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. 2024 Apr 22;24(1):304.
doi: 10.1186/s12870-024-04957-1.

Biochar enhances the growth and physiological characteristics of Medicago sativa, Amaranthus caudatus and Zea mays in saline soils

Ghulam Murtaza  1 , Muhammad Rizwan  2 , Muhammad Usman  3 , Sajjad Hyder  4 , Muhammad Irfan Akram  5 , Maha Deeb  6 , Jawaher Alkahtani  7 , Bandar M AlMunqedhi  7 , A S Hendy  8 , Mohamed R Ali  9   10 , Rashid Iqbal  11 , Wiwiek Harsonowati  12 , Muhammed Habib Ur Rahman  13 , Muhammad Rizwan  14
Affiliations

Biochar enhances the growth and physiological characteristics of Medicago sativa, Amaranthus caudatus and Zea mays in saline soils

Ghulam Murtaza et al. BMC Plant Biol. .

Abstract

Biochar is a promising solution to alleviate the negative impacts of salinity stress on agricultural production. Biochar derived from food waste effect was investigated on three plant species, Medicago sativa, Amaranthus caudatus, and Zea mays, under saline environments. The results showed that biochar improved significantly the height by 30%, fresh weight of shoot by 35% and root by 45% of all three species compared to control (saline soil without biochar adding), as well as enhanced their photosynthetic pigments and enzyme activities in soil. This positive effect varied significantly between the 3 plants highlighting the importance of the plant-biochar interactions. Thus, the application of biochar is a promising solution to enhance the growth, root morphology, and physiological characteristics of plants under salt-induced stress.

Keywords: Amaranthus caudatus; Medicago sativa; Zea mays; Biochar; Plant growth; Salinity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors stated that they had no interest which might be perceived as posing a conflict or bias.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Effect of biochar application on photosynthetic pigments of Zea mays, Amaranthus caudatus, and Medicago sativa under salt stress. Bars labeled with distinct letters exhibit statistically significant differences as determined by DMRTs (Duncan’s Multiple Range Test) at a significance level of 0.05
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The impact of biochar on (A) the relative water content and (B) the biomass allocation (shoot: root ratio) of Zea mays, Amaranthus caudatus, and Medicago sativa under saline conditions. The bars that are followed by distinct letters exhibit substantial differences as determined by DMRTs (Duncan’s Multiple Range Test)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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