Halil ERDEM^1*, Ahmet KINAY², Elif GÜNAL¹, Hüseyin YABAN¹ & Yusuf TUTUŞ^3
1Gaziosmanpasa University, Faculty of Agriculture, Soil Science and Plant Nutrition Department, 60240 Tokat/Turkey
²Gaziosmanpasa University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Field Crops, Tokat/Turkey
³Sabanci University, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istanbul/Turkey
*Corresponding author: halil.erdem@gop.edu.tr Fax: +90 356 2521480

THE EFFECTS OF BIOCHAR APPLICATION ON CADMIUM UPTAKE OF TOBACCO

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Biochar could be used to improve soil physico chemical properties of Cd contaminated soils for safe crop production. A greenhouse experiemnt was conducted to investigate the effects of biochar application on growth and nutrient uptake of tobacco plants (Xhanti 2A tobacco genotype) in a Cd contaimaned soil. Mahleb cherry seed shell biochar was incorporated into a Cd-contaminated soil at four application rates (0, 1, 2, and 3 % (v/v)). The biochar application decreased the toxic amounts of Cd in tobacco shoots, whereas the Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu concentrations of shoots were also significantly reduced with the highest biochar treatment of 3.0%. These decreases were 19.5% for Fe, 51.0% for Zn, 28.9% for Mn and 8.51% for Cu. The decrease in Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu concentrations in tobacco shoots due to biochar application is a result of lowered availability of these metals in the soil with increasing biochar doses. However, the findings from biochar studies can not easily be trasferred by others due to differences in feedstocks used to produce biochars, environements in which biochars produced and the application rates of biochar.