Effect of nanomaterials on soil quality and yield of canola (Brassica napus L.) grown in heavy clayey soils [electronic resource]

Includes bibliographic reference

Nanotechnology in agriculture is an exciting strategy to enhance soil fertility and increase crop yields in heavy clay soils. Thus, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of nanomaterials such as nano-biochar (nB) and nano-water treatment residues (nWTR) at 50, 100, 250 mg kg-1 rates in pots, on improving soil biological activity, soil aggregate stability, soil consistency and yield of canola (Brassica napus) cultivated in a heavy clay soil. The treatments used were conducted in a completely randomized experimental design with 5 replicates. The results indicated that the addition of the studied nanomaterials significantly improved soil consistency including organic matter (OM), cation exchange capacity (CEC) microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and soil fertility which played a major role in increasing biological activity and aggregate stability, thus increasing canola yield. The study observed an increase in aggregate stability in soil treated with nB and nWTR synchronized with their greater content of OM, CEC, nutrients and clay. The addition of nB100 gave the highest grain yield by 160 % compared to the control. The results of the pot experiment indicated that nWTR and nB could be used as a promising strategy to enhance the yield of canola and increase recycled efficiency WTR and rice straw on soil structure, biological activity and soil fertility in heavy clay soils.
Keywords: Aggregate stability; Nano-biochar; biological activity; Canola yield.

Summary in Arabic