Abstract
Present study analysed the influence of slow-pyrolyzed wood-derived biochar on growth performance and heavy metal accumulation in the leaves of spinach grown under groundwater and wastewater irrigation. Biochar was applied in soil as 5% (~30 t·ha−1) and 10% (~60 t·ha−1) amendment. According to results, plant biomass was significantly higher under wastewater than groundwater irrigation. Biochar amendment increased significantly the aboveground plant biomass and root biomass and promoted water use efficiency (WUE). Under groundwater irrigation, biochar amendment at 10% application rate, increased the leaf area index (P < 0.05), while amendment of biochar at all application rates significantly reduced leaf area index under wastewater irrigation (P < 0.05). Application of biochar also reduced accumulation of rhizosphere soil around roots under wastewater irrigation, indicating less exudate production in the rhizosphere of plants. Biochar significantly reduced the concentration of copper (Cu) in under wastewater irrigation. Biochar increased the nutrient use efficiency (NUE) of plants for zinc (Zn) and Cu under wastewater irrigation.
Highlights
Sewage wastewater irrigation to agricultural lands is a common practice in developing countries as a waste management, as an alternative to inorganic fertilizers and to save fresh water for human consumption
This study aims to evaluate influence of wood-derived biochar on the growth performance (i.e. biomass production, leaf area index, rhizosphere soil accumulation, water use efficiency (WUE), nutrient use efficiency (NUE) for heavy metals) and accumulation of copper (Cu), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) in aboveground biomass of spinach under groundwater and wastewater irrigation
Plant biomass was significantly increased by biochar application under both groundwater and wastewater irrigation except for the large sized biochar applied at 5% rate in groundwater treated soil (Figure 2)
Summary
Sewage wastewater irrigation to agricultural lands is a common practice in developing countries as a waste management, as an alternative to inorganic fertilizers and to save fresh water for human consumption. Management measures related to reduce the accumulation of heavy metals in plants irrigated with wastewater are important to be taken to reduce heavy-metal-induced human health issues This can be achieved via (1) improving the water use efficiency (WUE) and nutrient use efficiency (NUE) of plants so that they require less water and nutrients to grow and (2) to amend a porous matter in soil that have high adsorption capacity for nutrients and heavy metals. It improves the physico-chemical and biological properties of soil, enhances the WUE and NUE of crops (Aller, Rathke, Laird, Cruse, & Hatfield, 2017; Gul et al, 2015; Gul & Whalen, 2016) and tend to reduce accumulation of heavy metals in plants (Lucchini, Quilliam, DeLuca, Vamerali, & Jones, 2014; Zhang et al, 2016) as it has high adsorption capacity for heavy metals from soil (Baltrėnaitė, Baltrėnas, & Lietuvninkas, 2016)
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