Pharmaceutical active compounds such as diclofenac (DCF) pose serious risks to aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, the development of safe and inexpensive phytoremediation strategies is essential. This study assessed the effect of foliar-applied biological gibberellin (BG; 0, 50, 100, and 150 mg L⁻¹), produced by Fusarium proliferatum, on the remediation capacity of Atriplex lentiformis halophyte grown hydroponically under DCF contamination (0, 15, and 30 μg L⁻¹). A. lentiformis effectively removed DCF from the medium, while BG implementation further boosted the DCF removal efficiency, bioaccumulation, and translocation factors. The application of 150 mg L⁻¹ BG to 30 μg L⁻¹ DCF achieved up to 80 % DCF removal and the maximum accumulation of DCF by 154.8 % over the control. BG also promoted plant growth and photosynthetic pigments while mitigating DCF toxicity by enhancing non-enzymatic antioxidants (AsA, GSH, phenolics, and proline) and antioxidant enzymes (APX, GPX, PPO, GR, and PAL), and reducing stress biomarkers (MDA, H₂O₂, and electrolyte leakage). BG treatments modified protein patterns and induced new isozyme profiles, reflecting a strengthened antioxidant system. Overall, BG is a promising solution that serves as an eco-friendly biostimulant to enhance phytoremediation efficiency. Extending this approach to soil systems may provide a sustainable strategy for managing pharmaceutical pollution.

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are a major threat to pomegranate cultivation. Nanoparticles (NPs) present a possible substitute nematicide that lessens dependency on potentially dangerous chemical nematicides. This study assessed the efficacy of copper oxide (CuO) and iron oxide (Fe2O3) NPs to promote pomegranate (Punica granatum L. cultivar Hegazy) growth and provide protection against the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica). The application of the NPs as copper oxide (CuO) and iron oxide (Fe2O3) involved both drenching and spraying using 50 mg/L on one-year-old pomegranate (Punica granatum cultivar Hegazy) seedlings, nematode-infected with (Meloidogyne javanica). By assessing how CuO and Fe2O3 NPs affect nematode and pomegranate growth, and some biochemical traits. Treatments with NPs successfully reduced the number of pomegranate root egg masses, galls, and juvenile nematodes in soil. NP treatments exhibited increased side branching, leaf area, levels of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b, and carotenoids), total antioxidants, thiol compounds [glutathione (GSH), non-protein thiols (NPTs), protein thiols (PTs)], and flavonoids. However, NP treatments reduced the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline, stress markers, in pomegranate plants infected with nematodes. NP treatments did not affect the production of phenolic compounds in pomegranates. These results indicate that the NP effect partially depends on the increased production of photosynthetic pigments, thiol compounds, and flavonoids. These results elucidate how nanoparticles control nematode infection

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of adding modified bone char, bone char with sulfur and humic acid on some chemical properties and phosphorus availability in calcareous sandy soil. This experiment consisted of twelve treatments, viz, control (CK), bone + sulfur (B+S), bone + humic acid (B+HA), bone char + sulfur (BC+S), bone char + humic acid (BC+HA), modified bone char (MBC), modified bone char + humic acid (MBC+HA), bone char acidified with 0.1 N sulfuric acid (0.1ABC), bone char acidified with 1 N sulfuric acid (1ABC), phosphate rock (RP), phosphate rock + sulfur (RP+S), phosphate rock + humic acid (RP+HA). This experiment was incubated for 0, 7, 15, 30, 60, and 90 days under laboratory conditions. At the end of the incubation period, adding B+S, B+HA, BC+S, BC+HA, MBC, MBC+HA, 0.1ABC, 1ABC, RP+S, and RP+ led to a significant increase in available phosphorus compared to the control. The results obtained from this study revealed that the highest contents of phosphorus released from bone char were observed in BC+S, MBC+HA, and MBC treatments. In addition, available P in the soil increased with increasing incubation time. Soil pH significantly decreased with increasing incubation periods under adding B+S, B+HA, BC+S, BC+HA, MBC, MBC+HA, RP, RP+S, and RP+HA compared to the control. Accordingly, we can suggest applying bone char with sulfur as an alternative and safe source of phosphate fertilizers in sustainable agriculture

To face the current crisis in global fertilizer prices, especially in developing countries where their food security has been greatly affected, alternative sources must be found for phosphate fertilizers, whose main source is phosphate rock, which is non-renewable and subject to depletion. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of the incubation period on the availability and fractionation of phosphorus in saline sandy soil under bone char addition. About 100 g of soil was placed in an airtight plastic jar and mixed thoroughly by adding 0.4 g of bone char. This experiment was incubated for 7, 16, 35, 65, and 84 days. The results obtained from this study revealed a significant increase (p ≤ 0.01) in available phosphorus with applying bone char in saline soil after 7, 16, and 35 days of incubation compared to the initial soil (before the incubation and unamended). Relative to the initial soil, the concentration of available phosphorus increased by 33.7%, 19.5%, and 12.3% after 7, 16, and 35 days, respectively. The results showed that increasing the incubation time significantly decreased phosphorus availability in saline soil after bone char application. The NaHCO3-Pi, HCl-Pi, and Res-Pi fractions increased significantly with the addition of bone char to the soil under study at all incubation periods compared to the initial soil. Inorganic phosphorus fractions after bone char application to saline sandy soil followed the order of HCl-Pi > Res-P > NaHCO3-Pi > NaOH-Pi > NH 4Cl-Pi. In this context, these findings concluded that bone char amendment could be a potential P-source for agriculture in saline sandy soils to confront the high prices of phosphate fertilizers. 
 

This study investigated the effects of applying modified bone char by sulfur (MBC) with humic acid and co-applying bone char (BC) with sulfur (S) or humic acid (HA) on chemical properties, phosphorus (P) availability, and spinach growth in calcareous sandy soil. This pot experiment has twelve treatments: Control (CK), bone + S (BS), bone + HA (BHA), BC + S (BCS), BC + HA (BCHA), MBC, MBC + HA (MBCHA), acidified BC with 0.1 N H2SO4 (0.1ABC), acidified BC with 1 N H2SO4 (1ABC), rock phosphate (RP), RP + S (RPS), and RP + HA (RPHA). The B, BC, MBC, 0.1ABC, 1ABC, and RP were added at 300 mg P kg− 1 soil doses. Spinach was grown in this experiment. Applying all treatments significantly increased soil phosphorus availability. Available phosphorus increased from 11.61 mg kg− 1 (CK) to 19.70, 19.76, 21.82, 22.25, 22.45, 26.09, 19.58, 21.01, 15.26, 18.95, and 17.77 mg kg− 1 for BS, BHA, BCS, BCHA, MBC, MBCHA, 0.1ABC, 1ABC, RP, RPS, and RPHA, respectively. The effectiveness of the treatments in this study on the available phosphorus improvement was in the order of MBCHA > MBC > BCHA > BCS > 1ABC > BHA > BS > 0.1ABC > RPS > RPHA > RP > control. Compared to the control treatment, applying BHA, BCS, BCHA, MBC, MBCHA, 1ABC, RPS, and RPHA to the soil significantly increased the fresh shoot of the spinach plant. Fresh shoot of spinach increased from 46.02 g pot− 1 for CK to 54.41, 54.36, 56.94, 50.39, 51.91, 48.83, 54.24, and 49.52 g pot− 1 for BHA, BCS, BCHA, MBC, MBCHA, 1ABC, RPS, and RPHA, respectively. The effectiveness of treatments in improving the fresh weight of spinach was in the order of BCHA > BHA ≈ BCS > RPS > MBCHA > MBC > RPHA > 1ABC > control > RP > BS > 0.1ABC. Our results concluded that co-applying bone char with sulfur is optimal for enhancing soil quality indicators and improving fresh and dry shoots of spinach. Due to its cheaper price, it is preferable to add sulfur with bone char rather than humic acid.

The bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus), is considered one of the most dangerous and destructive pests of the cereal family. It directly affects nutrition and indirectly transmits viral diseases, leading to a reduction in quantity and quality. Therefore, the use of appropriate and effective control methods is vital. In this study, the effectiveness of emamectin benzoate on the nymph stage of R. padi on wheat was evaluated using the leaf-dip method. Mortality was recorded after exposure to different concentrations of the pesticide after 24, 48, and 72 hours under laboratory conditions. The results revealed the clear effectiveness of emamectin benzoate, especially after exposure at 48 and 72 hours, with LC50 values of 0.017 and 0.004 μg/ml, respectively. Additionally, the toxicity of emamectin benzoate increased from 10.59-fold after 48 hours to 45-fold after 72 hours based on the time dependent increase in toxicity. Therefore, emamectin benzoate is an effective pesticide for controlling R. padi on wheat and a promising tool in integrated pest management programs.

HortScience, 61(1), 139–150. http