Peat Substrates Amended with Wood-based Biochar Do Not Influence the Efficacy of Paclobutrazol Drenches

Abstract

Various soilless substrate components have been evaluated for many years to identify sustainable resources that do not negatively impact plant growth. Biochar is a carbon-based material that has been evaluated for use as an alternative aggregate in peat-based soilless substrates. In addition, the use of carbon adsorption for compound removal is widely used in groundwater remediation, municipal water filtration, and volatile organic compounds. Experiment one aimed to determine the impact of coarse biochar (<6 mm) on paclobutrazol efficacy when incorporated at 15% or 30% by volume in a peat-based substrate when compared with a perlite-amended substrate at the same incorporation volumes. In Expt. 1, a single paclobutrazol drench application of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mg·L−1 was applied to ‘Princettia Red’ and ‘Princettia White’ poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima × Euphorbia cornastra). In Expt. 2, two different biochar particle sizes of coarse (<6 mm) and extra coarse (>6 mm) were examined at the same incorporation volumes as Expt. 1 and compared with a perlite-amended substrate at the same incorporation volumes. However, during Expt. 2, continual drench applications at times of irrigation of 0.0, 6.25, 12.5, 25.0, 50, and 100 μg·L−1 (ppb) paclobutrazol were applied to pansy (Viola ×wittrockiana) ‘Matrix Blue Blotch’ and begonia (Begonia ×hybrida) ‘Big Red Bronze Leaf’. The efficacy of paclobutrazol drenches for controlling growth in all species was unaffected by the substrate composition regarding aggregate type or aggregate incorporation rate. Thus, even though biochar is often used for bioremediation and wastewater treatment, it did not negatively impact the efficacy of paclobutrazol drenches at the concentrations used. This research suggests that when biochar is used as an amendment to peatmoss it will not influence paclobutrazol drench efficacy when incorporated up to 30% by volume for the examined species.