Biochar-based nutritional nanocomposites: a superior treatment for alleviating salt toxicity and improving physiological performance of dill (Anethum graveolens)

AbstractBiochar-supported metal oxide nanocomposites as functional materials could help to improve the production and stress tolerance of plants by enhancing the physicochemical properties of biochar. This experiment was carried out to assess the effects of unmodified biochar (30  g kg−1 soil) and biochar-based nanocomposites (BNCs) of iron (30  g BNC-FeO kg−1 soil), zinc (30  g BNC-ZnO kg−1 soil), and a combined form (15  g BNC-FeO + 15 g BNC-ZnO kg−1 soil) on dill (Anethum graveolens L.) plants under various salinity levels (non-saline, 6 and 12  dS m−1). The biochar-related treatments reduced sodium content of the plants, leading to a decline in osmolytes, antioxidant enzymes activities, reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, NADP reduction, abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid in dill leaf tissues. The combined form of BNCs reduced sodium content of leaf tissue by about 22% and 26% under 6 and 12  dS m−1 salinities, respectively. In contrast, addition of biochar, particularly biochar-based nanocomposites to the saline soil, enhanced potassium, iron, and zinc contents of leaf tissue, photosynthetic pigments, leaf water content, oxygen evolution rate, hill reaction and ATPase activities, endogenous indole-3-acetic acid, plant organs biomass, and consequently essential oil yield of plant organs. The combined form of BNCs in comparison with unmodified biochar improved vegetative, inflorescence, and seed biomass under 12  dS...
Source: Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research