Themed collection Topic Collection: Agriculture, Soil and Plants

Biochar production and utilization is proposed as an innovative approach for enhancing food production and climate change mitigation. Globally, biochar has the potential to increase crop productivity by ∼11% and reduces annual human-induced GHG emissions by ∼12%.

Microalgae are a source of scientific curiosity and inspiration for their utilization as ‘inoculants’ in agriculture and the commercial production of high-value products.

This study presents the energy assessment of 49 different crops in various countries. Energy utilization in diversified crop operations has been discussed.

The long-term stability of biochar in soil is a key factor for carbon storage and agro-environmental benefits in soil applications.

Compact NIR instruments are a cost-effective alternative for large-scale SOC determination. The best performance was found using local modelling and soil sample preparation.

The first regional topsoil sampling campaign since 2011 maps elevated background concentrations of potentially toxic elements in soils across north-west Syria following more than a decade of conflict.

Low concentration of antibiotics within the environment are known to select for antibiotic resistance (ABR), a global health and economic threat. This manuscript presents a framework to assess the ABR risk in soils where slurry or manure is applied.

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are promising materials for the remediation of trace elements, which are a significant source of soil pollution.

Phosphorus (P)-based nanomaterials are being explored as substitute for conventional fertilizers due to their higher nutrient use efficiency. No potential cytotoxicity of biologically synthesized P-based nanomaterials was found in HEK293 cell line.

The electrokinetic generation of iron-rich barriers at scale under realistic site conditions is demonstrated, with potential application for subsurface contaminant management at nuclear and other sites.

Emerging contaminants were found to alter the soil microbial community composition. However, no changes were observed when these compounds were added to soil containing 100 mg kg⁻¹ HDPE microplastics.

Physico-chemically different and agriculturally relevant phosphorus-based nanomaterials are hemocompatible and acquire bio-corona on interaction with human blood.

Fate of technical endosulfan in T. cacao L farm soils was studied using the OECD batch model. Rate constants for α- and β-isomers ranged from 6.91 × 10⁻³ to 2.85 × 10⁻⁴ min⁻¹. Pesticide was leachable. TOM/clay could be used as mitigants for its mobility.

Herbicides are used in agriculture to control the negative impacts of weeds and improve agricultural yields. Authorized herbicidal active ingredients (AIs) were combined in multiple ways to produce distinct formulations targeting diverse weeds.

Portable apparatus directly measures albedo from sensing areas <1000 m² and captures differences from crops, seasons, and sub-hourly snowmelt.

The presented research illustrates the importance of assessing pesticide mixtures in the environment by showing that the aerobic degradation of a herbicide in four different soils was significantly retarded in the presence of fungicides.

Nanoscale nutrients are promising for improving crop performance.