Salinity is one of the most severe abiotic stresses which causes significant losses to agricultural production, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. In the present study, we conducted a pots ...experiment to evaluate Phosphogypsum (PG) and Gypsum (G) as amendments and their effect on faba bean shoot and grain yield under saline conditions (soil ECe = 11.17 mS/cm, water EC = 1.5 mS/cm and water SAR = 4.2 meq/L). In addition, we investigated the safety of their application based on heavy metals content in the harvested grain. Our findings demonstrate that the use of PG as amendment for saline soil reclamation improved faba bean grain and biomass yield without affecting grain quality regarding heavy metal content.
The humic acids extracted from a compost of activated sludge at different stages of maturity were characterized by various chemical techniques. Elemental analysis showed the reduction of H, and the ...H/C and C/N ratios and an increase in the proportion of N and S. At the end of composting C% and O% presented the same values as initially, although they increased in the intermediate stage. Based on the ratios of FTIR absorbance it was shown that the end product was enriched in etherified and peptidic compounds absorbing at 1384, 1034 and 1544
cm
−1. The alkyl and other N-rich and oxidized recalcitrant structures compose the new humic polymers produced during composting. In principal components analysis, the first axis, PC1: 49.75% considers the variability between structures in decomposition from the other parameters that concern the stable new humic polymers formed after composting. PC2 (40.5%) shows a negative correlation between (aromatic carbon, FA level) and (aliphatic carbon, HA level) during composting.
Quinoa is a potential alternative crop for an adaptation strategy for salinization and climate change effects in dryland. A sowing date of February practiced in the Rehamna region, Morocco, resulted ...in stunted plants and low yields due to insufficient precipitations and high temperatures around the flowering stage. For this reason, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of sowing date on quinoa water use efficiency, growth, and yield. The experiment was conducted at the UM6P experimental farm to evaluate five sowing dates for two short cycle quinoa cultivars. The results showed that the most early suitable sowing date of quinoa in the Rehamna region was December. Late sowing dates resulted in a significant decrease in WUE, growth and yield. The highest grain yield (0.84 t ha−1) was obtained by ICBA-Q5 sown in December.
Root developmental plasticity might provide breeders with the opportunity to generate crops with more resistant root system designs to abiotic pressures such as salt stress. The potential influence ...of diverse root designs in a panel of sorghum varieties’ production and performance under salt stress was investigated in this study. Dry weight yield had a significant positive correlation with three root parameters: main root length, main root angle, and lateral root length. These root features have varying positive correlations with other salt tolerance indices. Interestingly, all root properties have a negative correlation with the electrolyte leakage. Except for the lateral root length, the negative correlations were significant in all other root features. This pattern holds true for other salt performance indices studied, such as total soluble sugar content, chlorophyll content, growth, and leaf area. Furthermore, there is an inter-variety variation in the contribution level of lateral root and main root length towards the total root length and this was found to influence yield and performance. These findings give a hint on the root architectural features that play a positive role in sorghum salt tolerance and improved forage yield.
In Morocco, water scarcity is a major factor limiting agricultural production. Water shortage is accentuated by soil quality depletion exaggerated by intensive cropping and tillage systems that cause ...a decline in soil fertility, structure and organic mater. No-tillage system (NT) has been proposed as a viable alternative to conventional tillage (CT) to improve the soil quality and ensure water conservation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate tillage effects on soil moisture, soil organic matter and soil aggregate stability in a Calcixeroll soil under three tillage treatments: conventional tillage system (CT), NT system with crop residues removed (NT0), and NT with 50% of crop residues returned to the soil surface. The performance of soil aggregates was better with regard to the different stresses caused by the mechanical tests. This usually leads toward soil consolidation and increasing the soil resistance to wind and water erosion. The authors conclude that the increased yield associated with no-tillage system can be explained by both better water conservation and soil quality improvement.
In Morocco, water scarcity is a major factor limiting agricultural production. Water shortage is accentuated by soil quality depletion exaggerated by intensive cropping and tillage systems that cause ...a decline in soil fertility, structure and organic mater. No-tillage system (NT) has been proposed as a viable alternative to conventional tillage (CT) to improve the soil quality and ensure water conservation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate tillage effects on soil moisture, soil organic matter and soil aggregate stability in a Calcixeroll soil under three tillage treatments: conventional tillage system (CT), NT system with crop residues removed (NT0), and NT with 50% of crop residues returned to the soil surface. The performance of soil aggregates was better with regard to the different stresses caused by the mechanical tests. This usually leads toward soil consolidation and increasing the soil resistance to wind and water erosion. The authors conclude that the increased yield associated with no-tillage system can be explained by both better water conservation and soil quality improvement.
The Dryland Agriculture Applied Research Project (DAARP) in Morocco (1978–1994) was a joint partnership between USAID, the Mid‐America International Agricultural Consortium (MIAC) involving five U.S. ...universities, and the host country's Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Morocco. This major international development assistance program focused on improvement of the productive potential and human welfare in Morocco's semiarid, rainfed cereal production zone. The project dealt with (i) infrastructure development involving establishment of a dryland research center in Settat and a network of agricultural research substations; (ii) human resources capacity building, involving training junior national scientists at the graduate (M.S., Ph.D.) level, and INRA support staff in nondegree courses and training programs mainly at MIAC universities; and (iii) establishment of a viable research program related to dryland agriculture. The scientific mentoring and program development was done by a relatively small team of expatriate technical advisors, mainly from the United States, with project oversight by periodic external reviewers at discipline and overall program level. The DAARP had its strengths and weaknesses, its successes and failures. In this article, written by four scientists intimately involved with the project, an overview of the project is presented, highlighting its achievements and the lessons learned from its implementation. The article highlights the extent to which the DAARP is sustainable 12 years after completion, indicating that its shortcomings can be mainly attributed to a failure of the Moroccan government to fully live up to its commitments following completion of the project.
Although limited amount of water is the primary constraint to agricultural productivity in the rainfed area of West Asia and North Africa (WANA), yields are also low because of the poor mineral ...nutrient status of soils. Yields can, therefore, be considerably increased by judicious fertilizer use. Laboratories for soil and plant analysis are essential for identifying nutrient constraints and providing a basis for efficient fertilizer use, through correlation studies to establish suitable soil testing extractants and calibration studies with crop responses. The Soils Laboratory at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) has initiated a quality control program among the national agricultural research systems (NARS) in the countries of the WANA region. The efforts include linkages with the Wageningen International Soil Analytical Exchange Program, in-country training courses, and a laboratory analysis manual. Continued improvement in laboratory performance is dependent upon knowledge of the capabilities of such laboratories and identification of their constraints. This presentation reports a fact-finding survey of laboratories from 16 countries of the WANA region-mainly public, from universities and ministries of agriculture, and some private or commercial ones-based on a questionnaire about analyses, facilities, methodologies, quality assurance, personnel training, and management. Future efforts to improve the quantity and quality output from of these laboratories will address such deficiencies.
Scope of study. Nitrogen mineralization of soil organic matter has long been recognized to be very important in meeting plant N needs. Recommendations for N fertilizer requirements for cereals are ...presently based on the level of nitrate in the top 15 cm of the soil before planting, deep sampling (60 cm) is considered when unusual cropping conditions arise. In order to improve N fertilizer recommendations, mineralization during the season needs to be accounted for. It is also hypothesized that long term N fertilization increases the magnitude of the easily mineralized N pool in soils. Different soil types from Oklahoma and Morocco were used to estimate the mineralization potential $\rm (N\sb0)$ and the decomposition rate constant (k). The effect of fertilizer N and the relationship with plant N uptake and soil initial mineral N were investigated. Findings and conclusions. Soil N mineralization potential $\rm (N\sb0)$ varied with soil type and cropping systems. The application of fertilizer N increased the soil's capacity to mineralize organic N in all cropping systems and environments. Also, it was found that $\rm N\sb0$ decrease linearly with soil depth. The contribution of lower depth (20-60 cm) to total $\rm N\sb0$ in the soil profile was found to be about 60%. Initial soil mineral N was highly correlated to plant N uptake, soil $\rm N\sb0$ and $\rm N\sb0k.$ The product of $\rm N\sb0k$ and soil mineral N at start were found to be a reliable N availability index.
A field trial in a semi-arid climate was carried out on wheat (Triticum aestivum var. Marchouch) growing on a calcimagnesic soil using compost applied at 42 T/ha during the three years of study, but ...in different ways: C1, C2 and C3. Over this period, the level of total Kjeldhal nitrogen (TKN) increased in the soil amended by high doses (C2 and C3, by about 33 and 50%) compared with steady low amendment (C1) and to both controls NF (soil without fertilisation) and MF (soil receiving mineral fertilization). Adding compost also led to a positive influence on cation exchange capacity (CEC) by increasing humic substance levels (HS) which doubled in pbts C2 and C3 compared with both controls. In NF soil, the TKN, total organic carbon (TOC) and the pH of soil showed a clear negative correlation with the agronomic parameters. In the MF soil, most physico-chemical parameters correlated well with the agronomic parameters: input of mineral elements balancing export through harvest. In amended soil, especially in C3 plots, HS and CEC showed significant correlations with most agronomic parameters (P1: 69.1%) due to enhanced CEC and sequestration of available carbon in the form of stable humic structures.
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