Silicon and zinc nanoparticles-enriched miscanthus biochar enhanced seed germination, antioxidant defense system, and nutrient status of radish under NaCl stress

Abstract

Context Soil salinity mitigation with nanoparticles enriched biochar (Bc) can be a better strategy to resolve the uprising threat against food security. Aim The present study was designed to prepare silicon nanoparticles enriched biochar (Si-En-Bc) and zinc nanoparticles enriched biochar (Zn-En-Bc), which may not only reduced the toxic effects of NaCl stress on initial growth of radish crop but also improved its physiology and defensive mechanism. Method Seeds were germinated in pots with six treatments under normal and NaCl stress, (100 mM NaCl), Zn-En-Bc (1% w/w), and Si-En-Bc (1% w/w). Twenty days old seedlings were harvested and their fresh weight and various germination and biochemical parameters were tested. Key results A significant reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents was observed with Si-En-Bc + NaCl relative to NaCl stress. It might be due to the significant increase in the antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) (42%), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) (38.7%), catalase (CAT) (30.9%) and shoot phenolics (59%) with Si-En-Bc + NaCl over NaCl stress. Application of Zn-En-Bc also caused a maximum increase in root and shoot Zn concentration (76.8 and 54.9%, respectively) under NaCl stress. Conclusions Hence, Si-En-Bc proved to be the best treatment for the radish plant to complete its early growth stage under NaCl stress while Zn-En-Bc not only compensated NaCl stress but also enhanced Zn availability. Implications This study implies that Si-En-Bc or Zn-En-Bc should be applied to the salt affected soil before the crop sowing so seedling can grow under the ameliorative effects of applied amendments. Also, Si-En-Bc or Zn-En-Bc should be tested on a degraded soils at larage scale such as field level.

Biochar: An emerging recipe for designing sustainable horticulture under climate change scenarios

“…Not only pure BC but BC combined with various nanoparticles also promotes seed germination. Taqdees et al (2022) reported that BC enriched with silicon nanoparticles (Si-BC) and zinc nanoparticles (Zn-BC) enhanced the seed germination of salt-stressed radish. Thus, BC can play a vital role in the seed germination of different horticultural crops under normal and stressed conditions.…”

“…Biochar has a multifunctional role, including GHG sequestration, improving soil properties, seed germination, crop yield and quality of horticulture produce, and increasing crop tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses ( Kochanek et al., 2016 ; Almaroai and Eissa, 2020 ; Zulfiqar et al., 2021a ; Zulfiqar et al., 2021b ; Ibrahim et al., 2022 ; Ji et al., 2022 ; Taqdees et al., 2022 ) ( Figure 2 ). This review summarizes current progress on using BC to improve soil and substrate properties, seed germination, root growth, water and nutrient absorption, photosynthesis, crop yield, and tolerance to plant pathogens.…”

The modified biochars influence nutrient and osmotic statuses and hormonal signaling of mint plants under fluoride and cadmium toxicities

“…Modification of biochar by chemical reagents increases the number of functional groups on its surface area, which ultimately improves the adsorption capacity of this organic material (Li et al, 2020;Liu et al, 2022). In a recent study, Taqdees et al (2022) showed that biochar modification with zinc particles improved radish growth under salt stress via decreasing sodium uptake by plants and enriching plant cells with zinc cations. In another study, Wen et al (2021) reported that soil treatment by iron-modified biochar increases the cadmium sorption capacity of biochar, plant growth, and soil health in contaminated soils.…”

Iron-Doped Biochar Regulated Soil Nickel Adsorption, Wheat Growth, Its Physiology and Elemental Concentration under Contrasting Abiotic Stresses

“…It has also been observed that biochar doped with magnetic Fe resulted in a larger percentage of C functional groups for nutrient and metal adsorption [47]. In our previous studies, Fe, Zn and Si enrichment on the BC surface enhanced the plant growth and its physiology even at a lower rate of application (0.5 or 1%) under different abiotic stresses [1,32,48]. Hence, a huge amount of exchequer can be saved by using the elemental-enriched BC on a commercial scale in degraded soils.…”