The effectiveness of biochar in mitigating copper toxicity: the impacts of dose and particle size on soil properties and plant physiology.
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Türkiye.
- 2Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Türkiye. [email protected].
- 3Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Türkiye.
- 4Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Türkiye.
- 5Agrobigen Research & Development Trade Ltd. Co, Samsun Technopark, Samsun, Türkiye.
- 6Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University, Baku, Azerbaijan.
Abstract
Heavy metal contamination, particularly copper (Cu) toxicity, poses a severe threat to global agricultural productivity and soil ecosystem stability. This study evaluated the effects of different doses (D₀: control, D0.5: 0.5%, D₁:1.0%, and D₂: 2.0%) and particle sizes (PS₁:<0.5, PS₂:0.5-1.0, PS₃:1.0-2.0, and PS₄:>2.0 mm) of biochar on the chemical and biological properties of calcareous soil and the physiological responses of wheat under conditions of high Cu toxicity. Biochar applications increased the content of soil organic matter (SOM), with the highest value (3.48%) observed at the D₂xPS₁, corresponding to a 26.08% increase compared to the control. Similarly, cation exchange capacity (CEC) increased significantly, with the highest value (44.89 cmol kg- 1) obtained in the D₂xPS₂ combination, a 72.99% increase relative to the control. The highest values were observed at D0.5×PS₂ for basal respiration (BR) (2.40 mg CO₂ g⁻¹ ODS 24 h⁻¹), at D₁×PS₂ for microbial biomass carbon (MBC) (112.64 mg MBC g⁻¹ ODS 24 h⁻¹), at D2×PS4 for dehydrogenase (DHA) (6.31 µg TPF g⁻¹ ODS 24 h⁻¹), and at D₂×PS₂ for catalase (CAT) (1.93 ml O₂ g⁻¹ ODS 3 min⁻¹). In terms of plant growth and yield, lower biochar doses combined with small or medium particle sizes produced more favorable outcomes. The highest grain yield (6.76 g pot- 1), representing a 13.23% increase over the control, was obtained in the D0.5xPS₁ combination. Cu uptake decreased by 23% (7.83 mg kg- 1) at the lowest dose, whereas Mn and Zn uptake increased by 58% (12.58 mg kg- 1) and 50% (51.41 mg kg- 1), respectively, at the D₁ dose. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content, an indicator of cellular damage, decreased by 29.5% at the D0.5 dose (0.86 µmol g- 1 FW), while higher doses strongly activated antioxidant defense systems, resulting in more than a 2-fold increase in ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities. Overall, the findings suggest that lower doses of biochar and smaller particle sizes, particularly combinations such as D0.5xPS₁, can have a more balanced and beneficial effect on the chemical properties of calcareous soils and the physiological performance of wheat under high Cu toxicity.
Related
- Photocatalytic strategies for mitigating microplastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions
- Mitigating Heavy Metal Uptake in Wastewater-Irrigated Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) through Biochar and L-Methionine Application
- Mitigating Summertime Marine Heatwaves via Targeted Marine Cloud Brightening
- Terrestrial protected areas are not effective in mitigating human pressure on biodiversity
- Harnessing Ratoon Cropping for Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
BibTeX
@article{ay2026effectiveness,
title = {{The effectiveness of biochar in mitigating copper toxicity: the impacts of dose and particle size on soil properties and plant physiology.}},
author = {Abdurrahman Ay and Salih Demirkaya and Elif Öztürk Ay and Ömer Taş and Gürkan Bilir and Coşkun Gülser and Rıdvan Kizilkaya and Rahila Islamzade and Deniz Ekinci},
journal = {BMC plant biology},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12870-026-09660-x},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42972502},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The effectiveness of biochar in mitigating copper toxicity: the impacts of dose and particle size on soil properties and plant physiology.
AU - Abdurrahman Ay
AU - Salih Demirkaya
AU - Elif Öztürk Ay
AU - Ömer Taş
AU - Gürkan Bilir
AU - Coşkun Gülser
AU - Rıdvan Kizilkaya
AU - Rahila Islamzade
AU - Deniz Ekinci
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/06
JO - BMC plant biology
DO - 10.1186/s12870-026-09660-x
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42972502
AB - Heavy metal contamination, particularly copper (Cu) toxicity, poses a severe threat to global agricultural productivity and soil ecosystem stability. This study evaluated the effects of different doses (D₀: control, D0.5: 0.5%, D₁:1.0%, and D₂: 2.0%) and particle sizes (PS₁:<0.5, PS₂:0.5-1.0, PS₃:1.0-2.0, and PS₄:>2.0 mm) of biochar on the chemical and biological properties of calcareous soil and the physiological responses of wheat under conditions of high Cu toxicity. Biochar applications increased the content of soil organic matter (SOM), with the highest value (3.48%) observed at the D₂xPS₁, corresponding to a 26.08% increase compared to the control. Similarly, cation exchange capacity (CEC) increased significantly, with the highest value (44.89 cmol kg- 1) obtained in the D₂xPS₂ combination, a 72.99% increase relative to the control. The highest values were observed at D0.5×PS₂ for basal respiration (BR) (2.40 mg CO₂ g⁻¹ ODS 24 h⁻¹), at D₁×PS₂ for microbial biomass carbon (MBC) (112.64 mg MBC g⁻¹ ODS 24 h⁻¹), at D2×PS4 for dehydrogenase (DHA) (6.31 µg TPF g⁻¹ ODS 24 h⁻¹), and at D₂×PS₂ for catalase (CAT) (1.93 ml O₂ g⁻¹ ODS 3 min⁻¹). In terms of plant growth and yield, lower biochar doses combined with small or medium particle sizes produced more favorable outcomes. The highest grain yield (6.76 g pot- 1), representing a 13.23% increase over the control, was obtained in the D0.5xPS₁ combination. Cu uptake decreased by 23% (7.83 mg kg- 1) at the lowest dose, whereas Mn and Zn uptake increased by 58% (12.58 mg kg- 1) and 50% (51.41 mg kg- 1), respectively, at the D₁ dose. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content, an indicator of cellular damage, decreased by 29.5% at the D0.5 dose (0.86 µmol g- 1 FW), while higher doses strongly activated antioxidant defense systems, resulting in more than a 2-fold increase in ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities. Overall, the findings suggest that lower doses of biochar and smaller particle sizes, particularly combinations such as D0.5xPS₁, can have a more balanced and beneficial effect on the chemical properties of calcareous soils and the physiological performance of wheat under high Cu toxicity.
SN - 1471-2229
ER -