Briefing on Soil and Fertilizer Laboratory

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Goal：

1. Investigation and research of soil and plant nutrition, beneficial microorganisms, agriculture environmental protection for establishing soil sustainable management technology.
2. Promoting crops’ rational fertilization and providing soil and leaf nutrient analysis for farmers to improving soil quality and adjust soil fertilizer management.
3. Agricultural wastes recycling and application.
4. Detection of farmland carbon emission, soil carbon sink, technical spread of net zero emissions.
5. Assist public nuisance case handling in farmland.

Personnel：

Three assistant researchers (one with Doctoral degree, two with master's degree), two Planning Assistants, one technician, one skilled worker and eight workers.

Facilities and Equipments：

1. agricultural meteorological station:The automatic observation system includes one computer and eight sensors for detecting for rainfall, wind direction, wind speed, station pressure, temperature, relative humidity, ground temperature and all-day radiation.
2. Analytic laboratory: 2 pH meters, 2 electronic conductivity meters, 1 spectrophotometer, 1 flame photometer, 1 atomic absorption spectrometer, 1 inductively coupled plasma spectrometer, 2 total organic carbon analyzers, 1 microwave digestion furnace, 1 ashing furnace, 1 sterile operating chamber, 1 vertical autoclave, 1 PCR machine, etc.
3. Devices for field: Carbon dioxide and moisture flux meter, portable CO2/CH4 gas analyzer, portable N2O gas analyzer, 2 sets of lysimeter, soil redox potentiometer.
4. Composting factory: 1 branch crusher (18 cm tree diameter), 2 Shovel loaders, 1 material crusher, 1 compost baler, 1 compost screening machine, and 1 drum screening machine.
5. work room: Refrigerator, electric hot air circulation box.

Ongoing Works：

1. Research on improving crop fertilization technology in dry fields with incomplete drainage in Taichung area.
2. Research on the valued-added recycling of agriculture remaining materials such as, feathers, spent mushroom wastes, and fruit tree pruning branches.
3. Promote technology of rational crop fertilization management and provide free services of nutrient analysis of soil, plant, water and self made fertilizer.
4. Conduct research on improving crop fertilizer technology and develop nutritional management models.
5. Investigation of microclimate and crop water requirements.
6. Research on agricultural carbon emissions and soil carbon sinks.

Future Research Prospect：

1. Improve comprehensive fertilization management technology to increase crop yield and quality.
2. Development and utilization of microbial resources.
3. Value-added recycling of agricultural remained materials.
4. Development of technologies related to net-zero carbon emissions.
5. Promote low-carbon crop cultivation technology, scientific fertilization and organic agriculture etc.

Recent Research Results：

1. Tree branch compost used as culture medium

     The C/N ratio of grape vine, guava branch, and miscellaneous tree branch were respectively as 55, 69 and 50. The crushed miscellaneous tree branches combined with feather powders for adjusting C/N ratio to 25-30 and then inoculation of 200 liter of 200 times dilution of Bacillus licheniformis TCLigB suspensions in one-ton compost. Finally, the water content in the composting pile was adjusted to 60%. The branch composting product was used as culture medium for producing honeydew melon. The fruit weight and TSS of honeydew melon planted in the branch compost were 520.7 g and 13.8^。Brix; planted in the peat were 385.0 g and 13.5^。Brix. Compared with honeydew melon planted in branch compost, further fertilizers were needed to be applied in peat as increased 80% of N, 56% of P₂O₅, 56% of K₂O and 1.5 liter of micronutrients per plant for producing honeydew melon fruit with market value. The branch compost can be used as culture medium for substituting imported peat with beneficial effects in decreasing chemical fertilizer amounts. (2023).

▲ Branch compost can be used as cultured medium for honeydew melon production

2. Research on improvement of crop fertilization technology in dry fields with incomplete drainage in Taichung area

(1)Under the soil condition with bulk density of 1.5 g cm^-3, the weight of root,stem, leaf and whole plant of grape cutting seedlings in the oxygen-releasing agent-added treatment were significantly higher than those control treatment, and the soil pH was no changed by one-time application of the oxygen-releasing agent. (2022)

(2)Organic matter can promote soil aggregated structure. The soil porosity in the experimental fields applied with soil conditioner, covered with Mint Charlie, Three-flower Tickclover, Perennial Peanut were 52.5%, 52.8%, 50.9%, 52.8%, in order, however the subsoil porosity covered with aboved mentioned three grass was not influenced.

3. Development and application of feather hydrolyzing bacteria, feather compost and humic substances extracted from feather compost

(1)Solid bacterial agent of Bacillus megaterium TCPiA with phosphate solubilizing ability was manufactured for feather hydrolysis (5% of dry feather) with 92.2% degrading rate and the feather hydrolysates mixed with other organic materials can applied in increasing strawberry yield. Feather composting product via inoculation of strain TCPiA can be used as culture medium for production of strawberry and the yield can be increased by further drench of humic substances extracted from feather compost. (2022).

(2)In the experiment, high amount (15%) of feather, feather dust, low amount (5%) of feather and feather dust were used as nitrogen-contained raw materials combined with spent mushroom wastes for production of 4 composts. Higher temperature was found in the FH and FSH compost piles than the other two compost piles. The pH of the four compost production was in the range between 6.7-7.4. Higher electric conductivity (EC) and nitrogen were found in the FH compost as 5.7 dS/m and 3.8% respectively. The humic substances (HSs) were extracted from the four composts via 0.1N NaOH and higher content of HSs were found in the FH, FSH and FL compared with the commercial compost. The pH value of remained solid after FH compost extracted by 0.1N NaOH (FH-NaOH) was significantly increased to 8.5, but the EC was decreased to 3.6 dS/m. The peat, FH-NaOH and adding glacial acetic acid to adjust pH of FH-NaOH to 6.5-7.0 (FH-NaOH-ACID) were used as culture media for cultivation of lettuce and Chinese cabbage, results showed the highest yield of lettuce and Chinese cabbage was found in the FH-NaOH and the yield between peat and FH-NaOH-ACID was no significant difference. (2021)

(3)Utilization of spent mushroom wastes and chicken feather, duck feather, and feather powder to producing three composting products. Highest nutrient content among the three composts was duck feather compost. The duck feather compost can be directly used as culture medium for producing strawberry, muskmelon, honeydew melon and sweet pepper without further fertilization. (2020).

(4)Feather hydrolyzing bacteria can be inoculated into 65 L of liquid feather medium (5% dry feather), during 10 days incubation, 90% of feather was hydrolyzed and the hydrolyzed liquid can be used in lettuce for increasing 10% of fresh weight. (2016).

▲ Feather-hydrolyzing bacteria	▲ Drench of feather hydrolysate can increase lettuce growth (leaf)
▲ Bacillus megaterium TCPiA with phosphate-solubilizing ability (left) and can be mixed with shrimp shell powder to produce solid bacterial agent (right)
▲ Microbial inoculated feather compost	▲ Feather compost can directly be used as culture medium for producing strawberry
▲ The humic substances extracted from feather compost	▲ Lettuce planted in peat (left), FH-NaOH (middle) and FH-NaOH+ACID (right)

4. Application of biochar in citrus production

     one, two and three percent of biochar were hole applied in acid red soil with pH5.47. The juice weight, pulp weight and yield in the biochar treatment were higher than control treatment.

▲ Fruit characteristics among different treatments, from left to right as control, biochar produced from spent mushroom wastes, rice husks and tree branches	▲ Hole application of biochar

5. Experiment on reducing heavy metal cadmium absorption in rice

     Establishing methods to improve rice safety management in potential cadmium pollution farmland, results shows the brown rice of Taitung No. 30 has low cadmium transfer coefficient; both water treatment (maintaining the field in the waterlogged state from drying to 5-7 days before harvesting) and increased soil pH can reduce the cadmium concentration in brown rice compared with conventional management methods. (2019)

▲ Flooding experiment, front was control and behind was flooding	▲ Cd concentration of brown rice among different treatments between rice breeding TT30 and TN11

6. Different amounts of nitrogen fertilizer in rice produce in various soil type

1. In the first season cultivation of rice Tainan No. 11, Varieties Taiken No. 9 and Taichung Sen No. 10 in the sand-shale alluvial soil with application of different amounts of nitrogen fertilizer, results showed the highest rice yields of Tainan No. 11, Varieties Taiken No. 9 and Taichung Sen No. 10 were respectively 210, 150 and 270 kg-N/ha. In the second season, the yield of the three rice varieties was no significantly difference among applying different amounts of nitrogen fertilizer. (2015).

2.In the first season cultivation of rice Tainan No. 11, Varieties Taiken No. 9 and Taichung Sen No. 10 in the sand shale and clay slate mixed alluvial soil with application of different amounts of nitrogen fertilizer, results showed rice yields of the three rice varieties were decreased via applying 270 kg-N/ha. In the second season, the highest rice yields of Tainan No. 11, Varieties Taiken No. 9 and Taichung Sen No. 10 were 150, 270 and 150 kg-N/ha. (2014).

▲ Growth Status of rice Tainan No. 11, Varieties Taiken No. 9 and Taichung Sen No. 10	▲ Maturity stage of rice Tainan No. 11, Varieties Taiken No. 9 and Taichung Sen No. 10

7. Research on obstacles of celery continuous cropping

     During the celery planting period, the content of total amounts of phenolic compounds in the soil was positive correlation with the biomass of celery. Higher amounts of the total phenolic compounds remaining in the soil, the lower the germination rate of celery seeds in the next cultivation period. Adding pearlite and zeolite to the soil in early planting stage of celery can increase the number of seed germination and induce early germination. (2015)

8. Grass cultivation in orchard and soil carbon sink

     Soil carbon sink is related to the life cycle and the luxuriance of grass. The higher the fresh weight of underground grass, the more obvious carbon sink effect as 18-27% of carbon increased in soil compared with applying herbicide treatment and the soil bulk density can also be decreased. Considering the Farmer's Manipulability and the best effects in soil carbon sink and bulk density, green manure soybeans were suggested. (2014-2015).

▲ Green manure soybeans growth	▲ Correlation of soil carbon and bulk density

9. Study on the effect of foliar spraying of nutrient solution on improving the wind resistance of guava

     Before the typhoon, spray 10 mM potassium nitrate + 15 mM calcium sulfate + 10 mM monopotassium phosphate or 15 mM calcium sulfate on the guava leaves, which can reduce the leaf damage caused by the typhoon, benefit in the formation of new shoots and flower buds and then facilitated the rapid recovery of guave production. (2015).

▲ Foliar application of nutrients	▲ Foliar application of specific nutrients can decrease leaf damage caused by typhoon