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Organic composts such as "bokashi", obtained from the fermentation of bran mixtures and inoculated with microorganisms, improve soil characteristics. In Brazil, the most widely used formulation for the production of this compost is obtained from a mixture of wheat and castor bean bran, but both have a high monetary cost. Replacing these components with regionally available sources represents the possibility of reducing costs and making more sustainable use of this waste. The aim of this study was to analyze the chemical characteristics and determine the availability of nitrogen for the plants. The study was divided into two stages, consisting of an incubation test in the laboratory and a bioassay in the greenhouse using forage sorghum as an indicator species. In the laboratory trial, the treatments consisted of two raw material sources with a low C/N ratio (castor bean bran-CAB and cottonseed bran-COB), corresponding to 40% of the mixture; three sources with a high C/N ratio (wheat bran-WHB or rice bran-RIB), gradually replaced by passion fruit peel bran-PFPB), corresponding to 60% of the mixture. The materials were mixed, moistened, inoculated with microorganisms (Embiotic®) and kept in sealed containers with a capacity of 620 cm3 for 21 days. In the greenhouse, in addition to the aforementioned treatments, seven controls were included: no addition of organic and synthetic N sources; ammonium nitrate; CAB; COB; WHB; RIB and PFPB. In the second stage, dry mass production and N content in sorghum plant tissues were determined, and the rates of N availability were estimated. It was found that the pH of the standard compost was 4.75, and in the other formulations it ranged from 4.62 to 5.3, the highest values being observed when WHB was fully replaced by RIB There was a significant difference in the EC values, but all were well below the value considered adequate. Replacing CAB with COB and WHB with RIB and PFPB resulted in a reduction in N content and an increase in the C:N ratio. Replacing WHB with PFPB led to an increase in K content and a reduction in P and Mg content. In the bioassay, the highest biomass production was in the treatments with the fermented composts, and the highest biological recovery of N was obtained in the ammonium nitrate treatment, followed by the CAB, COB and WHB treatments.

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Harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica) poses a significant threat to cruciferous vegetable crops, leading to economic losses and challenges in sustainable agriculture. This 2-year field study evaluated the efficacy of exclusion netting and selected biopesticides in controlling harlequin bug populations in a field-grown broccoli crop. Treatments included an untreated control, industry standards Azera and Entrust, and ProtekNet mesh netting. Additionally, three commercial essential oil treatments including Essentria IC-3, Nature-Cide, and Zero Tolerance were tested along with two bokashi fermented composting products BrewKashi and Oriental Herbal Nutrient (OHN). During both the first and second year of the study, none of the commercially produced essential oil products or bokashi products were effective in controlling harlequin bug or preventing leaf scars. Conversely, ProtekNet consistently provided the highest level of protection against harlequin bugs of all stages as well as leaf damage scars; it also provided the largest broccoli head width and highest yield. Entrust showed similar results compared to ProtekNet, both with the control of harlequin bug life stages and with leaf scars. These findings indicate that both ProtekNet and Entrust are effective organic alternatives for managing harlequin bug on broccoli, while the selected essential oil and bokashi products do not appear to be effective.

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Strawberries are a valuable crop in Kenya with the potential for significant economic contributions. However, strawberry production in the country has been facing considerable challenges, impacting its economic potential. This study examined the influence of organic manure on strawberry growth and characteristics in Kabete and Mbooni areas in Kenya. The study used a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Treatments included livestock manure (well composted mixture of chicken, goat, and cow manure), bokashi manure, and a control, coded as LivManure, BokManure and Control, respectively. Growth parameters including leaf area, number of white flowers and number of runners, as well as yield parameters such as the number and weight of strawberries were assessed from the 3rd to 10th week after transplanting, during the short rain season of 2021. Using R statistical software, linear models were fitted to datasets from both study sites and analyzed using one-way ANOVA, followed by post-hoc tests for multiple comparisons. The rigorous analysis of the Kabete and Mbooni datasets provided insightful revelations about the influence of different treatments on strawberry characteristics, and geographical disparities between the two regions. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) outcomes unveiled significant treatment effects in both sites, with F(2,69) = 62.57, p < 0.001 for Kabete and F(2,69) = 49.02, p < 0.001 for Mbooni, highlighting distinct influences of treatments on log values within each group. Post hoc analyses, including Tukey tests and bootstrap comparisons robustly validated the significant differences among the three treatments in each site, supported by p-values <0.001. Effect sizes were also employed to reinforce the findings, and planned contrasts were set to gain more power in the analysis of variance. Comparison between Kabete and Mbooni indicated a significant difference of 9.78 units, with Mbooni area exhibiting significantly higher strawberry characteristics compared to Kabete. The results showed that LivManure treatment had the highest mean in both sites, followed by BokManure and Control treatments, respectively. These findings have important implications for agriculture, and highlight the potential benefits of using LivManure treatment to improve strawberry characteristics in similar agroclimatic settings. These observations can be attributed to the beneficial effects of livestock manure on soil health, which include buffering of the soil reaction, provision of essential plant nutrients and enhancement of soil faunal activities. Balanced use of livestock manure is recommended to enhance soil macro and micronutrients, and soil reaction for improved growth and yield of strawberry.

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3-Phenyllactic acid (PLA) is a common secondary product of Lactobacillus sp. and promotes adventitious-root formation in Azuki beans (Vigna angularis). Root promotion activity of PLA is synergistically enhanced by tryptophan (Trp). In this study, stereoisomers of PLA and Trp amide conjugates and their alkyl esters were synthesized to investigate the structure-activity relationships on root-promotion activity. The rooting activity of D-PLA-L-Trp conjugate shows more than 40 times higher than that of the mixture of D-PLA and L-Trp. Modification of PLA-Trp with ethyl ester showed the highest activity at 3,400 times of a mixture of D-PLA and L-Trp. However, L-or D-PLA-D-Trp conjugate and the isopropyl ester of PLA-Trp conjugates, both lost the root promotion activity and implicated that a requirement for steric structure for PLA related root promotion mechanism. Unlike auxin substances, which are commonly used as rooting agents that displayed high activity in low concentrations, PLA-Trp ethyl ester exhibited far less phytotoxicity at high concentration of 1 mM, despite its high rooting activity. Innovation of PLA-Trp ethyl ester may be expected for agricultural aspects with low environmental impact.

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The aim of this study was to determine the effect of probiotics on gut microbiota, on carcass and meat quality and on mineral contents in the longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle in pigs. The research was carried out with 120 hybrid pigs deriving from Naïma sows and P-76 boars. Pigs from the experimental group received the EM®Bokashi probiotic (Greendland Technologia EM®, Janowiec n/Wisla, Poland) in their feed (containing Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum). The study showed that EM®Bokashi probiotic supplementation resulted in a significantly higher count of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts in the feed, a lower number of Clostridium in the mucosa and colorectal digesta as well as a lower Enterobacteriaceae count in the colorectal digesta. The research showed that carcasses of the pigs who received the EM®Bokashi probiotic had a higher lean percentage and lower fat content than the carcasses of the control fatteners. Diet supplementation with the EM®Bokashi probiotic resulted in a lower pH and technological yield (TY) and a higher drip loss and shear force at a lower protein content in LL muscle. Moreover, the administration of the probiotic to fatteners resulted in higher yellowness (b*) and saturation (C*) and higher concentrations of Na, Mg and Se in meat.

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BACKGROUND: The importance of organic farming has increased through the years to promote food security allied with minimal harm to the ecosystem. Besides the environmental benefits, a recurring problem associated with organic management is the unsatisfactory yield. A possible solution may rely on the soil microbiome, which presents a crucial role in the soil system. Here, we aimed to evaluate the soil bacterial community structure and composition under organic and conventional farming, considering the tropical climate and tropical soil. METHODOLOGY: Our organic management treatments were composed by composted poultry manure and green manure with Bokashi. Both organic treatments were based on low nitrogen inputs. We evaluated the soil bacterial community composition by high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, soil fertility, and soil enzyme activity in two organic farming systems, one conventional and the last transitional from conventional to organic. RESULTS: We observed that both organic systems evaluated in this study, have higher yield than the conventional treatment, even in a year with drought conditions. These yield results are highly correlated with changes in soil chemical properties and enzymatic activity. The attributes pH, Ca, P, alkaline phosphatase, and ß- glucosidase activity are positively correlated with organic systems, while K and Al are correlated with conventional treatment. Also, our results show in the organic systems the changes in the soil bacteria community, being phyla Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae, and Rokubacteria the most abundant. These phyla were correlated with soil biochemical changes in the organic systems, helping to increase crop yields. CONCLUSION: Different organic management systems, (the so-called natural and organic management systems, which use distinct organic sources), shift the soil bacterial community composition, implying changes in their functionalities. Also, our results contributed to the identification of target bacterial groups and changes in soil chemical properties and enzymatic activity in a trophic organic farming system, which may contribute to higher crop yields.

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Malaysians generate 15,000 tons of food waste per day and dispose of it in the landfill, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. As a solution for the stated problem, this research aims to produce an excellent quality bokashi compost from household organic waste using a smart composting bin. The bokashi composting method is conducted, whereby banana peels are composted with three types of bokashi brans prepared using 12, 22, and 32 mL of EM-1 mother cultured. During the 14 days composting process, the smart composting bin collected the temperature, air humidity, and moisture content produced by the bokashi-composting process. With the ATmega328 microcontroller, these data were uploaded and synchronized to Google Sheet via WIFI. After the bokashi-composting process was completed, three of each bokashi compost and a control sample were buried in separate black soil for three weeks to determine each compost's effectiveness. NPK values and the C/N ratio were analyzed on the soil compost. From the research, 12 mL of EM-1 shows the most effective ratio to the bokashi composting, as it resulted in a faster decomposition rate and has an optimum C/N ratio. Bokashi composting can help to reduce household food wastes. An optimum amount of the EM-1 used during the bokashi-composting process will produce good quality soil without contributing to environmental issues.

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ABSTRACT: Type of fertilizer and doses used are factors that influence the quality of pineapple fruit. This study aimed to evaluate the physico-chemical and sensorial quality of organically grown 'Pérola' pineapple and recommend the effective dose for best fruit quality, especially regarding sensorial acceptance. Effect of doses of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 t ha-1 of "bokashi" organic fertilizer on color, weight, pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio (SS/TA), vitamin C content, sensory acceptance and purchase intention was evaluated. Increasing doses of bokashi positively influenced weight and titratable acidity of the fruits and negatively affected the SS/TA ratio. Fruits produced with doses between 20t ha-1 and 40t ha-1. had good sensorial acceptance and were considered to have ideal acidity, sweetness and texture by most consumers. The authors recommend using 20 t ha-1 of bokashi, as this dose promotes the production of high quality fruits, with satisfactory SS/TA ratio and high sensorial acceptance.

RESUMO: O tipo de adubo empregado e as doses ministradas são fatores que influenciam a qualidade do fruto de abacaxi. O estudo objetivou avaliar a qualidade físico-química e a aceitação sensorial de abacaxi 'Pérola' orgânico e recomendar a dose de adubo que produza frutos de melhor qualidade. Avaliou-se o efeito de doses de 10, 20, 30, 40 e 50 t de fertilizante orgânico do tipo "bokashi" ha-1 nas características cor, peso, acidez titulável, sólidos solúveis, ratio, vitamina C, aceitação sensorial e intenção de compra dos frutos. Doses crescentes de "bokashi" influenciaram positivamente a massa e a acidez titulável dos frutos e negativamente a relação sólidos solúveis/acidez titulável. Os frutos produzidos com doses entre 20t ha-1 e 40 t ha-1 tiveram boa aceitação sensorial e foram considerados com acidez, doçura e textura ideais pela maior parte dos consumidores. Recomenda-se o uso de 20 t de fertilizante orgânico do tipo "Bokashi" ha-1, pois essa dose contribui para a produção de "frutos de primeira", com relação sólidos solúveis/AT satisfatória e elevada aceitação sensorial.

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Soil microorganisms play an important role in determining the physical and chemical properties of soils. Soil microorganisms have both direct and indirect effects on the physical and chemical states of radionuclides and their availability for uptake by plant roots. Controlling the soil microorganisms to immobilize radionuclides is a promising strategy to reduce the content of radionuclides in the food chain. In this study, we evaluated the impact of effective microorganisms (EM) comprising lactic-acid bacteria, photosynthetic bacteria, and yeast on the transfer of 137Cs into the aboveground biomass of barley and lettuce. The application of EM or fermented organic fertilizer (bokashi) alone to sod-podzolic sandy-loam soil significantly reduced the aggregated transfer factor of 137Cs in barley by 37% and 44%, respectively. The combination of EM with bokashi or potassium fertilizer produced the largest reductions in 137Cs transfer into barley biomass (50% and 63%, respectively). EM had a stronger effect on 137Cs transfer into barley compared to lettuce. Laboratory experiments suggested that the effect of microorganisms on 137Cs uptake can be attributed to a reduction in the proportion of bioavailable physicochemical forms of 137Cs in the soils treated with EM and bokashi. This study, to the best of our knowledge, is the first to report the mechanism by which microbial fertilizers reduce the transfer of 137Cs into plants.

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Disposal of animal manure without treatment can be harmful to the environment. In this study, samples of four zoo animal dungs and one horse dung were pre-composted in two ways: (a) traditional composting and (b) bokashi pre-composting for 1month, followed by vermicomposting for 3months. The permanence (PEf) and reproductive potential (RP) of Eisenia foetida as well as the quality of vermicompost were evaluated. The PEf values and RP index of E. foetida were higher for samples pre-composted using the traditional composting method (98.7-88% and 31.85-16.27%, respectively) followed by vermicomposting (92.7-72.7% and 22.96-13.51%, respectively), when compared with those for bokashi pre-composted samples followed by vermicomposting, except for the horse dung sample (100% for both the parameters). The values of electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), organic C, total N, available P, C/N ratio, and pH showed that both treatments achieved the norms of vermicompost (<4mScm-1, 40cmolkg-1, 20-50%, 1-4%, ≤20, 5.5-8.5, respectively). However, the maturity indices of vermicompost, namely, organic matter loss, N loss, and CEC/organic carbon (OC) ratio indicated that bokashi pre-composting followed by vermicomposting produced the highest values (98.7-70.7%, 97.67-96.65%, and 2.7-1.97%, respectively), when compared with the other method adapted in this study. Nevertheless, further studies with plants for plant growth evaluation are needed to assess the benefits and limitations of these two pre-composting methods prior to vermicomposting.

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The number of growers and planted area dedicated to organic farming have increased considerably. Consequently, demand has increased for alternative organic composts in terms of quantity and new options for direct use with crops. Making use of local industrial byproducts is also important throughout Brazil and the rest of the world. Therefore, it was evaluated the effect of eight types of organic composts, produced with different percentages of poultry litter and crushed sugarcane on tomato yield and quality. The experiment was carried out during the 2013 growing season at the experimental farm of the Agricultural Research Company of Minas Gerais state (Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária do Estado de Minas Gerais) located in Prudente de Morais, MG, Brazil. It was evaluated different formulations of poultry litter and crushed sugarcane (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 50, 60 and 70%) yielding eight types of alternative Bokashi used as organic compost in the production of two tomato cultivars (Santa Clara and the Verano hybrid). It was found that the various formulations of alternative Bokashi, except the alternative Bokashi B1, strengthened components of tomato yield and quality. We found that composts of poultry litter and crushed sugarcane increase tomato yield and quality and can be and excellent alternative, especially for organic farmers.

O cenário atual da agricultura orgânica demonstra aumento considerável do número de produtores e área plantada. Consequentemente, há maior demanda por novas alternativas de compostos orgânicos, não só em volume, mas também disponibilizar novas opções para uso direto no sistema de cultivo. A busca pelo aproveitamento de subprodutos gerados pelas indústrias locais é pauta no Brasil e no mundo. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de oito tipos de compostos orgânicos produzidos com diferentes porcentagens de cama de frango e cana de açúcar triturada na produção e qualidade do tomate.O experimento foi instalado na fazenda experimental da Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária do Estado de Minas Gerais localizada no município de Prudente de Morais, MG no ano agrícola de 2013. Foram avaliadas diferentes formulações entre cama de frango e cana de açúcar triturada(0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 50, 60 e 70%) resultando em oito tipos de Bokashi alternativo utilizado como composto orgânico na produção de duas cultivares de tomate (Santa Clara e Híbrido Verano). Pode-se verificar que as diferentes formulações de Bokashi Alternativo, com exceção da B1, potencializaram os componentes de produção e qualidade do tomate. O uso de cama de frango associado com cana de açúcar triturada promove incrementos na produção e qualidade de tomate demonstrando ser uma excelente alternativa, especialmente para produtores orgânicos.

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