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Growing vegetables can be seen as a means of improving people’s livelihoods and nutritional status. Tomatoes are one of the world’s most commonly planted vegetable crops. The nutritional arrangement of the tomato depends on the quantity and type of nutrients taken from the growing medium, such assoil and foliar application; therefore, an adequate amount of macro- and micro-nutrients, including zinc (Zn) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), are crucial for tomato production. Zinc foliar spraying is one of the effective procedures that may improve crop quality and yield. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are represented as a biosafety concern for biological materials. Foliar application of Zn showed better results in increasing soluble solids(TSS), firmness, titratable acidity, chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, ascorbic acid, amount of lycopene. Researchers have observed the effect of nanoparticles of zinc oxide on various crops, including tomatoes. Foliar spraying of ZnO-NPs gave the most influential results in terms of best planting parameters, namely plant height, early flowering, fruit yields as well as lycopene content. Therefore, more attention should be given to improving quantity and quality as well as nutrient use efficiency of Zn and ZnO-NPs in tomato production. Recent information on the effect of zinc nutrient foliar spraying and ZnO-NPs as a nano fertilizer on tomato productivity is reviewed in this article.

Biochar, an ecologically friendly soil amendment, is suggested for large-scale field application for its multiple potential benefits, including carbon sequestration, crop yield improvement, and the abatement of greenhouse gas emissions. However, it is unknown how effective it is in changing soil properties and its associated yield improvement when biochar is co-applied with lime in acidic soil. Here, we examined the effects of two different biochars, i.e., rice husk biochar (RHB) and oil palm empty fruit bunches biochar (EFBB), and lime on nutrient availability, the yield of maize, and soil CO2 emission of acid soil. Biochars were applied at two different rates (10 and 15 t ha−1) in combination with two rates of lime (100% and 75%), while the recommended rate of NPK fertilizers, 100% lime, and without any amendments (control) were also included. Hybrid sweet corn was grown in pots with 20 kg soils for 75 days. Plant performance and soil analyses were performed before and after crop maize cultivation while CO2 emission was recorded. Compared to the control, combined RHB biochars with lime significantly buffered soil pH and increased nutrient availability (e.g., P by 137%), while reducing Al and Fe concentration at harvest. These changes in soil properties significantly increased maize yield (by 77.59%) and nutrient uptake compared to the control. Between the two biochars, RHB was relatively more effective in making these changes than EFBB. However, this treatment contributed to a greater carbon loss as CO2 (209% and 145% higher with RHB and EFBB) from soil than the control. We believe that biochar-mediated buffering of soil pH is responsible for this change. Our results suggest that combined biochar application could bring desirable changes in soil properties and increase crop performance, although these effects can be short-lived.

Natural product-based herbicides could be the effective alternatives to synthetic chemical herbicides for eco-friendly weed management. This research, therefore, was conducted to identify the phytotoxic properties of Parthenium hysterophorus L., Cleome rutidosperma DC. and Borreria alata (Aubl.) DC. with a view to introducing them as a tool for natural herbicide development. The methanol extracts of these plants were examined on the germination and growth of Zea mays L., Oryza sativa L., Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench and Amaranthus gangeticus L., Oryza sativa f. Spontanea Roshev. (Weedy rice), Echinochloa colona (L.) Link., Euphorbia hirta L., and Ageratum conyzoides L. under laboratory and glasshouse conditions. A complete randomized design (CRD) with five replications and randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications were laid out for laboratory and glasshouse experiments, respectively. In the laboratory experiment, three plant extracts of 0, 6.25, 12.5, 50, and 100 g L−1 were tested on survival rate, hypocotyl, and radicle length of eight test plant species. No seed germination of A. conzyoides, E. hirta, and A. gangeticus were recorded when P. hysterophorus extract was applied at 50 g L−1. C. rutidosperma had the same effect on those plants at 100 g L−1. In the glasshouse, similar extracts and concentrations used in the laboratory experiments were sprayed on at the 2–3 leaf stage for grasses and 4–6 for the broadleaf species. Tested plants were less sensitive to C. rutidosperma and B. alata compared to P. hysterophorus extract. Among the weeds and crops, A. conyzoides, E. hirta, A. esculentus and A. gangeticus were mostly inhibited by P. hysterophorus extract at 100 g L−1. Based on these results, P. hysterophorus was the most phytotoxic among the tested plant extracts and could be used for developing a new natural herbicide for green agriculture.

Parthenium hysterophorus is an invasive weed species that competes aggressively with other plants and is also allelopathic. It poses a significant risk to human health, livestock, the environment, soil, and agriculture. However, given some clinical studies, its potential for antidiabetic, antioxidant, antitumor, herbicidal, pesticidal, and antimalarial therapies should be researched further in attempts to discover more relevant applications. It can be used as a nutrient-dense, readily available, and cheap fertilizer. Parthenium can also be used as an herbicide, an insecticide, and a phyto-remedial mediator to extract metals and dyes from agricultural waste. Here we provide basic information on the morphology, reproduction, environmental impacts, and management of this species. Effects of methanol, ethanol, hexane, acetone, and aqueous (water) Parthenium extracts are described. Because P. hysterophorus is said to be one of the world’s seven worst weeds, some control measures, including mechanical, chemical, cultural, and biological control, are discussed. The allelopathy of this weed is difficult to regulate, and there are both positive and negative interactions between Parthenium and other species due to allelochemical action. Several toxic phenolic compounds produced by P. hysterophorus are responsible for weed suppression, and we discuss details of their mode of action and potential applications.