Influence of Biochar on Soil Properties and Morphophysiology of Sugar Beet Under Fomesafen Residues

Herbicide residue contamination is a serious threat to crop growth and farmland ecology in agricultural soil. Biochar is often assumed to minimize herbicide residues; nevertheless, research on the possible effects of biochar on herbicides is minimal. This research examined the mechanism underlying how biochar-based therapy reduces sugar beet pesticide residues. The current study was conducted to investigate the effect of biochar [0, 0.5, 1, and 2% (w/w)] on the morphophysiology of sugar beet and the properties of soil under fomesafen stress. Fomesafen residue negatively affected the growth of sugar beet due to the change in soil properties. However, our investigation revealed that biochar at 0.5-2% reduced fomesafen residues in soil by 29.06-46.05%. Moreover, biochar enhanced soil physicochemical properties and enhanced soil enzyme activities, with 1% biochar raising pH by (3.49%) and soil water content (SWC) by (13.85%), compared to fomesafen residue treatment alone. Similarly, the available nitrogen (AN), available potassium (AK), and soil organic matter (SOM) all increased by 9.68%, 17.71%, and 11.85%. Furthermore, using biochar increases morphological growth and development, photosynthetic contents and properties, and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics of sugar beet seedlings, while decreasing electrolyte permeability (EL) by 53.23-64.79% and malondialdehyde (MDA) by 25.75-54.4% under herbicide residue. Consequently, biochar can reduce the residual amount of fomesafen in the soil, thus reducing the toxicity of fomesafen to sugar beets by improving soil characteristics. The present study indicates that applying biochar could be an effective technique to mitigate herbicide contamination.