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Plant density, the number of plants per unit area, is an important factor in maize production. Plant density exhibits high variability and depends on a number of factors, i.e., the length of the growing period of the hybrid, the morphological characteristics of the plant, the amount and distribution of precipitation during the growing season, the reserve of winter moisture in the soil, the level of soil fertility, the time of sowing, agronomic management practices, and biomass and yield. The objective of this paper was to determine the agronomic optimal plant density for maize in calcareous soil in the semiarid conditions of the South Pannonian Basin. Field experiments were conducted at the experimental field—IFVCNS (two locations: Rimski Šančevi and Srbobran) to evaluate four plant densities (55,000; 65,000; 75,000; and 85,000 plants ha−1). The experimental sites "Rimski Šančevi" and "Srbobran" are located in the typical chernozem zone of the southern part of the Pannonian Basin. On average for all hybrids, the grain yield followed a second-degree polynomial model in response to the increasing planting density, with the highest value at plant density (PD2: 65,000 plants ha−1). To achieve maximum yield, the optimal planting density for corn hybrids of the FAO 200 group should be 57,600 plants ha−1, for the FAO 300 group 64,300 plants ha−1, for the FAO 400 group 68,700 plants ha−1, for the FAO 500 group 66,800 plants ha−1, and for the FAO 600 group 63,500 plants ha−1. "Which–Won–Where" biplot showed that the hybrid H24 from FAO 600 group was the highest yielding in all of the environments. Hybrid H17 from the same FAO group was the most stable across all of the environments. Selected hybrids may further be studied for planting density and nutritional requirements for getting maximum yield. By introducing new maize hybrids with higher genetic yield potential and better agronomic management practices, modern mechanization and agricultural techniques allowed to increase planting densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radioactive fission product 90Sr has a sufficient half-life (28.8 years) to be detected long after its appearance in the environment. After its uptake into the soil-edible plant system, it enters the food chain and represents a potential source of contamination that threatens human health. Due to these facts, tracking the distribution of the artificial radionuclide 90Sr in the soil–edible plant system is a subject of intense research. The tracking of the 90Sr radionuclide distribution in the soil profile, as well as in the crops on the long-term experimental fields was carried out using beta radiation spectrometry. The radiochemical analytical method was used to analyze the 90Sr content in cultivated soil and crops. The conducted study focused on the experimental substantiation of the developed model for predicting the behavior of 90Sr in the cultivated soil–crop system. The results of using the applied radioecological model for the transfer of 90Sr from the soil to the above-ground part of crops showed a relatively good agreement with the experimentally determined values of the soil–crop transfer factor, which indicates that the used model can be successfully applied for the prediction of the behavior of 90Sr in the soil–soil solution–crop system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human existence and the long-term viability of society depend on agriculture. Overuse of synthetic fertilizers results in increased contamination of the land, water, and atmosphere as well as financial constraints. In today's modern agriculture, environmentally friendly technology is becoming more and more significant as a substitute for conventional fertilizers and chemical pesticides. Using nanotechnology, agricultural output can be improved in terms of quality, biological support, financial stability, and environmental safety. There is a lot of promise for the sustainable application of nano-fertilizers in crop productivity and soil fertility, with little or no negative environmental effects. In this context, the present review provided an overview of the benefits of using nanofertilizers, its application and types. Mechanistic approach for increasing soil fertility and yield via nanofertilizers also described in detail. We concluded this article to compare the advantages of nanofertilizers over chemicals and nano-chemicals. Nonetheless, additional investigation is required to comprehend the effects and possible hazards of nanomaterials in the food production chain., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)