The availability of risk elements in soil can be possibly reduced by various soil additives. Among them, the attention has been recently focused on the research of unconventional soil additive -biochar. The aim of this study was (i) to observe the effect of biochar application on risk elements transport through the soil profile and (ii) to assess the availability of risk elements in biochar amended soil to willow growth. The experiment was established at greenhouse conditions and extremely contaminated soil, reaching 43 mg/kg cadmium (Cd) and 4340 mg/kg zinc (Zn), was used. To observe risk element content in leachate, the lysimeter cylinders were tested. The rates of biochar were 0 (control); 5, 10, and 15% per mass of soil. The results showed that biochar significantly increased biomass production whereas the plant Cd and Zn contents remained unchanged in most cases. In leachate, Cd and Zn content decreased by 99% at all the biochar treatments. We can summarize that biochar appears to be a very effective regulator of availability of observed risk elements and improver agent for biomass production of plants and remediation efficiency.

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Three Cd and Zn hyperaccumulating plant species Noccaea caerulescens Noccaea praecox and Arabidopsis halleri (Brassicacceae) were cultivated in seven subsequent vegetation seasons in both pot and field conditions in soil highly contaminated with Cd, Pb, and Zn. The results confirmed the hyperaccumulation ability of both plant species, although A. halleri showed lower Cd uptake compared to N. caerulescens. Conversely, Pb phytoextraction was negligible for both species in this case. Because of the high variability in plant yield and element contents in the aboveground biomass of plants, great variation in Cd and Zn accumulation was observed during the experiment. The extraction ability in field conditions varied in the case of Cd from 0.2 to 2.9 kg ha(-1) (N. caerulescens) and up to 0.15 kg ha(-1) (A. halleri), and in the case of Zn from 0.2 to 6.4 kg ha(-1) (N. caerulescens) and up to 13.8 kg.ha(-1) (A. halleri). Taking into account the 20 cm root zone of the soil, the plants were able to extract up to 4.1% Cd and 0.2% Zn in one season. However, cropping measures should be optimized to improve and stabilize the long-term phytoextraction potential of these plants.

Biochar application is a widely investigated topic nowadays, and precisely described biochar parameters are key information for the understanding of its behaviour in soil and other media. Pore structure and surface properties determine biochar fate. However, there is lack of complex, investigative studies describing the influence of biomass properties and pyrolysis conditions on the pore structure of biochars. The aim of our study was to evaluate a wide range of gathered agriculture residues and elevated pyrolysis temperature on the biochar surface properties and pore composition, predicting biochar behaviour in the soil. The biomass of herbaceous and wood plants was treated by slow pyrolysis, with the final temperature ranging from 400 to 600 °C. Specific surface ranged from 124 to 511 cm g at wood biochar and from 3.19 to 192 cm g at herbaceous biochar. The main properties influencing biochar pore composition were increasing pyrolysis temperatures and lignin (logarithmically) and ash contents (linearly) of biomass. Increasing lignin contents and pyrolysis temperatures caused the highest biochar micropore volume. The total biochar pore volume was higher of wood biomass (0.08-0.3 cm g). Biochars of wood origin were characterised by skeletal density ranging from 1.479 to 2.015 cm g and herbaceous ones 1.506-1.943 cm g, and the envelope density reached 0.982 cm g at biochar of wheat grain origin and was generally higher at biochars of herbaceous origin. Density was not pyrolysis temperature dependent.

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Zemanová V., Břendová K., Pavlíková D., Kubátová P., Tlustoš P. (2017): Effect of biochar application on the content of nutrients (Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, P) and amino acids in subsequently growing spinach and mustard. Plant Soil Environ., 63: 322-327.The objective of this study was to assess the effect of biochar on growth and metabolism of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) and mustard (Sinapis alba L.) planted in crop rotation: spinach (spring)-mustard-spinach (autumn). The impact of biochar soil application (5% per mass of soil) on the availability of Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na and P to plants as well as the content of free proline and total amino acids contents were evaluated at degraded Chernozem soil. The results showed that biochar soil addition significantly increased spinach growth by 102% and 353% in spring and autumn, respectively. Biochar limited plant content of Ca, Mg and Na, however K content increased in all plants. Inconsistent effect was determined for Fe and P content in plants biomass. Total content of free amino acids was higher in plants harvested at amended treatments, except autumn spinach. Biochar increased proline content in all plants in comparison to control. The highest increase was obtained in mustard -by 186%. The results showed a more sensitive reaction of mustard to biochar application than spinach. Keywords 322Vol. 63, 2017, No. 7: 322-327 Plant Soil Environ.doi: 10.17221/318/2017-PSE adjustment and the accumulation of compatible osmolyte, detoxification of active oxygen species and heavy metals, and intracellular pH regulation. Proline (Pro) is specific free AA which is involved in stress metabolism and tolerance of plants (Pavlíková et al. 2014). Our study aimed to compare the ability of spinach and mustard accumulation of nutrients and amino acids as a response to biochar application to soil. MATERIAL AND METHODSExperimental design and soil characteristics. The experiment was conducted at greenhouse controlled conditions. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) and mustard (Sinapis alba L.) were chosen as experimental plants, while the crop rotation was spinach-mustard-spinach. Firstly, spinach was sown in March and harvested after 64 days. Mustard was sown in May and harvested after 35 days. Late spinach was sown in August, harvested after 64 days. Biomass of both spinaches was sampled once during vegetation, after 42 days. Modal Chernozem soil (2.5 kg; Prague-Suchdol, Czech Republic; pH KCl = 7.2, cation exchange capacity (CEC) = 258 mmol + /kg, C org = 1.83%, available content of elements: Ca = 6754 mg/kg; K = 233 mg/kg; Fe = 153 mg/kg, Mg = 191 mg/kg; P = 74 mg/kg) was uniquely fertilized with 0.1 g N, 0.16 g P and 0.4 g K per 1 kg of soil (applied in the form of NH 4 NO 3 and K 2 HPO 4 ), only at the beginning of the experiment. The experiment consists of 2 treatments: (i) control (without BC) and (ii) 5% of the applied BC from total mass of soil (BC 5%) thoroughly mixed with soil volume.Biochar characteristics. Detailed biochar properties were described in Břendová et al. (2016). Bioc...

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