Wheat Straw Biochar Amendment Increases Salinity Stress Tolerance in Alfalfa Seedlings by Modulating Physiological and Biochemical Responses

doi:10.3390/plants14131954

	Wheat Straw Biochar Amendment Increases Salinity Stress Tolerance in Alfalfa Seedlings by Modulating Physiological and Biochemical Responses
	Zhong, Shangzhi 1,2; Hou, Pengxin 1,2; Zheng, Congcong 3,4; Yang, Xuechen 5; Tao, Qibo 1,2; Sun, Juan 1,2
	2025-06-26
发表期刊	PLANTS-BASEL
ISSN	2223-7747
卷号	14 期号:13 页码:25
摘要	Salinity stress is a major environmental challenge that adversely impacts the physiological and biochemical processes of pasture, consequently resulting in reduced yields and compromised quality. Biochar amendment has recently emerged as a promising strategy to alleviate the deleterious effects of salinity stress. However, the interactive influences of salinity stress and wheat straw biochar on the physiological, biochemical, and growth characteristics of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) remain underexplored. A factorial experiment was conducted using a randomized complete design with five salinity levels (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mM NaCl) and three application rates of biochar (0, 25, and 50 g kg-1) to evaluate wheat straw biochar's potential in alleviating salinity stress in alfalfa. Results showed that salinity stress increased oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde) and reduced chlorophyll fluorescence (maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II by 1-27%), leading to decreasing photosynthetic parameters, thereby constraining biomass accumulation by 9-77%. Wheat straw biochar amendment under the highest salinity stress, particularly at 25 g kg-1, mitigated oxidative stress by reducing H2O2 and MDA levels by 35% and 33%, respectively, while decreasing the antioxidant enzymes activities of CAT, POD, and SOD by 47%, 42%, and 39%, respectively, compared to the control (non-biochar addition). Concurrently, biochar restored the osmoregulatory substance concentrations of proline and soluble sugar by 59% and 33%, respectively, compared to the control. Furthermore, wheat straw biochar amendment increased the net CO2 assimilation rate by 98%, thereby increasing biomass by 63%. Our study demonstrates that wheat straw biochar can contribute to protecting alfalfa against salinity stress by modulating physiological and biochemical responses. These findings demonstrate that the 25 g kg-1 wheat straw biochar application had the best performance, suggesting this amendment could be a viable strategy for improving alfalfa productivity in salt-affected soils. Future research should explore long-term field applications and the underlying mechanisms of biochar-plant-soil-plant interactions under diverse saline-alkali environments.
关键词	Medicago sativa gas exchange osmotic adjustment antioxidant enzyme hormonal regulation
DOI	10.3390/plants14131954
收录类别	SCI
语种	英语
资助项目	Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province ; National Natural Science Foundation of China[32301496] ; China Agriculture Research System[CARS-34] ; Qingdao Agricultural University high-level talent research fund[1121026] ; European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union[101003125] ; [ZR2022QC174] ; European Research Council (ERC)[101003125]
WOS研究方向	Plant Sciences
WOS类目	Plant Sciences
WOS记录号	WOS:001536550000001
出版者	MDPI
引用统计
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.204/handle/2XEOYT63/42055
专题	中国科学院计算技术研究所期刊论文_英文
通讯作者	Sun, Juan
作者单位	1.Qingdao Agr Univ, Coll Grassland Sci, Qingdao 266109, Peoples R China 2.Qingdao Agr Univ, Coll Grassland Sci, Shandong Key Lab Germplasm Innovat Saline Alkaline, Qingdao 266109, Peoples R China 3.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Comp Technol, Beijing 100190, Peoples R China 4.INRA, Unite Mixte Rech 1391, Interact Sol Plante Atmosphere, F-33140 Villenave Dornon, France 5.Chinese Acad Sci, Xinjiang Inst Ecol & Geog, State Key Lab Ecol Safety & Sustainable Dev Arid L, Urumqi 830011, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Zhong, Shangzhi,Hou, Pengxin,Zheng, Congcong,et al. Wheat Straw Biochar Amendment Increases Salinity Stress Tolerance in Alfalfa Seedlings by Modulating Physiological and Biochemical Responses[J]. PLANTS-BASEL,2025,14(13):25.
APA	Zhong, Shangzhi,Hou, Pengxin,Zheng, Congcong,Yang, Xuechen,Tao, Qibo,&Sun, Juan.(2025).Wheat Straw Biochar Amendment Increases Salinity Stress Tolerance in Alfalfa Seedlings by Modulating Physiological and Biochemical Responses.PLANTS-BASEL,14(13),25.
MLA	Zhong, Shangzhi,et al."Wheat Straw Biochar Amendment Increases Salinity Stress Tolerance in Alfalfa Seedlings by Modulating Physiological and Biochemical Responses".PLANTS-BASEL 14.13(2025):25.