Maya Benkova

• PhD
• Agricultural Academy - Bulgaria

Neutral and slightly alkaline arable soils from the vicinity of the former and the biggest metallurgical plant in southeastern Europe were analyzed for the status of the water soluble pool of heavy metals in 1–20% w/w biochar (BC)-amended contaminated soils. Heavy metal solubility was monitored over a 6-month period. The metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd,...

Effectiveness of lime and glauconite-phosphorite containing organo-mineral ameliorants in heavy metal contaminated soils

The effectiveness of mineral fertilization on wheat productivity was determined in a field experiment on Alluvial-meadow soil (Fluvisol, FAO 2015) at the experimental field of Tsalapitsa village, Plovdiv region, during 2019-2020. Four increasing rates of nitrogen fertilization along with a constant background of phosphorus fertilization were tested...

Climate change is known to subject the functioning of agroecosystems to high levels of biotic and abiotic stress and has a significant impact on agricultural production worldwide. Crop rotation is believed to be one way of adapting agriculture to climate change compared to monoculture This study aimed to examine the maize-wheat rotation impact on s...

The contamination of soils with copper in the vicinity of Aurubis copper smelter and refinery in Bulgaria is a problem that needs further studies. Water soluble concentrations of Cu, Pb, Mn and Fe exceeded the maximum permissible concentrations for domestic water quality. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that Cu, Pb, Mn, Cd and Co are of...

Soils around the former metallurgical plant Kremikovtsi were subject of continued interest due to the environmental problems resulting from the plant's activities and especially heavy metal pollution. The aim of the present study was to investigate the contamination of the studied soils by metals and metalloids, several years after the closure of t...

Soils from the area of Aurubis-Pirdop Cu smelter in Bulgaria were studied for the effect of biochar (BC) on the heavy metals concentrations and speciation. Maximum permissible lеvels (MPL) were exceeded for Cu, Pb, Zn, As and Mn. Total concentrations of the contaminants varied from 319–2645 mg/kg for Cu and from 92–234 mg/kg for Pb. Incubation expe...

The study examined reclaimed soils (~ 20 years) formed on embankments from the over-burden wastes in the Medet mine from the Asarel-Medet Cu complex. Soils possess light texture, mostly acidic soil reaction and five of the sampled sites are characterised by higher than the Maximum Permissible Loads for Cu contents, as regulated by the National legi...

ABSTRACT The study was conducted under pot experimental conditions with Alluvial-meadow soil. The aim of the trial was to evaluate the effect of different nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and silicon fertilizer rates in the soil and their impact on the uptake of basic macronutrients with sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) biomass. The experiment incl...

Biochar is widely used as a soil amendment to improve soil properties and as a tool to absorb net carbon from the atmosphere. In this study we determined the signatures of organic molecular markers in soil following the incorporation of 5 and 10 t/ha biochar in a Fluvisol, cultivated with maize at the experimental field of the ISSAPP “N. Poushkarov...

Three types of organic ameliorants, sheep manure, sewage sludge from a waste water treatment plant and a plant compost were added to an Alluvialmeadow soil (Fluvisol). There was evidence for well-preserved biomarker signals and higher values of the carbon preference index (CPI) in the sludge and manure-treated soils, while lower values, typical of...

Abstract The aim of presented experiments was to monitor the changes in some main agrochemical soil parameters as a result of factors from the crops agrotechnical complex. The influence of two increas- ing fertilizer norms and a non-fertilization control variant and two tillage systems (conventional and minimum) during the three-field crop rotation...

The study analyzed the organic molecular marker signatures in a maize cultivated Fluvisol ameliorated with 5 and 10 t.ha−1 biochar at the experimental field of the ISSAPP N. Poushkarov institute in Bulgaria. The n-alkane signatures and the carbon preference index (CPI) in the biochar treated soils revealed that sources of SOM were predominantly of...

Coal ash reclaimed Technogenic soils from the area of Maritsa-Iztok lignite coal basin in Bulgaria were studied for three types of land use, i.e. cereals stubble, acacia and pine vegetated sites. Coal (fly) ash, a waste product from the thermal power plant has been added to the spoils containing geological materials that have been excavated in the...

The ionic composition and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in soil solution of four soil profiles, from the area of Obruchishte were analyzed and relationships with soil hydrophobicity were discussed. It was found that the greatest variation and leaching of NO 3-, SO 4 2-and Ca 2+ were from the profile of Obruchishte under ash, while of Na + from Obr...

Petkova, Z., Nenova, L., Simeonova, Ts., Benkova, M., Nenov, M., Gerassimova, I., Katsarova, A., Atanassova, I. & Harizanova, M. (2021). Effect of different fertilizer rates on some quantitative parameters of maize in a pot experiment with alluvial-meadow soil. Bulg. J. Agri. Sci., 27 (5), 948-953 The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ef...

Soil water repellency has major implications for surface and subsurface water transport and organic and inorganic contaminant mobilisation. Heavy metal mobility and speciation in solutions from acidic coal ash reclaimed Technosols from a major coal mine region in Eastern Europe were studied with the aim to reveal relationships with soil water repel...

Recently there has been considerable interest in the use of biochar to improve soil quality and mitigate climate change. Тhe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two types of biochar on physico-chemical, agro-chemical and eco-chemical characteristics of a Fluvisol. The study site is the experimental field of Tsalapitsa village (Plovdi...

The aim of the study was to assess the influence of different fertilizer doses on the content of macroelements (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in dry biomass and grain of maize during the 2016 – 2018 period. A field experiment with fertilization of maize was carried out on Alluvial-meadow soil (Fluvisol) in the region of Tsalapitsa village, ne...

Studied were metal associations and contamination status of hydrophilic and hydrophobic technogenic soils from the area of Maritsa-Iztok coal mine region in Bulgaria. Four sites with contrasting hydrologic and acidic properties were chosen for investigation. At two of the sites following humus and non-humus reclamation under grass vegetation, soils...

Effectiveness of lime and glauconite-phosphorite containing organo-mineral ameliorants in heavy metal contaminated soils

The soil in the region of Zlatitza (Western Bulgaria) is characterized by long term contamination and is hygienically loaded by heavy metals (especially by Cu) resulting from the activities of the nearby copper producing factory. An important factor which further increases the mobility and the bioavailability of metals in the soil is its acidity (p...

Copper adsorption of increasing soil concentrations (62.5 – 2000 mg/kg) by a degraded polluted with copper Alluvial-delluvial soil from the area of Zlatitsa and soil variants treated with peat, CaO and CaO/glauconite/phosphorite was evalated. It was found that adsorption of the non-meliorated and peat meliorated soil was characterised by the presen...