Abstract
Abstract Metalloid pollution, including arsenic poisoning, is a serious environmental issue, plaguing plant productivity and quality of life worldwide. Biochar, a carbon-rich material, has been known to alleviate the negative effects of environmental pollutants on plants. However, the specific role of biochar in mitigating arsenic stress in maize remains relatively unexplored. Here, we elucidated the functions of biochar in improving maize growth under the elevated level of sodium arsenate (Na 2 AsO 4 , As V ). Maize plants were grown in pot-soils amended with two doses of biochar (2.5% (B1) and 5.0% (B2) biochar Kg −1 of soil) for 5 days, followed by exposure to Na 2 AsO 4 ('B1 + As V 'and 'B2 + As V ') for 9 days. Maize plants exposed to As V only accumulated substantial amount of arsenic in both roots and leaves, triggering severe phytotoxic effects, including stunted growth, leaf-yellowing, chlorosis, reduced photosynthesis, and nutritional imbalance, when compared with control plants. Contrariwise, biochar addition improved the phenotype and growth of As V -stressed maize plants by reducing root-to-leaf As V translocation (by 46.56 and 57.46% in ‘B1 + As V’ and ‘B2 + As V’ plants), improving gas-exchange attributes, and elevating chlorophylls and mineral levels beyond As V -stressed plants. Biochar pretreatment also substantially counteracted As V -induced oxidative stress by lowering reactive oxygen species accumulation, lipoxygenase activity, malondialdehyde level, and electrolyte leakage. Less oxidative stress in ‘B1 + As V’ and ‘B2 + As V’ plants likely supported by a strong antioxidant system powered by biochar-mediated increased activities of superoxide dismutase (by 25.12 and 46.55%), catalase (51.78 and 82.82%), and glutathione S -transferase (61.48 and 153.83%), and improved flavonoid levels (41.48 and 75.37%, respectively). Furthermore, increased levels of soluble sugars and free amino acids also correlated with improved leaf relative water content, suggesting a better osmotic acclimatization mechanism in biochar-pretreated As V -exposed plants. Overall, our findings provided mechanistic insight into how biochar facilitates maize’s active recovery from As V -stress, implying that biochar application may be a viable technique for mitigating negative effects of arsenic in maize, and perhaps, in other important cereal crops. Graphical Abstract
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Arsenate alone caused arsenic accumulation in maize roots and leaves.
- Treatment
- As Ve0
- Outcome
- arsenic in both roots and leavese0
- Direction
- accumulatede0
- Comparator
- control plantse1
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Maize plants exposed to As V only accumulated substantial amount of arsenic in both roots and leaves”
e1“when compared with control plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Arsenate alone caused stunted growth, yellowing, chlorosis, reduced photosynthesis and nutritional imbalance.
- Treatment
- As Ve1
- Outcome
- stunted growth, leaf-yellowing, chlorosise0
- Direction
- stuntede0
- Comparator
- control plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“triggering severe phytotoxic effects, including stunted growth, leaf-yellowing, chlorosis, reduced photosynthesis, and nutritional imbalance, when compared with control plants”
e1“Maize plants exposed to As V only”
Claim · model-written summary
The first biochar dose reduced root-to-leaf arsenate translocation by 46.56% versus arsenate stress alone.
- Treatment
- B1 + As Ve0
- Outcome
- root-to-leaf As V translocatione0
- Direction
- reducinge0
- Value
- 46.56e0
- Comparator
- As V -stressed plantse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“reducing root-to-leaf As V translocation (by 46.56 and 57.46% in ‘B1 + As V’ and ‘B2 + As V’ plants)”
e1“beyond As V -stressed plants”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The second biochar dose reduced root-to-leaf arsenate translocation by 57.46% versus arsenate stress alone.
- Treatment
- B2 + As Ve0
- Outcome
- root-to-leaf As V translocatione0
- Direction
- reducinge0
- Value
- 57.46%e0
- Comparator
- As V -stressed plantse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“reducing root-to-leaf As V translocation (by 46.56 and 57.46% in ‘B1 + As V’ and ‘B2 + As V’ plants)”
e1“beyond As V -stressed plants”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar improved gas exchange, chlorophyll and mineral levels in arsenate stressed maize.
- Treatment
- biochar additione1
- Outcome
- gas-exchange attributese0
- Direction
- improvinge0
- Comparator
- As V -stressed plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“improving gas-exchange attributes, and elevating chlorophylls and mineral levels beyond As V -stressed plants”
e1“biochar addition improved the phenotype and growth of As V -stressed maize plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar reduced oxidative stress indicators under arsenate stress.
- Treatment
- Biochar pretreatmente0
- Outcome
- reactive oxygen species accumulation, lipoxygenase activity, malondialdehyde levele0
- Direction
- loweringe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Biochar pretreatment also substantially counteracted As V -induced oxidative stress by lowering reactive oxygen species accumulation, lipoxygenase activity, malondialdehyde level, and electrolyte leakage.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar increased antioxidant enzyme activities and flavonoid levels in arsenate exposed maize.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“biochar-mediated increased activities of superoxide dismutase (by 25.12 and 46.55%), catalase (51.78 and 82.82%), and glutathione S -transferase (61.48 and 153.83%), and improved flavonoid levels (41.48 and 75.37%, respectively)”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Soluble sugars and amino acids correlated with improved leaf relative water content under biochar and arsenate.
- Compound
- soluble sugars and free amino acidse0
- Outcome
- leaf relative water contente0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Qualifier
- biochar-pretreated As V -exposed plantse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increased levels of soluble sugars and free amino acids also correlated with improved leaf relative water content”
e1“biochar-pretreated As V -exposed plants”
t0“maize”
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