Gaurav S, Diptanu B, Mehta Chandra M, Prasann K, Nishihara E, Inubushi K, Sudo S, Hayashida S, Patra P K, Minkina Tatiana, Rajput Vishnu D
Department of Agronomy, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India.
Tottori University, Tottori, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 20;15(1):26310. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-09218-1.
Biochar application in the soil has shown its potential for improved plant growth, root structure, and nutrient availability. However, uncertainties remain regarding the optimal depth for biochar application and its interaction with roots, which significantly influence plant growth and development. This transparent rhizobox trial consists of five treatments: control treatment (T1) with recommended dose of fertilizer, and four biochar addition treatments with different depths viz. 5 (T2), 10 (T3), 15 (T4) and 20 cm (T5). FESEM, EDX-Spectroscopy was performed to elucidate the change in morphology and element distribution pattern of biochar after application in soil. Fresh biochar has 53.7% carbon and 19.9% oxygen, however, aged biochar shown 37.4% carbon and 36.4% oxygen content. The T5 exhibit the best outcomes, with the most significant increment in maize root traits over the control treatment (T1). In particular, T5 recorded a maximum improvement in root length (+ 48.2%), root volume (+ 42.7%) and root dry biomass (+ 56.7%) compared to the control treatment when biochar was applied at 20 cm soil depth. Shoot traits at 20 cm biochar incorporation revealed an increase in shoot fresh biomass (+ 23.1%), shoot dry biomass (+ 15%), leaf area (+ 50.5%) and number of leaves (+ 40.7%) as compared to the control treatment. As compared to the control, a considerable rise in soil nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium was observed in biochar amendment at 20 cm depth, with the highest nitrogen in T5 (20.9%), phosphorus in T5 (103%), and the percentage increase in potassium in T5 (55.5%). One of the most consistently prevalent molecules examined by GC-MS was methyl stearate, a fatty acid ester detected in all five treatments. Methyl stearate content increased as the depth of biochar increased: T1 (10.26%), T2 (8.67%), T3 (12.40%), T4 (12.93%), and T5 (14.65%). Overall, the findings of this study suggest that uniform application of biochar in the top soil layer significantly enhances the above- and below-ground attributes of plants.
生物炭施用于土壤已显示出其在促进植物生长、改善根系结构和提高养分有效性方面的潜力。然而，关于生物炭的最佳施用深度及其与根系的相互作用仍存在不确定性，而这会显著影响植物的生长和发育。这项透明根箱试验包括五种处理：推荐施肥量的对照处理（T1），以及四种不同深度的生物炭添加处理，即5厘米（T2）、10厘米（T3）、15厘米（T4）和20厘米（T5）。采用场发射扫描电子显微镜（FESEM）和能谱仪（EDX - Spectroscopy）来阐明生物炭施用于土壤后其形态和元素分布模式的变化。新鲜生物炭含53.7%的碳和19.9%的氧，然而，老化生物炭的碳含量为37.4%，氧含量为36.4%。T5表现出最佳结果，与对照处理（T1）相比，玉米根系性状的增幅最为显著。特别是，当生物炭在20厘米土壤深度施用时，与对照处理相比，T5的根长（+48.2%）、根体积（+42.7%）和根干生物量（+56.7%）有最大程度的改善。在20厘米深度添加生物炭时，地上部性状显示，与对照处理相比，地上部鲜生物量（+23.1%）、地上部干生物量（+15%）、叶面积（+50.5%）和叶片数（+40.7%）均有所增加。与对照相比，在20厘米深度施用生物炭改良剂后，土壤中的氮、磷和钾显著增加，T5的氮含量最高（20.9%），磷含量最高（103%），钾含量增加百分比最高（55.5%）。气相色谱 - 质谱联用仪（GC - MS）检测到的最普遍存在的分子之一是硬脂酸甲酯，在所有五种处理中均检测到该脂肪酸酯。硬脂酸甲酯含量随着生物炭深度的增加而增加：T1（10.26%）、T2（8.67%）、T3（12.40%）、T4（12.93%）和T5（14.65%）。总体而言，本研究结果表明，在表层土壤均匀施用生物炭可显著增强植物的地上部和地下部性状。
