The Impact of Sewage-Sludge- and Olive-Mill-Waste-Derived Biochar Amendments to Tomato Cultivation

Maria A. Lilli (), Nikolaos V. Paranychianakis, Konstantinos Lionoudakis, Anna Kritikaki, Styliani Voutsadaki, Maria L. Saru, Konstantinos Komnitsas and Nikolaos P. Nikolaidis
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Maria A. Lilli: School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Nikolaos V. Paranychianakis: School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Konstantinos Lionoudakis: School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Anna Kritikaki: School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Styliani Voutsadaki: School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Maria L. Saru: School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Konstantinos Komnitsas: School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Nikolaos P. Nikolaidis: School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-15

Abstract: This study elucidated the impact of sewage-sludge (SS) and olive-mill-waste (OMW) biochar amendments to soil using tomatoes as a test crop. Four treatments were evaluated: the “control” with no biochar amendment, two SS biochar treatments with the addition of 10 t/ha and 25 t/ha, respectively, and an OMW biochar treatment with the addition of 25 t/ha. Higher yields were observed in both SS biochar treatments, providing evidence that biochar acts as a plant bio-stimulant. Biochar application had positive impacts on carbon sequestration and soil structure. The uptake of heavy metals by all plant parts was very low, indicating that biochar is an appropriate product for land application. Biochar dose and type induced changes in the composition due to the different unique species and biodiversity of microbial communities. Venn diagrams revealed that the majority of the identified taxa were shared among the treatments, and only a small proportion of them were unique in bulk soil between treatments. In the rhizosphere, the OMW-biochar-treated plants showed a higher number of unique taxa. Microbiota structure plays a major role in the stimulation of plant growth; however, further research is needed to understand the impact of these shifts in the functioning of agroecosystems.

Keywords: bio-based products; biochar application; agricultural production; bio stimulant; microbial communities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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