Leveraging Biochar Amendments to Enhance Food Security and Plant Resilience Under Climate Change

Climate change poses significant risks to food security and contributes to widespread soil degradation. Effective strategies are urgently needed to mitigate its impacts and ensure stable crop production and food quality. Biochar has shown strong potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance...

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Main Authors: Shakal Khan Korai, Punhoon Khan Korai, Muhammad Abuzar Jaffar, Muhammad Qasim, Muhammad Usama Younas, Muhammad Shabaan, Usman Zulfiqar, Xiaoshan Wang, Arkadiusz Artyszak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/13/1984
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author Shakal Khan Korai
Punhoon Khan Korai
Muhammad Abuzar Jaffar
Muhammad Qasim
Muhammad Usama Younas
Muhammad Shabaan
Usman Zulfiqar
Xiaoshan Wang
Arkadiusz Artyszak
author_facet Shakal Khan Korai
Punhoon Khan Korai
Muhammad Abuzar Jaffar
Muhammad Qasim
Muhammad Usama Younas
Muhammad Shabaan
Usman Zulfiqar
Xiaoshan Wang
Arkadiusz Artyszak
author_sort Shakal Khan Korai
collection DOAJ
description Climate change poses significant risks to food security and contributes to widespread soil degradation. Effective strategies are urgently needed to mitigate its impacts and ensure stable crop production and food quality. Biochar has shown strong potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance carbon sequestration, and immobilize soil contaminants such as heavy metals and organic pollutants. These benefits can lead to increased crop yields, improved nutritional quality, and reduced uptake of harmful substances by plants. This review summarizes the possible mechanisms through which biochar influences the biochar–soil–plant interface, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of its multifaceted roles. Although positive effects of biochar on crop production are frequently reported, neutral or even negative outcomes have also been observed. Such adverse effects may be attributed to the presence of volatile organic compounds, free radicals, or heavy metals in certain biochars that inhibit plant growth. Additionally, biochar application has been found to reduce plant infections caused by pathogens, likely due to the presence of organic compounds that act as microbial inhibitors. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which biochar affects plant growth is essential for its effective use as a tool to combat climate change and enhance food security.
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spelling doaj-art-bbca7c9d193a4856aa754046eeaaebca2025-08-20T03:16:50ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-06-011413198410.3390/plants14131984Leveraging Biochar Amendments to Enhance Food Security and Plant Resilience Under Climate ChangeShakal Khan Korai0Punhoon Khan Korai1Muhammad Abuzar Jaffar2Muhammad Qasim3Muhammad Usama Younas4Muhammad Shabaan5Usman Zulfiqar6Xiaoshan Wang7Arkadiusz Artyszak8Department of Grassland, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, ChinaDepartment of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences, Uthal 90150, PakistanDepartment of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences, Uthal 90150, PakistanMicroelement Research Center, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 30070, ChinaKey Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Agricultural College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, ChinaLand Resources Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Center, Islamabad 45500, PakistanDepartment of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, PakistanDepartment of Grassland, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, ChinaInstitute of Agriculture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, PolandClimate change poses significant risks to food security and contributes to widespread soil degradation. Effective strategies are urgently needed to mitigate its impacts and ensure stable crop production and food quality. Biochar has shown strong potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance carbon sequestration, and immobilize soil contaminants such as heavy metals and organic pollutants. These benefits can lead to increased crop yields, improved nutritional quality, and reduced uptake of harmful substances by plants. This review summarizes the possible mechanisms through which biochar influences the biochar–soil–plant interface, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of its multifaceted roles. Although positive effects of biochar on crop production are frequently reported, neutral or even negative outcomes have also been observed. Such adverse effects may be attributed to the presence of volatile organic compounds, free radicals, or heavy metals in certain biochars that inhibit plant growth. Additionally, biochar application has been found to reduce plant infections caused by pathogens, likely due to the presence of organic compounds that act as microbial inhibitors. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which biochar affects plant growth is essential for its effective use as a tool to combat climate change and enhance food security.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/13/1984biochar amendmentclimate changecrop productionresilient approachcarbon sequestrationGHG emissions
spellingShingle Shakal Khan Korai
Punhoon Khan Korai
Muhammad Abuzar Jaffar
Muhammad Qasim
Muhammad Usama Younas
Muhammad Shabaan
Usman Zulfiqar
Xiaoshan Wang
Arkadiusz Artyszak
Leveraging Biochar Amendments to Enhance Food Security and Plant Resilience Under Climate Change
Plants
biochar amendment
climate change
crop production
resilient approach
carbon sequestration
GHG emissions
title Leveraging Biochar Amendments to Enhance Food Security and Plant Resilience Under Climate Change
title_full Leveraging Biochar Amendments to Enhance Food Security and Plant Resilience Under Climate Change
title_fullStr Leveraging Biochar Amendments to Enhance Food Security and Plant Resilience Under Climate Change
title_full_unstemmed Leveraging Biochar Amendments to Enhance Food Security and Plant Resilience Under Climate Change
title_short Leveraging Biochar Amendments to Enhance Food Security and Plant Resilience Under Climate Change
title_sort leveraging biochar amendments to enhance food security and plant resilience under climate change
topic biochar amendment
climate change
crop production
resilient approach
carbon sequestration
GHG emissions
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/13/1984
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