Abstract
Abstract Biochar is a carbon (C)‐rich solid formed when biomass is used to produce bioenergy. This ‘black carbon’ has been suggested as a solution to climate change, potentially reducing global anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases by 12%, as well as promoting increased crop growth. How biochar application to soil leads to better crop yields remains open to speculation. Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.), we found increased plant growth in both species following biochar application. Statistically significant increases for Arabidopsis in leaf area (130%), rosette diameter (61%) and root length (100%) were observed with similar findings in lettuce, where biochar application also increased leaf cell expansion. For the first time, global gene expression arrays were used on biochar‐treated plants, enabling us to identify the growth‐promoting plant hormones, brassinosteroid and auxin, and their signalling molecules, as key to this growth stimulation, with limited impacts on genes controlling photosynthesis. In addition, genes for cell wall loosening were promoted as were those for increased activity in membrane transporters for sugar, nutrients and aquaporins for better water and nutrient uptake and movement of sugars for metabolism in the plant. Positive growth effects were accompanied by down‐regulation of a large suite of plant defence genes, including the jasmonic acid biosynthetic pathway, defensins and most categories of secondary metabolites. Such genes are critical for plant protection against insect and pathogen attack, as well as defence against stresses including drought. We propose a conceptual model to explain these effects in this biochar type, hypothesizing a role for additional K + supply in biochar amended soils, leading to Ca 2+ and Reactive Oxygen Species ( ROS ) –mediated signalling underpinning growth and defence signalling responses.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar increased Arabidopsis leaf area by 130%.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis
Arabidopsise0 - Treatment
- biochar applicatione1
- Outcome
- leaf areae0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Value
- 130%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Statistically significant increases for Arabidopsis in leaf area (130%), rosette diameter (61%) and root length (100%) were observed”
t0“biochar”
e1“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.), we found increased plant growth in both species following biochar application.”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar increased Arabidopsis rosette diameter by 61%.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsise0
- Treatment
- biochar applicatione1
- Outcome
- rosette diametere0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Value
- 61%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Statistically significant increases for Arabidopsis in leaf area (130%), rosette diameter (61%) and root length (100%) were observed”
t0“biochar”
e1“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.), we found increased plant growth in both species following biochar application.”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar increased Arabidopsis root length by 100%.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsise0
- Treatment
- biochar applicatione1
- Outcome
- root lengthe0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Value
- 100%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Statistically significant increases for Arabidopsis in leaf area (130%), rosette diameter (61%) and root length (100%) were observed”
t0“biochar”
e1“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.), we found increased plant growth in both species following biochar application.”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar increased lettuce growth.
- Taxon
- lettuce
Lactuca sativat0 - Treatment
- biochar applicatione0
- Outcome
- plant growthe0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we found increased plant growth in both species following biochar application”
t0“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar increased lettuce leaf cell expansion.
- Taxon
- lettuceLactuca sativat0
- Treatment
- biochar applicatione0
- Outcome
- leaf cell expansione0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“biochar application also increased leaf cell expansion”
t0“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Expression arrays implicated brassinosteroid and auxin signalling in biochar growth stimulation.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Compound
- brassinosteroid and auxine0
- Outcome
- growth stimulatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“identify the growth‐promoting plant hormones, brassinosteroid and auxin, and their signalling molecules, as key to this growth stimulation”
t0“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar had limited impact on photosynthesis genes.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Outcome
- limited impacts on genes controlling photosynthesise0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“with limited impacts on genes controlling photosynthesis”
t0“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar promoted genes for cell wall loosening.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Treatment
- biochar applicatione1
- Outcome
- genes for cell wall looseninge0
- Direction
- promotede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“genes for cell wall loosening were promoted”
t0“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.)”
e1“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.), we found increased plant growth in both species following biochar application.”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar promoted genes for membrane transport of sugar, nutrients and water.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Treatment
- biochar applicatione1
- Outcome
- activity in membrane transporters for sugar, nutrients and aquaporinse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increased activity in membrane transporters for sugar, nutrients and aquaporins for better water and nutrient uptake and movement of sugars for metabolism in the plant”
t0“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.)”
e1“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.), we found increased plant growth in both species following biochar application.”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar down-regulated plant defence genes including jasmonic acid, defensin and secondary-metabolite pathways.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Treatment
- biochar applicatione1
- Outcome
- plant defence genese0
- Direction
- down‐regulatione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“down‐regulation of a large suite of plant defence genes, including the jasmonic acid biosynthetic pathway, defensins and most categories of secondary metabolites”
t0“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.)”
e1“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.), we found increased plant growth in both species following biochar application.”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors hypothesize that extra K supply triggers Ca and ROS signalling behind growth and defence responses.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Compound
- K +e0
- Outcome
- growth and defence signalling responsese0
- Qualifier
- Ca 2+ and Reactive Oxygen Species ( ROS ) –mediated signallinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“hypothesizing a role for additional K + supply in biochar amended soils, leading to Ca 2+ and Reactive Oxygen Species ( ROS ) –mediated signalling underpinning growth and defence signalling responses”
t0“Using the model plant Arabidopsis and the crop plant lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.)”
The same questions in other papers
biochar · growth · Lactuca sativa (garden lettuce)Results differ
40 papers in the same direction as this paper · 11 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
48 papers more in this group
See all 52 papers →biochar · growth · ArabidopsisResults agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
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.