A treated biochar comprising a porous carbonaceous particle that has been treated and mixed with a media containing a mineral solubilizing microorganism, whereby the porous carbonaceous particle after mixing has retained the mineral solubilizing microorganism.

This disclosure relates to a semi-humic composition comprising one or more humic substance which has been chemically interacted with one or more organic non-humic nitrogenous molecules, methods of use thereof, and a process for obtaining the same. The compositions provided herein are useful for enhancing crop growth, and in particular, in the area of organic farming.

A fertilizer composition according to an embodiment may reduce methane gas emission. The fertilizer composition includes ethephon as an effective component, and has an excellent effect of reducing the emission amount of methane gas from soils in which crops are cultivated. As the fertilizer application can be reduced to one application, labor can be saved and also environmental contamination can be prevented.

A fertilizer composition according to an embodiment may reduce methane gas emission. The fertilizer composition includes ethephon as an effective component, and has an excellent effect of reducing the emission amount of methane gas from soils in which crops are cultivated. As the fertilizer application can be reduced to one application, labor can be saved and also environmental contamination can be prevented.

Disclosed are a special fertilizer for intercropping maize and peanuts and a cultivation method for maintaining soil organic carbon (SOC) balance, belonging to the technical field of SOC balance. The special fertilizer for intercropping maize and peanuts includes the following raw materials: coated urea, heavy superphosphate, ammonium sulfate, fermented soybean meal, bentonite, sodium molybdate, borax, humic acid, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, plant ash and zinc sulfate heptahydrate. The cultivation method includes the steps of land selection, land preparation, fertilizing, sowing, field management, and rotation.

Biochar is provided that is treated to have certain chemical and physical properties found to have the highest impact on plant growth and/or soil health. In particular, the following physical and/or chemical properties, among others, of a biochar have been identified as critical properties to control for in the selection of biomass feedstock, pyrolysis conditions, and/or enhancing treatment to increase biochar performance: (i) bulk density (ii) impregnation capacity; (iii) particle size distribution; (iv) solid particle density; (v) surface area; (vi) porosity; (vii) total porosity; (viii) ratio of macroporosity to total porosity (ix) content of residual organic compounds; (x) content of volatile organic compounds; (xii) ash content; (xiii) water holding capacity; (xiv) water retention capabilities; (xv) levels of dioxins and other potentially hazardous byproducts of pyrolysis; and (xvi) pH. Treatment can modify and preferably increase hydrophilicity/decrease hydrophobicity, remove dioxins from the raw biochar, modify electrical conductivity and/or surface charge, modify cation exchange capacity and modify anion exchange capacity, among other things.

Biochar is provided that is treated to have certain chemical and physical properties found to have the highest impact on plant growth and/or soil health. In particular, the following physical and/or chemical properties, among others, of a biochar have been identified as critical properties to control for in the selection of biomass feedstock, pyrolysis conditions, and/or enhancing treatment to increase biochar performance: (i) bulk density (ii) impregnation capacity; (iii) particle size distribution; (iv) solid particle density; (v) surface area; (vi) porosity; (vii) total porosity; (viii) ratio of macroporosity to total porosity (ix) content of residual organic compounds; (x) content of volatile organic compounds; (xii) ash content; (xiii) water holding capacity; (xiv) water retention capabilities; (xv) levels of dioxins and other potentially hazardous byproducts of pyrolysis; and (xvi) pH. Treatment can modify and preferably increase hydrophilicity/decrease hydrophobicity, remove dioxins from the raw biochar, modify electrical conductivity and/or surface charge, modify cation exchange capacity and modify anion exchange capacity, among other things.

A process of biodegradation of hydrocarbons using a plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) consortium mixed with the oily sludge, The PGPR consortium is created by inoculating a nutrient broth with pure culture of isolated bacterial strains of Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas putida and Exiguobacterium at Optical Density 1 at 660 nm and bacterial density of 10.sup.6 cells/ml, and incubating the inoculated nutrient broth in a shaker incubator for forty-eight to seventy-two hours at 150 rpm.

The invention relates to the field of seed germination and growing of plants. A composition comprising a clay, an inert material, optionally a fibrous material, and a fourth component is provided, characterized in that said fourth component comprises a cation selected from the group consisting of Al, Zr and Ti and an anion selected from the group consisting of oxyhydroxide, oxychloride, nitrate, sulfate, chloride, hydroxide and alkoxide, and wherein the concentration of said fourth component ranges from 0.1 to 70 percent by weight (w %), preferably 0.5-25 w %, more preferably 1-10 w %, of the total weight of the clay, the inert material, and optionally the fibrous material, together.

The present invention pertains to plant additives capable of alleviating phosphate starvation symptoms in plants and promoting the growth of phosphate deprived plants. These plant additives are molecules comprising the group of formula. ##STR00001##