Acid-treated charcoal helps sugar beets thrive in salty soil
Zhao C, Yunuo P, Yong JWH, Ishfaq M, Sattar M
Soil Health
If you garden near a coastline, use de-icing salt nearby, or fight alkaline soil in arid regions, this points to a soil amendment that could rescue crops struggling with salt stress.
Salty, alkaline soil is tough on plants because it messes with their ability to photosynthesize and stay hydrated. Researchers found that biochar, a charcoal-like soil additive, works even better when first treated with acid, especially sulfuric acid. In their experiment, sugar beet seedlings grown in this treated soil had greener leaves, healthier cell membranes, and grew more than twice as much biomass compared to seedlings in untreated salty soil.
Key Findings
Sulfuric acid-modified biochar (BS) doubled total foliar chlorophyll content and increased net photosynthetic rate by 86.22% in sugar beet seedlings grown in saline-alkali soil
BS improved photosynthetic performance index by 1.5 folds and maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) by 4.13%, while lowering leaf electrical conductivity by 6.79%, indicating reduced membrane damage
BS increased catalase (CAT) activity by 22.43% and decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity by 23.53%, resulting in a 15.61% increase in leaf area and a 139.44% increase in aboveground biomass
chevron_right Technical Summary
Treating salty, alkaline soil with acid-modified biochar helped sugar beet seedlings grow much better, nearly doubling leaf chlorophyll and boosting biomass by over 139%. The best-performing treatment used sulfuric acid-modified biochar, which protected the plant's photosynthesis machinery and cell membranes from salt stress damage.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Acid-modified biochar improves the adaptability of sugar beet seedlings to saline-alkali soil by enhancing their physiology.
Biochar is widely recognized for enhancing plant stress tolerance, and using acid modified-biochar may further enhance its suitability as a soil amendment for plant growth under saline-alkali condi...
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