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The role of algae in agriculture: a mathematical study

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Abstract

Synthetic fertilizers and livestock manure are nowadays widely used in agriculture to improve crop yield but nitrogen and phosphorous runoff resulting from their use compromises water quality and contributes to eutrophication phenomena in waterbeds within the countryside and ultimately in the ocean. Alternatively, algae could play an important role in agriculture where they can be used as biofertilizers and soil stabilizers. To examine the possible reuse of the detritus generated by dead algae as fertilizer for crops, we develop three mathematical models building upon each other. A system is proposed in which algae recover waste nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) for reuse in agricultural production. The results of our study show that in so doing, the crop yield may be increased and simultaneously the density of algae in the lake may be reduced. This could be a way to mitigate and possibly solve the environmental and economic issues nowadays facing agriculture.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the anonymous referees for their careful reading, valuable comments, and helpful suggestions, which have helped us to improve the presentation of this work significantly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Matematica “Giuseppe Peano”, Università di Torino, via Carlo Alberto 10, 10123, Torino, Italy

    P. K. Tiwari & Ezio Venturino

  2. Department of Mathematics, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India

    A. K. Misra

Authors
  1. P. K. Tiwari
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  2. A. K. Misra
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Correspondence to A. K. Misra.

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The research work of P.K. Tiwari is funded by the World Wide Style Project – Second Edition of the Dipartimento di Matematica ‘Giuseppe Peano’ of the Università di Torino.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Tiwari, P.K., Misra, A.K. & Venturino, E. The role of algae in agriculture: a mathematical study. J Biol Phys 43, 297–314 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10867-017-9453-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10867-017-9453-8

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