No abstract

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.) is a salt and drought tolerant legume suitable for rehabilitating abandoned saline lands, especially in dry arid regions. We hypothesized that soil amended with maize-derived biochar might alleviate salt stress in licorice by improving its growth, nutrient acquisition, and root system adaptation. Experiments were designed to determine the effect of different biochar concentrations on licorice growth parameters, acquisition of C (carbon), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) and on soil enzyme activities under saline and non-saline soil conditions. Pyrolysis char from maize (600 °C) was used at concentrations of 2% (B2), 4% (B4), and 6% (B6) for pot experiments. After 40 days, biochar improved the shoot and root biomass of licorice by 80 and 41% under saline soil conditions. However, B4 and B6 did not have a significant effect on shoot growth. Furthermore, increased nodule numbers of licorice grown at B4 amendment were observed under both non-saline and saline conditions. The root architectural traits, such as root length, surface area, project area, root volume, and nodulation traits, also significantly increased by biochar application at both B2 and B4. The concentrations of N and K in plant tissue increased under B2 and B4 amendments compared to the plants grown without biochar application. Moreover, the soil under saline conditions amended with biochar showed a positive effect on the activities of soil fluorescein diacetate hydrolase, proteases, and acid phosphomonoesterases. Overall, this study demonstrated the beneficial effects of maize-derived biochar on growth and nutrient uptake of licorice under saline soil conditions by improving nodule formation and root architecture, as well as soil enzyme activity.

The broad bean (Vicia faba L.) originated in the Near East, and is cultivated around the world, however, its cultivation is affected by drought stress in several central growing regions of the globe. The present study was designed to determine the effect of biochar on bean plant growth, acquisition of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) and on soil nutrient contents under drought and irrigated conditions. Pyrolysis char from maize (MBC) at 2 and 4% concentrations was used for pot experiments. The shoot and/or root biomass of bean grown in soil amended with 2 and 4% MBC under irrigated condition was increased. Furthermore, increased nodule numbers of bean grown at 4% MBC amendment was observed under both irrigated and drought conditions. P and K uptake of plants under drought conditions increased by 14% and 23% under 2% MBC amendment, and by 23% and 34% under 4% MBC amendment as compared to plants grown without biochar application, respectively. This study demonstrated beneficial effects of biochar produced from maize on growth and nutrient uptake of broad bean, by improving the nodule formation and soil nutritional contents in a sandy loam soil.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fish.) is considered as salt and drought tolerant leguminous plant. We hypothesized that the biochar amendment into the soil might alleviate salt stress in licorice by improving its plant growth, nutrient acquisition. The present study was designed to determine the effect of biochar on licorice plant growth, acquisition of C (carbon), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) and on soil fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and enzyme activities under saline soil condition. Pyrolysis char from maize at 2, 4, and 6 % concentrations were used for pot experiments. The shoot and/or root biomass of licorice grown in soil amended with 2 and 4% MBC under nonsaline and saline conditions was increased. The root architectural traits, like root length, surface area, project area, and root volume, as well as nodulation traits, were also significantly modified by biochar application at both 2 and 4% concentrations. The concentrations of N and K in plant tissue were increased under 2 and 4% MBC amendment compared to plants grown without biochar application. Moreover, soil amended with biochar showed a positive effect on soil hydrolase activities. This study demonstrated the beneficial effects of biochar from maize on growth and nutrient uptake of licorice by improving the nodule formation, root architecture, and soil biological activity in saline soil conditions.