Vermicompost-derived biochar alleviates nickel toxicity and bioaccumulation in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by improving soil properties and physiological functions.
Bukhari SFH, Malik Z, Ali A, Khan MN, El-Hallous EI
Phytoremediation
If you compost with worms, the castings you're already making can be converted into a soil amendment that locks heavy metals in place — meaning food grown in questionable urban or industrial soils could be meaningfully safer to eat.
Nickel pollution in soil stunts crops and can make food unsafe. Researchers found that turning worm compost into biochar (a charcoal-like material made by heating it without oxygen) and mixing it into contaminated soil cut the amount of nickel that wheat plants absorbed by more than half. The treated wheat also grew bigger, produced more grain, and handled stress better than plants in untreated contaminated soil.
Key Findings
Vermicompost-derived biochar reduced soil-available nickel by 44–59% and cut nickel levels in wheat roots and shoots by 53–65% compared to untreated contaminated soil.
Biochar-amended wheat showed 17–25% higher dry biomass and 15–29% higher 100-grain yield under nickel stress, outperforming plain vermicompost amendments.
Biochar application reduced oxidative stress markers (H₂O₂ down 44%, proline down 12%) and boosted antioxidant enzyme activity (CAT up 45%, POD up 53%), indicating improved plant health under metal stress.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Biochar made from vermicompost (worm castings) dramatically reduces nickel uptake in wheat grown in contaminated soil, while also boosting plant growth, yield, and stress defenses — outperforming plain vermicompost alone.
Abstract Preview
Heavy metals (HMs) toxicity, such as nickel (Ni), has significantly reduced crop productivity and threatens human health, while efficient and widely applicable mitigation techniques remain underexp...
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