Addressing Abiotic Stresses and Advancing SDGs by Biochar for Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Restoration

Document Type : Review papers

Authors

1 Faculty of Biology, Yerevan State University, Yerevan , Armenia

2 Department of Zoology, Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana-141004 Punjab, INDIA

3 Centre for the Research and Technology of Agroenvironmental and Biological Sciences, CITAB, Inov4Agro, Universidadede Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal

4 Department of Research & Development, Funogen Athens, 11741, Greece

5 Soil & Water Dept., Fac. Of Agri., Kafrelsheikh Uni., Egypt

6 Laboratory of Soil Chemistry and Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Tula State Lev Tolstoy Pedagogical, University (Tolstoy University), Lenin Avenue, 125, Tula 300026, Russia

7 Academy of Biology and Biotechnology, Southern Federal University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia

Abstract

Global food production is declining due to land degradation and cultivation issues, influenced by various factors such as erratic change in the climate, growing industrial and mining sectors, pesticide usage, and a greater reliance on wastewater for farming. Biochar offers a solution to maintain agricultural productivity by mitigating the adverse effects of climate fluctuations for example drought and waterlogging conditions are deteriorated factors for soil. It can immobilize both inorganic and organic pollutants through mechanisms like co-precipitations, ion exchange adsorption, electrostatic attraction, and surface complexation, which lowers their toxicity and bioavailability to plants in contaminated soils. The application of biochar usually increases the capacity for cation exchange and balances the acidity of the soil, water retention, microbial activity, and soil aeration. Consequently, biochar has become widely used as an additive to alleviate biotic stress in crops. The review examines how biochar amendments can assist plants in coping with adverse conditions, including salt and drought stress and role of biochar to full fill the goals of different SDGs set by united nation. On pairing with stimulants like humic acid, compost, microbes, phytohormones, and nanoparticles, biochar may enable may enable plants to endure and even flourish in harsh environments. Overall, biochar presents an economical and effective method for addressing soil degradation and nutrient deficiencies, making it particularly suitable for plant cultivation in affected areas.

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