Biofertilizers are broths containing beneficial microorganisms that are applied to soils to enhance crop production and soil fertility. The microbes in a biofertilizer enhance and drive natural processes such as nutrient transformation and cycling, organic matter decomposition, and gas emission. Environoc 401 manufactured by Biodyne-USA is described as an agricultural soil enhancer that is comprised of a consortium of beneficial microorganisms. Production of Environoc 401 is achieved by an incubation that begins with a concentrated lyophilized microbial consortium. The focus of this study is to try to understand the community dynamics that occur during the incubation process to help predict the proportions of individual strains and the overall metabolic activity of the microbial community in Environoc 401 under different conditions. In order to quantify individual strains in Environoc 401, species-specific primers were developed for use in quantitative-PCR. These primers were then used to quantify target strains in Environoc 401 broth stored at 22 °C and 27 °C for 1 month and sampled at time 0, 1 week, and 1 month to evaluate the effect of storage conditions on the microbial community. In general, Environoc 401 stored at 22 °C had greater substrate utilization richness compared to Environoc 401 stored at 27 °C, but only after 1 month. The microbial community within Environoc 401 stored at 27 °C after 1 month did not utilize any amines or phenolic compounds, while the communities stored at 22 °C did use these substrates. To evaluate the overall effect of Environoc 401 on plants and on the microbial activity in potting medium, the product was used in the potting soil of soybean plants grown in an environmental growth chamber. This study contained five treatments upon unifoliate emergence: a no treatment control, pesticide and chemical fertilizer, pesticide and biofertilizer (as Environoc 401), biofertilizer only, and chemical fertilizer only. Soil medium samples were collected from each treatment at the time of seed planting, 24 hrs before application, 24 hrs after application, 2 weeks after application, and 1 month after application. The soybean plants treated with Environoc 401 generally had the highest average total plant height, average number of leaves, average dry weight of leaves, stems, and roots, and the least acidic pH. Samples from both studies were also used to inoculate Biolog EcoPlates to assess changes in carbon-source utilization patterns for each condition and to generate Community-Level Physiological Profiles (CLPPs). Principle Component Analysis was performed on the CLPPs and diversity was also assessed using Shannon’s diversity indices for samples from both studies. The CLPPs for the storage samples clustered tightly after 1 week of storage, however, after 1 month of storage the two temperatures diverged greatly. The CLPPS for the soybean plant treatment samples clustered tightly 24 hours prior to treatment but varied greatly after treatment application. <a>These results indicate that treatment application, storage time, and temperature affect carbon utilization within the microbial communities. These results are a reflection on the activity and health of the microbial community and future studies should explore changes taking place on a finer scale by targeting specific carbon sources or conditions.</a>

Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2018-09-25T18:43:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2017 - Raimundo Filho Freire de Brito.pdf: 2031633 bytes, checksum: 962c3fdf9a60155a161e8d2d14cccf3a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-25T18:43:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2017 - Raimundo Filho Freire de Brito.pdf: 2031633 bytes, checksum: 962c3fdf9a60155a161e8d2d14cccf3a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-04-24 / Pineapple farming has economic and social importance for the generation of employment and income. The indicators of organic pineapple production are basically non-existent. The objective of this work was to generate basic indicators on the effect of aerobic biofertilizer on the production and control of fusariosis in pineapple Ananas comosus cv. P?rola in an organic system comparing the results, from the nutritional point of view, with conventional fertilizers used. The experiment was installed in Miracema do Tocantins / TO in randomized blocks with four replicates, five treatments (4 doses of biofertilizer, control). The treatments are: (T1) biofertilizer applications every 7 days, (T2) biofertilizer applications every 14 days, (T3) biofertilizer applications every 21 days, (T4) biofertilizer application every 28 days and (T5) ) The control with conventional fertilization without biofertilizer. The variables evaluated were: Total Mass of Plants, Stem Mass, Puppy Mass, D Leaf Mass, Length and stem diameter, Peduncle and mute length, Number of Live Sheets, Number of pups, Length and Width of leaf D, Number of seedlings, vegetative and reproductive phases, in the percentage of plants with natural floral induction, fruit mass, crown mass, crown length, fruit length and diameter, number of fruit and soluble solids content. From the results obtained, the length of leaf D presented in the treatments and control values greater than 100 cm, not being influenced by the treatments, as well as the weight of leaf D, which presented average weight in the treatments of 82 g. Treatment T1 provided greater accumulation of fresh stem mass with 0.401 kg, but did not differ from T2 treatment with 0.332 kg, however, only application of the biofertilizer every seven days exceeded the Control treatment, with conventional fertilization. From the results obtained, the length of leaf D presented in the treatments and control values greater than 100 cm, not being influenced by the treatments, as well as the weight of leaf D, which presented average weight in the treatments of 82 g. Treatment T1 provided greater accumulation of fresh stem mass with 0.401 kg, but did not differ from T2 treatment with 0.332 kg, however, only application of the biofertilizer every seven days exceeded the Control treatment, with conventional fertilization. It is possible to conclude that the nutrient supply, in the vegetative phase of the pineapple, can be realized by the aerobic biofertilizer instead of the industrial soluble fertilizers; The length and mass of the leaf D, at the moment of the Artificial Floral Induction in organic cultivation, were superior to 100 cm and 80 g; The index of the weight / width ratio of the leaf D can be indicator for the accomplishment of the treatment of artificial floral induction in organic cultivation to obtain fruit of 1,2 kg or more; The weight of the fruit in organic cultivation was over 1.2 kg. / A abacaxicultura possui import?ncia econ?mica e social pela gera??o de emprego e renda. Os indicadores de produ??o do abacaxi em sistema org?nico s?o basicamente inexistentes. O objetivo deste trabalho foi gerar indicadores b?sicos sobre o efeito do biofertilizante aer?bico na produ??o e controle da fusariose no abacaxizeiro Ananas comosus cv. P?rola em sistema org?nico comparando os resultados, no ponto de vista nutricional, com aduba??es convencionais utilizadas. O experimento foi instalado em Miracema do Tocantins/TO em blocos casualizados com quatro repeti??es, sendo cinco tratamentos (4 doses de biofertilizante, controle). Os tratamentos s?o: (T1) aplica??es do biofertilizante a cada 7 dias, (T2) aplica??es do biofertilizante a cada 14 dias, (T3) aplica??es de biofertilizante a cada 21 dias, (T4) aplica??o do biofertilizante a cada 28 dias e (T5) o controle com aduba??o convencional sem biofertilizante. As vari?veis avaliadas foram: Massa Total das Plantas, Massa do caule, Massa da muda filhote, Massa da Folha D, Comprimento e di?metro do caule, Comprimento do ped?nculo e da muda filhote, N?mero de Folhas Vivas, N?mero de mudas filhote, Comprimento e largura da folha D, N?mero de muda rebent?o, Sintomas da fusariose na fase vegetativa e reprodutiva, no percentual de plantas com indu??o floral natural, Massa do fruto, Massa da coroa, Comprimento da coroa, Comprimento e di?metro do fruto, N?mero de frutilhos e Teor de s?lidos sol?veis. Pelos resultados obtidos, o comprimento da folha D apresentou nos tratamentos e controle valores superiores a 100 cm, n?o sendo influenciado pelos tratamentos, assim como o peso da folha D, que apresentou peso m?dio nos tratamentos de 82g. O tratamento T1 proporcionou maior ac?mulo de massa fresca do caule com 0,401 kg, mas n?o se diferenciou do tratamento T2 com 0,332 kg, no entanto, somente aplica??o do biofertilizante a cada sete dias superou o tratamento Controle, com aduba??o convencional. Os resultados mostram n?o haver diferen?a significativa para os valores da Massa do Fruto entre os tratamentos, sendo que todos os tratamentos com biofertilizante apresentaram valores superiores ao convencional. A baixa incid?ncia da doen?a, nas condi??es avaliadas e de padr?o aleat?rio entre os tratamentos, evidencia que doen?a, muito ocorrente na regi?o, n?o afetou os tratamentos. A rela??o entre o ?ndice: peso da folha D/Largura da folha D com o peso do fruto ? positiva e linear e, portanto, o valor para este ?ndice m?nimo de 11,7 pode-se estimar frutos com peso igual ou acima de 1,2Kg. ? poss?vel concluir que o fornecimento de nutrientes, na fase vegetativa do abacaxizeiro, pode ser realizado pelo biofertilizante aer?bio em substitui??o aos fertilizantes sol?veis industriais; o comprimento e massa da folha D, no momento da Indu??o Floral Artificial em cultivo org?nico, foram superiores a 100 cm e 80 g; o ?ndice da rela??o massa/largura da folha D pode ser indicador para realiza??o do tratamento da indu??o floral artificial em cultivo org?nico para a obten??o de frutos igual ou superior a 1,2 kg; o peso do fruto em cultivo org?nico foi superior a 1,2 kg.

Submitted by JOSE EDER PEREIRA DA SILVA null (eder.jeps@terra.com.br) on 2016-05-21T00:05:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_José_Ede_P_Silva_com_ficha (1).pdf: 2003164 bytes, checksum: d776b0516852a32e5763381a780cbe16 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Felipe Augusto Arakaki (arakaki@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-05-24T12:16:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_jep_me_bot.pdf: 2003164 bytes, checksum: d776b0516852a32e5763381a780cbe16 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-24T12:16:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_jep_me_bot.pdf: 2003164 bytes, checksum: d776b0516852a32e5763381a780cbe16 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-24 / Tendo em vista os problemas ambientais relativos as contaminações do solo e da agua oriundas dos dejetos produzidos em propriedades rurais, objetivou-se avaliar economicamente um biodigestor de fluxo contínuo, instalado na Escola Técnica Estadual “Orlando Quagliato”, situada no município de Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo-SP, bem como o processo de biodigestão anaeróbia e consequente produção de biofertilizante e biogás, oriundos dos dejetos de suínos e humanos. Os dejetos foram provenientes da suinocultura, que conta com 15 matrizes totalizando 148 animais, e dejetos humanos referente aos blocos de alojamentos para 200 alunos residentes, os quais diariamente são enviados para o biodigestor. O biodigestor em questão foi instalado com intuito de diminuir a contaminação do meio ambiente, produzir biogás e biofertilizante para utilização nos projetos produtivos da própria instituição escolar. Foram realizadas análises físico-químicas e microbiológicas do biofertilizante com a finalidade de avaliar a sua qualidade, no que tange a composição química e presença de microorganismos patogênicos para definição de sua utilização na agricultura. Considerando a produção de dejetos, realizou-se estimativa da produção de biogás, objetivando o potencial das receitas do processo. Foram analisados os custos de implantação, manutenção e depreciação. Os benefícios anuais foram dados pelo valor econômico dos nutrientes presentes no biofertilizante e pela produção de biogás estimada. Também foram estimados indicadores de viabilidade econômica, como Valor Presente Líquido (VPL), Taxa Interna de Retorno (TIR), PayBack (PB) e Ponto de Equilíbrio, utilizando uma taxa de desconto de 10,38% a.a. O investimento inicial para implantação atualizado foi de R$ 184.601,84 e os custos anuais do sistema foram de R$ 1.218,12 com manutenção e R$ 18.460,00 com depreciação. O benefício obtido com o emprego do biofertilizante foi de R$ 6.267,05.ano-1 e com produção de biogás equivalente estimada em R$ 24.594,86.ano-1, totalizando uma receita de R$ 30.861,91, expondo benefícios superiores aos custos anuais. Ficou evidenciado que tanto o biogás quanto o biofertilizante não são aproveitados plenamente, demonstrando ainda que o projeto foi superdimensionado na sua implantação considerando o plantel de suínos existentes, embora existam perspectivas para aumento do setor suinícola. / In view of the environmental problems of soil contamination to and from the water coming from the waste produced in farms aimed to economically evaluate a continuous flow digester, installed in the State Technical School "Orlando Quagliato", located in the municipality of Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo-SP, as well as the process of anaerobic digestion and consequent production of bio-fertilizer and biogas, derived from pig manure and human. The waste came from pig farming, which has 15 arrays totaling 148 animals, and human waste relating to the accommodation blocks for 200 resident students, who every day are sent to the digester. The biodigester in question was installed in order to reduce contamination of the environment, produce biogas and biofertilizers for use in productive projects of their own educational institution. physico-chemical and microbiological analyzes of biofertilizers were conducted in order to assess their quality, with respect to chemical composition and the presence of pathogenic microorganisms to define its use in agriculture. Considering the production of waste, there was estimated biogas production, aiming the potential revenue in the process. deployment costs, maintenance and depreciation were analyzed. The annual benefits were given the economic value of the nutrients present in biofertilizers and the estimated biogas production. Were also estimated economic viability indicators, such as net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), Payback (PB) and Balance, using a discount rate of 10.38% p.a. The initial investment was estimated at R$ 184,601.84 and the system annual costs were R$ 1.218,12 with maintenance and R$ 18.460,00 with depreciation. The benefit obtained by biofertilizer use was R$ 6.267,05.ano-1 and biogas production equivalent around R$ 24.594,86.ano-1, totaling a revenue of R$ 30.861,91, exhibiting superior benefits annual costs. This study revealed that as much biogas as biofertilizers are not used fully, further demonstrating that the project was oversized in its implementation, considering the amount of existing animals, although there are prospects for increased this sector.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-10-14Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:56:08Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 correia_ac_me_araca.pdf: 344579 bytes, checksum: 0f954ba0a1db857e840c7ba7a8a57821 (MD5) / Com o objetivo de avaliar a produção de matéria seca (MS), da parte aérea e raízes do capim Tierra Verde e os atributos químicos do solo e da parte aérea submetida à adubação com biofertilizante orgânico, realizou-se um experimento em casa de vegetação do Departamento de Apoio, Produção e Saúde Animal da UNESP, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Campus de Araçatuba-SP, de janeiro a setembro de 2010. Os tratamentos foram dispostos em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, adubados com seis doses de biofertilizante (0, 33, 66, 132, 264, 528 m 3 ha -1 ) e com cinco repetições durante três cortes. Utilizou-se o modelo de parcelas subdivididas no tempo, sendo as doses de biofertilizante consideradas como tratamentos principais e os cortes como sub-parcelas. Foi observado aumento na produção de MS da parte aérea e raízes a partir das doses de 66 até 528 m 3 ha -1 de N. A adubação nitrogenada influenciou nos atributos químicos do solo nos teores da matéria orgânica, enxofre, boro e manganês. A adubação nitrogenada influenciou a composição química do capim Tierra Verde, nos teores foliares de fósforo, potássio e cobre. Os teores de proteína bruta, fibra em detergente neutro e fibra em detergente ácido não foram alterados pela influência das doses de biofertilizante orgânico aplicado ao solo / In order to evaluate the production of dry matter (DM) of shoots and roots of grass Tierra Verde and chemical attributes of soil and subjected to aerial fertilization with organic biofertilizer, an experiment was performed in house vegetation Support Department, Animal Production and Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, UNESP, Araçatuba-SP, from January to September 2010. The treatments were arranged in completely randomized design with six fertilized biofertilizer doses (0, 33, 66, 132, 264, 528 m 3 /ha) and five repetitions for three cuts. We used the model split plot in time, and the doses of biofertilizers considered as main treatments and cuts as sub-plots. We observed increase in DM yield of shoots and roots from the doses of 66 to 528 m 3 /ha of N. Nitrogen fertilization influenced the soil chemical properties in the levels of organic matter, sulfur, boron and manganese. Nitrogen fertilization influenced the chemical composition of grass Tierra Verde in foliar concentrations of phosphorus, potassium and copper. The crude protein, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber were not affected by the influence of the organic biofertilizer doses applied to the soil

Banco do Nordeste do Brasil / Os biofertilizantes lÃquidos vÃm sendo utilizados com relativo sucesso na recuperaÃÃo de bananais que apresentam baixa produtividade, apÃs longo tempo de cultivo. Essa Ãrea ainda carece de estudos, porque sÃo poucas as informaÃÃes existentes relacionadas a tratos culturais que visem ao aumento da vida Ãtil do bananeiral. O objetivo deste trabalho foi fazer um estudo comparativo em Ãreas de bananais degradados que receberam aplicaÃÃo do biofertilizante por um perÃodo de 2 e 5 anos e Ãrea onde a cultura nÃo recebeu esse tipo de aplicaÃÃo. Foram avaliados os efeitos do tempo de aplicaÃÃo sobre as caracterÃsticas quÃmicas do solo, medidas biomÃtricas da planta (altura, nÃmero, comprimento e largura das folhas), produÃÃo de matÃria seca, extraÃÃo e exportaÃÃo de N, P e K pela touceira (planta mÃe, filha e neta) e o aporte de resÃduos vegetais ao solo. Os estudos foram realizados nas Fazendas Frutacor Ltda e Damami na chapada do Apodi municÃpio de QuixerÃ-CE, onde trÃs Ãreas foram selecionadas em bananais de produÃÃo comercial: 1- uma Ãrea controle (AC) irrigada com Ãgua de canal e utilizando-se somente adubaÃÃo mineral; 2- uma Ãrea com 2 anos de aplicaÃÃo do biofertilizante mais adubaÃÃo mineral (A2) e irrigada com Ãgua de poÃo e 3- outra Ãrea com 5 anos de aplicaÃÃo do biofertilizante mais adubaÃÃo mineral (A5) tambÃm irrigada com Ãgua de poÃo. Todas essas Ãreas eram cultivadas com bananeira da cultivar Pacovan com 13 anos de cultivo, plantadas em fileira dupla e densidade de 1400 plantas por hectare. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado com trÃs repetiÃÃes. O biofertilizante aumentou os teores de matÃria orgÃnica, K e Ca trocÃveis nas trÃs profundidades do solo. Os nÃveis de P extraÃvel e Mg trocÃvel foram superiores somente na camada superficial. O biofertilizante e a Ãgua da irrigaÃÃo de poÃo aumentaram o pH, a CE e o Na do solo. As plantas que receberam aplicaÃÃo do biofertilizante foram mais altas, com maior peso e n de folhas. A Ãrea A5 que recebeu mais tempo de aplicaÃÃo do biofertilizante apresentou maior produtividade, acumulou 20% mais matÃria seca que a Ãrea controle, extraiu mais N, P e K do solo, exportou mais nutrientes atravÃs da colheita e aportou maior quantidade de resÃduos vegetais ao solo. O sistema de manejo e adubaÃÃo influenciou no desenvolvimento e produÃÃo da bananeira, contribuindo na recuperaÃÃo de bananais degradados. Palavras-Chave: Bananeira; Biofertilizante; ExtraÃÃo de Nutrientes. / The liquid biofertilizers have been used with relative success in the recovery of banana plantations that have low productivity due to long time of cultivation. The area of the present study needs further investigations because there is little information available related to the cultural practices that could increase the time of the crop yield. The objective of the present study was to compare the areas of degraded banana plantations that received application of fertilizer for a period of 2 e 5 years with the areas where the crop did not receive fertilizer application. It was studied the effects of time of application on soil chemical characteristics, biometric measurements of the plant (height, number, length and width of leaves), dry matter production, extraction and export of N, P and K by the plants ( the mother, the daughter and the granddaughter banana plants) and amount of incorporated of plant residues into the soil. The studies were conducted in the localities of Frutacor. and Damami Farms Ltd at the Apodi plateau (county of QuixerÃ-CE, Brazil), where three areas were selected with commercial production of banana. The areas were: 1) - a control area (CA) irrigated with river water and using only mineral fertilizer; 2) - an area that received biofertilizer applications during two years plus mineral fertilization (A2) and being irrigated with well water; and 3) - another area that received 5 years of biofertilizer application plus mineral fertilization (A5) also irrigated with well water. All these areas were planted with banana Pacovan for 13 consecutive years of cultivation following a planting spacing with double rows and density of 1400 plants per hectare. The experimental design was a completely randomized blocks with three replications. The biofertilizer application increased the content of organic matter, exchangeable Ca and K contents in the three soil depths. The levels of extractable P and exchangeable Mg contents were higher only at the surface layer. The irrigation with well water and application of biofertilizer increased soil pH, soil EC and soil Na. Plants that received application of biofertilizer were higher, with both greater weight and number of leaves. The A5 area that has received the application of biofertilizer for more time showed higher productivity, accumulated 20% more dry matter than the control area, extracted more N, P and K from soil, exported more nutrients through harvesting and deposited larger amounts or plant residues on the soil. Key words: Banana; Biofertilizer; Extraction of Nutrients.

Accumulation of beach cast biomass on coastal zones around Gotland is an increasing problem that reduce the recreational value of beaches and cause environmental degradation of coastal environments. Beach cast was once regularly harvested on Gotland, as it was considered a valued biofertilizer, but as it seized to be used in combination with the eutrophication of the Baltic sea, beach cast accumulation has increased in scale. The use of beach cast as a resource for bioenergy and agriculture does not only provide important services that can replace the use of greenhouse gases and finite resources but can also mitigate eutrophication and increase the quality of coastal zones as nutrients are retrieved from the water. Macroalgae and seaweeds are hyperaccumulators of heavy metals which pose a challenge for the utilization of beach cast as a fertilizer. Especially cadmium, a heavy metal that is harmful for human consumption, is strictly regulated and limits the amount of beach cast that can be used for agriculture. This thesis has analysed the potential benefit of beach cast harvesting and three potential utilization strategies of beach cast; fertilizer to food crops, fertilizer to fast growing energy forest (Salix) and biogas production with digestate utilization. The result indicate that all strategies are possible and viable utilization strategies under certain conditions. Because of the complex and site specific factors that affect beach cast utilization, adapting strategies depending on the conditions and needs of the local coastal zones is required. Cadmium uptake is affected by a range of factors that can be controlled so that beach cast can provide nutrients and improve soil structure without contaminating the soil. Especially promising is the prospect of fertilizing Salix with beach cast as the cadmium absorption and growth rate of Salix enables large amounts of beach cast to be spread without risk for it accumulating in the soil. The cadmium contained within the Salix can later be removed from the environment entirely as it is collected from the ash when Salix is converted to bioenergy. Recent studies also indicate that food crops can be safely fertilized with beach cast without cadmium being transferred if specific crops are chosen. Cadmium uptake to crops can also be limited if specific beach cast with low cadmium content are used and if the beach cast is pre-composted with other substrates. Both for Salix and food crops its instead legal restraints on cadmium spreading that limits the use of beach cast. When abiding by the set cadmium restrictions, beach cast can only marginally supply the macronutrient requirement of the average food crop on Gotland. Biogas production and digestate utilization from beach cast provides many environmental benefits as clean renewable energy is generated that can replace fossil fuels and the nutrients contained in the digestate can be spread on arable land. From the conducted energy balance of the system on Gotland it was found that beach cast has theoretically good conditions to ferment beach cast. However, beach cast isn’t practically viable on Gotland because the substrate can’t compete financially with other available substrates and it requires costly pre-treatments. Regardless of which beach cast utilization strategy chosen, harvesting is concluded to have a positive effect on mitigating coastal eutrophication and beach and water quality. Although it cannot on its own mitigate a net nutrient loading to coastal zones in Gotland, harvesting easily available beach cast can reduce the nutrient loading to coastal zones on Gotland with up to 27 % and 4,5 % phosphorus and nitrogen respectively.

Agroecosystem and cycling loops are open when considering the reutilization of inputs in farming areas. Non-renewable resources have been transformed or relocated from the air, water and land into the system and are flowing out as wastes rather than reusable, recyclable resources. Therefore, current trends in agriculture have moved towards more sustainable cultivation systems with higher efficiency of input use, since mineral nutrient losses due to runoff, leaching, erosion and gas emissions are leading to environmental degradation. A huge variety of materials can serve as a crop nutrient supply and they can be derived from different resources. The integrated plant nutrition system (IPNS) thrives tailoring plant nutrition and soil fertility management, taking advantage of the conjunctive and harmonious use of inorganic, organic and biological resources. We hypothesize that the synergetic effects of the combination of humic acid HA + biofertilizer will improve plant agronomic outcomes when comparing the application of each product alone. We initiated this project conducting a greenhouse study and field experiments evaluating the effects of an IPNS on corn. Posteriorly, the positive results in terms of corn biomass increasing, led to another greenhouse study addressing cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) due its valuable biomass as an end/selling product. The greenhouse studies evaluated the effects of commercial synthetic fertilizer, HA, compost/manure teas and bioinoculant as inorganic, organic and biological resources, respectively, and their synergy on corn and cannabis early development under a period of water deficit stress. Generally, for both studies, when compared to the control values, the use of HA, biofertilizers and the integration of both substances generated significantly greater early season plant height, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic efficiency. The three-year field trial investigated the effects of nitrogen (N) fertilizer, HA, compost/manure teas and bioinoculant as inorganic, organic and biological resources, respectively and their synergy on corn growth. The individual and integrated application of HA and biofertilizer generally influenced corn development, to varying degrees. In 2017, corn height, NDVI, greenness and vigor were sensitive to the application of these biostimulants in different magnitudes and growth stages, however grain yield and nutrient content were not affected. In combined studies from 2018 and 2019 corn height was not impacted by biostimulant application but NDVI, photosynthetic efficiency, greenness and vigor were affected at different doses and corn growth stages. Only one treatment integrating HA + biofertilizer led to increased grain yield. In sum, these studies provided evidence that the individual and combined application of HA and biofertilizer can positively influence corn and cannabis growth most likely due to their plant biostimulant effects. However, the current study cannot conclusively affirm that the integrated use of HA and biofertilizers following the IPNS is a superior practice than the application of each compound individually and further studies should be conducted to validate these findings. / Doctor of Philosophy / The status of the corn (Zea mays L.) demand in Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic region is currently in deficit regarding the production in this area. This demand is exceeding supply by approximately 150%, then increasing feed grain yield and consequently production in the region can be simultaneously beneficial to crop farmers, end-users and the entire food supply chain. Furthermore, the consumer market is becoming more aware about sustainable practices for food production, which encourages producers to adopt agricultural practices that can minimize negative environmental impacts. This scenario enforces the scientific community's responsibility to test and develop environmental-friendly methods able to increase fertilization efficiency, decreasing the use in synthetic inputs but maintaining yield. The integrated plant nutrition system (IPNS) implements the combined and harmonious use of inorganic, organic and biological resources to take advantage of the potential synergetic effects. We conducted greenhouse studies and field experiments evaluating the effects of an IPNS on corn, and posteriorly based on the preliminary results obtained with corn, a greenhouse study addressing cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) was also carried out. The greenhouse studies evaluated the effects of commercial synthetic fertilizer, humic acid (HA), compost/manure teas and bioinoculant as inorganic, organic and biological resources, respectively, and their synergy on corn and cannabis growth under a period of drought. Generally, for both studies, when comparing to the control values, the use of HA, biofertilizers and the integration of both compounds generated significantly greater early season plant height and photosynthesis measurements. The three-year field trial investigated the effects of nitrogen (N) fertilizer, HA, compost/manure teas and bioinoculant as inorganic, organic and biological resources, respectively and their synergy on corn growth. The individual and combined application of HA and biofertilizer generally influenced corn development, to varying degrees. In 2017, corn height, vegetation index, greenness and vigor were sensitive to the application of these biostimulants in different magnitudes and growth stages, however grain yield and nutrient content were not affected. In combined studies from 2018 and 2019 corn height was not impacted by biostimulant application but vegetation index, photosynthetic efficiency, greenness and vigor were affected at different doses and corn growth stages. Only one treatment combining HA + biofertilizer led to increased grain yield. In sum, these studies provided evidence that the individual and combined application of HA and biofertilizer can positively influence corn and cannabis growth most likely due their plant biostimulant effects. Even though, the current study cannot affirm that the combined use of HA and biofertilizers following the IPNS is a better practice than the application of each compound individually, this practice can be a more sustainable alternative to fit in the conventional farming scene.

More and more people live in cities, cities that both present opportunities, in terms of potential sustainable growth and challenges, for example regarding insufficient infrastructure and waste management. There are several examples on initiatives to make cities reach their sustainability potential; one is to turn municipal organic waste, MOW, and sewage sludge into biogas and use it to produce electricity and/or heat or to upgrade it to biomethane and use it as a fuel in for example public transport or feed it to a gas grid. This study has focused on the potential and feasibility of producing and using biogas/biomethane as well as the remains from the production process, called digestate, in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. For the most feasible options an indication of the environmental improvement and economic performance was also estimated. The study included biogas produced from municipal organic waste, sewage sludge and methane collected at landfills. For the areas of use, electricity or heat produced from biogas was included as well as using biomethane in public transport or feeding it to the gas grid and to use the digestate as biofertilizer. Since multiple factors needs to be considered in order to adequately assess the potential and feasibility a multi-criteria approach was used for developing a framework based on an early assessment tool for biomethane solutions in the urban context. In summary it is indicated that there are good conditions for biogas production in Chisinau with biogas production from sewage sludge being included in the ongoing rehabilitation of the largest wastewater facility and methane collection from the largest landfill historically being part of the operations and planned (although not confirmed) to soon be part of these again. However, the largest potential is for municipal organic waste where the main impediments relates to financial issues and to some extent legislation that indirectly favour short term landfilling. When investigating the possible use of the digestate as biofertilizer the outlooks are considerably less promising than for the supply side. Despite the fact that the law explicitly allows the use of digestate (both from MOW and sewage sludge) the lack of knowledge within the farmer community result in a low or non-existent customer demand. Regarding the possible use of biogas/biomethane it was concluded that electricity production is the most feasible option and heat generation placing as the second most feasible. Feeding the gas to the grid appears more difficult and the least likely option is for the biogas to be used within public transport. Overall it is in general technically possible to use the gas in terms of infrastructure and there is some demand, especially for electricity and heat. The biggest inhibitory factors are rather institutional since biogas in general is overlooked or not prioritized in the strategies leading to a shortcoming in economical instruments or funds and to some extent in the legislation. This thesis is complemented by an executive summary with the same name, both in English and translated to Romanian.

O processo de fixação biológica de nitrogênio (FBN) é a principal forma de entrada de nitrogênio (N) em ecossistemas naturais e é intermediado por microorganismos diazotróficos simbióticos ou de vida livre. A produção de biofertilizantes com bactérias diazotróficas é a principal alternativa ao uso de fertilizantes nitrogenados solúveis. Apesar da simbiose Rhizobium-leguminosas ser eficiente em promover o crescimento das plantas, a inoculação de bactérias diazotróficas em gramíneas vem apresentando resultados questionáveis, principalmente devido à baixa eficiência e incompatibilidade entre os atuais inoculantes bacterianos e as plantas. Os biofertilizantes para gramíneas utilizam bactérias endofíticas as quais desenvolvem interações pouco conhecidas com as plantas. Uma possibilidade para melhorar a eficiência da FBN em gramíneas é a aplicação de bactérias epifíticas de menor seletividade em relação às bactérias endofíticas. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram isolar novos genótipos de bactérias diazotróficas da filosfera de bambu da Mata Atlântica, verificar seu potencial biotecnológico in vitro e avaliar sua eficiência agronômica como biofertilizante em cana-de-açúcar em casa-de-vegetação. Foram obtidos 120 isolados bacterianos os quais foram caracterizados morfológica e filogenéticamente. Com relação ao potencial biotecnológico, 48 isolados bacterianos apresentaram resposta positiva nos testes in vitro de redução de acetileno (ARA) e para produção in vitro de ácido indol-3-acético (AIA) na presença de L-triptofano. Desses 48 isolados, 50% apresentaram capacidade de solubilizar fosfato de cálcio, 8% de produzir quitinases, 16% de produzir ACC desaminase e 17% de produzir sideróforos. O sequenciamento do gene rRNA 16S indicou que 75% dos isolados da filosfera de bambu foram similares à classe Gammaproteobacteria (Proteobacteria) , e a família Enterobacteriaceae. Dentre eles, 32% dos isolados apresentaram sequências similares a Klebsiella sp. e 2% foram similares a Serratia e Enterobacter. Das 48 sequências analisadas, 37% delas não foram classificadas quanto ao gênero, podendo então representar novos gêneros ou espécies. Dez isolados contendo o gene nifH foram selecionados para experimentos de eficiência agronômica em casa-de-vegetação usando bactérias inoculadas via pulverização foliar ou encapsuladas em micro-esferas de alginato e associados a diferentes níveis de adubação nitrogenada. A inoculação por meio de pulverização nas folhas de cana-de-açúcar resultou em aumento significativo de massa seca de parte aérea e concentração de N na parte aérea das plantas na sua fase inicial de desenvolvimento. A maior taxa de fixação nas folhas inoculadas foi observada sete dias após a inoculação no tratamento sem adição de N mineral. A inoculação no solo com os mesmos 10 isolados encapsulados em matriz polimérica em conjunto com diferentes níveis de adubação nitrogenada mostrou aumentos significativos de massa seca da parte aérea, raízes e concentração de N na parte aérea da cana-de-açúcar em comparação aos controles, principalmente nas fases tardias do desenvolvimento das plantas. O solo que recebeu as bactérias encapsuladas apresentaram elevadas taxas de FBN, oscilando entre 0 e 4 g de N g-1 h-1, 7 dias após a inoculação. Os resultados sugerem que as bactérias selecionadas possuem alto potencial biotecnológico para promover o crescimento das plantas em momentos diferentes do seu ciclo de desenvolvimento, dependendo do tipo de abordagem para inoculação. / The process of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is the most important form of nitrogen (N) input in natural ecosystems and is mediated by symbiotic or free-living diazotrophic microorganisms. The production of biofertilizers containing diazotrophic bacteria is the main alternative to the use of soluble nitrogen fertilizers, improving plant growth by nitrogen fixation or other plant growth promoting mechanisms. Despite the efficiency of the symbioses Rhizobium-legumes in promoting plant growth, the inoculation of diazotrophic bacteria in grasses, such as sugarcane, has shown variable results, mainly due to the low efficiency and incompatibility between the current bacterial strains used in inoculants and plant genotypes. Most of the biofertilizers for grasses uses endophytic bacteria that develop complexes interactions with the host plant, which are not totally understood. A possibility to improve the efficiency of BNF in grasses is the application of epiphytic diazotrophic bacteria that are less selective as compared to endophytes. The aims of this work were to isolate new genotypes of diazotrophic bacteria from the phyllosphere of bamboo from Atlantic Forest, determine their biotechnological potential based on in vitro assays, and evaluate their agronomic efficiency as biofertilizer for sugarcane under greenhouse conditions. A total of 120 bacterial isolates were obtained and characterized morphologically and phylogenetically. Regarding the biotechnological potential, 48 isolates showed positive responses under in vitro the acetylene reduction assay (ARA) and indole-acetic-acid (IAA) production in vitro assay in the presence of L-tryptophan. Among the 48 isolates evaluated, 50% were able to solubilize calcium phosphate, 8% produced chitinases, 16% were able to produce ACC deaminase, and 17% produced siderophores. The sequencing of the rRNA 16S gene revealed that 75% of the isolates were phylogenetically related to the family Enterobacteriaceae (Gammaproteobacteria) . The genus Klebsiella accounted for 32% of the isolates, whereas Serratia and Enterobacter accounted for 2%. Aproximatelly 37% of the isolates were assembled unclassified Bacteria. Ten isolates containing the nifH gene were selected for agronomic efficiency test under greenhouse conditions, using bacteria inoculated via foliar spraying, or encapsulation in alginate beads and inoculation in the soil, associated with different doses of nitrogen fertilizer. The inoculation on the sugarcane leaf surfaces resulted in significant increases in root biomass and N concentration in the shoots at the early stage of plant development. The highest N fixation rates in inoculated leaves were observed 7 days after inoculation in the absence of mineral N. The soil inoculation with the same 10 isolates immobilized in polymeric matrix in addiction to different rates of nitrogen fertilization showed significant increases in shoot and root biomass and N concentration in the shoots of sugarcane, when compared to the controls, mostly at later stages of plant development. The soil inoculated with encapsulated bacteria showed high rates of BNF even when nitrogen fertilizer was applied, ranging between 0 and 4 g of N g-1 h-1 seven days after the inoculation. The results suggest that the selected bacteria have high biotechnological potential to promote sugarcane growth at different stages of development, depending on the inoculation approach.

O presente trabalho teve por objetivo estudar a resposta da cultura de melão conduzida em sistema orgânico a diferentes doses de substâncias húmicas extraídas de leonardita e esterco. Os tratamentos foram quatro doses de substâncias húmicas (0, 5, 10 e 20 mg.L-1 de solo) e esterco em combinação com dois biofertilizantes mais dois tratamentos adicionais utilizando fertilizantes convencionais com e sem esterco. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos ao acaso, com doze tratamentos e três repetições. Em função dos resultados obtidos, nas condições do experimento (solo com baixa CTC e baixo teor de matéria orgânica), pode-se concluir que: (i) a melhor resposta da cultura de melão (produtividade total e comercial, número de frutos comerciais e comprimento do fruto), conduzido em sistema orgânico de produção, na região de Petrolina-PE, é obtida com a adição de esterco; (ii) a produtividade total e comercial, o número total e comercial de frutos e a massa média de frutos de melão aumentaram com as doses de substâncias húmicas combinadas ao biofertilizante Agrobom; e (iii) não houve efeito da adição de esterco e das doses de substâncias húmicas, em combinação com caldas biofertilizantes aplicadas via fertirrigação na firmeza, na espessura da casca e no diâmetro da cavidade do fruto. / The present experiment had the aim of studying organic melon crop response to different rates of humic substances extracted from leonardite and manure. The treatments were four rates of humic substances (0, 5, 10 and 20 mg.L-1) and manure combined with two biofertilizers and two additional treatments using conventional fertilizers with and without manure. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks, with twelve treatments and three replications. The results (under similar soil conditions: low CEC and low organic matter content) allowed the following conclusions: (i) for all tested organic production systems, carried out at Petrolina, Pernambuco State (Brazil), the higher total and commercial yield, and the number and length of commercial melon fruits were obtained with manure addition; (ii) the higher rates of humic substances, combined with Agrobom biofertilizers, increased the total and commercial yield, the total and the commercial number and the mean mass of melon fruits; and (iii) there was no effect of manure addition and humic substances application (combined with two biofertilizers applied by fertigation) on the hardness, rind thickness and socket diameter of melon fruit.