Biochar improves growth and physiology of Swietenia macrophylla king in contaminated soil by copper

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 22546 - 13
• Main Authors: da Cruz Ferreira, Raphael Leone, Braga, Dayse Gonzaga, do Nascimento, Vitor Resende, da Silva, Camilly Barbosa, Alves, Anne Cristina Barbosa, da Costa Cabral, Joyce Adriany, Cruz, Flávio José Rodrigues, de Araújo Brito, Ana Ecídia, dos Santos Nogueira, Glauco Andre, de Souza, Luma Castro, Cruz, Eniel David, Neto, Cândido Ferreira Oliveira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 29-09-2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/449/1736; 631/449/2661; 631/449/2667; 631/449/447; Abiotic stress; Biometrics; Brazilian mahogany; Carbon; Charcoal; Circular economy; Copper; Euterpe oleracea; Experimental design; Gas exchange; Greenhouse gases; Heavy metals; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Photosynthesis; Photosynthesis - drug effects; Plant growth; Pollution control; Public policy; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Seeds - drug effects; Seeds - growth & development; Soil - chemistry; Soil contamination; Soil Pollutants - toxicity; Soil pollution; Soil remediation; Stomata; Stomatal conductance; Swietenia macrophylla; Transpiration; Water use; Water use efficiency; Brazilian mahogany; Gas exchange; Abiotic stress; Heavy metals; Charcoal
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-74356-x

The production of açaí seed waste from the commercial and extractive exploitation of the
Euterpe oleraceae
palm tree is a serious problem that contributes to environmental contamination and production of greenhouse gases, a fact that suggests the need for an environmentally correct destination for this waste produced on a large scale. To this end, this study was conducted to evaluate the potential of acaí seed biochar (BCA) in mitigating the toxic effects of copper in Brazilian mahogany plants, analyzing biometrics and gas exchange. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with five blocks, in a 4 × 3 factorial scheme, corresponding to the control (without Cu) and three concentration of Cu (200, 400, and 600 mg Cu kg
−1
) and three levels of BCA (0%, 5% and 10%) proportional to the amount of soil in the pots, totaling sixty experimental units. The use of 5% BCA in soils contaminated with up to 200 mg kg
−1
Cu promoted biometric increase (height, diameter, number of leaves), maintaining gas exchange (photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, internal carbon and internal/external carbon), and consequently, maintaining water use efficiency in plants under abiotic stress, resulting in plant growth. The findings of this study allow us to indicate the use of biochar in remediating and improving the growth of plants grown in copper-contaminated soils. The production of biochar from açaí seeds is an ecologically sustainable alternative, because it reduces its accumulation on public roads and contributes to reducing soil pollution. In the context of public policies, biochar production could be a source of income in the context of the bioeconomy and circular economy practiced in the Amazon, because it is produced in large quantities.