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Greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the utilization of compost derived from grape fruit waste (GFW) as an ingredient in nursery substrates for germination and development of c...

Agricultural wastes are considered residues resulted from the agricultural production and after harvesting fruit and vegetable and their processing, agro-industrial by/co-products from the grapes, banana, olives and milk processing. These wastes may represent a treasure when they are turning into valuable applications (i.e., composting, biochar, removing pollutants from the environment and organic fertilizers) or they may burn in open fields causing some environmental problems such as soil degradation and air pollution. The landfill disposal and open dumping of agro-wastes is a common practice in the developing countries generating huge amounts of ash, which may create serious health and environmental problems, primarily due to pollution of groundwater. Under the umbrella of the bioeconomy and based on industrial innovation and high technology, new and better approaches for the recovery of agricultural wastes have been developed. This has contributed to guaranteeing sustainable production and its consumption, resource efficiency, the conversation of these wastes into valuable products and the reduction of negative environmental impacts. The common management of Agro-wastes may include a lot of suggested uses such as production of biosynthesis of nanoparticles, biotechnological products, composting and biofuel production. A lot of bioactive compounds could be produced from the agro-wastes, which have many application possibilities such as functional food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic approaches. The nano-management of agro-wastes may include using of nanotechnology to convert the agro-wastes into a valuable product. This topic still has several open questions particularly under the sustainable and bioeconomy.

Boron (B) toxicity might be a problem, especially in dry regions of the world, however; its distribution still largely unappreciated and ignored by soil and crop scientists. Therefore, this study aimed to assess B spatial distribution in an area of northern Nile Delta, the most fertile and populated area in Egypt. Soil B was extracted by Mehilch-3 extraction and measured by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP). The mean B concentration was recorded as 5.19, 6.04, and 6.41 ug/g in surface (S), subsurface (Ss), and lower (L) layers, respectively. . The data were interpolated in ArcGIS software. The highest B concentration was observed in the central part of this area, which may be attributed to many reasons such as pollution sources and management practices. Our results indicated that more than 50% of the studied area highly concentrated in B, which represents a threat to soil and ecosystems in North Nile Delta.

The pollution of agricultural soils, water and plants by trace elements (TEs) in the Nile Delta Region, Egypt, is of great importance. This study aimed to investigate the spatial and seasonal variation of some TEs in the agricultural area adjacent to Kitchener Drain and to evaluate the ecological risk posed by these elements using six indices. Soil and plant samples were collected from seven sites close to the drain, while water samples were collected from the corresponding sites inside the drain during three seasons (winter, spring and fall). The results showed that all studied TEs in the soil varied seasonally and spatially among the locations around the drain. Most of the studied elements in the soil were higher in the southern and middle area around the drain. All studied elements in the soil were also higher in the winter than other seasons. Nickel and lead were almost non-detected during all seasons in plant tissues, while other elements were higher in the winter than other seasons. In contrast to the soil and plant tissues, water samples demonstrated lower or non-detected levels of TEs. The results also indicated that the values for the risk assessment indices differed among the studied TEs. Therefore, there is a risk of increasing the concentration of some metals in the study area due to anthropogenic pollution from the adjacent polluted drain through irrigation with contaminated water and spreading of contaminated dredged materials on agricultural fields.

The global agriculture is facing many challenges including sustainable use and conservation of natural resources, climate change, urbanization, and pollution resulting from agrochemicals (e.g., fertilizers and pesticides). So, the sustainable agriculture is an urgent issue and hence the suitable agro-technological interventions are essential (e.g., nano- and bio-technology) for ensuring the safety and sustainability of relevant production system. Biotechnology and nanotechnology also can be considered emerging solutions to resolve the global food crisis. Nanoparticles or nanomaterials can be used in delivering different nutrients for plant growth. These nanoparticles as nanofertilizers have positive and negative effects on soils, soil-biota and plants. These effects mainly depend on multiple factors including nanofertilizer properties, plant species, soil fate and dynamics as well as soil microbial communities. Nanofertilizers could improve the nutrient use efficiencies through releasing of nutrients slowly and steadily for more than 30 days as well as reducing the loss of nutrients in agroecosystems and sustaining farm productivity. Here we review the plant nano-nutrition including the response of plants and soils to nanonutrients and their fate, dynamic, bioavailability, phytotoxicity, etc. Concerning the effects of nanonutrients on terrestrial environments are still an ongoing processes and it demands further researches as well as a knowledge gap towards different changes in shape, texture, color, taste and nutritional aspects on nanonutrients exposed plants as a major component in the food chain. Moreover, the interaction between nanonutrients and plants, soils, soil biota and the entire agroecosystem will be also highlighted.

This study aimed to elucidate the origin of the widespread nicotine contamination of plant-derived commodities, by conducting field experiments with various herbs and spice plants. By scattering tobacco and cigarette butts on the field and subsequent nicotine analyses of the acceptor plants, we verified that the alkaloid is leached out into the soil and is taken up by the crop plants. This path of contamination pertains even when there is only one cigarette butt per square meter. Even such minor pollution results - at least in the case of basil and peppermint - in considerable high nicotine contaminations, which exceed the maximum residue level by more than 20-fold. The data reported here clearly outline the large practical relevance of this soil-borne contamination path and imply that unthoughtful disposal of cigarette butts in the field by farm workers may be the reason for the widespread occurrence of nicotine contamination in plant-derived commodities. Therefore, such misbehavior needs to be prevented using education and sensitization, and by including this issue into the guidelines of good agricultural practice.

Selenium (Se) is a naturally occurring metalloid element which occurs nearly in all environments. Se is considered as a finite and non-renewable resource on the Earth. The common sources of Se in earth’s crust occur in association with sulfide minerals such as metal selenide, whereas it is rarely found in elemental form (Se0). While there is no evidence of Se need for higher plants, several reports show that when Se added at low concentrations, Se exerts beneficial effects on plant growth. Se may act as quasi-essential micronutrient through altering different physiological and biochemical traits. Thus, plants vary considerably in their physiological and biochemical response to Se. This review focusses on the physiological importance of Se forms as well as different Se fertilizers for higher plants, especially plant growth, uptake, transport, and metabolism.