Combined Use of Spent Mushroom Substrate Biochar and PGPR Improves Growth, Yield, and Biochemical Response of Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis): A Preliminary Study on Greenhouse Cultivation

Abstract

This paper investigated the impact of the combined use of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) biochar and plant-growth-promoting rhizobia (PGPR) on the growth, yield, and biochemical response of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis). A preliminary study was conducted under greenhouse condition using six treatments (sextuplicate) as control (no addition), T1 (PGPR), T2 (5 g/Kg biochar), T3 (5 g/Kg biochar + PGPR), T4 (10 g/Kg biochar), and T5 (10 g/Kg biochar + PGPR) under greenhouse conditions. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-Zeiss), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier’s transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses showed that biochar produced from slow pyrolysis of SMS had advantageous structural, functional, and morphological properties for agricultural use. Results showed that SMS biochar addition aids the acceleration of soil nutrient properties. SMS biochar and PGPR application also significantly (p < 0.05) improved the selected growth, yield, and biochemical parameters of cauliflower. In particular, the highest cauliflower yield (550.11 ± 10.05 g), fresh plant biomass (1.66 ± 0.04 Kg), dry plant biomass (149.40 ± 4.18 g), plant height (22.09 ± 0.14 cm), root length (11.20 ± 0.05 cm), plant spread (28.35 ± 0.18 cm), and the number of leaves (12.50 ± 0.50) were observed in T5 treatment. Similarly, the best values for biochemical parameters and enzyme activities such as total chlorophyll (TC: 3.13 ± 0.07 mg/g), superoxide dismutase (SOD: 79.12 ± 1.29 µg/g), catalase (CAT: 55.70 ± 2.52 µg/g), peroxidase (POD 30.18 ± 0.37 µg/g), total phenolics (TP: 19.50 ± 0.31 mg/g), ascorbic acid (AA: 14.18 ± 0.55 mg/g), and total carotenoids (TCT: 150.17 ± 8.20 µg/100 g) were also recorded in the T5 treatment. The application of SMS biochar and PGPR showed a positive correlation with growth, yield, and biochemical response of cauliflower, as indicated by the Pearson correlation analysis. The findings of this study suggest efficient recycling of mushroom industry waste for biochar production and the use of PGPR to improve nutrient utilization in sustainable agriculture.

Suitability of Co-Composted Biochar with Spent Coffee Grounds Substrate for Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Fruiting Stage

“…Similarly, Zawadzi ńska et al [43] attributed the higher fresh tomato weights of compost growing media to the greater availability and uptake of nutrients. Although the influence of biochar on growing substrate properties and plant growth has been widely studied [17,19,49], little is known about the effects on horticultural fruit production. In this regard, Massa et al [50] reported that BC stimulated tomato plant growth but not fruit yield, suggesting that replacing peat with biochar-based growing media represents a valuable strategy for improving plant biomass instead of crop yield.…”

The Effect of the Interaction Between PGPR Bacteria, Mycorrhizae, and Oyster Mushroom Residues on the Proportions of Active Ingredients in Coriander Plant Oil (Coriandrum sativum L.) using the Technique of GC/MS-QP2010 Plus

“…Names of the active compounds and their percentages in coriander oil grown in the treatment of mushroom residues without the addition of mycorrhizae. The results of the GC-mass chromatography analysis in Table (10) showed the presence of 167 chemical compounds of the aromatic oil produced from the cultivation of coriander plants in the soil of the fungus residues with the addition of mycorrhizae, and the proportions of the compounds ranged between 0.01 and 23.25%, as only 23 compounds were taken into the table because their percentage was more than 1%. The first 5 compounds in the table are the most important compounds of aromatic oil components, and their percentage ranged between 0.16 and 1.12%, represented by terpene compounds and oxygenic compounds (alcohols and esters).…”

Demonstration of the synergistic effect of biochar and Trichoderma harzianum on the development of Ralstonia solanacearum in eggplant

“…Biomass is pyrolyzed under anaerobic (oxygen-controlled) conditions to produce biochar. Pyrolysis involves heating a variety of organic wastes to temperatures ranging from 200 to 900°C (Širić et al, 2022 ). The application of Biochar results in plant development and the reduction of plant diseases (Elad et al, 2011 ).…”