Enhancing Sesbania sesban L. (Merr.) growth and metal resilience by synergistic application of Trichoderma harzianum loaded biochar and biochar-zinc oxide nanocomposite

Abstract Heavy metals in agricultural soil are hazardous to the environment and human beings. So, the current study was hypothesized that Trichoderma harzianum maize biochar (MBT), and maize biochar zinc oxide nanocomposite (MB-ZnO) could effectively stabilize Cd and Cu in a polluted soil and evalua...

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Main Authors: Asif kamal, Moona Nazish, Mahnoor Akbar, Qaiser Hussain, Munazza Yousra, Urooj Haroon, Namra Ausaf, Jawaher Alkahtani, Muhammad Farooq Hussain Munis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-06-01
Series:BMC Plant Biology
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06717-1
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author Asif kamal
Moona Nazish
Mahnoor Akbar
Qaiser Hussain
Munazza Yousra
Urooj Haroon
Namra Ausaf
Jawaher Alkahtani
Muhammad Farooq Hussain Munis
author_facet Asif kamal
Moona Nazish
Mahnoor Akbar
Qaiser Hussain
Munazza Yousra
Urooj Haroon
Namra Ausaf
Jawaher Alkahtani
Muhammad Farooq Hussain Munis
author_sort Asif kamal
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Heavy metals in agricultural soil are hazardous to the environment and human beings. So, the current study was hypothesized that Trichoderma harzianum maize biochar (MBT), and maize biochar zinc oxide nanocomposite (MB-ZnO) could effectively stabilize Cd and Cu in a polluted soil and evaluate their synergistic effects on Sesbania sesban L. (Merr.) growth. The biochar zinc oxide nanocomposite and T. harzianum loaded biochar were systematically characterized before applications. In this study, both types of engineered biochar (MB-ZnO nanocomposite and MBT) were applied to influence the growth of S. sesban. These plants were sprayed with various doses (0, 50, 75, 100 mg/L) of MB-ZnO nanocomposite and 2.0% (w/w) MBT. Foliar application of 100 mg/L MB-ZnO nanocomposite clearly reduced Cd and Cu content in the shoots of S. sesban by 30% and 31%, respectively. The combined application of MB-ZnO increased SOD (33.33%), and POD (37.5%) at the concentration of 100 mg /L. Co-applied application of MB-ZnO nanocomposite and MBT diminished Cd and Cu content by 39% and 38%, respectively, and increased soil pH (8.03 to 8.23). Conclusive findings of this study established that the application of the engineered biochar (MB-ZnO nanocomposite and MBT) is an environment-friendly and efficient way to immobilize toxic metals from the soil and improve the physiological, biochemical, anatomical, and antioxidant enzyme activities of the S. sesban plant. Graphical Abstract Schematic depiction of complete experiment
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publishDate 2025-06-01
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spelling doaj-art-a6eea3f3b58f42bfa93843c0c502399a2025-08-20T02:31:04ZengBMCBMC Plant Biology1471-22292025-06-0125112010.1186/s12870-025-06717-1Enhancing Sesbania sesban L. (Merr.) growth and metal resilience by synergistic application of Trichoderma harzianum loaded biochar and biochar-zinc oxide nanocompositeAsif kamal0Moona Nazish1Mahnoor Akbar2Qaiser Hussain3Munazza Yousra4Urooj Haroon5Namra Ausaf6Jawaher Alkahtani7Muhammad Farooq Hussain Munis8Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam UniversityDepartment of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam UniversitySchool of Environment and Natural Sciences, University of BangorInstitute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture UniversityLand Resources Research Institute, National Agriculture Research Center (NARC)Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam UniversityDepartment of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam UniversityDepartment of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud UniversityDepartment of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam UniversityAbstract Heavy metals in agricultural soil are hazardous to the environment and human beings. So, the current study was hypothesized that Trichoderma harzianum maize biochar (MBT), and maize biochar zinc oxide nanocomposite (MB-ZnO) could effectively stabilize Cd and Cu in a polluted soil and evaluate their synergistic effects on Sesbania sesban L. (Merr.) growth. The biochar zinc oxide nanocomposite and T. harzianum loaded biochar were systematically characterized before applications. In this study, both types of engineered biochar (MB-ZnO nanocomposite and MBT) were applied to influence the growth of S. sesban. These plants were sprayed with various doses (0, 50, 75, 100 mg/L) of MB-ZnO nanocomposite and 2.0% (w/w) MBT. Foliar application of 100 mg/L MB-ZnO nanocomposite clearly reduced Cd and Cu content in the shoots of S. sesban by 30% and 31%, respectively. The combined application of MB-ZnO increased SOD (33.33%), and POD (37.5%) at the concentration of 100 mg /L. Co-applied application of MB-ZnO nanocomposite and MBT diminished Cd and Cu content by 39% and 38%, respectively, and increased soil pH (8.03 to 8.23). Conclusive findings of this study established that the application of the engineered biochar (MB-ZnO nanocomposite and MBT) is an environment-friendly and efficient way to immobilize toxic metals from the soil and improve the physiological, biochemical, anatomical, and antioxidant enzyme activities of the S. sesban plant. Graphical Abstract Schematic depiction of complete experimenthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06717-1Trichoderma loaded biocharMB-ZnO nanocompositeSustainable agricultureMetal immobilizationPlant growth
spellingShingle Asif kamal
Moona Nazish
Mahnoor Akbar
Qaiser Hussain
Munazza Yousra
Urooj Haroon
Namra Ausaf
Jawaher Alkahtani
Muhammad Farooq Hussain Munis
Enhancing Sesbania sesban L. (Merr.) growth and metal resilience by synergistic application of Trichoderma harzianum loaded biochar and biochar-zinc oxide nanocomposite
BMC Plant Biology
Trichoderma loaded biochar
MB-ZnO nanocomposite
Sustainable agriculture
Metal immobilization
Plant growth
title Enhancing Sesbania sesban L. (Merr.) growth and metal resilience by synergistic application of Trichoderma harzianum loaded biochar and biochar-zinc oxide nanocomposite
title_full Enhancing Sesbania sesban L. (Merr.) growth and metal resilience by synergistic application of Trichoderma harzianum loaded biochar and biochar-zinc oxide nanocomposite
title_fullStr Enhancing Sesbania sesban L. (Merr.) growth and metal resilience by synergistic application of Trichoderma harzianum loaded biochar and biochar-zinc oxide nanocomposite
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing Sesbania sesban L. (Merr.) growth and metal resilience by synergistic application of Trichoderma harzianum loaded biochar and biochar-zinc oxide nanocomposite
title_short Enhancing Sesbania sesban L. (Merr.) growth and metal resilience by synergistic application of Trichoderma harzianum loaded biochar and biochar-zinc oxide nanocomposite
title_sort enhancing sesbania sesban l merr growth and metal resilience by synergistic application of trichoderma harzianum loaded biochar and biochar zinc oxide nanocomposite
topic Trichoderma loaded biochar
MB-ZnO nanocomposite
Sustainable agriculture
Metal immobilization
Plant growth
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06717-1
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