Background and aims Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for global food production, and its depletion poses a major threat to agricultural sustainability. Concurrently, improper disposal of end-of-life tyres causes serious environmental risks. Converting waste tyres into functional biochar for P recovery offers a promising route to addressing both challenges by closing nutrient loops and valorising a problematic waste stre...

Background and aims Drought significantly limits crop productivity, highlighting the need for sustainable soil management. Black soldier fly larvae frass and biochar (a nutrient- and carbon-rich amendment) can increase plant productivity, but their combined effects under drought stress are poorly understood. Methods The experiment was designed to evaluate the effects of three factors on bell pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) growth...

Effectively managing and transforming organic waste into a valuable resource is critical for minimising environmental impact, conserving resources, and mitigating climate change. Anaerobic digestate of solid food waste has high ammonium (NH 4 + ) concentration and discharging it into the environment after nitrification may cause eutrophication. This study aimed to characterise (i) the adsorption of NH 4 + from anaerobic digest...

Revegetating iron-ore mine tailings is difficult due to their poor physicochemical and microbial properties. This experiment aimed to improve tailings properties for better plant growth and rhizosphere activities. First, a pot experiment was conducted to assess the influence of topsoil amendment on the remediation of tailings collected from two sites (coded A and B) in Western Australia to promote the growth of perennial ryegr...

Background and aims Mine tailings often contain high concentrations of metals that may lead to serious environmental concerns. Phytoremediation by suitable plant species, coupled with organic amendments, represents an intriguing way of improving the quality of mine tailings. Methodology We conducted a glasshouse pot study to assess the impact of biochar derived from wheat straw (BC) and wheat straw (WS) at different applicatio...

Background and Aims Phosphorus (P) is a restricting nutrient for crop productivity worldwide. P deficiency can lead to stunted growth and development, eventually affecting crop yield. But less is documented about the impact of P fertility on industrial hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.) production in the low-P soils of south-western Australia. We aimed to investigate the effect of P rates on growth, physiology, rhizosphere carboxylate...