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This paper explores the potential use of blockchain technology in fertilizer supply chain management. The project begins by identifying the current issues and challenges in the fertilizer supply chain and how blockchain technology can address them. The project team then designs and implements a blockchain-based supply chain management system for the fertilizer industry. The allocation of subsidies is also covered in the study, along with problems including corruption, poor management, and a lack of openness.. The team utilizes smart contracts, decentralized data storage, and consensus mechanisms to improve transparency, traceability, and efficiency in the fertilizer supply chain. The system is evaluated through user testing, and feedback is collected to identify strengths and weaknesses. The results show that the blockchain-based supply chain management system can significantly improve the efficiency and accountability of the fertilizer supply chain. The project concludes by providing recommendations for the implementation of blockchain technology in the fertilizer industry, emphasizing the need for standardization, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement. This project aims to contribute to the practical application of blockchain technology in the fertilizer industry and provide a foundation for further research in this field.

Phosphorus (P) unavailability in agricultural soils is a primary cause of the poor development and yield of field crops in arid and semiarid regions. The primary goal of this research project was to investigate the influence of integrated management of beneficial microbes or biofertilizers (BF), organic P-fertilizers, and inorganic P-fertilizers on wheat productivity in a wheat–maize cropping system. Field experiments were carried out during the two consecutive seasons of 2020/2021 (Y1) and 2021/2022 (Y2) according to the two-factorial randomized complete block design with three replications. Factor one consisted of twenty-one treatments of organic and inorganic P-fertilizer combinations, while factor two consisted of two different BF (PSB and Bioaab). One overall control where no P or BF was applied was also included in each replication for comparison. The experiment consisted of six treatments of sole P sources (sheep manure (SM), cattle manure (CM), legume residues (LR), non-legume residues (NLR), single super phosphate (SSP) and rock phosphate (RP)), each applied at a rate of 90 kg P ha−1. Different combinations of organic and inorganic P sources (giving 15 treatments) were applied at a rate of 50% P from each source (i.e., 45 kg P ha−1 applied from different sources in combination). The results revealed that the combined application of SSP+SM produced a significantly higher number of grains spike−1 (23.9%), spikes m−2 (4.5%), and grain yield (40.9%) over the control. Application of PSB produced the maximum number of grains spike−1 (23.9%), spikes m−2 (4.5%), thousand-grain weight (8.3%), grain yield (40.9%), and biological yield (17%) in the wheat crop as compared to Bioaab. It was concluded from the two-year study that integrated use of organic P-fertilizers (animal manures) plus inorganic P-fertilizer (SSP) along with PSB ranked first in terms of higher wheat productivity in a wheat–maize cropping system.

Increasing the efficiency of carbon (C) sequestration through cropping system e.g., intercropping and mixed cropping play an important role to increase total C accumulation and it’s partitioning into shoots above the ground and roots below the ground. Unfortunately, there is lack of research on carbon content (CC) accumulation and its partitioning into roots and shoots when the plants competes each other in mixed cropping. Therefore, a hypothesis on the CC accumulation and partitioning into shoots and roots of summer cereals crops as mixed cropping under two different water levels (low and high) was tested. The hypothesis was supported by the results, and considerable variation was observed in ACC, BCC and TCC under different stands and water levels. The corn plants in pure stand (T1) had higher ACC (7.82 g C plant− 1), BCC (1.43 g C plant− 1) and TCC (9.24 g C plant− 1) than the pure stands of sorghum (T2) and millets (T3). The ACC, BCC and TCC of the three crops mixed stand was lower than two crops mixed stand. Corn mixed either with sorghum (T4) or millets (T5) had higher ACC, BCC and TCC than sorghum and millets, and sorghum mixed with millets had higher ACC, BCC and TCC than millets plants. Among the three crops, the higher ACC, BCC and TCC of corn (T7) was attributed to its higher CGR, higher WUE, higher competition ratio, higher DM accumulation and greater partitioning into shoots and roots. Grain sorghum ranked second and foxtail millets ranked third in terms of ACC, BCC and TCC in the mixed (corn > sorghum > millets). Corn was found the best competitor to sequester more CO2 from atmosphere when grown mixed either with sorghum or millets, while millets was declared the least competitor that sequester the less atmospheric CO2 when grown mixed with corn or sorghum (corn > sorghum > millets i.e. 9.24, 2.17 and 1.31 g C plant− 1, respectively).

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of ventral buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty at tertiary care. Study Design: Case Control Study. Setting: Department of Urology, CMC/SMBBMU Larkana. Period: January 2018 to December 2018. Material & Methods: 50 patients with confidence interval of 95% and margin of error 5% Non-probability consecutive. All Data collected from record like age, stricture size, clinical presentation and routine investigation, Blood CP, ESR, urine culture and X-Ray retrograde urethrogram for proper diagnosis in all cases. Results: The mean age of patients was 35.2 years SD±15.25 years and Mean duration of symptoms was 14.7 month SD±9.98 month. Out of 50 cases of ventral onlay buccal mucosal graft urethroplasties, success rate was (90%). The main complication was transient swelling with altered sensation of lip in 3 cases (6%), 1 case (2%) with recurrent stricture at the site of proximal anastomosis, that was treated by direct vision internal urethrotomy. 1 case (2%) presented with impacted urethral stone that was removed endoscopically. Conclusion: Ventral buccal mucosa grafting urethroplasty give good results in long term with low rate of complications occurring mainly in first year postoperatively.

Crop wastes could be applied in conjunction with synthetic fertilizers to satisfy crop nutritional needs and enhance soil fertility. A field experiment was carried out during winter 2019–2020 at the AMK Research Farm (Palatoo) Mardan, KPK (Pakistan) to investigate the combined effect of phosphorous (PS) and organic sources (OSs) on wheat productivity under different irrigation regimes. The experimental factors were: two irrigation regimes (limited and full irrigation), three inorganic sources of phosphorus (triple super phosphate (TSP), single super phosphate (SSP) and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP)) applied at 90 kg ha−1, and three organic amendments (farmyard manure (FYM), mung bean residue (MBR), and canola residue (CR)) applied at a rate of 10 t ha−1. A control plot (no phosphorus or organic supply) was included. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications was adopted. Among the fertilization strategies, SSP + FYM outperformed all other P fertilizers combined with legume or nonlegume residues in terms of grains per spike−1 (52), thousand-grain weight (41.6 g), biological yield (9.7 t ha−1), and grain yield (4 t ha−1). Under full irrigation, improved yield, yield components, and profits were obtained compared to the limited irrigation regime. Three clusters were obtained after applying an Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC), and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) conferred the positive effects of inorganic P with FYM on the wheat yield and its related parameters. This study indicated that the productivity of wheat under the SSP + FYM fertilization strategy was found to be more economical with respect to the benefit–cost ratio (BCR). The combined application of SSP + FYM was more profitable in terms of a higher BCR (3.25) than other treatments under the full irrigation regime.

Due to the growing population and consequent pressure of use, agricultural soils must maintain adequate levels of quantity and quality to produce food, fiber, and energy, without falling victim to a negative impact on their balance of nutrients, health, or their ability to function. The use of mineral fertilizers has long been a key tool to offset nutrient outputs and thus achieve increased yields [1–4]. Fertilizer application is believed to have been responsible for at least 50% increase in crop yield in the 20th century [5,6]. According to [5], average corn yields would decline by 40 percent without nitrogen (N) fertilizer application, while long-term studies confirmed a 40–57 percent yield decline in wheat without fertilizer application. Yousaf et al. [6] reported a 19–41% yield increase in rice, and a 61–76% increase in rapeseed with the combined application of NPK fertilizers. However, due to the inappropriate use of mineral fertilizers (i.e., when used in both excess or deficiency), mostly concerning nitrogenous and phosphate, many productive soils have been thwarted in their ability to function, as shown not only by chemical indicators but also by physical and biological ones. Thus, improper fertilizing technology might have a negative effect on soil health and soil-related ecosystem services. Imbalanced use of chemical fertilizers can alter soil pH, and increase pests attack, acidification, and soil crust, which results in a decrease in soil organic carbon and useful organisms, stunting plant growth and yield, and even leading to the emission of greenhouse gases [7,8]. Soil health is defined as the capacity of soil to function as a vital living system, within ecosystem and land-use boundaries, to sustain plant and animal health and productivity, and maintain or improve water and air quality. A major challenge for agricultural sustainability is to conserve ecosystem service delivery while optimizing agricultural yields. This Special Issue addresses the task to find a balance between increasing yields using conventional and novel fertilizers, and the maintenance of soil and environmental health as a basis for the sustainable intensification of the agricultural sector. The purpose of this issue was to provide new knowledge on fertilizer use, soil health, and agricultural sustainability. We received a total of 13 papers that provided interesting and innovative information. Five of them [9–13] were works on basic studies on the status of nutrients. These studies were based on the reviews of published works, or on experiments under controlled conditions (greenhouse and incubation) referring to nitrogen losses due to volatilization, leaching, denitrification, the distribution of nutrients, the combined or integrated use of mineral and organic fertilizers, bio-based nitrogen, or new findings in sulfur, a largely low-attended nutrient. Fil: Krasilnikov, Pavel. Lomonosov Moscow State University. Department of Soil Geography; Rusia Fil: Taboada, Miguel Angel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Suelos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Amanullah. The University of Agriculture. Faculty of Crop Production Sciences. Department of Agronomy; Paquistán

Crop quality and nutrient uptake are considerably influenced by fertilizers inputs and their application rate. Biochar (BC) improves nitrogen uptake and crop productivity. However, its interaction with synthetic and organic fertilizers in calcareous soil is not fully recognized. Therefore, we inspected the role of biochar (0, 10, 20, and 30 t ha–1) in improving N uptake and quality of wheat in a calcareous soil under integrated N management (90, 120, and 150 kg N ha–1) applied each from urea, farmyard manure (FYM) and poultry manure (PM) along with control) in 2 years field experiments. Application of 20 t BC along with 150 kg N ha–1 as poultry manure considerably improved wheat grain protein content (14.57%), grain (62.9%), straw (28.7%), and biological (38.4%) yield, grain, straw, and total N concentration by 14.6, 19.2, and 15.6% and their uptake by 84.6, 48.8, and 72.1%, respectively, over absolute control when averaged across the years. However, their impact was more pronounced in the 2nd year (2016–2017) after application compared to the 1st year (2015–2016). Therefore, for immediate crop benefits, it is recommended to use 20 t BC ha–1 once in 50 years for enhancing the nitrogen use efficiency of fertilizers and crop yield.

The occurrence of gene duplication/amplification (GDA) provide potential material for adaptive evolution with environmental stress. Several molecular models have been proposed to explain GDA, recombination via short stretches of sequence similarity plays a crucial role. By screening genomes for such events, we propose a “SRS (short repeated sequence) *N + unit + SRS*N” amplified unit under USCE (unequal sister-chromatid exchange) for tandem amplification mediated by SRS with different repeat numbers in eukaryotes. The amplified units identified from 2131 well-organized amplification events that generate multi gene/element copy amplified with subsequent adaptive evolution in the respective species. Genomic data we analyzed showed dynamic changes among related species or subspecies or plants from different ecotypes/strains. This study clarifies the characteristics of variable copy number SRS on both sides of amplified unit under USCE mechanism, to explain well-organized gene tandem amplification under environmental stress mediated by SRS in all eukaryotes.

Background: Glioblastomas are the most common adult primary brain tumor present supratentorially. The presence of true extra-axial GBM infratentorially, especially in the internal auditory canal, is extremely rare with only three cases reported previously in the literature. We report the fourth case of primary internal auditory canal/cerebellopontine angle (CPA) glioblastoma which initially mimicked vestibular schwannoma on the basis of its location and presentation. Case Description: A 65-year-old male presented with headache, vertigo, and progressive right ear deafness for 5 months. His preoperative magnetic resonance imaging findings were consistent with vestibular schwannoma. Maximum safe resection (near total) was done. The final histopathology report showed glioblastoma multiforme. Conclusion: As per our knowledge, this is the fourth reported case of an extra-axial VIII cranial nerve glioblastoma located in internal auditory canal. Hence, despite being very rare, they should be considered as a differential in tumors at CPA.

Background Overuse of chemical fertilizer highly influences grain filling rate and quality of rice grain. Biochar is well known for improving plant growth and grain yield under lower chemical fertilization. Therefore field trials were conducted in the early and late seasons of 2019 at Guangxi University, China to investigate the effects of combined biochar (B) and nitrogen (N) application on rice yield and yield components. There were a total of eight treatments: N1B0, 135 kg N ha− 1+ 0 t B ha− 1; N2B0,180 kg N ha− 1+ 0 t B ha− 1; N1B1,135 kg N ha− 1+ 10 t B ha− 1; N1B2,135kg N ha− 1+ 20 t B ha− 1; N1B3,135 kg N ha− 1+ 30 t B ha− 1; N2B1,180 kg N ha− 1+ 10 t B ha− 1; N2B2,180 kg N ha− 1+ 20 t B ha− 1; and N2B3,180 kg N ha− 1+ 30 t B ha− 1. Results Biochar application at 30 t ha− 1combined with low N application (135 kg ha− 1) increased the activity of starch-metabolizing enzymes (SMEs) during the early and late seasons compared with treatments without biochar. The grain yield, amylose concentration, and starch content of rice were increased in plots treated with 30 t B ha−1and low N. RT-qPCR analysis showed that biochar addition combined with N fertilizer application increased the expression of AGPS2b, SSS1, GBSS1, and GBSE11b, which increased the activity of SMEs during the grain-filling period. Conclusion Our results suggest that the use of 20 to 30 t B ha− 1coupled with 135 kg N ha− 1 is optimal for improving the grain yield and quality of rice.

Phosphorus (P) deficiency is the main hurdle in achieving sustainable crop production ps especially in calcareous soils. Using bio-fertilizers like phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) could be a useful approach for sustainable P management as they improve P availability in soil via dissolution, desorption and mineralization reactions. In addition, application of organic amendments with PSB could further ameliorate soil conditions for sustainable management of immobilized nutrients in calcarious soils. Therefore, we performed pot experiment to study the role of PSB in nullifying antagonistic effects of liming (4.78, 10, 15 and 20%) on P availability from poultry manure (PM), farm yard manure (FYM), single super phosphate (SSP) and rock phosphate (RP) in alkaline soils. PSB inoculation improved wheat growth, P availability and stimulated soil acidification over control regardless of P sources and lime levels. Soil calcification adversely affected plant growth, P nutrition, induced soil salinity and alkalinity, however, PSB and manures application potentially nullified such harmful effects over mentioned traits. Individually, organic sources were superior than mineral sources however, the performance of mineral fertilizers with PSB was at par to sole application of manures. Furthermore, application of RP with PSB proved as effective as sole SSP. Therefore, using PSB as bio-fertilizer has huge potential for improving P availability in calcareous soils.

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a fairly widespread agronomic constraint in many of the world’s cereal (wheat, rice, corn, barley, etc.) production regions. Zinc is an imperative micronutrient required for optimum plant growth and development. Low Zn availability in about 50% of global land has resulted in Zn deficiency in cereal grains. A two-year field experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Research Farm, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, during Rabi season 2018–19 (Y1) and 2019–20 (Y2) to study the impact of Zn levels (0, 5, 10 and 15 kg Zn ha−1), compost types (control, composted sheep manure (SMC), composted poultry manure (PMC) and farmyard manure compost (FYMC), and Zn-solubilizing bacteria (ZnSB) (with (+) and without (-) on Zn biofortification in order to overcome Zn deficiency. The experiment was set up in three replications in a randomized complete block design. The wheat variety “Pirsabak-2013” was planted in a 30 cm row-to-row spacing. The plot size was kept at 9 cm2, with 10 rows plot−1, and the seed was sown at a rate of 100 kg ha−1. The results showed that ZnSB application increased ShZnC (shoot Zn concentration) to a maximum level of 29.3 mg kg−1, ShZnUp (shoot Zn uptake) to 176.0 g ha−1, SZnUp (straw Zn uptake) to 116.67 g ha−1, and TZnUp (total Zn uptake) to 230.3 g ha−1. In the case of compost types, PMC resulted in maximum grain Zn uptake (GZnUp) (28.9 mg kg−1), ShZnUp (192.9 g ha−1), GZnC (33.4 mg kg−1), GZnUp (125.06 g ha−1), SZnUp (125.26 g ha−1), and TZnUp (250.3 g ha−1). In the case of Zn levels, higher ShZnC (31.5 mg kg−1), ShZnUp (191.3 g ha−1), GZnC (34.4 mg kg−1), SZnC (23.5 mg kg−1), GZnUp (128.98 g ha−1), SZnUp (129.29 g ha−1), and TZnUp (258.3 g ha−1) were calculated with the use of the highest rate of 15 kg Zn ha−1, which was either statistically similar to or followed by 10 kg Zn ha−1. A strong positive correlation was found among uptake by different plant parts (ZnG, ZnS, ShZnUp, GZnUp, SZnUp, and TZnUp). It was concluded that the combined application of PMC and 10 kg Zn ha−1 along with ZnSB (+) improved Zn biofortification and uptake in wheat crop under Zn-deficient soils.

The core findings of this study revealed that physicochemical properties fluctuate with soil texture and soil class. Sandy soil showed inconsistent variation with geographical directions. Bulk density, lime content, EC and pH decreases with topography and soil elevation while these parameters increased from surface to subsurface soil within a profile. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and micronutrient increased with increase in elevation. All these parameters decreased from surface to subsurface soil. Water holding capacity and saturation percentage increased with increase in elevation, while decreased from surface to subsurface soil. Based on the critical level of phosphorus, the altitude was low in available P and available P was quite low than the crop requirements and so they will be classified as phosphorus-deficient soils.