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The Impact of Sewage-Sludge- and Olive-Mill-Waste-Derived Biochar Amendments to Tomato Cultivation

Author

Listed:
  • Maria A. Lilli

    (School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece)

  • Nikolaos V. Paranychianakis

    (School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece)

  • Konstantinos Lionoudakis

    (School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece)

  • Anna Kritikaki

    (School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece)

  • Styliani Voutsadaki

    (School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece)

  • Maria L. Saru

    (School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece)

  • Konstantinos Komnitsas

    (School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece)

  • Nikolaos P. Nikolaidis

    (School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece)

Abstract

This study elucidated the impact of sewage-sludge (SS) and olive-mill-waste (OMW) biochar amendments to soil using tomatoes as a test crop. Four treatments were evaluated: the “control” with no biochar amendment, two SS biochar treatments with the addition of 10 t/ha and 25 t/ha, respectively, and an OMW biochar treatment with the addition of 25 t/ha. Higher yields were observed in both SS biochar treatments, providing evidence that biochar acts as a plant bio-stimulant. Biochar application had positive impacts on carbon sequestration and soil structure. The uptake of heavy metals by all plant parts was very low, indicating that biochar is an appropriate product for land application. Biochar dose and type induced changes in the composition due to the different unique species and biodiversity of microbial communities. Venn diagrams revealed that the majority of the identified taxa were shared among the treatments, and only a small proportion of them were unique in bulk soil between treatments. In the rhizosphere, the OMW-biochar-treated plants showed a higher number of unique taxa. Microbiota structure plays a major role in the stimulation of plant growth; however, further research is needed to understand the impact of these shifts in the functioning of agroecosystems.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria A. Lilli & Nikolaos V. Paranychianakis & Konstantinos Lionoudakis & Anna Kritikaki & Styliani Voutsadaki & Maria L. Saru & Konstantinos Komnitsas & Nikolaos P. Nikolaidis, 2023. "The Impact of Sewage-Sludge- and Olive-Mill-Waste-Derived Biochar Amendments to Tomato Cultivation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:5:p:3879-:d:1075190
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mengting Maggie Yuan & Xue Guo & Linwei Wu & Ya Zhang & Naijia Xiao & Daliang Ning & Zhou Shi & Xishu Zhou & Liyou Wu & Yunfeng Yang & James M. Tiedje & Jizhong Zhou, 2021. "Climate warming enhances microbial network complexity and stability," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 11(4), pages 343-348, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jacek Pranagal & Sławomir Ligęza & Joanna Gmitrowicz-Iwan, 2023. "The Impact of Mining Waste and Biogas Digestate Addition on the Durability of Soil Aggregates," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-13, September.
    2. Anna Kritikaki & Vasiliki Karmali & Dimitra Vathi & Georgios Bartzas & Konstantinos Komnitsas, 2025. "Advanced Characterization of Biochars Produced from Three Different Organic-based Feedstocks and their Potential Applications," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 5(8), pages 7465-7488, December.

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