JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

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Due to high production of organic residues such as sewage sludge and compost, land application is probably the best way to prevent accumulated residues in the environment. However, the risk involved in the land application of organic residues should be evaluated prior to the assessment of their economic and fertilizer values. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of organic residues on soil chemical properties, yield and uptake of heavy metals and nutrients by corn (Zea mays L.). The study was a randomized complete block design with three replications with four treatments including cow manure, sewage sludge, municipal compost and inorganic fertilizer.

The organic amendments were applied to the plots at a rate of 50 t ha^-1 and inorganic fertilizer treatment consisted of 250 kg ha^-1 ammonium phosphate and 250 kg ha^-1 urea.

 Organic amendments significantly increased soil organic matter content, EDTA-extractable Fe, Zn, Cu and Pb and plant available P, K, and N. Uptake and concentration of nutrient in corn grain and shoots were significantly affected by treatments, whereas Cd and Pb concentrations were the same among the treatments. Cow manure and sewage sludge treatments had the highest and compost had the lowest corn silage and grain yields. Overall, the results indicated that cow manure and sewage sludge had a high fertilizer value and led to heavy metal concentrations in soil as well as corn tissues which were much lower than the reported standards.

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Evaluation of nutrient status in soil is important from nutritional, environmental and economical aspects. Potassium is a very important plant nutrient not only because of its large demand, but also because of its important physiological and biochemical functions in plant. In order to evaluate K availability and common K extractants in the central region of Isfahan Province, surface soil samples from 26 important soil series were taken, out of which 16 soil samples were selected for further study based on their ammonium acetate extractable K and texture. Available K was extracted from the soil samples by NH₄OAC (4 methods), CaCl₂ (2 methods), NaCl (2 methods), NaOAC, AB-DTPA, Mehlich I, Mehlich III, Morgan-Wolf and HNO₃. A green house experiment using corn (Zea mays L.) variety Single-cross 704 as the test plant with 2 treatments (zero and 150 mg/kg K) and three replications was performed with the 16 selected soils to correlate K uptake with K extracted by different extractants.

 From XRD analysis, the dominant clay mineral was found to be Illite. Based on the amount of potassium extracted by these extractants from the soils the extractants used in this research may be divided into three groups: relatively weak extractants including CaCl₂, Mehlich I and Morgan-Wolf relatively strong extractants including NH₄OAC, NaCl (2N), Mehlich III, AB-DTPA, NaOAC and NaCl (1N), the strongest and weakest extractants in this group were NH₄OAC and NaCl (1N), respectively and finally, a very strong extractant which includes only HNO₃. In each group, the quantities of extracted K showed high correlation with each other. A high and significant correlation was observed between the quantities of K extracted by NH₄OAC, AB-DTPA and HNO₃. The amount of K extracted by 2N NaCl, 1N NaOAC, 1N NH₄OAC, and AB-DTPA was significantly correlated with K taken up by plant and its K concentration. 2N NaCl and 1N NaOAC were selected as the most suitable extractants for K based on their high correlation coefficients with plant uptake (0.79** and 0.72**, respectively) and K concentration in plant (0.86** and 0.85**, respectively). Yield, relative yield and plant response were not significantly correlated with K extracted by different extractants indicating that available K of the selected soils was not a limiting factor for corn growth therefore, it was impossible to determine the critical level of K for corn by the selected extractant.

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In this study, the optimum irrigation depths for corn grain production under different conditions, i.e. maximum grain yield production and maximum benefit under limited land and water conditions, were determined under sprinkler irrigation in Bajgah (15 km. north of Shiraz).

 The results showed that, the optimum depth of irrigation for maximum grain yield production was 77.0 cm. Because of low price of irrigation water and sensitivity of corn crop to water deficit, the optimum depths of water were 76.8 and 73.4 cm under land and water limitations, respectively. Therefore, under limited water conditions, only 4.7 percent of the full irrigation water (maximum corn grain production) can be saved for maximum profits.

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Nitrogen fertilizer application for corn (Zea mays L.) based on available N of soil can decrease the need to N fertilizer and, consequently, reduce the risk of environmental pollution, especially that of groundwater and drinking water. The objectives of this study were i) determining soil N0₃-N critical level at 4 to 6 leaf stage, ii) to study soil nitrate distribution, iii) determining N rate required for maximum corn grain yield, iv) measuring soil residual nitrate nitrogen after harvesting, and v) using hand chlorophyll meter to evaluate N status of corn. The experiment was conducted under field conditions in Bajgah and Kooshkak research stations (Fars Province) in 1996 using a split plot randomized complete block design with four replications. Main plots were control, 60, 120, and 180 kg N ha^-1 as urea. At 4 to 6 leaf stage each main plot was divided into two sub-plots and N was applied at 60 kg N ha^-1 rate to one sub-plot and the other sub-plot was left as control.

 Results showed that critical soil N0₃-N level at 4 to 6 leaf stage in 0-30 cm depth for 90 percent relative yield in Bajgah was 12-14 and for Kooshkak was 8-10 mg kg^-1 soil. The highest coefficient of determination between corn grain yield and soil N0₃-N in 0-30 cm depth for Bajgah was in furrow sample and for Kooshkak was in furrow and shoulder composite sample. In both sites, maximum corn grain yield, with 15.5% moisture content, was about 14 mg ha^-1 that was obtained through the application of 120 kg N ha^-1 as preplant plus 60 kg N ha^-1 as sidedress which is about 1/2 of the application rate used by local farmers. The highest residual soil N0₃-N after harvesting was 24 and 18 and the lowest was 2.6 and 3 mg kg^-1 soil for Bajgah and Kooshkak soils, respectively. When maximum corn grain yield was obtained, chlorophyll meter reading at the middle of leaf blade at dough stage, was 49 for both sites. It seems that N fertilizer application rate by local farmers is excessive.

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Excessive application of sewage sludge leads to the accumulation of potentially toxic elements in soils. The objective of this greenhouse study was to examine the DTPA–extractability of Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb, Cd, Ni, and Co in relation to soil pH and to investigate the concentrations of these metals in corn (Zea mayz). The study was conducted using a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications. Sewage sludge was applied at 0, 50, 100, and 200 t/ha on four soils [Langaroud (pH= 4.8), Lahijan (pH= 5.7), Rasht (pH= 6.8), and Isfahan (pH= 7.9)]. Application of sewage sludge significantly increased DTPA-extractable Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, and Ni in all soils. The increasing effect was in accordance with sludge level. Langaroud soil had the highest and Isfahan soil the lowest levels of DTPA-extractable metals. Application of sewage sludge increased plant growth and metals in the foliage of corn plants. The metal concentration in corn tissues also increased with decreasing soil pH. Overall, the application of sewage sludge as an organic material, particularly in acid soils, may increase availability of heavy metals, which may, in turn, result in soil pollution. Therefore, addition of sewage sludge to soils should be managed on the basis of the changes in soil heavy metal concentration.

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Iron oxide-coated strips (P_i) can serve as a sink to continuously remove P from solution. In this way, probably, P extraction is analogous to P absorption by plant root. The objective of this study was to evaluate the iron oxide-coated paper strips to estimate the availability of soil P of corn (Zea mays) grown under greenhouse conditions in some soils of Hamadan Province. Sixteen soil samples with different physico-chemical properties were examined for available P by Olsen, Colwell, Mehlich1, 0.01 M CaCl₂, AB-DTPA, 0.1 M HCl methods and two (P_i1, P_i2) P_i methods. Furthermore, the effects of two P levels ( 0 and 250 mg P Kg^-1 soil) on the plant responses (P uptake, P concentration, and relative yield) were studied in the greenhouse experiment using 12 soil samples. The results showed that the amount of extractable P decreased in the order: 0.01 M Cacl₂ < P_i2 < AB-DTPA < P_i1 < Olsen

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Sewage sludge and effluents, as cheap sources of irrigation water and fertilizer, can supply plants with water and nutrients however, contamination of these sources with heavy metals and the possibility of human food chain contamination using these sources should be considered. In this research, the effects of industrial sewage sludge and effluents on concentration of some nurtients, heavy metals and sodium and dry matter yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum), barley (Hordeum vulgare) and corn (Zea mays) were investigated. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse using a complete randomized design with four replication. The treatments comprised well water, well water + sewage sludge(50 tons/ha), and three industrial effluents from Iran Polyacryl factory including the cooling tower, the over flow and the factory outlet effluents. Chemical analysis showed the following results: The concentration of the elements in the sludge and the effluents were below the critical contaminating levels. The application of the treatments did not supply enough nitrogen for corn the cooling tower effluent could not supply enough nitrogen for wheat and barley all the treatments supplied enough P for wheat. None of the treatments could supply enough P for corn. The cooling tower, over flow and the factory outlet effluents could not supply enough P for barley, the micronutrient and heavy metal concentrations in the plant tissues using the effluents and the sewage sludge were higher than those for well water the dry matter yield of plants’roots and shoots was highest using well water + sludge and in comparison with the well water, effluents could increase the shoot dry matter yield.

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To facilitate the interpretation of data from a genotype by environment experiment (GE), a cluster method is proposed to group genotypics according to their response to the environments especially when the GE interaction is large. The interaction structure of two-way classification data often can be identified if the data stratified into homogeneous subsets. In this paper four GE interaction cluster methods are proposed for this purpose. The stability of the 10 maize hybrids including 9 hybrids that were the best hybrids in yield trials and KSC 301 (check hybrid) were evaluated for 2 years in 4 locations of Iran. The randomized complete block design with 4 replications was conducted for each environment with different layouts. Simple analysis of variance revealed significant genetic differences between hybrids for grain yield. The results of combined analysis of variance indicated that genotype × year, genotype × location, and genotype × year × location interaction effects were significant (P < 0.01). Results also showed that models 1 and 3 and models 2 and 4 had the same responses. Hybrids 8 (K1263/1 × KE8212/12) with high yield stability in both models 1 and 3 were in one group and other hybrids were in another group. In models 2 and 4 results led to 3 groups: Group1 included hybrids 3, 7 and 9 that were very stable and had high yield group 2 included hybrid 1 alone that had medium stability and yield and group 3 included other hybrids that had low stability and yield.

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  Application of slag and converter sludge, major by-products of Esfahan Zob Ahan factory, to enrich two organic amendments for corn nutrition, was investigated. Farm manure and its vermicompost mixed with different rates of slag and sludge were incubated in 3 Kg pots at field capacity moisture and home temperature for three months. The applied rates of slag and sludge were 0, 5 and 10 percent (w/w) of pure iron from these compounds to the organic amendments. Iron sulfate with the above ratios was also examined for comparison. Sub-samples of the incubated materials were taken after 0, 10, 25, 45, 65 and 90 days of incubation and examined for DTPA extractable Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu. After the incubation, the enriched amendments were applied to a soil sample to grow corn. Three Kg soil samples, taken from Chah Anari experimental farm, Esfahan University of Technology, were mixed with 17 gr of the amendments (50 ton/ha) placed in 3 Kg pots. In each pot two corn seeds (single cross 704) were planted and after 70 days crop yield and concentration of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu in the plant tissues were determined. Results showed that the use of iron sulfate strongly increased DTPA extractable Fe and Mn of the amendments. In enrichment by converter sludge, the best result was obtained in the mixture of 10 percent pure iron with the vermicompost on 60 days of incubation. Treatment of 5 percent pure iron from slag mixed with the manure increased DTPA extractable Fe and Mn with the time, but the 10 percent treatment was not much effective in this regard. The highest rates of iron uptake by the plants occurred in the iron sulfate and 10 percent converter sludge treatments, respectively however, the highest rate of the plant Mn uptake was observed in 5 percent iron from converter sludge mixed with vermicompost. In general, 10 percent pure iron from converter sludge was the most effective enrichment treatment, increasing the plant uptake of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu micronutrients.

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In order to investigate the effects of moisture stress, nitrogen fertilizer, manure and integrated nitrogen and manure fertilizer on yield, yield components and water use efficiency of SC 704 corn (late maturing, non-prolific and dent). In 2005, a field study was conducted in agricultural experiment station of the college of agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University. The type of design was randomized complete block with factorial arrangement and three replications. For the study, four levels of nitrogen fertilizer (0, 92, 184 and 276 kg N ha-1), integrated fertilizer (46 kg N ha-1 + 2/5 ton ha-1 FYM, 92 kg N ha-1 + 5 ton ha-1 FYM and 138 kg N ha-1 +7/5 ton ha-1 FYM ) and organic Farm Yard Manure (5, 10 and 15 ton ha-1 FYM ) along with three levels of irrigation (optimum irrigation (control), water stress 75% optimum irrigation and water stress 50% optimum irrigation) were used as treatments. The results showed maximum seed yield was produced with 92 kg N ha-1 + 5 ton ha-1 FYM and average of seed yield was 7976 kg ha-1. Maximum corn seed yield resulted when optimum irrigation water was applied and average seed yield was 7041 kg ha-1. When water stress was imposed in 50% and 75% of optimum irrigation, seed yield was decreased by 33 and 12%, respectively. The best seed yield was obtained with interaction of 5 ton ha-1 FYM and optimum irrigation. Also, maximum water use efficiency was obtained in using 50% of optimum irrigation. Maximum water use efficiency was obtained with interaction of 92 kg N ha-1 + 5 ton ha-1 FYM and imposition of water stress in 50% optimum irrigation. Results showed that adequate nitrogen fertilizer slightly increased corn seed yield under stress, and integrated (nitrogen and manure) fertilizer increased corn seed yield under stress. But seed yield greatly increased with optimum irrigation. Integrated fertilizer application increased seed yield even with severe moisture stress. Application of integrated chemical fertilizers and manure produced better seed yield and also decreased the amount of chemical fertilizers and improved soil physical and chemical characteristics.

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In order to study the effect of NaCl priming on some agronomical and physiological traits of corn (single cross 704), an experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station of Bahonar University of Kerman in 2005. The experimental design was completely randomized designs with 3 replications. Treatments were a combination of all different levels of two factors including salinity levels (1, 4, 8, 12, 16 dS/m) and salinity solution for NaCl priming (1, 4, 8, 12, 16 dS/m). Results showed that salinity and NaCl priming had significant effects on total emergence, mean time to emergence, root and stem length, number of leaf, relative water content, ion leakage and K+/Na+. Mean comparison showed that increasing salinity decreased all plant characteristics (with the exception of mean time to emergence and ion leakage) by %49.5, %33.49, %23.97, %18.64, %14.05 and %40.20, respectively. However, increasing salinity led to 1.2 and 1.3 increase in mean time to emergence and ion leakage of leaves, respectively. Mean comparison also showed that NaCl priming decreased negative effects of salt stress, and all mentioned traits under NaCl priming increased as compared with control. The results showed that NaCl priming is a useful method for increasing salt tolerance in corn plant.

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One of the most important goals of precision farming is preparing yield map. Recently in Iran, planting of corn has received special attention. Therefore, among the different methods of yield measurement such as using impact sensor at the outlet port of forage harvester (chopper), displacement sensors at feed rollers of forage harvester, continuous measurement of discharged material to trailing wagon and using the torque meter, the present study made use of the torque meter method. This method consisted of a torque transmitting shaft equipped with laser-based encoders to monitor twist in a real time mode. The unit output could be exported to a computer via a microcontroller installed into the interface device. For calibration of the torque meter output with material feed rate in lab conditions, a conveyor was used to feed homogenous amount of material at a specific rate to the chopper. The experiment was conducted at 3 feed rates of silage corn and at 3 feed roll speeds of the chopper with 3 replications. Correlation between the feed rate and recorded power at different gears of the chopper was established. Relationships between feed rate and recorded power of the chopper at gears 1, 2 and 3 were linear with calculated R2 of 0.95, 0,98 and 0.98, respectively.

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Tillage systems and organic manures could affect soil physical and mechanical properties. This study was conducted to investigate the impacts of two tillage systems including conventional tillage by moldboard plowing (plowing depth, 30 cm) and reduced tillage by disk plow (plowing depth, 15 cm) and three rates (0, 30 and 60 ton ha-1) of farmyard manure (FYM) on the soil penetration resistance under corn cropping in a split block design with 3 replications. The cone index (CI) decreased with increase of the tillage depth. It is attributable to soil disturbing and loosening of the deeper layers under conventional tillage compared to reduced tillage. This trend, however, was observed only in the first (after treatments’ application and before cropping) and second (the highest rate of vegetative growth) samplings. In the third sampling (after harvest), there were not significant differences between the CI values under two tillage systems in different soil depths. It might be due to soil re-compaction (approaching the pre-tillage state) as well as disappearance of the tillage effects seven month after commencement of the experiment. In fact, the soil mechanical resistance increased with the time indicating soil re-compaction over the growing season. Adding FYM to the surface layer (i.e. 0-10 cm) of ridge soil resulted in significant decrease of soil mechanical resistance compared to control treatment. The CI decreased significantly in the 30 ton ha-1 treatment up to the stage of highest rate of vegetative grow, but the effect on CI was diminished after harvest. However, the decreasing effects of the 60 ton ha-1 treatment on the CI continued to the harvesting time. There were no significant effects of FYM in the soil deeper than 10 cm from the ridge surface and in all of the layers in furrow. The CI did not decrease significantly in the furrow due to negligible effect of manure application for the inter-row position.

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Sewage sludge application on farmland as fertilizer is commonly practiced in many countries. However, high concentration of heavy metals like mercury (Hg) in sludge can cause pollution of soil, plant and the human food chain. In order to examine the risk of Hg transfer into plants a five year field experiment was conducted in which we investigated uptake of Hg from a sludge-amended soil by corn. Sludge application rates were 0, 25, 50 and 100 Mg ha-1. To study cumulative and residual effects of the sewage sludge, applications were repeated on 4/5 of each plot in second year, on 3/5 of plots in third year, on 2/5 of plots in fourth year and in 1/5 of plots in fifth year. After the fifth year, soil samples from the 0-20 and 20-40 cm depths were taken and analyzed for total Hg. Corn plants were harvested and roots, stems and grains were separately analyzed for Hg concentrations. Sludge application significantly increased total Hg concentration in soil. Total Hg concentration in soil ranged from 20 µg kg-1 (in control plots) to 1200 µg kg-1 (in plots with 500 Mg ha-1 sludge application). Sludge application significantly increased uptake of Hg in different plant parts. At the end of the fifth year the average Hg concentrations in root, stem, and grain were 91, 9, and 8 µg kg-1, respectively. Corn yield increased significantly with sludge application and this fertilizer effect was visible five years after a single sludge application.

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Calcareous and gypsiferous soils are restricting factors for uptake of some plant nutrient elements and plant production. Most soils in Iran are calcareous and gypsiferous. Therefore, the aim of this study was the evaluation of calcium carbonate (Caco3) and gypsum effect on availability of some nutrients and corn growth. This study was conducted in a greenhouse at Vli-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan. Treatments were arranged in a factorial manner as a completely randomized design with three replications. Treatments were three levels of Caco3 (0, 20 and 40 g/100g soil), gypsum at three levels (0, 15 and 30 g/100g soil) and two soil textures (Sand and Silt clay loam). Results indicate that irrespective of soil texture, Caco3 application significantly decreased leaf area (by 80% and 15% for sand and silty clay loam texture, respectively), dry weight (by 80% and 15% respectively), plant height (regressed on Caco3 percentage by slopes -0.7 and -0.15 for sand and silty clay loam respectively), and shoot Fe (-9.67 and -11.3) and Zn (-0.24 and -1) uptake, but had no significant effect on shoot Cu uptake. In sandy soil, application of gypsum, significantly decreased leaf area (80%), dry weight (62%), and shoot Cu uptake (slope= -1.93), but had no significant effect on plant height and shoot Zn uptake. Gypsum application significantly reduced shoot Fe uptake (slope= -24.86) in fine textured soil, but it had no significant effect in coarse textured soil.

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In order to evaluate the effects of nitrogen fertilizer levels on grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency in corn cultivars, a split plot experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted at the Research Farm of Islamic Azad University of Ardabil during 2006-2007 cropping seasons. Factors consisted of nitrogen fertilizer at four levels (0, 80, 160 and 240 kg/ha) and corn cultivars at three levels (SC-310, SC-404 and DC-370). The results showed that grain yield was significantly affected by nitrogen levels, corn cultivar and nitrogen level × corn cultivars. The highest grain yield was related to application of 240 kg/ha nitrogen with SC-404 cultivar. Nitrogen levels of 160 and 240 kg/ha had similar yields, but more yield than 80 kg/ha. With increasing of nitrogen levels, plant height, the number of grains per ear rows significantly increased. Comparisons of means showed that increasing the application of nitrogen fertilizer decreased nitrogen use efficiency. Nitrogen use efficiency decreased from 17.13 kg/kg with application of 80 kg/ha nitrogen fertilizer to 12.4 kg/kg in application of 240 kg/ha nitrogen fertilizer. Nitrogen use efficiency was affected by corn cultivar. Nitrogen use efficiency in SC-404 was higher than SC-301. In conclusion, in order to increase grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency, SC-404 hybrid should be applied with 160 kg N/ha in climatic conditions of Ardabil Plain.