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Nitrogen (N) losses are prevalent under South East Asia’s due to high N fertilizer inputs, but low N fertilizer use efficiency. This leaves a large quantity of reactive N at risk of loss to the environment. Biochar has been found to reduce N losses across a variety of soil types, however, there is limited data available for semi-arid climates, particularly at a field-scale. Herein we present an exploration of the biological and chemical enhancement effects observed of a cotton stalk-based biochar on wheat growth and yield under arid field conditions. The biochar was treated with urea-N and biofertilizer (bio-power) in different treatment setups. The six experimental treatments included; (i) a full N dose “recommended for wheat crops in the region” (104 kg N ha−1) as a positive control; (ii) a half N dose (52 kg N ha−1); (iii) a half N dose + biofertilizer (4.94 kg ha−1) as a soil mixture; (iv) a half N dose + biofertilizer as a seed inoculation; (v) a full N dose as broadcast + biochar (5 t ha−1) inoculated with biofertilizer; and (vi) a full N dose loaded on biochar + biofertilizer applied as a soil mixture. The half dose N application or biofertilizer addition as soil mix/seed inoculated/biochar inoculation with biofertilizer caused reduced wheat growth and yield compared to the control (conventional N fertilization). However, co-application of chemically enhanced biochar (loaded with a full N dose) and biofertilizer as soil mixture significantly increased the crop growth rate (CGR) and leaf area index (LAI). A significantly higher crop growth and canopy development led to a higher light interception and radiation use efficiency (RUE) for total dry matter (TDM) and grain yield (11% greater than control) production compared to the control. A greater grain yield, observed for the full N dose loaded on biochar + biofertilizer applied as a soil mixture, is attributed to prolonged N availability as indicated by greater plant and soil N content at harvest and different crop growth stages, respectively. The present study has improved our understanding of how the application of nitrogen loaded biochar and biofertilizer as soil mixtures can synergize to positively affect wheat growth and soil-nitrogen retention under arid environmental conditions.
Zarmeena Khan; Muhammad Rahman; Ghulam Haider; Rabia Amir; Rao Ikram; Shakeel Ahmad; Hannah Schofield; Bilal Riaz; Rashid Iqbal; Shah Fahad; Rahul Datta; Alaa Baazeem; Ayman Sabagh; Subhan Danish. Chemical and Biological Enhancement Effects of Biochar on Wheat Growth and Yield under Arid Field Conditions. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5890 .
AMA StyleZarmeena Khan, Muhammad Rahman, Ghulam Haider, Rabia Amir, Rao Ikram, Shakeel Ahmad, Hannah Schofield, Bilal Riaz, Rashid Iqbal, Shah Fahad, Rahul Datta, Alaa Baazeem, Ayman Sabagh, Subhan Danish. Chemical and Biological Enhancement Effects of Biochar on Wheat Growth and Yield under Arid Field Conditions. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (11):5890.
Chicago/Turabian StyleZarmeena Khan; Muhammad Rahman; Ghulam Haider; Rabia Amir; Rao Ikram; Shakeel Ahmad; Hannah Schofield; Bilal Riaz; Rashid Iqbal; Shah Fahad; Rahul Datta; Alaa Baazeem; Ayman Sabagh; Subhan Danish. 2021. "Chemical and Biological Enhancement Effects of Biochar on Wheat Growth and Yield under Arid Field Conditions." Sustainability 13, no. 11: 5890.
A model aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) comprising a fluorocarbon surfactant (6:2 FTSaB), hydrocarbon surfactant, solvent, and water was deployed on a heptane fire with the gravimetrically-drained foam solution collected at regular time intervals and analysed for surfactant concentration. Foam drainage behaviour within the model foam system was non-linear for both control (no fire exposure) and fire-exposed tests, as would be expected. However, the concentration of fluorosurfactant within the drainage solution was initially lower, increasing with time. This suggests that the fluorosurfactants are retained within the foam blanket for longer than other constituents of the model foam. This is proposed to result from the unequal probability of rupture in bubbles comprising the foam blanket: as the rate of foam collapse decreases with time, bubbles with lower stability burst until those with a higher persistence and higher surfactant content remain.
H.K. Schofield; D.P. Megson; J. Da Costa; L.A. Richardson; K. Shelbourne; J. Payne. Fluorosurfactant retention in the foam blanket during gravitational drainage of an aqueous film-forming foam. Colloid and Interface Science Communications 2021, 42, 100404 .
AMA StyleH.K. Schofield, D.P. Megson, J. Da Costa, L.A. Richardson, K. Shelbourne, J. Payne. Fluorosurfactant retention in the foam blanket during gravitational drainage of an aqueous film-forming foam. Colloid and Interface Science Communications. 2021; 42 ():100404.
Chicago/Turabian StyleH.K. Schofield; D.P. Megson; J. Da Costa; L.A. Richardson; K. Shelbourne; J. Payne. 2021. "Fluorosurfactant retention in the foam blanket during gravitational drainage of an aqueous film-forming foam." Colloid and Interface Science Communications 42, no. : 100404.
This study evaluates the potential of sewage sludge, farm manure, rock phosphate, and their composts or biochar as useful materials for phosphorous (P) recovery. An alkaline–calcareous soil was incubated with different compost-based amendments to discern their impact on the P sorption characteristics. The treatments examined consisted of sewage sludge (SS), SS biochar (SS-BC), or composts of SS with rock phosphate (RP) and farm manure (FM) in different ratios, i.e., (i) control, (ii) SS, (iii) SS-BC, (iv) SS50:FM50, (v) SS75:FM25, (vi) SS25:FM25:RP50, (vii) SS50:FM25:RP25, (viii) SS75:FM0:RP25, and (ix) SS50:FM0:RP50. Prior to incubation for 45 days, the composts and biochar treatments combinations were characterized for elemental composition using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. The treated soils were analyzed for soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), Olsen’s P, and P adsorption isotherms, at day 5 and 45 of the incubation. Langmuir and Freundlich’s equations were used to calculate P adsorption. Results showed that there was no significant influence on soil pH for any treatment throughout the experiment. However, soil EC decreased significantly for all treatments after 5 days of incubation; however, this effect was diminished after 45 days of incubation. All the treatments significantly decreased P sorption capacity both at the start (day 5) and end of the incubation (day 45) period compared to control. The treatment combination SS25:FM25:RP50 recovered the highest Olsen-P (79.41 mg kg−1). The other treatment combinations including SS and FM also recovered a greater Olsen’s P compared to the control. However, the sole application of only SS showed lower P recovery than the control soil, which further decreased with increase in incubation time. These findings improve our understanding that the stable pool of bioavailable P within an alkaline calcareous soil can be mobilized by using different organic treatment combinations instead of only SS. However, further in situ investigations may help to valorize the potential of sewage sludge, farm manure, rock phosphate, and their composts or biochar to improve P recovery in alkaline–calcareous.
Rabia Rehman; Muhammad Qayyum; Ghulam Haider; Kate Schofield; Muhammad Abid; Muhammad Rizwan; Shafaqat Ali. The Sewage Sludge Biochar and Its Composts Influence the Phosphate Sorption in an Alkaline–Calcareous Soil. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1779 .
AMA StyleRabia Rehman, Muhammad Qayyum, Ghulam Haider, Kate Schofield, Muhammad Abid, Muhammad Rizwan, Shafaqat Ali. The Sewage Sludge Biochar and Its Composts Influence the Phosphate Sorption in an Alkaline–Calcareous Soil. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (4):1779.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRabia Rehman; Muhammad Qayyum; Ghulam Haider; Kate Schofield; Muhammad Abid; Muhammad Rizwan; Shafaqat Ali. 2021. "The Sewage Sludge Biochar and Its Composts Influence the Phosphate Sorption in an Alkaline–Calcareous Soil." Sustainability 13, no. 4: 1779.
Phosphorus cycling in the environment.
Rupert Goddard; Michael J. Gardner; Thomas H. Hutchinson; Paul Lunt; Holly B. C. Pearson; Alan Tappin; H. Kate Schofield; Tarryn Attfield; Paul Worsfold; Sean Comber. Physico-chemical factors controlling the speciation of phosphorus in English and Welsh rivers. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts 2020, 22, 1688 -1697.
AMA StyleRupert Goddard, Michael J. Gardner, Thomas H. Hutchinson, Paul Lunt, Holly B. C. Pearson, Alan Tappin, H. Kate Schofield, Tarryn Attfield, Paul Worsfold, Sean Comber. Physico-chemical factors controlling the speciation of phosphorus in English and Welsh rivers. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. 2020; 22 (8):1688-1697.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRupert Goddard; Michael J. Gardner; Thomas H. Hutchinson; Paul Lunt; Holly B. C. Pearson; Alan Tappin; H. Kate Schofield; Tarryn Attfield; Paul Worsfold; Sean Comber. 2020. "Physico-chemical factors controlling the speciation of phosphorus in English and Welsh rivers." Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts 22, no. 8: 1688-1697.
The synthesis of manufactured soils converts waste materials to value-added products, alleviating pressures on both waste disposal infrastructure and topsoils. For manufactured soils to be effective media for plant growth, they must retain and store plant-available nutrients, including nitrogen. In this study, biochar applications were tested for their ability to retain nitrogen in a soil manufactured from waste materials. A biochar, produced from horticultural green waste, was added to a manufactured soil at 2, 5 and 10 % (by weight), then maintained at 15 °C and irrigated with water (0.84 mL m-2 d-1) over 6 weeks. Total dissolved nitrogen concentrations in soil leachate decreased by 25.2, 30.6 and 44.0 % at biochar concentrations of 2, 5 and 10 %, respectively. Biochar also changed the proportions of each nitrogen-fraction in collected samples. Three mechanisms for biochar-induced nitrogen retention were possible: i) increased cation and anion exchange capacity of the substrate; ii) retention of molecules within the biochar pore spaces; iii) immobilisation of nitrogen through microbial utilisation of labile carbon further supported by increased soil moisture content, surface area, and pH. Dissolved organic carbon concentrations in leachate were reduced (-34.7 %, -28.9 %, and -16.7 %) in the substrate with 2, 5 and 10 % biochar additions, respectively. Fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis data showed increased microbial metabolic activity with biochar application (14.7 ± 0.5, 25.4 ± 5.3, 27.0 ± 0.1, 46.1 ± 6.1 µg FL g-1 h-1 for applications at 0, 2, 5, and 10 %, respectively), linking biochar addition to enhanced microbial activity. These data highlight the potential for biochar to suppress the long-term turnover of SOM and promote carbon sequestration, and a long-term sustainable growth substrate provided by the reuse of waste materials diverted from landfill.
H. Kate Schofield; Tim Pettitt; Alan D. Tappin; Gavyn K. Rollinson; Mark Fitzsimons. Biochar incorporation increased nitrogen and carbon retention in a waste-derived soil. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 690, 1228 -1236.
AMA StyleH. Kate Schofield, Tim Pettitt, Alan D. Tappin, Gavyn K. Rollinson, Mark Fitzsimons. Biochar incorporation increased nitrogen and carbon retention in a waste-derived soil. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 690 ():1228-1236.
Chicago/Turabian StyleH. Kate Schofield; Tim Pettitt; Alan D. Tappin; Gavyn K. Rollinson; Mark Fitzsimons. 2019. "Biochar incorporation increased nitrogen and carbon retention in a waste-derived soil." Science of The Total Environment 690, no. : 1228-1236.
Artificial soils made from waste materials offer an alternative to imported natural topsoils, notably in large-scale groundwork and reclamation projects. Benefits include diversion of waste from landfill and recycling. Nonetheless, there is limited information on the characteristics needed to support plant growth in the long term, particularly the existence of a sustainable nitrogen reservoir. Therefore, we assessed the efficacy of nitrogen cycling and retention within an artificial soil composed of 25% sand, 10% clay, 32.5% composted bark and 32.5% composted green waste over 52 weeks. Leachate was analysed for nitrogen species and nitrogen concentrations, and two of the soil columns had fertiliser added after 26 and 48 weeks. Results show that nitrate concentrations decreased from 6.73 to 0.36 mg N L−1 after 2 weeks, due to poor retention of this anion in soil, and remained low for 6 months, before increasing up to 5.87 mg N L−1 after week 26. This sharp increase in dissolved nitrate was preceded by a decrease in the ratio of dissolved organic carbon to dissolved organic nitrogen in the soil leachate. This finding indicates that the soil had become carbon-limited, leading to mineralisation of organic nitrogen by soil organisms and excretion of nitrogen. We also found that fertilisation of the soil did not alleviate carbon limitation and nitrogen loss was greater in fertilised soils, indicating nitrogen saturation. After the onset of carbon limitation, the dissolved nitrate concentrations in both the fertilised and unfertilised soils were close to exceeding the European Union threshold of concern for nitrate groundwater and river pollution. Thus, while the deployment of artificial soils is a viable option for landscaping projects, loss of nitrogen may be environmentally significant and soil management protocols must take account of both the carbon and nitrogen status of the substrate.
H. Kate Schofield; Tim R. Pettitt; Alan D. Tappin; Gavyn K. Rollinson; Mark F. Fitzsimons. Does carbon limitation reduce nitrogen retention in soil? Environmental Chemistry Letters 2017, 16, 623 -630.
AMA StyleH. Kate Schofield, Tim R. Pettitt, Alan D. Tappin, Gavyn K. Rollinson, Mark F. Fitzsimons. Does carbon limitation reduce nitrogen retention in soil? Environmental Chemistry Letters. 2017; 16 (2):623-630.
Chicago/Turabian StyleH. Kate Schofield; Tim R. Pettitt; Alan D. Tappin; Gavyn K. Rollinson; Mark F. Fitzsimons. 2017. "Does carbon limitation reduce nitrogen retention in soil?" Environmental Chemistry Letters 16, no. 2: 623-630.
Time to detection (TTD) measurements using turbidometry allow a straightforward method for the measurement of bacterial growth rates under isothermal conditions. Growth rate measurements were carried out for Listeria monocytogenes at 25, 30 and 37°C and for Pseudomonas aeruginosa over the temperature range 25 to 45°C. The classical three-parameter logistic model was rearranged to provide the theoretical foundation for the observed TTD. A model was subsequently developed for the analysis of TTD data from non-isothermal studies based on the Malthusian approximation of the logistic model. The model was able to predict the TTD for cultures of L. monocytogenes or P. aeruginosa undergoing simple temperature shunts (e.g. 25 to 37°C and vice versa), and for a multiple temperature shunt for L. monocytogenes (25-37-25-37°C and 37-25-37-25°C) over a period of 24h. In no case did a temperature shunt induce
Magdi Salih; Ioannis Mytilinaios; Kate Schofield; Ronald J. W. Lambert. Modelling of bacterial growth with shifts in temperature using automated methods with Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as examples. International Journal of Food Microbiology 2012, 155, 29 -35.
AMA StyleMagdi Salih, Ioannis Mytilinaios, Kate Schofield, Ronald J. W. Lambert. Modelling of bacterial growth with shifts in temperature using automated methods with Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as examples. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2012; 155 (1-2):29-35.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMagdi Salih; Ioannis Mytilinaios; Kate Schofield; Ronald J. W. Lambert. 2012. "Modelling of bacterial growth with shifts in temperature using automated methods with Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as examples." International Journal of Food Microbiology 155, no. 1-2: 29-35.
A fundamental aspect of predictive microbiology is the shape of the microbial growth curve and many models are used to fit microbial count data, the modified Gompertz and Baranyi equation being two of the most widely used. Rapid, automated methods such as turbidimetry have been widely used to obtain growth parameters, but do not directly give the microbial growth curve. Optical density (OD) data can be used to obtain the specific growth rate and if used in conjunction with the known initial inocula, the maximum population data and knowledge of the microbial number at a predefined OD at a known time then all the information required for the reconstruction of a standard growth curve can be obtained.Using multiple initial inocula the times to detection (TTD) at a given standard OD were obtained from which the specific growth rate was calculated. The modified logistic, modified Gompertz, 3-phase linear, Baranyi and the classical logistic model (with or without lag) were fitted to the TTD data. In all cases the modified logistic and modified Gompertz failed to reproduce the observed linear plots of the log initial inocula against TTD using the known parameters (initial inoculum, MPD and growth rate). The 3 phase linear model (3PLM), Baranyi and classical logistic models fitted the observed data and were able to reproduce elements of the OD incubation-time curves. Using a calibration curve relating OD and microbial numbers, the Baranyi equation was able to reproduce OD data obtained for Listeria monocytogenes at 37 and 30°C as well as data on the effect of pH (range 7.05 to 3.46) at 30°C.The Baranyi model was found to be the most capable primary model of those examined (in the absence of lag it defaults to the classic logistic model). The results suggested that the modified logistic and the modified Gompertz models should not be used as Primary models for TTD data as they cannot reproduce the observed da
I. Mytilinaios; M. Salih; H.K. Schofield; R.J.W. Lambert. Growth curve prediction from optical density data. International Journal of Food Microbiology 2012, 154, 169 -176.
AMA StyleI. Mytilinaios, M. Salih, H.K. Schofield, R.J.W. Lambert. Growth curve prediction from optical density data. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2012; 154 (3):169-176.
Chicago/Turabian StyleI. Mytilinaios; M. Salih; H.K. Schofield; R.J.W. Lambert. 2012. "Growth curve prediction from optical density data." International Journal of Food Microbiology 154, no. 3: 169-176.