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Rainfed agriculture is primarily limited by unstable low precipitation, poor soil fertility and monocropping, which are the main factors leading to decreased crop production. This long-term research was conducted under a rainfed agroecosystem from 2019 to 2023 on the sierozem soil of the Karshi steppe, Uzbekistan. Along with winter wheat (WW) which was the main crop covering 50% of each proposed cropping pattern, chickpea (CH), safflower (SA), flax (FL), barley (BA) and canola (CA) were evaluated to find the most suitable rotation systems under no-till (NT) i.e. NT1: WW-CH-WW-FL, NT2: CH-WW-SA-WW, NT3: WW-SA-WW-BA and NT4: SA-WW-CA-WW compared against continuous WW produced with conventional tillage (CT). Results showed that the integrated effect of NT x crop diversification x residue retention positively affected crop productivity; however, their impact were significantly higher under the NT2 treatment, but not with continuous WW under CT. The highest grain yield of W Win the 2020-2021 growing season was recorded under NT2 and NT4 treatments with values of 1.47 and 1.30 Mg ha-1, while the lowest index (1.02 Mg ha-1) was found at the CT treatment. The grain yield in the NT treatments increased with the improvement of soil chemical and physical parameters, i.e. NPK and humus content. When comparing NT2 to CT treatment at the project end, the total N, P, and K values at the 0-20 cm soil profile were 27.9%, 13.9%, and 33.9% higher, respectively. This study concluded that implementation of NT along with strategic selection of legumes incorporated into the cropping system and residue management can be prioritized as rehabilitation measures in rainfed croplands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since silicon (Si) was found to be effective in crop production recently, more information is needed about its characteristics, including how it functions as a nano fertilizer for crop performance. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of the Si-containing nano fertilizer on cotton growth parameters and productivity in the arid region. The research conducted in open field conditions over the two consecutive growing seasons (2021 and 2022) revealed that the application of the Si-containing product significantly increased the biomass (10.6%), economic (19.4%), seed (14.3%), and lint yields (18.2%) of cotton as compared to the control group values. Likewise, the cotton biomass, economic, seed, and lint yields were increased by 11.8, 9.7, 9.5, and 9.1%, respectively, compared to the control variables after the Uzbiogumin application. Agronomic nitrogen-use efficiency (aNUE), physiological nitrogen-use efficiency (pNUE), internal nitrogen-use efficiency (iNUE), and apparent nitrogen recovery efficiency (aNRE) parameters were increased by 2.4-fold, 2.1-fold, 34.6 and 57.3%, respectively, with the application of Si nanonutrition. Although the cotton treated with nano Si produced a greater yield, while Uzbiogumin application resulted in more cotton biomass. Based on the results it can be concluded that the applied nano Si product can be widely used to increase crop productivity, especially in degraded lands under arid environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.), known for its salt and drought tolerance, presents a potential solution for addressing soil salinity and desertification challenges in arid areas. Since the natural habitat of this plant is dwindling sharply in the Aral Sea regions due to negative human interventions, so it is vital to create production technologies with biological means. This study determined the agronomic characteristics of licorice when bioagents i.e. Geohumate, Aminomax and Caliphos were used as a seed treatment. Results showed that the application of these biostimulators significantly improved seed germination and plant growth compared to the control. Especially the effect was more pronounced with Geohumate as the seed germination increased by 36.4%, whereas the impacts of Aminomax and Caliphos were 17.5% and 12.4% higher, respectively as compared to the control group. Likewise, under the open-field condition, plant growth and development were greater with the bioagent applications. In regards the root biomass, the highest record with a 29.1% increase was achieved after the Geogumat treatment, while Aminomax and Caliphos applications exhibited 24.4 and 23.9% higher values, respectively as compared to the control values. The amounts of ash, glycyrrhizic acid, extractive compounds and flavonoids were increased by 26.5%, 22.0, 9.4% and 10.4%, respectively, compared to the respective control values due to the positive effect of the Geogumat treatment. Furthermore, the improved organic and chemical contents of soil were explained by the bioremediation functions of licorice plus bioagents efficiency. Using bioagents in licorice production could be a valuable approach for maintaining ecosystem function and stability in saline lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]