The Effect of Different Agrotechnical Treatments on the Establishment of Miscanthus Hybrids in Soil Contaminated with Trace Metals

Abstract

Climate change and man-made pollution can have a negative impact on the establishment of Miscanthus plants in the field. This is particularly important because biomass can be produced on marginal land without conflicting with food crops. The establishment success depends on the hybrid chosen, the cultivation method, the climatic conditions, and the concentration of pollutants in the soil. There are several ways to increase the survival rate of the plants during the first growing season and after the first winter. One of them is the application of biochar and photodegradable plastic mulch, which can provide a solution for soils polluted with trace elements (TMEs). The aim of this study was to investigate the application of plastic mulch and biochar separately and in combination at the planting stage for two Miscanthus hybrids planted by the rhizome method (TV1) and seedling plugs (GNT43) on soils contaminated with trace metal elements (Pb, Cd, Zn). TV1 seems unsuitable for TME-contaminated field cultivation, as the survival rate was <60% in most treatments studied. The selected treatments did not increase the survival rate. Furthermore, the application of plastic mulch in combination with biochar resulted in a significant reduction of this parameter, regardless of the hybrid studied. The applied agrotechnology did not influence the TME accumulation in the aboveground plant parts in TV1, while Pb and Cd in GNT43 showed significantly higher values in all treatments. Contrary to expectations, biochar and plastic mulch applied separately and together neither increased survival nor reduced the accumulation of toxic TMEs during establishment on soil contaminated with TMEs and after the first growing season.

Safety Evaluation of Soil Substitutes Produced Based on Organic and Casting Waste

“…Given the composition of the tested soil substitutes as well as their structure, it can be assumed that the substitute containing green waste did not provide adequate retentive properties. A high MDA content in the leaves in response to drought was also found in the studies by Krzyżak et al (2023), where plants were tested for their physiological reactions to drought and the impact of high temperatures.…”

“…The decrease in chlorophyll content as a result of stimulated drought and heat stress was found in all the plants studied by Krzyżak et al (2023). However, these were xerothermic plants, and thus exhibited no biomass decrease.…”

Can Nematode Communities Work as an Indicator of Soil Health in a Multiyear Miscanthus × Giganteus Plantation Growing in Lead-Contaminated Soil?

“…Every year at the end of the growing season, the biomass was harvested manually. The yield of dry biomass was evaluated in the third year's growth, when plantation was fully established [13]. The harvested biomass was dried on an open surface until it reached the contact weight; for determination of the dry biomass value (DW), a certain amount of biomass was transferred to a metal box and dried at 100-105 • C in a thermostat-controlled oven.…”