The Effect of Using Sapropel Extract on Biometric Indicators and Yield of Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) in the North Kazakhstan Region
, Ivan Fomin 1,*, Ivan Zuban 2, Saltanat Ismagulova 1, Kirill Ostrovnoy 3, Zharas Berdenov 4, Inna Jemaledinova 5 and Irina Golodova 3Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
- The article lacks reference to the idea of sustainability. It seems to me necessary because of the title of the journal (and especially in the last sentence of the article 😉 ).
- The authors do not justify the choice of the main statistical method used - ANNOVA. They only state: The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to identify a statistically significant 208 dependence in the samples. Why exactly was this (fairly common and uncomplicated method used)? Perhaps it is better to conduct a canonical analysis - and if not, why not?
- it is worth pointing out the limitations of this type of research (weaknesses), and directions for future research,
- section 5. of Conclusion is optional, but if the authors decided to include it, it could have been more elaborate.
Minor:
- table 2 is titled in Russian,
- would it not be better to include the p-value in Table 4, in the last column?
- for fractions to standardise the number of decimals in the tables,
Good luck
Author Response
Dear reviewer! Thank you for the in-depth analysis of our article. The team of authors has made efforts to eliminate your comments and inconsistencies. The use of organomineral fertilizers to improve the environment, in order to increase yields and obtain high-quality products that positively affect health is one of the directions of sustainable development. In addition, we have improved the quoting of sections and made them better. Responding to the inconsistency of the chosen statistical method, we answer you.
One of the goals of the statistical methods used was to determine the statistically significant difference between the experimental variants. Based on the analysis of literary sources, the ANOVA method is quite sufficient. Thank you for the suggested method for use. In the future, we will pay attention to the possibility of using the canonical method in further research.
We have made adjustments to the technical inconsistencies highlighted by you.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.doc
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
I think your research introduction lacks research background, motivation (the gap between theory and practice), research importance, etc. In addition, there is a lack of up-to-date relevant literature review. Because of the above two reasons, the final research results lack theoretical and practical implications.
Comments on the Quality of English Language
Moderate editing of the English language required
Author Response
Dear reviewer! Thank you for the in-depth analysis of our article. The team of authors has made efforts to eliminate your comments and inconsistencies. The use of organomineral fertilizers to improve the environment, in order to increase yields and obtain high-quality products that positively affect health is one of the directions of sustainable development. In addition, we have improved the quoting of sections and made them better.
We have made adjustments to the inconsistencies highlighted by you.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
Thank you for the opportunity to read your paper!
There is a need for improvement in order for the paper to be ready for publishing
The use of organomineral fertilizers, such as sapropel fertilizers, presents considerable advantages in terms of environmental friendliness and economic benefits. These fertilizers provide plants with all the necessary chemical elements and substances, improving their accessibility.
The Northern region of Kazakhstan is characterized by an agriculture-oriented economy focused on cultivating cereals and vegetable crops, and the Bordeaux 237 beetroot variety is one of the important crops. It is widely used in food preparations and is an important source of vitamins and minerals in the winter season.
Although beetroot is resistant to the climatic conditions and specific diseases of the region, to obtain a complete and quality harvest, the application of additional organomineral fertilizers is necessary.
In the conditions of the Northern region of Kazakhstan, various methods are sought to increase crop yields. One of these methods is the use of sapropel from local lakes as fertilizer. The development of an innovative liquid fertilizer, the extraction of sapropel from local lakes, and its use in pre-sowing treatment are examples of initiatives in this regard.
Laboratory studies have confirmed the effectiveness of sapropel product in the pre-sowing treatment of beet seeds, and field experiments have demonstrated the positive effects of using sapropel extract on the yield and quality of beetroot harvest.
The conclusions obtained from the field research results are supported by biometric data and yield analyses, highlighting the significant increase in the average weight of beetroot harvest following treatment with sapropel extract.
Compare your results with the results of other studies.
I would have liked to calculate the costs or economic efficiency regarding the ratio between the use of sapropel product and the production obtained, specifically the ratio of total expenses to production obtained.
Furthermore, conducting a cost-benefit analysis can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the economic viability of using sapropel. This analysis involves comparing the total benefits, including increased crop yield, improved crop quality, and any other economic gains, with the total costs associated with using sapropel. If the benefits outweigh the costs, it suggests that using sapropel is economically advantageous.
The costs per kilogram of sapropel and other organomineral fertilizers should also be introduced.
Author Response
Dear reviewer! Thank you for the in-depth analysis of our article. The team of authors has made efforts to eliminate your comments and inconsistencies. The use of organomineral fertilizers to improve the environment, in order to increase yields and obtain high-quality products that positively affect health is one of the directions of sustainable development. In addition, we have improved the quoting of sections and made them better. The effectiveness of sapropel application was considered based on the calculation of fertilizer consumption per acreage.
We have made adjustments to the inconsistencies highlighted by you.
Author Response File: Author Response.doc
Reviewer 4 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
The authors
I made comments and suggestions in your manuscript; I hope you will find it suitable for the improvement of the manuscript. The authors need to introduce the subject in the abstract and explain why they conducted the study.
Line numbers 116 to 123 need to shift from the introduction to the materials and methods section.
Lines number 124 to 134 need to be rewritten and incorporate the clearly about the objective and hypothesis of the study.
The sampling procedure of Sapropel collection from the lake and estimation of the amount of organic carbon, humus content, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium from Sapropel must be included in lines 137 to 141.
Line numbers 146 to 147 must incorporate the procedure of extraction of SAPROLIN from sapropel.
The concentration 0,4, 0,8, 1,2, 1,6, 2,0 g/l it may be write as 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, 1.6, 2.0 g/l.
Line numbers 147 to 149 mention the different concentrations of sapropel but need to include the methods of making different concentrations of sapropel.
Line numbers 149 to 152 are repeated from the abstract. Remove from abstracts.
The thermostat is the equipment used for seed germination. Kindly clear it.
Please write the formula for the calculation of the germination energy.
Please include some photographs of experiments conducted in laboratory and field conditions.
Table 1 does not show any significant or non-significant relation in seed germination and germination energy among the concentrations. Please do needful.
The discussion needs to include some recent citations.
Comments on the Quality of English Language
Dear Editor
Thank you for allowing me to review this manuscript. I read the manuscript thoroughly and found it to be good and scientifically sound. The results of the manuscript indicate an increase in the production of beetroot through the use of sapropel in organic farming. The comments on the manuscript are as follows:
Line numbers 116 to 123 need to shift from the introduction to the materials and methods section.
Lines number 124 to 134 need to be rewritten and incorporate the clearly about the objective and hypothesis of the study.
The sampling procedure of Sapropel collection from the lake and estimation of the amount of organic carbon, humus content, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium from Sapropel must be included in lines 137 to 141.
Line numbers 146 to 147 must incorporate the procedure of extraction of SAPROLIN from sapropel.
The concentration 0,4, 0,8, 1,2, 1,6, 2,0 g/l it may be write as 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, 1.6, 2.0 g/l.
Line numbers 147 to 149 mention the different concentrations of sapropel but need to include the methods of making different concentrations of sapropel.
Line numbers 149 to 152 are repeated from the abstract. Remove from abstracts.
The thermostat is the equipment used for seed germination. Kindly clear it.
Please write the formula for the calculation of the germination energy.
Please include some photographs of experiments conducted in laboratory and field conditions.
Table 1 does not show any significant or non-significant relation in seed germination and germination energy among the concentrations. Please do needful.
The discussion needs to include some recent citations.
Author Response
Dear reviewer! Thank you for the in-depth analysis of our article. The team of authors has made efforts to eliminate your comments and inconsistencies. The use of organomineral fertilizers to improve the environment, in order to increase yields and obtain high-quality products that positively affect health is one of the directions of sustainable development. In addition, we have improved the quoting of sections and made them better. We made a correction of the goal. We discussed in detail the sampling procedure. The effectiveness of sapropel application was considered based on the calculation of fertilizer consumption per acreage.
We have made adjustments to the inconsistencies highlighted by you.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
The author has made a lot of revisions, but I still recommend that the author compensate for more literature reviews in recent years.
Comments on the Quality of English Language
Minor editing of English language required
Author Response
Dear reviewer, thank you for your interest in our work.
The team of authors has made efforts to eliminate your comments. We have improved the citation of sections and made them more qualitative.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 4 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
To
The Authors
You have done an excellent job in revising the manuscript. All the comments are included but need to include these comments.
Comments:
1. Some scientific names in the manuscript are not in italics; they should be in italics
2. There is no equipment to use for seed germination at the thermostat. If it is seed germination equipment, write the make and country of this instrument's making.
3. My previous suggestion for including some photographs of experiments conducted in laboratory and field conditions is not included; kindly include them to justify the experiments.
4. Table 1 does not show any significant or non-significant relation in seed germination or germination energy among the concentrations. Please do needful.
5. Line 362 to 391: These lines in the discussion like as results of the study, kindly justify these results by the relevant literature of the study conducted on the other species.
Author Response
Dear reviewer, thank you for your interest in our work.
The team of authors has made efforts to eliminate your comments. We have improved the citation of sections and made them more qualitative.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
