatments. We also found that straw return significantly altered the community of #bacteria involved in the #carbon and nitrogen cycle, and their abundance of strong responses depending on the amounts of straw return. In conclusion, our findings revealed common associations and variations of bacterial community diversity with soil factors and crop yields at different straw return rates, and these findings provide insights and options for the development of better straw return strategies and sustainable agriculture in #semi-#arid regions

Are you interested in nutrient recovery? Check out our new publication! 📖 We performed a consequential LCA to explore the environmental impacts of organic fertilizers in the context of the transition towards sustainable agriculture, using a multi-substance functional unit (including N, P, and K).👩🌾 Our study looks into the complexities of fertilizer choices, comparing mineral to animal-, plant-, and innovative microbe-based organic options.🌱 We found that many organic fertilizers face constraints and that the focus should shift toward local untapped resources.🔄 Besides, we measured the contribution of using organic fertilizers to the achievement of the “4 per 1000" initiative's goal for soil carbon storage. We hope this work contributes to a more sustainable agriculture!🌍 Thanks to the co-authors Marc Spiller Siegfried Vlaeminck Hanson Appiah-Twum Tim Van Winckel for their great contribution! With this link you can access the article for free the next 50 days: https://lnkd.in/eHRWd7Y6 Enjoy reading! #CircularEconomy #FarmToFork #MarginalSuppliers #ClimateChange #SustainableFertilizers

The future is now

🧂 Salinity stress is one of the major abiotic factors limiting sustainable agriculture. Halotolerant plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) increased salt stress tolerance in plants, but the mechanisms underlying the tolerance are poorly understood. 🦠This study investigated the PGP activity of four halotolerant bacteria under salinity stress and the tomato salt-tolerance mechanisms induced by the synergy of these bacteria with the exopolysaccharide (EPS) mauran. All PGPB tested in this study were able to offer a significant improvement of tomato plant biomass under salinity stress; Peribacillus castrilensis N3 being the most efficient one. 🍅 Tomato plants treated with N3 and the EPS mauran showed greater tolerance to NaCl than the treatment in the absence of EPS and PGPB. The synergy of N3 with mauran confers salt stress tolerance in tomato plants by increasing sodium transporter genes' expression and osmoprotectant content, including soluble sugars, polyols, proline, GABA, phenols and the polyamine putrescine. These osmolytes together with the induction of sodium transporter genes increase the osmotic adjustment capacity to resist water loss and maintain ionic homeostasis. 👉These findings suggest that the synergy of the halotolerant bacterium N3 and the EPS mauran could enhance tomato plant growth by mitigating salt stress and could have great potential as an inductor of salinity tolerance in the agriculture sector. Read more https://bit.ly/3R7X4Sf

📰 Camelina: Read all about it! 📰 We're excited to share our latest article, a comprehensive overview of camelina and its potential. Learn how this short season crop supports clean energy, enhances soil health, and contributes to regenerative agriculture. 👉 Why is camelina a game-changer for biofuels? 👉 How does it benefit the soil and environment? 👉 What are the innovative uses beyond biofuel? Read the article ➡️ #visionbioseeds #camelina #cleanfuels

Using biochar for environmental recovery and boosting the yield of valuable non-food crops: The case of #hemp in a soil contaminated by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) https://lnkd.in/g5YarzdV #phytoremediation #soilhealth #biochar

🌾 Revolutionizing Soil Health with Waste-to-Resource Innovations! 🌾 🗨 A recent study published in Science of the Total Environment (STOTEN) the highlights the #transformative potential of using #high_solid #thermophilic anaerobic digestion (HSTAD) digestate as an organic fertilizer. 🗨 This four-year research demonstrates that HSTAD digestate not only sustains soil quality but also boosts stable #organic matter and essential #nutrients. 🗨 This #cutting_edge approach underscores the importance of circular economy principles in agriculture. By converting #waste into valuable soil amendments, we can reduce our dependence on #chemical_fertilizers, enhance #soil_fertility, and promote sustainable #farming practices. 🌿Explore how these innovative #solutions are contributing to a more sustainable and resilient agricultural future! 🌱 🤝 I would like to express my gratitude to fabrizio Adani, Federica Carraturo, Andrea Giordano for their valuable contributions to this research. link: https://lnkd.in/e8Vpx2Dm #SoilHealth #CircularEconomy #SustainableAgriculture #OrganicFertilizer #EcoInnovation #agriculture #Biofertilizers #Bioindicators #HSTADdigestate #Sewage_sludge #bioeconomy #biotechnology

Biochar-based slow-release fertilizers improve nutrient efficiency and support sustainable agriculture by gradually releasing nutrients, reducing environmental impacts like leaching. Techniques such as encapsulation and co-pyrolysis enhance biochar’s effectiveness, while international standards ensure quality and environmental safety in biochar applications. https://buff.ly/3AjfF8T #Biochar #Pyrolysis #CarbonCapture

Organic and regenerative farmers and ranchers have known about this "stunning discovery" - that organic fields sequester more carbon those treated with synthetic fertilizer - for quite some time! But hey, it's great to see it making headlines again. #organic #regenerative #regenerativeagriculture https://lnkd.in/gSSfQYbP