Effect of Levels of Biochar on Growth and some Qualitative Characteristics of Satureja hortensis L. in Conditions of Sulfur Nutrition

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• M.B. Amiri ^{1, 2}
• Vahid Mohammadzadeh Kakhki ³
• Mohammad Hosein Aminifard ³

¹ Department of Agrotechnology, University of Gonabad, Gonabad, Iran

² Department of Agrotechnology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

³ Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran

10.22067/jhs.2025.91238.1400

Abstract

Introduction
Soil amendment materials exhibit a wide range of properties and influence soil physicochemical characteristics in various ways. Among these, biochar has attracted significant attention for its potential to improve acid soils, remediate pollutants, enhance soil fertility, sequester carbon, and contribute to climate change mitigation. Biochar is a porous carbon-rich material comprised chiefly of aromatic carbons and/or heteroatoms. Biochar is a product obtained from biological waste, particularly agricultural biomass waste which is thermally degraded using a process called pyrolysis, in the absence of oxygen. Biochar is useful as 1) a fuel source (charcoal) for renewable energy and 2) for carbon sequestering to the soil preventing the release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, 3) as a waste recycling method, 4) as a soil amendment to improve the soil structure, texture, water holding capacity and other physicochemical properties thus improving the soil fertility, 5) plant growth promotion due to the nutrients supplied by biochar when used as manure and 6) plant disease management by either directly (antagonism) or indirectly (induced systemic resistance) in plants. Sulfur (S) is an important component of many amino acids such as methionine and cysteine in plants. The balance update of sulfur decreases the speed of oxidative processes with an improvement reduction mechanism. It also plays a critical role in the improvement of wheat productivity through better grain production. Sulfur is very important for the efficacious use of nitrogen especially in the formation of protein contents. Without sulfur, the optimum activity of nitrogen regarding protein content biosynthesis cannot be achieved in terms of yield. Application of nano fertilizers and reduction of the size of the material to the nanoscale leads to an increase in the surface mass ratio of the particles, and as a result, an abundant amount of nutrient ions is absorbed slowly and steadily for a long period. Satureja hortensis L. which is a medicinal plant of the Lamiaceae (Labiatae) family is widely grown in France, Hungary, Spain and Iran. The essential oil of Satureja hortensis L. finds application in food products due to its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Traditionally, it was utilized as a stomachic, stimulant, expectorant, aphrodisiac and carminative treatment of various kinds of infectious illnesses. 
 
Material and Methods
In order to investigate the effects of different levels of biochar and common sulfur and nona-fertilizer of sulfur on some morphological and physiological characteristics of Satureja hortensis L., an experiment was done at the Research Field of University of Gonabad during the years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. A split plot experiment based on a randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted. Biochar at three levels (5, 10 and 20 t.ha^-1 and control) and two sulfur nutritional treatments (common sulfur, nano-fertilizer of sulfur and control) were used as main and subplots, respectively. Plant height, lateral branch number, leaf area, stem diameter, dry shoot weight, dry matter yield, carbohydrate content, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll were recorded. 
 
Results and Discussion
The results showed that in both of two cropping years, the highest plant height (with 41 and 39 cmin the first and second cropping year, respectively) and lateral branch number (with 28 and 30 in the first and second cropping year, respectively) obtained in combined application treatment of 20 t.ha^-1 biochar and spraying of nano-fertilizer of sulfur and in both two cropping years, use of common sulfur and spraying nano-fertilizer of sulfur at higher levels of biochar (10 and 20 t.ha^-1) resulted in the production of more leaf area and stem diameter than the application of these sulfur nutritional inputs at lower levels of biochar. The results of the interaction effects of biochar application and nutritional treatment in the 2018-2019 crop year showed that with increasing biochar amounts to 10 t.ha^-1, the positive effects of common sulfur and nanosulfur on improving essential oil content were more noticeable, so the highest amount of essential oil (2.40%) was obtained in the treatment of simultaneous application of 10 t.ha^-1 of biochar and soil application of common sulfur. In both years, the highest amount of essential oil (2.10 and 2.13% in the first and second year, respectively) was obtained in 10 t.ha^-1 biochar. The highest influence of sulfur nutritional treatments on chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll appeared when they were used simultaneously with biochar, for example, chlorophyll a content in conditions of spraying of nano-fertilizer of sulfur with the application of 5, 10 and 20 t.ha^-1 biochar was 42, 54 and 72%  in the first cropping year, respectively and 43, 54 and 73% in the second cropping year, respectively, more than amount of these traits in conditions of separate spraying of nano-fertilizer of sulfur.
 
Conclusion
In general, based on the results of this research, it seems that the combined consumption of biochar with common sulfur and nano-fertilizer of sulfur, while improving the quantitative characteristics of Satureja hortensis L. can lead to the improvement of its physiological characteristics and the production of free of chemical substances in this valuable medicinal plant.
 
Acknowledgements
This study was financially supported by the University of Birjand and University of Gonabad, Iran.

Keywords

• Biochar
• Chlorophyll a
• Leaf area
• Nano-fertilizer of sulfur
• Sustainable agriculture

Main Subjects

• Medicinal Plants

©2024 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

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