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Zinc wastes are economically valuable resource for zinc production. However, they are also classified as hazardous waste due to the heavy metal they contain. In this study, the effect of sulphating roasting and water leaching conditions on metal solubility (Zn, Pb, Fe, and Ca) were investigated. After roasting tests with ammonium sulfate at various temperatures and durations, the mineralogical structure of each roasted sample was examined. According to the chemical analysis, it was determined that the waste contained 16.6% Pb, 12.5% Zn, and 7.5% Fe. It was determined that roasting the waste with ammonium sulfate transforms the ZnFe2O4 ve Zn2SiO4 structures of the waste into zinc sulfate (ZnSO4). Considering the process economy and energy savings, the optimum operating conditions for approximately 91% zinc recovery was determined as 1:2 (g:g) waste/ammonium sulfate ratio, 625 °C roasting temperature, 4 hours roasting time, 625 °C leaching temperature, and 2 hours leaching time. Also, under the optimum conditions it was found that lead did not dissolve, and the dissolution rates of calcium and iron were 41% and 16.8%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate genomic sequencing demands high-quality double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Existing methods for dsRNA extraction from yeast, fungi, and plants primarily rely on cellulose, suitable only for small volume extractions, or the time-consuming lithium chloride precipitation. To streamline the traditional phenol-chloroform-based dsRNA extraction method, the main challenge is the reduction of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Single Stranded RNA (ssRNA) to no detectable levels after gel electrophoresis. This challenge is successfully addressed through the modified approach described here, involving phenol extraction at low pH, followed by the addition of ammonium sulfate to the aqueous buffer. The dsRNA isolated using this novel method exhibits comparable quality to that obtained through cellulose purification, and it is readily amenable to RT-PCR. Moreover, a single batch of yeast cell RNA isolation requires only 2-3 h of hands-on time, thus simplifying and expediting the process significantly. • Buffers were redesigned from [32,33,35]. • No DNASE, Ribonuclease A or beads were used during the purification. • Simple and inexpensive dsRNA extraction and purification method is described.

Plants require nitrogen (N) in various forms to facilitate essential physiological functions. Nitrate (NO3-) is one of the most readily absorbed N forms by plants and is preferred in well-aerated soils because it can be easily transported within the plant. Ammonium (NH4+), on the other hand, is utilized especially in waterlogged or acidic soils, where it is directly absorbed by the roots and incorporated into amino acids. Urea (CH4N2O) is another significant N source found in many fertilizers; it is transformed into NH4+ and nitrate in the soil through microbial processes. These diverse forms of N are crucial for supporting photosynthesis, protein synthesis, and energy production in plants. The escalating use of ammonium sulphate (NH4)2SO4) as a N source in agriculture prompts a thorough examination of its impact on crop health and productivity. This study aimed to investigate the NH4+ toxicity on rice (Oryza sativa) plants by administering various dosages (0 mM, 5 mM, 7 mM, 10 mM, 12 mM, and 15 mM) and assessing their effects on plant growth parameters, particularly root-shoot lengths, root-shoot fresh biomass along with dry weight. Our research utilized a controlled experimental setup to monitor the growth responses of rice plants to these NH4+ concentrations. Results indicated a clear threshold of tolerance, with adverse effects becoming significant at concentrations starting from 7 mM. At this concentration and higher, there was a noticeable decline in root-shoot lengths, root-shoot biomass and dry biomass, marking the onset of toxicity symptoms in rice plants. These findings suggest a critical need for regulated application of (NH4)2SO4 in rice cultivation to avoid detrimental effects on plant health and yield. The study underscores the importance of establishing safe usage guidelines for (NH4)2SO4 in agriculture, ensuring sustainable farming practices while maintaining crop productivity.

Ammoniacal nitrogen (N-NH3) is one of the pollutants that has adverse effects on the environment and is present in most effluents generated by mining operations. Therefore, mining companies must manage it to keep it below the regulated discharge criteria to avoid environmental contamination. In this context, the present study aims to valorize N-NH3 in the form of ammonium sulphate ((NH4)2SO4) for the manufacture of biochar pellets used as growth substrates for the production of forest seedlings. The biochar was first produced by fast pyrolysis, at 320 °C, and different recipes of pellets were then prepared to evaluate their hardness, binder type and content, humidity and durability. The optimal granule chosen was composed of biochar, corn starch and canola oil. Six combinations of different compositions were then prepared as substrates for black spruce growth: (1) Peat (P); (2) Peat and bulk biochar (PB); (3) Peat and bulk biochar impregnated with ammonium sulfate (PBAS); (4) Peat and biochar pellets impregnated with water (PBPeW); (5) Peat and biochar pellets impregnated with an ammonium sulfate solution (PBPeAS); (6) Peat, biochar pellets impregnated with ammonium sulfate and perlite (PBPeASPer). The effects of these substrates on the growth of black spruce seedlings, as well as fertilizer leaching, were measured. The results show that seedling biomass is equivalent to the control for the granular treatment, but higher biomass was obtained with bulk biochar (PB). This shows that a quarter of peat could be replaced by biochar to obtain similar or even better results of biomass yield and, consequently, solve part of the supply issue. As to plant nutrition, no tendency was observed for the experiments apart from the higher proportion of Ca in spruce needles. The prepared biochar-based pellet substrate appears to not only be advantageous for spruce production but also for other uses such as golf courses, forestry producers and horticultural nurseries using conventional fertilizers and peat as growing media. In addition, these approaches could help the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region in Québec, Canada to build a local circular economy.

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) significantly promotes the fertilizer N uptake efficiency of crops and evidently affects soil available N (nitrate, ammonium and glutamate) status. As an adaptive strategy to forage N, root morphology responds variably to soil available N dynamics. Detailed knowledge of how root morphology responds to γ-PGA remains unexplored. A pot trial was conducted to investigate the response of root morphological traits to γ-PGA when applied with CO(NH2)2 or (NH4)2SO4. The results showed that γ-PGA significantly improved the dry weight, total carbon and total nitrogen content of roots, and with a higher improvement with CO(NH2)2 compared to (NH4)2SO4. γ-PGA significantly increased the root length, total surface area, tips and forks with CO(NH2)2. Contrarily, γ-PGA significantly reduced root length, specific root length, specific root area, root volume, tips and forks with (NH4)2SO4, with its inhibition on root growth mainly caused by the high ammonium content in soil. In conclusion, γ-PGA gives opposite effects on root morphological traits when applied with CO(NH2)2 or (NH4)2SO4. This finding provides a new insight to reveal the promotion mechanism of γ-PGA on plant N acquisition in the rhizosphere and offers a practical reference for optimizing γ-PGA and fertilizer application management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study comprised of five different integrated fertilizers of calcium nitrate Ca(NO3)2 with ammonium sulphate (NH4)2SO4 ratios (0%:100%, 10%:90%, 20%:80%, 30%:70%, and 40%:60%) to enhance the physico-chemical properties, and the antioxidant and nutritional compounds of pomegranate fruits cv. 'Wonderful'. The results discovered that the application of Ca(NO3)2:(NH4)2SO4 in different ratios significantly affected all measured parameters. Among integrated fertilizers, the 30%:70% combination showed an increment of 10.8% in fruit weight, 2.9% in fruit length, 11.8% in fruit volume, and 7.0% in fruit diameter. Similarly, total soluble solids, vitamin C, anthocyanin, total sugars, and reduced sugars, were also increased by 11.2%, 14.6%, 20.2%, 7.4%, and 5.2%, respectively. Likewise, values of both color variations from green to red (a*) and from blue to yellow (b*), and chroma, were also increased by 13.8%, 16.6%, and 14.4%, respectively. Moreover, the application of Ca(NO3)2:(NH4)2SO4 at a ratio of 40%:60% showed 25.1% decrease in titratable acidity, and 45.4% and 27.0% increase in maturity index and peel luminosity, respectively. Additionally, the 30%:70% combination showed an increment of 30.9% in total phenolic content, 70.5% in total tannin content, and 43.6% in total flavonoid content. Additionally, it showed 25.8% and 1.7% decrease in pH and moisture content, respectively. Moreover, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, and Ni in fruit increased by different increments by application of the 30%:70% with an increasing range of 28% to 175%. A non-reducing sugar increase was observed at an application of Ca(NO3)2:(NH4)2SO4 at a ratio of 20%:80% by 47.0%. The findings of this study suggest that using calcium nitrate with ammonium sulphate at a ratio of 30%:70%, using the fertigation approach during the growth season, could be a safe, natural, and novel method for the pomegranate cv. 'Wonderful' to improve fruit quality, and its amount of antioxidants—specifically, phenolics, vitamin C, anthocyanin, and fruit minerals—with health benefits at harvest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phycocyanin, a phycobiliprotein, is one of the few natural blue pigments available as food colourant, and it is largely used in food industry. We have devised an innovative two-step extraction process which allowed to obtain bright blue phycocyanin crude extracts with high purity grade P (within 2.5 and 3.5) directly from fresh biomass of Arthrospira platensis Gomont 1892 (commonly named Spirulina). We found out and for the first time exploited ammonium sulphate capability to minimize the release of water soluble phycobiliproteins in aqueous medium during ultrasound-assisted cell lysis/purification phase. The conventional sequence which is, extraction followed by purification, was reversed. The extraction phase was decoupled from biomass cell lysis. Cell lysis, accomplished by ultrasonication in ammonium sulphate solution, was merged with purification in a single step, before the pigment extraction/recovering phase. The process was entirely carried out in aqueous solutions. No downstream purification was required to obtain products suitable for the most common phycocyanin applications (i.e. foods, nutraceuticals). Production time, hours instead of days, was reduced to the advantage of the product quality. The process has the great advantages of (1) direct use of extracting solutions that cannot be used in the ordinary ultrasound-assisted extraction of phycocyanin (because of the extensive simultaneous extraction of contaminant molecules), (2) gain of high commercial value phycocyanin due to the elevated purity grade and (3) direct production of highly concentrated bright blue pigment crude extracts (up to about 5 mg mL−1) immediately in hand to the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Acta Agriculturae Slovenica is the property of Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Annual ground cherry (Physalis divaricata) is an invasive weed in farmlands located in western Iran, but there is little information on effective options for its management, particularly in corn. Greenhouse and field studies were conducted to evaluate the performance of herbicide options consisting of mesotrione + s-metolacholor + terbuthylazine, bromoxynil + MCPA, foramsulfuron + iodosulfuron, 2,4-D + MCPA, rimsulfuron and nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron alone and in combination with ammonium sulphate (AMS) and citogate for Ph. divaricata control in corn. In the greenhouse study, only Mesotrione + s-metolacholor + terbuthylazine and bromoxynil + MCPA mixture provided satisfactory control of Ph. divaricata among the evaluated herbicides. In field study, each of mesotrione + s-metolacholor + terbuthylazine or bromoxynil + MCPA efficiently suppressed Ph. divaricata. Nevertheless, bromoxynil + MCPA had higher efficacy so that applying 75% of its recommended dose resulted in more than 80 % control of Ph. divaricata. Considering both greenhouse and field studies, mesotrione + s-metolacholor + terbuthylazine as well as bromoxynil + MCPA were found to be suitable options for Ph. divaricata in corn. Results also suggest the need of adding of AMS to improving weed control by these herbicides, particularly in bromoxynil + MCPA.