Aim: To study the effect of different sources and levels of zinc fertilization on phytic acid content and nutrient uptake in common beans. Design: Randomized complete block design. Place and Duration of study: Division of soil science and agricultural chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Sheri Kashmir University of agricultural science and technology, Kashmir, between 2017-2018. Methodology: A field experiment was conducted to verify the response of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to the different sources zinc fertilizer. Three different sources of Zinc Viz:- Zinc Sulphate, Zinc Gluconate and Zinc EDTA were used. Each fertilizer was used in three different amounts. Concentration of Zinc, overall zinc uptake, phytic acid, phytic acid Zinc molar ratio and overall nutrient uptake was estimated. Results: The data was analyzed using OPSTAT software at P= 0.05. The application of zinc had a positive impact on increase of zinc concentration from 36.6 to 58.2 mg kg-1 in common bean and overall zinc uptake from 0.43 to 1.02 kg ha-1. It was observed that with the increase in levels of zinc there was a decrease in the concentration of phytic acid from 11.92 to 7.8 mg g-1 hence, phytic acid: Zinc molar ratio also decreased from 31.2 to 13.2. There was a positive correlation between nutrient uptake and zinc concentration in beans. Conclusion: Application of Zinc significantly increased the overall nutrient uptake of plants except phosphorus. Among all the sources, Zinc EDTA proved to be most efficient fertilizer followed by zinc Gluconate for enhancing the concentration of zinc and decreasing the concentration of anti- nutritional factor (phytic acid) in beans. Therefore zinc fertilization can be used as an effective method to improve zinc concentration in beans and hence combat zinc deficiency.

Background: Phosphorus (P) is among the essential elements for plant growth and one of the main elements of fertilizers. Decreased availability of P may limit agricultural production in the coming years. The magnitude of soil aggregation influences phosphorus access to mineral surfaces. Aim:The present study aims to determine phosphorus adsorption processes affected by soil aggregation under different land-use systems. Methods:The distribution of soil aggregates was determined in representative soil samples in the district Kupwara of Kashmir Valley in India. To predict the phosphorus fertilizer requirement of a particular soil, we used the Freundlich adsorption equation and Langmuir equation and drew a clear comparison between these two models.Results and discussion: Maximum phosphorus (P) adsorption was recorded at the smallest aggregate size, 0.5-0.1 mm. However, soil aggregates >2.0 mm (the largest category) adsorbed the least amount of P. Our results revealed that increasing the addition of P to the soil decreased the percentage of adsorbed P regardless of aggregate size. The maximum P adsorption of different size aggregates varied between 1869-1924, 1872-1900, 1718-1739, and 1800-1890 mg P kg -1 in irrigated agriculture, forest, orchard and rainfed agriculture soils, respectively. The variation in P adsorption parameters across the different land uses was attributed to their mean weight diameter difference. The maximum bonding energy in the forest resulted in higher P adsorption. Langmuir and Freundlich's adsorption equations were fitted to each soil aggregate size and land-use system.

Biostimulants are organic products made up of peptides and amino acids which are readily available to plants. Changes in farming are being caused by agro-ecological practices that take into account biodiversity and the way soil works. In agriculture, biostimulants can be used to keep plant growth and productivity without use of chemicals. Biostimulants can be used to identify and enhance specific soil microorganisms and they can help them grow and thrive. Soil microbial activity and the activity of important plant growth hormones or enzymes are also considered to help crops grow and yield more. The words “soil health” and “soil tilth” aren’t new in the world of farming. Many factors, many of which are biological, affect the health of soil. With the application of biostimulants soil health gets improved by influencing soil health indicators. Chemical fertilizers affect soil environment, which ultimately affects the human and animal lives. Microbes in the soil called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play an important role in maintaining long-term soil fertility by forming mutualistic relationships with the roots of food crops, which help them, grow and thrive. Plants thrive under biotic and abiotic stress, due to the activation of defense mechanisms through these substances. Biostimulants from seaweed extracts are very popular because they help plants to grow and be more resistant to stress. Repeated applications of biochar could make the soil more carbon-rich and productive, which could lead to more crop biomass and biological carbon sequestration over time. This review summarizes the description of biostimulants and their role in soil health.