Alleviating salinity stress in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) through bamboo-based biochar application
Paper Details
Alleviating salinity stress in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) through bamboo-based biochar application
Abstract
The reliance on commercial fertilizers contributes to soil pollution through nutrient leaching and runoff, while rising costs burden small farmers. Soil salinity aggravates abiotic stress, reducing plant growth, nutrient availability, and crop yields. This study investigated the potential of bamboo-based biochar, derived from locally-available materials, to alleviate salinity stress in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown under 0, 100, 200, and 300 mM NaCl concentrations with 20 g plant-1 bamboo-based biochar amendment. Results showed that plant length parameters (shoot, root, and whole plant), root weights, leaf production, and chlorophyll content were unaffected by biochar application (p> 0.05), indicating maintained growth and photosynthetic capacity despite salinity stress. However, shoot and whole plant fresh weights significantly decreased with increasing NaCl concentrations (p≤ 0.05). Overall, bamboo-based biochar supports lettuce growth under salinity stress by conserving physiological traits.
Ali S, Rizwan M, Qayyum MF, Ok YS, Ibrahim M, Riaz M, Arif MS, Hafeez F, Al-Wabel MI, Shahzad AN. 2017. Biochar soil amendment on alleviation of drought and salt stress in plants: A critical review. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 24, 12700–12712.
Alkharabsheh HM, Seleiman MF, Hewedy OA, Battaglia ML, Jalal RS, Alhammad BA, Schiavon M, Al-Doss A. 2021. Field crop responses and management strategies to mitigate soil salinity in modern agriculture: A review. Agronomy 11, 2299.
Bagues M, Neji M, Karbout N, Boussora F, Triki T, Guasmi F, Nagaz K. 2024. Mitigating salinity stress in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) through biochar and NPK fertilizers: Impacts on physio-biochemical behavior and grain yield. Agronomy 14, 317.
Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM). 2021. Laboratory manual for soil and water analysis. Department of Agriculture, Quezon City, Philippines.
Chen L, Chen Q, Rao P, Yan L, Shakib A, Shen G. 2018. Formulating and optimizing a novel biochar-based fertilizer for simultaneous slow-release of nitrogen and immobilization of cadmium. Sustainability 10, 2740.
Ding J, Mtolera I, She D, Ma T, Chen K, Yu SE. 2021. Effects of saline water irrigation and biochar amendment on okra growth and nutrient leaching in coastal saline soils. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 52, 651–665.
Fedeli R, Vannini A, Djatouf N, Celletti S, Loppi S. 2024. Can lettuce plants grow in saline soils supplemented with biochar. Heliyon 10.
Grieve CM, Grattan SR, Maas EV. 2012. Plant salt tolerance. ASCE Manual and Reports on Engineering Practice 71, 405–459.
Ji Y, Zhang C, Zhang XJ, Xie PF, Wu C, Jiang L. 2022. A high adsorption capacity bamboo biochar for CO₂ capture for low-temperature heat utilization. Separation and Purification Technology 293, 121131.
Kimetu JM, Lehmann J. 2010. Stability and stabilisation of biochar and green manure in soil with different organic carbon contents. Soil Research 48, 577–585.
Kul R, Arjumend T, Ekinci M, Yildirim E, Turan M, Argin S. 2021. Biochar as an organic soil conditioner for mitigating salinity stress in tomato. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 67, 693–706.
Kumar M, Kumar K. 2019. Role of bio-fertilizers in vegetables production: A review. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 8, 328–334.
Mizuta K, Matsumoto T, Hatate Y, Nishihara K, Nakanishi T. 2004. Removal of nitrate-nitrogen from drinking water using bamboo powder charcoal. Bioresource Technology 95, 255–257.
Murtaza G, Rizwan M, Usman M, Hyder S, Akram MI, Deeb M, Alkahtani J, AlMunqedhi BM, Hendy AS, Ali MR, Iqbal R. 2024. Biochar enhances the growth and physiological characteristics of Medicago sativa, Amaranthus caudatus and Zea mays in saline soils. BMC Plant Biology 24, 304.
Ngongo PM, Situmeang YP, Kartini L. 2018. Utilization of bamboo biochar and Phonska fertilizer on cultivation of maize (Zea mays L.). Sustainable Environment Agricultural Science 2, 67–71.
Opeña JM, Sotto RC. 2020. Growth response and leaf chlorophyll concentration. Journal of Nature Studies 19, 40–51.
Shaaban L, Van Zwieten S, Bashir A, Younas A, Núñez-Delgado MA, Chhajro KA, Kubar U, Ali MS, Rana MA, Mehmood R, Hu Z. 2018. A concise review of biochar application to agricultural soils to improve soil conditions and fight pollution. Journal of Environmental Management 228, 429–440.
Shrivastava P, Kumar R. 2015. Soil salinity: A serious environmental issue and plant growth-promoting bacteria as one of the tools for its alleviation. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences 22(2), 123–131. DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2014.12.001
Soothar MK, Mounkaila Hamani AK, Kumar Sootahar M, Sun J, Yang G, Bhatti SM, Traore A. 2021. Assessment of acidic biochar on the growth, physiology and nutrient uptake of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings under salinity stress. Sustainability 13, 3150. DOI: 10.3390/su13063150
Zhang R, Yang P, Liu S, Wang C, Liu J. 2022. Evaluation of the methods for estimating leaf chlorophyll content with SPAD chlorophyll meters. Remote Sensing 14, 5144. DOI: 10.3390/rs14205144
Gerlie B. Hardy*, Lyle B. Sumer, Marvin V. Baloloy, Monsour R. Lang-es, Jeff M. Opeῆa, 2026. Alleviating salinity stress in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) through bamboo-based biochar application. Int. J. Biosci., 29(1), 97-103.
Copyright © 2026 by the Authors. This article is an open access article and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license.