Aug 2026· Agriculture· Vol 16, pp. 1691· 0 citations· 112 references
Abstract
Improper disposal of coffee-processing by-products can cause environmental pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and resource loss, whereas their reuse in coffee plantations may support sustainable production. This review systematically examines the material properties, stabilization methods, field application pathways, agronomic effects, quality responses, and environmental risks of coffee-pulp-type by-products in cultivation. Relevant studies published up to June 2026 were retrieved from Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Google Scholar, and CNKI and qualitatively synthesized along the soil–plant–quality continuum. Current evidence suggests that properly stabilized materials, applied at appropriate rates, can improve soil organic matter, structure, water and nutrient retention, microbial activity, plant growth, photosynthesis, and crop yield in plantations. They may also indirectly influence green bean quality by regulating sugars, amino acids, chlorogenic acids, and caffeine. However, these effects depend strongly on material properties, maturity, application rate, coffee genotype, soil and climatic conditions, and management practices. Excessive or insufficiently decomposed materials may cause soil acidification, phytotoxicity, oxygen depletion, nutrient imbalance, and yield–quality trade-offs. Overall, recycling within plantations can turn processing waste into farm inputs, reinforce on-farm carbon and nutrient cycles, ease disposal burdens, and advance BCG and wider circular-economy principles in practice.
Abstract. Intensive agricultural practices have degraded soil fertility and polluted natural resources in Spanish citrus orchards, highlighting the need for more sustainable management strategies. Composting rice straw (RS) and sewage sludge (SS), two residues that are difficult to manage in Mediterranean regions, offers an environmentally sound alternative for residue valorisation and soil fertility restoration. This study assessed the agronomic performance of two industrial-scale composts produced from pruning residues (PR)/SS and RS/SS in a commercial Mediterranean citrus orchard. The effects of compost application at two rates were evaluated through analyses of soil physical, chemical, and biological properties, as well as foliar nutrient concentrations, yield, and fruit quality. RS/SS compost contained higher nutrient levels, particularly P, suggesting its potential as a P-rich organic fertiliser. Compost application reduced soil pH and slightly increased electrical conductivity without exceeding critical thresholds. Soil organic matter, organic N, available P and K, and Zn contents generally increased following compost application, while improvements in soil biological indicators were mainly observed during the first growing season. Effects on foliar nutrient status, yield, and fruit quality were limited. These results indicate that industrial-scale RS/SS compost application represents a sustainable strategy for residue valorisation and soil fertility improvement in Mediterranean citrus systems. Moreover, successive compost applications improved several soil fertility indicators and support the partial replacement of mineral P fertilisation under similar conditions.
Isabel Rodríguez-Carretero, R. Canet, Ana Pérez-Piqueres et al.· The Soil· 0 citations
Agricultural waste recycling offers a circular approach to reducing residue burdens while supporting soil management, crop protection, and resource recovery. This review evaluates the ecological and economic impacts of incorporating compost, digestate, biochar, and related products into integrated plant protection systems. A structured narrative review of peer-reviewed literature published between 2003 and 2026 was conducted, covering disease suppression, nutrient cycling, crop productivity, greenhouse-gas emissions, life-cycle performance, and economic viability. The evidence indicates that compost provides the strongest support for suppressing soil-borne diseases through microbial competition, antibiosis, and modification of the soil environment, whereas biochar can enhance nutrient retention, regulate rhizosphere microbial communities, and induce plant resistance, although its effectiveness depends on feedstock, production conditions, and application practices. Digestate contributes primarily through nutrient recovery and renewable-energy production, with limited evidence of direct pest or disease suppression. Economic benefits include reduced fertilizer and pesticide inputs, avoided waste-disposal costs, renewable-energy generation, improved crop productivity, and potential carbon value, although these gains may be offset by processing costs, transportation, emissions, nutrient losses, and inconsistent field performance. Thus, recycled agricultural products should be regarded as complementary, context-dependent components of integrated plant protection, supported by standardized product characterization, long-term field validation, and integrated ecological and economic assessment.
Aisha Twalibu, Hazel Samartha Mabangwe, Ellena Chikhazu et al.· American Journal of Life Sci...· 0 citations
Biochar, a carbon-rich product resulting from the thermochemical transformation of organic biomass under limited oxygen condition, is currently drawing much worldwide attention due to its multiple applications in carbon sequestration, soil improvement, environmental remediation, and biomass waste management. Initially, the focus of research was primarily on the technical possibilities of biochar production, its economic aspects, and its contribution to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration and the promotion of sustainable agriculture. Nevertheless, recent research indicates the high complexity and dynamics of biochar interactions with the environment, driven by a combination of factors like feedstock type, process conditions, biochar properties, and other factors. While biochar exhibits multiple beneficial effects, including improving soil structure, enhancing nutrient retention, promoting microbial activities, and remediating contaminants, several environmental risks associated with biochar application have also been identified, namely the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metal contamination, creation of persistent free radicals, changes in soil chemistry, and modification of soil microbial community structure. Such risks are greatly related to production process parameters, treatment methods, and biochar application practices. Moreover, differences in feedstock choice, pyrolysis temperature, reactor design, biochar application rate, and analytical methods used make comparative analysis of results difficult.
O. E. Ojewumi, Gang Chen, M. Ojewumi· Green· 0 citations
The choice between organic and inorganic amendment strategies for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production has profound implications for soil health, crop productivity, fruit quality, environmental sustainability, and smallholder livelihoods in tropical agro-ecological regions. This review provides a systematic comparative analysis of organic amendmentssuch as compost, vermicompost, biochar, green manures, microbial inoculants, and inorganic fertilizers (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compounds, micronutrient fertilizers) across dimensions of yield response, soil physicochemical improvement, economic feasibility, and long-term soil health trajectories. Evidence from peer-reviewed field studies (2018–2025) consistently demonstrates that organic amendments match or exceed inorganic fertilizer yield outcomes over multi-season timeframes while generating substantial co-benefits for soil organic carbon, microbial diversity, water retention, and disease suppression that mineral fertilizers do not provide. Integrated strategies combining organic and reduced-rate inorganic inputs achieve the greatest short-term yields while progressively improving soil health. Nigerian evidence on organic pest management with neem extract and Path-Away® organic formulations demonstrates that organic principles extend beyond soil fertility management to encompass full agronomic systems in which synthetic chemical inputs are minimized. This review proposes criteria for evidence-based selection between organic, inorganic, and integrated amendment strategies in tropical tomato systems.
Adesakin, O. R., Adeboye, S. E., B. A. Gonimi et al.· RA Journal Of Applied Resear...· 0 citations
Excessive use of chemical fertilizers degrades soil health and threatens sustainable crop production, which can be mitigated by partially substituting chemical fertilizers with Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L., MV, as green manure). However, the mechanisms through which MV incorporation alters soil microbial community structure and function, enhances soil quality and crop productivity, as well as its long-term effects in paddy soils, are still not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the responses of soil physical, chemical, and biological properties (to comprehensively evaluate soil quality); microbial community structure and function; rice productivity; and the sustainable yield index (SYI) to five fertilizer treatments based on a 13-year field experiment in a paddy’s soil in Henan, China. The treatments included: CK (no chemical fertilizer and no MV), F100 (100% chemical fertilizer), MVF80, MVF60 and MVF40 (80%, 60%, and 40% of the chemical fertilizer rate combined with MV, respectively). Compared with the F100 treatment, MVF60 slightly increased rice yield by 1.71% and significantly improved SYI by 5.10%. All MV treatments significantly increased soil organic carbon (SOC, by 14.4–16.3%) and microbial biomass carbon (MBC, by 16.7–20.1%). MVF60 and MVF40 significantly reduced bulk density, and increased macroaggregate content and mean weight diameter (MWD). MVF80 significantly enriched soil total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), mineral nitrogen (Nmin), and urease (UE). The improvement in these soil properties resulted in a marked increase (by 11.6–20.1%) in the soil quality index (SQI) under all MV treatments. Random forest analysis identified MBC and Nmin as the most important predictors of SQI. Moreover, MV incorporation increased the relative abundance of beneficial taxa (Firmicutes, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Bradyrhizobium, and Nigrospora), which were positively correlated with SQI (p < 0.05), while reducing the relative abundance of pathogenic fungal genera such as Fusarium. Furthermore, regression analysis revealed strong positive correlations between SQI and both rice yield and SYI. In summary, long-term MV incorporation with a 40% reduction in chemical fertilizer (MVF60) constitutes an effective and sustainable nutrient management approach for rice production in southern China. This practice enhances soil quality through improved physical structure, nutrient cycling, and microbial community structure and function, ultimately resulting in higher and more stable yields.
Ji-Shi Zhang, Min Tao, Chunfeng Zheng et al.· Agriculture· 0 citations
Long-term continuous cropping is common in greenhouse tomato production and can cause soil degradation, nutrient imbalance, and yield decline; however, its effects on soil phosphorus (P) fractionation and P-cycling microbial communities remain unclear. This study aimed to determine how continuous cropping duration affects soil P fractions, phosphatase activities, phoD- and pqqC-harboring microbial communities, and tomato yield. Soils representing eight continuous cropping cycles (1, 2, 6, 8, 10, 16, 26, and 32 cycles; two cropping cycles per year) were used in a greenhouse pot experiment. Soil chemical attributes, Hedley P fractions, acid and alkaline phosphatase activities, the diversity and composition of phoD- and pqqC-harboring microbial communities, and tomato yield were evaluated. With increasing continuous cropping cycles, total P, available P, and soil organic matter increased by 171.2%, 210.9%, and 59.3%, respectively. Labile P increased during the early and intermediate cropping cycles but declined after 16 cycles, whereas moderately labile and non-labile P fractions accumulated progressively. Acid phosphatase activity increased, alkaline phosphatase activity decreased, and the richness and diversity of phoD- and pqqC-harboring microbial communities generally declined. Tomato yield peaked after six cropping cycles but subsequently decreased, with a 20.25% reduction after 32 cycles compared with that after one cycle. These findings demonstrate that prolonged continuous cropping promotes soil P accumulation but shifts P toward less readily available fractions and reduces the diversity of P-cycling microbial communities, which is associated with decreased tomato productivity.
Jiayi Zhang, Jiarui Li, H. Fu· Horticulturae· 0 citations
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