Abstract
Reduced germination and early crop maturity due to soil compaction, nutrients stress, and low moisture are major constraints to achieve optimum crop yield, ultimately resulting in significant economic damages and food shortages. Biochar, having the potential to improve physical and chemical properties of soil, can also improve nutrients and moisture access to plants. In the present study, a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes. Corn cob biochar (CCB) was mixed with soil at different rates (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, and 3% w/w) before seed sowing. Results obtained showed that increasing CCB application rate have neutral to positive effects on seed germination and seedling growth of maize. Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w) significantly increased shoot dry biomass (40%), root dry biomass (32%), total chlorophyll content (a and b) (55%), germination percentage (13%), seedling vigor (85%), and relative water content (RWC) (68%), in comparison to un-amended control treatment. In addition to this, it also improved germination rate (GR) by 3% as compared to control treatment, while causing a reduction in mean emergence time (MET). Moreover, application of biochar (3%) also resulted in enhancement of antioxidant enzyme activity, particularly superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) by 13% and 17%, respectively. Conclusively, biochar application is an attractive approach to improve the initial phase of plant growth and provide better crop stand and essential sustainable high yields.
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The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar at 1.5% significantly increased maize shoot dry biomass by 40% relative to un-amended control.
- Organ / stage
- shoote1
- Treatment
- Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w)e1
- Outcome
- shoot dry biomasse1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 40%e1
- Comparator
- un-amended control treatmente1
- Setting
- growth roome0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes”
e1“Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w) significantly increased shoot dry biomass (40%), root dry biomass (32%), total chlorophyll content (a and b) (55%), germination percentage (13%), seedling vigor (85%), and relative water content (RWC) (68%), in comparison to un-amended control treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar at 1.5% significantly increased maize root dry biomass by 32% relative to un-amended control.
- Organ / stage
- roote1
- Treatment
- Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w)e1
- Outcome
- root dry biomasse1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 32%e1
- Comparator
- un-amended control treatmente1
- Setting
- growth roome0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes”
e1“Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w) significantly increased shoot dry biomass (40%), root dry biomass (32%), total chlorophyll content (a and b) (55%), germination percentage (13%), seedling vigor (85%), and relative water content (RWC) (68%), in comparison to un-amended control treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar at 1.5% significantly increased maize total chlorophyll content by 55% relative to un-amended control.
- Treatment
- Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w)e1
- Outcome
- total chlorophyll content (a and b)e1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 55%e1
- Comparator
- un-amended control treatmente1
- Setting
- growth roome0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes”
e1“Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w) significantly increased shoot dry biomass (40%), root dry biomass (32%), total chlorophyll content (a and b) (55%), germination percentage (13%), seedling vigor (85%), and relative water content (RWC) (68%), in comparison to un-amended control treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar at 1.5% significantly increased maize germination percentage by 13% relative to un-amended control.
- Treatment
- Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w)e1
- Outcome
- germination percentagee1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 13%e1
- Comparator
- un-amended control treatmente1
- Setting
- growth roome0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes”
e1“Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w) significantly increased shoot dry biomass (40%), root dry biomass (32%), total chlorophyll content (a and b) (55%), germination percentage (13%), seedling vigor (85%), and relative water content (RWC) (68%), in comparison to un-amended control treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar at 1.5% significantly increased maize seedling vigor by 85% relative to un-amended control.
- Treatment
- Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w)e1
- Outcome
- seedling vigore1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 85%e1
- Comparator
- un-amended control treatmente1
- Setting
- growth roome0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes”
e1“Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w) significantly increased shoot dry biomass (40%), root dry biomass (32%), total chlorophyll content (a and b) (55%), germination percentage (13%), seedling vigor (85%), and relative water content (RWC) (68%), in comparison to un-amended control treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar at 1.5% significantly increased maize relative water content by 68% relative to un-amended control.
- Treatment
- Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w)e1
- Outcome
- relative water content (RWC)e1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 68%e1
- Comparator
- un-amended control treatmente1
- Setting
- growth roome0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes”
e1“Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w) significantly increased shoot dry biomass (40%), root dry biomass (32%), total chlorophyll content (a and b) (55%), germination percentage (13%), seedling vigor (85%), and relative water content (RWC) (68%), in comparison to un-amended control treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar addition improved maize germination rate by 3% compared with control.
- Treatment
- Biochar additione1
- Outcome
- germination rate (GR)e2
- Direction
- improvede2
- Value
- 3%e2
- Comparator
- control treatmente2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes”
e1“Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w) significantly increased shoot dry biomass (40%), root dry biomass (32%), total chlorophyll content (a and b) (55%), germination percentage (13%), seedling vigor (85%), and relative water content (RWC) (68%), in comparison to un-amended control treatment”
e2“it also improved germination rate (GR) by 3% as compared to control treatment, while causing a reduction in mean emergence time (MET)”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar addition caused a reduction in maize mean emergence time compared with control.
- Treatment
- Biochar additione1
- Outcome
- mean emergence time (MET)e2
- Direction
- reductione2
- Comparator
- control treatmente2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes”
e1“Biochar addition at the rate of 1.5% (w/w) significantly increased shoot dry biomass (40%), root dry biomass (32%), total chlorophyll content (a and b) (55%), germination percentage (13%), seedling vigor (85%), and relative water content (RWC) (68%), in comparison to un-amended control treatment”
e2“it also improved germination rate (GR) by 3% as compared to control treatment, while causing a reduction in mean emergence time (MET)”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar application at 3% increased maize superoxide dismutase activity by 13%.
- Treatment
- application of biochar (3%)e3
- Gene
- superoxide dismutase (SOD)e3
- Outcome
- antioxidant enzyme activitye3
- Direction
- enhancemente3
- Value
- 13%e3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes”
e3“application of biochar (3%) also resulted in enhancement of antioxidant enzyme activity, particularly superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) by 13% and 17%, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar application at 3% increased maize catalase activity by 17%.
- Treatment
- application of biochar (3%)e3
- Gene
- catalase (CAT)e3
- Outcome
- antioxidant enzyme activitye3
- Direction
- enhancemente3
- Value
- 17%e3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes”
e3“application of biochar (3%) also resulted in enhancement of antioxidant enzyme activity, particularly superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) by 13% and 17%, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing corn cob biochar application rate had neutral to positive effects on maize seed germination and seedling growth.
- Treatment
- increasing CCB application ratee4
- Outcome
- seed germination and seedling growthe4
- Direction
- neutral to positivee4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes”
e4“increasing CCB application rate have neutral to positive effects on seed germination and seedling growth of maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar application is recommended as an attractive approach to improve the initial phase of maize growth and crop stand.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a growth room experiment was conducted to assess biochar influence on maize seed germination, early growth of seedlings, and its physiological attributes”
e5“biochar application is an attractive approach to improve the initial phase of plant growth and provide better crop stand and essential sustainable high yields”
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