Open Access Agricultural Journals published by Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information

Nanotechnology offers new opportunities for the development of novel materials and strategies that improve technology and industry. This applies especially to agriculture, and our previous field studies have indicated that zinc oxide nanoparticles provide promising nano-fertilizer dispersion in sustainable agriculture. However, little is known about the precise ZnO-NP effects on legumes. Herein, 1 mg·L⁻¹ ZnO-NP spray was dispersed on lentil plants to establish the direct NP effects on lentil production, seed nutritional quality, and stress response under field conditions. Although ZnO-NP exposure positively affected yield, thousand-seed weight and the number of pods per plant, there was no statistically significant difference in nutrient and anti-nutrient content in treated and untreated plant seeds. In contrast, the lentil water stress level was affected, and the stress response resulted in statistically significant changes in stomatal conductance, crop water stress index, and plant temperature. Foliar application of low ZnO-NP concentrations therefore proved promising in increasing crop production under field conditions, and this confirms ZnO-NP use as a viable strategy for sustainable agriculture.

Due to continuous single nitrogen fertilization, we hypothesized a built-up deficiency of micronutrients in crops that would limit plant growth and crop quality. In 2-year field experiments using urea-N fertilized grain maize (Zea mays L.), hybrid KWS 2376 at 0, 120 and 240 kg N ha⁻¹ crop uptake of Zn, Mn, Cu and Fe was studied at DC 32, DC 61 and in the grain harvested. Micronutrient contents at DC 32 stage – 1st node (aboveground phytomass) and DC 61 – flowering (ear leaf) were all at levels indicative of adequate micronutrient supply to the crop. At both sampling occasions the Fe:Zn and Fe:Mn ratios were adequate implying that Fe did not inhibit the uptake of Zn and Mn. The application of nitrogen increased the Fe content at the 1st sampling in both years; in the second year the same was also the case for the Zn content. Nitrogen nutrition increased the contents of Mn and Fe at the 2nd sampling only in year 2; in the other treatments no changes were observed in the micronutrient contents. Micronutrient correlations in the grain were discovered between Zn and Mn contents and between Fe and Mn contents. In the second year the highest N-rate significantly increased the Fe and Zn content of the grain compared with the lower rates of nitrogen fertilization. Grain yields were not affected by the rate of nitrogen and ranged between 13.65 and 14.34 t ha⁻¹ (1st year) and between 13.68 and 14.18 t ha⁻¹ (2nd year). Nitrogen fertilization did not reduce the content of micronutrients in the plant or grain of maize. It is evident that the continuous single use of N fertilization so far has not resulted in a micronutrient deficiency of the plants limiting the nutrient density of the grain or reducing its quality.

Three moss (Pleurozium spp., Polytrichum spp., and Rhytidiadelphus spp.) and two lichen (Hypogymnia physodes and Pseudevernia furfuracea) taxons covered in the bags were used to monitor air quality. Bags were exposed at the different distances from the tailing pond because of insufficient security and source of heavy metal pollution. Moss/lichen bags were exposed for six weeks at 0-, 50-, 100-, 150- and 200-m distances from Slovinky tailing pond, in the main wind direction (down the valley). Accumulation ability of heavy metals expressed by relative accumulation factor (RAF) increases in the order of Polytrichum spp.<H. physodes <Pleurozium spp.<P. furfuracea <Rhytidiadelphus spp. Moss/lichen species showed different accumulation capacity for individual heavy metals. Rhytidiadelphus spp. was found to possess the significantly highest (P < 0.01) ability to accumulate Cd, Zn, Ni, Mn and Fe. The highest RAF values of Pb, Zn, Ni and Fe were determined in samples exposed at 200-m distance from pollution source.

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