Biochar improves the performance of Avena sativa L. grown in gasoline-polluted soils

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of soil contamination by different concentrations of gasoline on oat (Avena sativa L.) and tested the effect of biochar supply to the polluted soils on the performance of oat plants. Oat seeds were sowed in contaminated soils with different concentrations of gasoline: 0% (control), 1%, 2%, 6%, and 10% (v/w), and grown for 2 weeks. Germination, fresh weight, root and stem length, photosynthetic parameters (i.e., chlorophyll content, PIABS, FV/FM, and NDVI), and total antioxidant power were analyzed. The results showed a remarkable negative effect on almost all the investigated parameters starting from the gasoline concentration of 6%. Based on these results, a new experiment was run by adding 5% (w/w) biochar (a carbon-rich byproduct of wood biomass pyrolysis) to the 6% and 10% polluted soils to test whether adding biochar had a beneficial effect on oat performance. The results showed that biochar supply greatly reduced the negative effects caused by gasoline on all the investigated parameters.

Dose-Dependent Effects of a Corn Starch-Based Bioplastic on Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.): Implications for Growth, Biochemical Parameters, and Nutrient Content

“…A blank was prepared by adding 100 µL of 80% ( v / v ) ethanol into 1 mL of 80% ( v / v ) methanol and a control was prepared by adding 100 µL of 80% ( v / v ) ethanol into 1 mL of DPPH solution. The absorbance of the samples was measured at 517 nm using a UV–Vis spectrophotometer and the results were expressed as a percentage of anti-radical activity (ARA, %), according to the formula reported by Fedeli et al [ 34 ].…”

Nutritionally enriched tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) grown with wood distillate: chemical and biological characterization for quality assessment

“…Through this process, two by‐products are produced: a solid fraction, the biochar, and a liquid fraction derived from vapor condensation, the WD (Grewal et al., 2018). Both by‐products have different applications in agriculture such as remedies to heal soils suffering from various environmental stresses (Fedeli, Alexandrov, et al., 2022), as bio‐stimulants (Zhu et al., 2021), and as herbicidal agents for higher plants and cryptogams.…”

Chemical Fertilizer Reduction Combined with Biochar Application Ameliorates the Biological Property and Fertilizer Utilization of Pod Pepper

“…High temperatures (about 700 • C) and low oxygen levels are required to generate biochar [17,18]. Moreover, due to its rich nutritional composition, biochar can heal deteriorated soil and improve soil physicochemical qualities (such as strengthening water retention, raising pH, increasing porosity, and decreasing soil bulk density) [19][20][21]. Therefore, biochar applied to soil as an organic fertilizer or amendment is considered a new generation of green products that can replace chemical fertilizers.…”