Effects of Modified Biochar on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Brassica chinensis L. in Cadmium Contaminated Soils

Bibliographic Details
Title: Effects of Modified Biochar on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Brassica chinensis L. in Cadmium Contaminated Soils
Authors: Guojun Pan, Shufang Geng, Liangliang Wang, Jincheng Xing, Guangping Fan, Yan Gao, Xin Lu, Zhenhua Zhang
Source: Plants, Vol 14, Iss 4, p 524 (2025)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG, 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Collection: LCC:Botany
Subject Terms: pakchoi, modified biochar, metal, remediation, passivation, food safety, Botany, QK1-989
More Details: Cadmium (Cd) pollution in farmland soil leads to excessive Cd in vegetables, which can be transferred to humans through the food chain, posing a significant threat to human health, and requires urgent measures to combat it. Modified biochar may have the potential to remediate Cd pollution in farmland soils. In this experiment, bulk biochar (YC) derived from reed straw or modified biochar by ball milling (Q) either alone or combined with a combination of several passivation agents {potassium hydroxide (K), attapulgite (A), calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer (M), and polyacrylamide (P)} was applied to soils polluted with Cd, to investigate the growth, yield, and quality of pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.). The results showed that bulk biochar (YC) provided pakchoi with plenty of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, while passivation agents enhance macronutrient accumulation. Compared to YC, modified biochar improved pakchoi yields and nutritional quality. Among them, concentrations of nitrates in pakchoi significantly decreased by 51.8% and 51.0%, while vitamin C levels increased by 29.6% and 19.0%, respectively, in QKAMP and QKAM treatments. The contents of Cd in pakchoi significantly decreased by 21.6% and 18.6%, respectively, in QKAMP and QKAM treatments. The implementation of QKAMP led to the cadmium contents in edible vegetables being lower than the maximum stipulated content as defined by the national standard, but QKAM failed to accomplish it. In conclusion, QKAMP effectively reduced the bioavailability of Cd in the middle to slightly Cd-polluted alkaline soils, making it a suitable soil amendment to improve the yield and quality and mitigate Cd accumulation in vegetables.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2223-7747
Relation: https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/4/524; https://doaj.org/toc/2223-7747
DOI: 10.3390/plants14040524
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/04ed2538e7f24099b61a5bafaf42d956
Accession Number: edsdoj.04ed2538e7f24099b61a5bafaf42d956
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:22237747
DOI:10.3390/plants14040524
Published in:Plants
Language:English