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Bio-based controlled release fertilizers (BCRFs) are cost-effective and renewable thus gradually replacing petroleum-based controlled release fertilizers (CRFs). However, most of the study mainly focused on modifying BCRFs to improve controlled-release performance. It is necessary to further increase the functionality of BCRF for expanding the application. A multifunctional double layered bio-based CRF (DCRF) was prepared. Urea was used as the core of fertilizer, bio-based polyurethane was used as the inner coating, and sodium alginate and copper ions formed the hydrogel as the outer coating. In addition, mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with sodium selenate was used to modify the sodium alginate hydrogel (MSN@Se hydrogel). The results showed that the nitrogen longevity of the DCRF was much better than that of urea and BCRF. The selenium nutrient longevity of the DCRF was 40 h, much longer than that of sodium selenate. The DCRF improved the yield and nutritive value of cherry radish (Raphanus sativus L. var.radculus pers) with the elevated contents of selenium, an essential trace element. Moreover, the DCRF showed inhibitory effect on Fusarium oxysporum Schltdl. and could resist soil-borne fungal diseases continuously. Overall, this multifunctional fertilizer has great potential for expanding the use of BCRFs for sustainable development of agriculture.

For 46 years (1957–2002), irrigation with wastewater has increased the amount of heavy metal and organic contaminants in soils and altered bacterial communities in Shenyang, northeastern China. There has been characterization of the different heavy metal and petroleum contaminants in two types of land uses (cornfields and paddy fields). The Nemerow composite indices of heavy metal contaminants have been higher in cornfields (1.17–4.73) than those in paddy fields (0.57–1.64). Molecular-based techniques and biochemical-based techniques were used to analyze soil microbial diversity in our study. The metabolic activity of soil microbe communities was higher in paddy sites than that in cornfields. Organic pollutants such as saturated and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have significantly affected soil bacterial compositions. Heavy metals differed in how they disturbed the microbial communities. Arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) shifted the community composition and decreased microbial diversity; copper (Cu) reduced bacterial abundance in soil; and cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) lowered the metabolic capabilities of bacteria.

Recently, superhydrophobic bio-based coating materials for sustainable and environmentally friendly controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) have drawn much attention. The synthesis procedure of superhydrophobic nanomaterials have developed rapidly, but their applications in coating for superhydrophobic CRFs are still limited to small-scale uses because of the heavy environmental concerns and economic expenses. In this study, a novel one-step process was developed to synthesize nano lauric acid copper using ethyl alcohol and water as solvents. This nanomaterial was not only successfully used to modify bio-polyurethane, derived from castor oil for coating urea fertilizer to improve its release characteristic, but also was coated on different substrates including paper, metal, glass, and non-woven fabrics to make their surfaces superhydrophobic and superoleophilic. Non-woven fabrics and a 100 mesh nylon net coated with this nanomaterials effectively separated crude oil-in water emulsion with an ultrahigh efficiency and reusability. Furthermore, the nanomaterial exhibited excellent antibacterial properties and long-term stability. Overall, this novel nano lauric acid copper is a cost-effective and multifunctional coating material that has many promising applications, including controlled-release and oil/water separation in the future.

Self-healing materials have received increased attention because of their automatic detecting and repairing damage function. In this paper, a novel self-assembly and self-healing bionanocomposite was developed as a coating material for controlled release fertilizers. This nanotechnology-enabled coating is environmentally friendly and highly efficient and possesses a tunable nutrient-releasing characteristic. In the synthesis process, bio-based polyurethane coated urea (BPCU) was prepared by the reaction of bio-polyols with isocyanate. The BPCU was then modified by the layer-by-layer technology to prepare self-assembling modified BPCU (SBPCU). Last, hollow nano-silica (HNS) particles loaded with the sodium alginate (SA) were used to modify SBPCU to fabricate of self-assembling and self-healing BPCU (SSBPCU). The results show that the self-assembled materials were synthesized through electrostatic adsorption. The self-healing was observed through scanning electron microscopy and 3D-X-ray computed tomography, revealing the mechanism was that the repair agent released from HNS reacted with the curing agent to block the pore channels and cracks of the coating. As a result, the SSBPCU exhibited the highest hydrophobicity and surface roughness and thus the slowest release rate. For the first time, this work has designed a novel strategy to solve the bottleneck problem that restricts the development of a controlled-release fertilizer.

To improve nitrogen (N) use efficiency and minimize environmental pollution caused by fertilizer overuse, novel bio-based large tablet controlled-release urea (LTCRU) was prepared using bio-based coating materials to coat large tablet urea (LTU) derived from urea prills (U). Nano fumed silica (NFS) was added to the bio-based coating materials to improve the slow-release properties. The surface area of the LTU and U was measured by three-dimensional scanning. In comparison to U, LTU had a smaller surface area/weight ratio, which can reduce the coating materials. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that the addition of NFS in bio-based coating materials reduced the porosity of the coating shells of LTCRUs and, thus, enhanced the N release longevity of the controlled-released fertilizer. Dependent upon the pores on the coating shells of LTCRU, two N release patterns were revealed. Because of the good release characteristics, the novel LTCRU shows great potential to support sustainable agricultural production.

Nitrification driving by archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidizers is an essential step of the global nitrogen cycle. This laboratory study screened toxicity of copper (Cu) stress in the fluvo-aquic system, investigated the ecological niche of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) communities and analyzed the response of AOA and AOB communities to Cu stress in the system. We added Cu as CuCl2 solution at 0 mg, 100 mg, 300 mg, 600 mg, and 1200 mg Cu per kg soil in the fresh fluvo-aquic soil. Soil samples were incubated for 6 h, 12 h, 1 d, 3 d, 7 d, 14 d, 28 d, and 56 d in lab condition. The soil potential nitrification rates (PNR) were measured at each stage. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of amoA of AOA and AOB were performed at 56 d of Cu incubation. Soil RNA was extracted and the abundance of amoA transcripts was analyzed by real time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) at 1, 3, and 7 d. The amoA gene abundance analysis and DGGE profile analysis showed that the abundance and diversity of AOA were higher than that of AOB in fluvo-aquic soil. However, the correlations between the soil PNR and the number of amoA transcript indicated that the AOB community, rather than AOA community, dominates ammonia oxidation in Cu-polluted fluvo-aquic soil ecosystems. Combining the results of the soil PNR and the abundance and diversity of ammonia oxidizers community, Cu hormetic concentration was identified as a range from 100 to 600 mg kg−1, while the toxic concentration was higher than 600 mg kg−1 in fluvo-aquic soil system. Furthermore, the results of amoA transcript numbers showed that AOA may be resistant to Cu stress and AOB may be more sensitive to Cu stress under our experiment conditions.

Although various eco-friendly and sustainable biobased polyurethane-coated controlled-release fertilizers (BPCFs) have been developed, their applications were limited by the bio-based coating contained many microscopic holes. In this work, a nano-soy-protein microcapsule-enabled self-healing biopolyurethane-coated controlled-release fertilizer (NSBCF) with enhanced controlled-release performance was fabricated. Nanoscale soy-protein microcapsules (SMCs) were prepared from soy-protein isolate (SPI) and poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) using the water-oil-water emulsification technology. The self-healing biopolymer coatings of NSBCF with uniformly dispersed SMCs were constructed through self-assembly. The controlled-release longevity of NSBCF was >28 days longer than that of the BPCF with the unmodified coating. The self-healing mechanism of NSBCF was determined by directly observing the restoration area and the 3D pore distribution of coating using fluorescence labeling and X-ray computed tomography. After being released from the SMCs, SPI self-repaired the coating by reacting with glutaraldehyde to form solid resins to clog the microscopic holes. The SMCs-enabled self-healing process successfully reduced the nutrient release rate and extended the nutrient release longevity of NSBCF. This novel biobased controlled-released fertilizer with self-healing function represents a new direction for the development of high efficiency and environmentally friendly fertilizers to improve agriculture and food sustainability.

The treatment of spent cooking liquor is critical for clean production of pulp and paper industry. There is a compelling need to develop a cost-effective and green technology for reuse of organic matter in spent cooking liquor to mitigate the negative impacts on the environment. The objective of this study is to examine the chemical structure of fulvic acid-like substances extracted from spent cooking liquor (PFA) and their relationship with bioactivity in plant growth. Compared with the benchmark Pahokee peat fulvic acid (PPFA), PFA has less aromatic structure, but higher content of lignin, carbohydrates, and amino acid. After fractionation, protein/amino proportion decreased with increasing molecular weight, but the aromaticity increased. Under salt stress, rice seedling growth was promoted by PFA with low molecular weight (5 kDa), but inhibited by fraction with high molecular weight (10 kDa). Principal component analysis suggested that promoted growth was more related with chemical structure (O- and N-alkyl moieties) than with molecular weight. This study provided the theoretical basis for development of an innovative green technology of sustainable reuse of spent cooking liquor in agriculture.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been widely used in various fields due to their antimicrobial activities. However, the antimicrobial mechanisms of AgNPs against fungi, especially on transcriptional level, are still unclear. In this study, the inhibitory property of AgNPs against Fusarium solani species complex was investigated. Transmission electron microscopes were used to observe the alterations in morphology and cellular structure of fungal hyphae treated with AgNPs. Disturbances in the cell walls and membranes, as well as empty space in the cytoplasm were observed. The transcriptome sequencing of F. solani species complex mycelia was performed using the Illumina NextSeq 500 ribonucleic acid sequencing (RNA-Seq) platform. In the RNA-Seq study, AgNPs treatment resulted in 2503 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed that the DEGs were mainly involved in 6 different terms. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis also revealed that energy and substance metabolism, signal transduction and genetic information processing were the most highly enriched pathways for these DEGs. In addition, RNA-seq results were validated by quantitative polymerase chain reactions (qPCRs). Our findings enhanced the understanding of the antifungal activities of AgNPs and the underlying molecular mechanisms, and provided a new perspective for investigating this novel antifungal agent.

The use of controlled-release urea (CRU) has become one of best management practices for increasing crop yield and improving nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE). However, the effects of CRU on direct-seeded rice are not well understood while direct-seeding has gradually replaced transplanting due to increasing labor cost and lack of irrigation water. The objective of this two-year field experiment was to compare the effects of the CRU at four rates (120, 180, 240 and 360 kg N ha−1, CRU1, CRU2, CRU3 and CRU4, respectively) with a conventional urea fertilizer (360 kg N ha−1; U) and a control (no N fertilizer applied; CK) on yield, biomass, NUE of direct-seeded rice and soil nutrients. The results indicated that the successive release rates of N from CRU corresponded well to the N requirements of rice. The use of CRU3 and CRU4 increased rice grain yields by 20.8 and 28.7%, respectively, compared with U. In addition, the NUEs were improved by all CRU treatments compared to the U treatment. Concentrations of NO3−-N and NH4+-N in the soil were increased, especially during the later growth stages of the rice, and the leaching of N was reduced with CRU treatments. In conclusion, applying CRU on direct-seeded rice increased the crops yields and NUE, increased nitrogen availability at the late growth stages, and reduced N leaching.

This study was designed to explore the responses of soil microbial communities to vegetation succession of wetlands and to investigate whether microorganism parameters can be used as an indicator in this evolution process. The investigation was carried out in coastal wetlands along the successional gradients in Yellow River Estuary of East China. Environmental variables were monitored and the metabolic capabilities of the microbial community were studied using Biolog EcoPlates®. The pyrosequencing was applied to the bacterial community structure studies. 57,684 quality sequences from 66,849 reads were classified as Bacteria with a read length of ≥200 bp. The dominant phyla across all samples were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Verrucomicrobia, representing 40.45%, 23.54%, 9.01%, 8.31%, 1.74%, 1.60%, and 0.21%, respectively. Salinity may be the major factor that caused the reduced number of halophilic microbes, such as genera Halobacillus and Bacillus. Meanwhile, the microbial communities were significantly correlated with vegetation and soil organic matter. In particular, the relative abundances of aprophytic microbes were increased with succession. Although the vegetation and soil parameters explain a large proportion of the changes in carbon utilization, single parameter of microbial community alone should not be used to monitor the overall changes in wetlands succession.

Nitrification inhibitors have been used for decades to improve nitrogen fertilizer utilization in farmland. However, their effect on ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (AOA) in soil is little explored. Here, we compared the impact of diverse inhibitors on nitrification activity of the soil archaeon Ca. Nitrososphaera viennensis EN76 and compared it to that of the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium (AOB) Nitrosospira multiformis. Allylthiourea, amidinothiourea, and dicyandiamide (DCD) inhibited ammonia oxidation in cultures of both N. multiformis and N. viennensis, but the effect on N. viennensis was markedly lower. In particular, the effective concentration 50 (EC50) of allylthiourea was 1000 times higher for the AOA culture. Among the tested nitrification inhibitors, DCD was the least potent against N. viennensis. Nitrapyrin had at the maximal soluble concentration only a very weak inhibitory effect on the AOB N. multiformis, but showed a moderate effect on the AOA. The antibiotic sulfathiazole inhibited the bacterium, but barely affected the archaeon. Only the NO-scavenger carboxy-PTIO had a strong inhibitory effect on the archaeon, but had little effect on the bacterium in the concentrations tested. Our results reflect the fundamental metabolic and cellular differences of AOA and AOB and will be useful for future applications of inhibitors aimed at distinguishing activities of AOA and AOB in soil environments.

In order to monitor changes in the concentrations of metals in the soil, different microbial indices such as BIOLOG, microbial carbon (C(mic)), basal respiration, and culturable microbe's most probable number were used. We compared these methods and wanted to discover which method was the best at measuring slight changes in the amounts of heavy metals. Factor analyses were applied to the BIOLOG data and metal concentrations so the combined effects of heavy metals on microbes could be analyzed via statistical data reduction and the distribution patterns of metal concentration could also be revealed. The results showed that the BIOLOG method could barely detect subtle characteristic changes in the soil samples, while the C(mic) method was more sensitive. Furthermore, different heavy metals did not have the same origin/source, and their effects on microbial indices should be analyzed separately. Significant positive correlations between C(mic) and metals were observed and suggested the limitation of using traditional microbial parameters as metal pollution indicators. Among all the soil characteristics in our study, pH seemed to be the most active abiotic factor that affected microorganisms.