Pig manure digestate-derived biochar for soil management and crop cultivation in heavy metals contaminated soil |
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| Authors: | Muhammad Ayaz Urte Stulpinaite Dalia Feiziene Vita Tilvikiene Kashif Akthar Edita Baltr?nait?-Gedien? Nerijus Striugas Urooj Rehmani Sahib Alam Rashid Iqbal Monika Toleikiene Modupe Doyeni |
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| Institution: | 1. Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Center for Agriculture and Forestry, Kedainiai, Lithuania;2. State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bio-Resources, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China;3. Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Vilnius, Lithuania;4. Lithuanian Energy Institute, Kaunas, Lithuania;5. Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Univeristy of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan;6. Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan |
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| Abstract: | Management of heavy metal-contaminated soil under drought and other harsh hydrological conditions is critical for protecting soil ecosystem services. In this study, we examined the effect of pig manure digestate-derived biochar as a soil amendment (15 t ha?1) with N fertilizer (180 kg ha?1) on soil and plant heavy metal levels and nutrient availability under various moisture regimes (optimal moisture ~15%, drought condition ≤5%, and flooded condition ≥35% wt.). It was observed that biochar applications significantly decreased heavy metals in the spring wheat plants, lowering Cr by 90%, Ni by 50%, Cd by 9% and Pb by 34% compared to non-biochar (control) treatments. However, the pig digestate-derived biochar increased heavy metals in soil under all moisture regimes, increasing soil Cr by 21%, Ni by 43%, Cu by 55%, Zn by 70%, and Pb by 12%. The availability of macroelements also increased with the biochar applications under the optimum moisture regimes in both soil and plants, increasing Mg2+ by 11%, P by 4%, K+ by 50%, and Ca2+ by 56% in the soil, and Mg2+ by 13%, P by 69%, K+ by 29, and Ca2+ by 39% in plants. Biochar addition also improved chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) levels in the crop for the entire season (12th to 62nd day) and the aboveground crop biomass and dry matter contents both increased. Consequently, the use of pig manure digestate-derived biochar with N fertilizer under normal moisture conditions was able to reduce heavy metal availability to plants and thus could be used in contaminated soils to maintain better crop growth and development. |
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| Keywords: | biochar crop yield heavy metals land degradation soil moisture |
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