Effects of Two Biochar Types on Mitigating Drought and Salt Stress in Tomato Seedlings

• Published in: Agronomy (Basel) 2023-04, Vol.13 (4), p.1039
• Main Authors: Zhang, Wenqian, Wei, Jiahua, Guo, Lili, Fang, Heng, Liu, Xiaojuan, Liang, Kehao, Niu, Wenquan, Liu, Fulai, Siddique, Kadambot H. M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ABA; Abiotic stress; Abscisic acid; biochar; Biomass; Carbon dioxide; Charcoal; China; Climate change; Drought; Droughts; Environmental impact; Harvest; Irrigation; Leaves; Moisture content; Osmosis; Osmotic potential; photosynthesis; Physiological aspects; Physiology; Plant growth; Plants (botany); Poultry; Salinity; Salinity effects; Salt; Seedlings; Soil moisture; Soil stresses; Soil structure; Soil water; Tomatoes; Water consumption; Water content; Water potential; water relationship; Water shortages; Water supply; Water use; Water use efficiency; water use efficiency (WUE); Xylem
• ISSN: 2073-4395; 2073-4395
• DOI: 10.3390/agronomy13041039

Biochar’s underlying biochemical and physiological mechanisms in reducing irrigation and salinity stress are elusive. This paper investigates the effects of two types of biochar (wood biochar and poultry biochar) on the growth and physiology of tomato seedlings exposed to the combined effects of drought and salinity stress. Two types of biochar, wood biochar (WB) and poultry biochar (PB), were added to the soil separately, with three salinity gradients of 0, 100, and 200 mmol/L and two water supply conditions of full irrigation (FI) and deficit irrigation (DI). Results showed that biochar addition effectively improved the root water potential and osmotic potential of tomato plant under drought and salinity stress. Biochar application also mitigated leaf relative water content by 9.86% and 24.37% under drought and salinity stress, respectively. Furthermore, biochar application decreased abscisic acid concentrations in xylem sap under drought and salinity stress. Biochar altered the soil structure and increased field water holding capacity, indirectly increasing the soil water supply. While water use efficiency did not increase significantly after biochar application, a synergistic increase in seedling growth and water consumption occurred. In conclusion, biochar addition shows promise for promoting seedling growth to help mitigate the adverse impacts of drought and salinity stress on plant growth and physiology.