Abstract
Pea (Pisum sativum L.) leaf chlorophyll and pigments syntheses are retarded under nutritional stress. Biochar has the potential to regulate soil nutrient supplies and optimize plant nutrient uptakes. We examine the role of Pongamia pinnata L. waste leaf biochar (PLB) in improving vegetative growth and leaf chlorophyll and accessory pigments of pea exposed to nutritional stress. Three PLB application rates (0, 1, and 2%) crossed with half (HF), and full NPK fertilizer (FF) recommended doses were applied to sandy soil field-pots (arranged in a completely randomized design). There were significant or maximum increases in plant vegetative or physiological traits, including the fresh or dry, above- and below-ground biomass weights, and photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids, and anthocyanin) in response to a 2%PLB + FF application (p = 0.002). Trait values also responded to 2%PLB + HF, which signified the nutrient regulatory character of PLB (p = 0.038). The PLB-driven reduction in nutritional stress resulted in diminished lycopene (antioxidant) content (p = 0.041). Therefore, we suggest that the soil application of 2%PLB + FF has the greatest impact on pea vegetative growth and leaf chlorophyll, carotenoids, anthocyanin, and lycopene contents in Pisum sativum L. Further research is recommended to investigate the relationship of PLB with soil nutrient availabilities and plant nutrient concentrations.
Highlights
IntroductionModern agriculture is feeding 6000 million people, compared to old age hunter-gatherer lifestyle that provided food to only four million [2]
Domesticated plants play a significant role in food production for fulfilling human hunger [1].Modern agriculture is feeding 6000 million people, compared to old age hunter-gatherer lifestyle that provided food to only four million [2]
We suggest that the soil application of 2%pinnata L. waste leaf biochar (PLB) + full NPK fertilizer (FF) has the greatest impact on pea vegetative growth and leaf chlorophyll, carotenoids, anthocyanin, and lycopene contents in Pisum sativum L
Summary
Modern agriculture is feeding 6000 million people, compared to old age hunter-gatherer lifestyle that provided food to only four million [2]. While the world’s population is increasing, the production of crops has increased two-fold in the last 40 years, mainly through the use of modern production technologies, inorganic fertilizers, and pesticides [3]. Food demand and supply dynamics [4] have shifted conventional agriculture to the intensive cultivation of crops [5]. The intense (or exhaustive) cultivation of crops has depleted the nutrient concentrations in soil, resulting in fewer plant nutrient supplies (and reduced chlorophyll pigments syntheses) [6]. Reduced chlorophyll synthesis causes crop nutrient deficiency of macro- and micro-nutrients [7]. The compromised nutrient supplies [8]
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