The Suppressive Effects of Biochar on Above- and Belowground Plant Pathogens and Pests: A Review.

ABSTRACT: Soilborne pathogens and pests in agroecosystems are serious problems that limit crop yields. In line with the development of more ecologically sustainable agriculture, the possibility of using biochar to control pests has been increasingly investigated in recent years. This work provides a general overview of disease and pest suppression using biochar. We present an updated view of the literature from 2015 to 2022 based on 61 articles, including 117 experimental case studies. We evaluated how different biochar production feedstocks, pyrolysis temperatures, application rates, and the pathosystems studied affected disease and pest incidence. Fungal pathogens accounted for 55% of the case studies, followed by bacteria (15%), insects and nematodes (8%), oomycetes and viruses (6%), and only 2%

SUBMITTER: Iacomino G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9695804 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature