Paper · 2025 · Soil Systems

Biochar and Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria Boost Chemical and Biological Properties of Semiarid Soil in Cowpea

Inara da Silva Araujo; Argemiro Pereira Martins Filho; Diogo Paes da Costa; et al.

8
claims
22
verbatim quotes
9
citations
2
research areas
✓
Open access · cc-by

Abstract

Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are an effective tool for improving nutrients in agricultural systems; however, their efficacy depends on successful colonization in soils. To address this challenge, biochar has been identified as an effective material for enhancing soil ecosystem services and can serve as a protective for PGPB. However, the impact of biochar and PGPB on soil health indicators and plant growth remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of biochar and PGPB on soil chemical and biological properties in cowpea. We used biochar from bean husk (BHB) and grape fermentation residue (GFB) and Bradyrhizobium elkanii USDA 76 (BRA), Burkholderia cepacia ATCC 25416 (PRB), or Rhizobium altiplani BR10423 (RHI). BHB and PRB stimulated cowpea growth, while GFB and PRB promoted soil phosphatase activity. Overall, different combinations of biochar and PGPR increased soil pH, phosphorus, potassium, organic carbon content, and urease activity, but did not affect microbial biomass carbon and β-glucosidase activities. The biochars inoculated with the BRA showed the highest productivity. For example, plants subjected to the BRA + GFB treatment exhibited a 3.85-fold increase in productivity compared to the additional treatment that involved the use of commercial peat. The study demonstrated a positive effect of biochar and PGPB on soil enzymatic activity, nutrient content, and cowpea growth suggesting a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers, especially in poor soils. These findings highlight the potential of biochar as an environmentally sustainable carrier of PGPB while addressing the issue of agricultural waste reuse.

Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗

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 8

Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Bean husk biochar with Burkholderia cepacia stimulated cowpea growth.

Treatment
BHBe0
Interactor
Burkholderia cepacia ATCC 25416Burkholderia cepacia ATCC 25416e2symbiont
Outcome
cowpea growthe0
Direction
stimulatede0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Vigna unguiculata
Vigna unguiculata · TaxonHeraldDesa at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“BHB and PRB stimulated cowpea growth”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 755–791 · show in text ↑
e1

“biochar from bean husk (BHB)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 570–598 · show in text ↑
e2

“Burkholderia cepacia ATCC 25416 (PRB)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 678–715 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Grape fermentation residue biochar with Burkholderia cepacia promoted soil phosphatase activity.

Treatment
GFBe0
Interactor
Burkholderia cepacia ATCC 25416Burkholderia cepacia ATCC 25416e2symbiont
Outcome
soil phosphatase activitye0
Direction
promotede0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Vigna unguiculata
Vigna unguiculata · TaxonHeraldDesa at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“GFB and PRB promoted soil phosphatase activity”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 799–845 · show in text ↑
e1

“grape fermentation residue (GFB)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 603–635 · show in text ↑
e2

“Burkholderia cepacia ATCC 25416 (PRB)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 678–715 · show in text ↑
t0

“Cowpea”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 105–111 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Biochar and bacterial combinations increased soil pH, phosphorus, and potassium.

Treatment
different combinations of biochar and PGPRe0
Outcome
soil pH, phosphorus, potassiume0
Direction
increasede0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Vigna unguiculata
Vigna unguiculata · TaxonHeraldDesa at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“different combinations of biochar and PGPR increased soil pH, phosphorus, potassium, organic carbon content, and urease activity”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 856–984 · show in text ↑
t0

“Cowpea”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 105–111 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Biochar and bacterial combinations increased soil organic carbon content and urease activity.

Treatment
different combinations of biochar and PGPRe0
Outcome
organic carbon content, and urease activitye0
Direction
increasede0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Vigna unguiculata
Vigna unguiculata · TaxonHeraldDesa at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“different combinations of biochar and PGPR increased soil pH, phosphorus, potassium, organic carbon content, and urease activity”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 856–984 · show in text ↑
t0

“Cowpea”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 105–111 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultno effectmeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Biochar and bacterial combinations did not affect microbial biomass carbon or β-glucosidase activity.

Treatment
different combinations of biochar and PGPRe0
Outcome
microbial biomass carbon and β-glucosidase activitiese0
Direction
did not affecte0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Vigna unguiculata
Vigna unguiculata · TaxonHeraldDesa at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“different combinations of biochar and PGPR increased soil pH, phosphorus, potassium, organic carbon content, and urease activity, but did not affect microbial biomass carbon and β-glucosidase activities”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 856–1058 · show in text ↑
t0

“Cowpea”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 105–111 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Biochars inoculated with Bradyrhizobium elkanii had the highest cowpea productivity.

Treatment
biochars inoculated with the BRAe0
Interactor
Bradyrhizobium elkanii USDA 76Bradyrhizobium elkanii USDA 76e1symbiont
Outcome
productivitye0
Direction
higheste0

Not reportedComparator

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Vigna unguiculata
Vigna unguiculata · TaxonHeraldDesa at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“The biochars inoculated with the BRA showed the highest productivity”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1060–1128 · show in text ↑
e1

“Bradyrhizobium elkanii USDA 76 (BRA)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 640–676 · show in text ↑
t0

“Cowpea”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 105–111 · show in text ↑
Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

BRA plus GFB gave 3.85-fold higher cowpea productivity than commercial peat treatment.

Treatment
BRA + GFB treatmente0
Interactor
Bradyrhizobium elkanii USDA 76Bradyrhizobium elkanii USDA 76e1symbiont
Outcome
productivitye0
Direction
increasee0
Value
3.85-folde0
Comparator
commercial peate0

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Vigna unguiculata
Vigna unguiculata · TaxonHeraldDesa at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“plants subjected to the BRA + GFB treatment exhibited a 3.85-fold increase in productivity compared to the additional treatment that involved the use of commercial peat”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1143–1311 · show in text ↑
t0

“Cowpea”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 105–111 · show in text ↑
e1

“Bradyrhizobium elkanii USDA 76 (BRA)”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 640–676 · show in text ↑
Recommendationauthor interpretationoriginal resultbasis n/a

Claim · model-written summary

The authors propose biochar as a sustainable carrier for plant growth-promoting bacteria and an alternative to chemical fertilizers in poor soils.

Outcome
sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizerse0
Qualifier
especially in poor soilse0

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Vigna unguiculata
Vigna unguiculata · TaxonHeraldDesa at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“suggesting a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers, especially in poor soils”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1438–1524 · show in text ↑
e1

“potential of biochar as an environmentally sustainable carrier of PGPB”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1555–1625 · show in text ↑
t0

“Cowpea”

✓ located verbatim in the source · title, characters 105–111 · show in text ↑

Bradyrhizobium elkanii · yield · Vigna unguiculata (cowpea)Results agree

2 papers: 2 positive, 0 negative or no effect

1 paper in the same direction as this paper

  1. positive
See all 2 papers →

inoculation · yield · Vigna unguiculata (cowpea)Results differ

116 papers: 99 positive, 17 negative or no effect

98 papers in the same direction as this paper · 16 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative

  1. negative
  2. negative
  3. no effect

112 papers more in this group

See all 116 papers →

biochar · soil: biology · Vigna unguiculata (cowpea)Positive and negative results

4 papers: 3 positive, 1 negative or no effect

2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction

  1. no effect
  2. positive
  3. positive
See all 4 papers →

biochar · soil: chemistry · Vigna unguiculata (cowpea)Positive and negative results

7 papers: 6 positive, 1 negative or no effect

5 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction

  1. no effect
  2. positive
  3. positive

3 papers more in this group

See all 7 papers →

biochar · yield · Vigna unguiculata (cowpea)Positive and negative results

22 papers: 18 positive, 4 negative or no effect

17 papers in the same direction as this paper · 3 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative

  1. no effect
  2. negative
  3. no effect

18 papers more in this group

See all 22 papers →

inoculation · soil: chemistry · Vigna unguiculata (cowpea)Results agree

5 papers: 5 positive, 0 negative or no effect

4 papers in the same direction as this paper

  1. positive
  2. positive
  3. positive

1 paper more in this group

See all 5 papers →

inoculation · soil: biology · Vigna unguiculata (cowpea)Results agree

6 papers: 6 positive, 0 negative or no effect

5 papers in the same direction as this paper

  1. positive
  2. positive
  3. positive

2 papers more in this group

See all 6 papers →

Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.