Amending mine tailing cover with compost and biochar: effects on vegetation establishment and metal bioaccumulation in the Finnish subarctic.

In the northern boreal zone, revegetation and landscaping of closed mine tailings are challenging due to the high concentrations of potentially toxic elements; the use of nutrient-poor, glacigenic cover material (till); cool temperatures; and short growing period. Recycled waste materials such as biochar (BC) and composted sewage sludge (CSS) have been suggested to improve soil forming process and revegetation success as well as decrease metal bioavailability in closed mine tailing areas. We conducted two field experiments in old iron mine tailings at Rautuvaara, northern Finland, where the native mine soil or transported cover till soil had not supported plant growth since the mining ended in 1989. The impacts of CSS and spruce (Picea abies)-derived BC application to till soil on the survival and growth of selected plant species (Pinus sylvestris, Salix myrsinifolia, and grass mixture containing Festuca rubra, Lolium perenne, and Trifolium repens) were investigated during two growing seasons. In addition, the potential of BC to reduce bioaccumulation of metals in plants was studied. We found that (1) organic amendment like CSS markedly enhanced the plant growth and is therefore needed for vegetation establishment in tailing sites that contained only transported till cover, and (2) BC application to till soil-CSS mixture further facilitated the success of grass mixtures resulting in 71-250% higher plant biomass. On the other hand, (3) no effects on P. sylvestris or S. myrsinifolia were recorded during the first growing seasons, and (4) accumulation of metals in cover plants was negligible and BC application to till further decreased the accumulation of Al, Cr, and Fe in the plant tissues.

Birch (Betula spp.) wood biochar is a potential soil amendment to reduce glyphosate leaching in agricultural soils.

Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine), a commonly used herbicide in agriculture can leach to deeper soil layers and settle in surface- and ground waters. To mitigate the leaching of pesticides and nutrients, biochar has been suggested as a potential soil amendment due to its ability to sorb both organic and inorganic substances. However, the efficiency of biochar in retaining agro-chemicals in the soil is likely to vary with feedstock material and pyrolysis conditions. A greenhouse pot experiment, mimicking a crop rotation cycle of three plant genera, was established to study the effects of pyrolysis temperature on the ability of birch (Betula sp.) wood originated biochar to reduce the leaching of (i) glyphosate, (ii) its primary degradation product AMPA and (iii) phosphorus from the soil. The biochar types used were produced at three different temperatures: 300 °C (BC300), 375 °C (BC375) and 475 °C (BC475). Compared to the control treatment without biochar, the leaching of glyphosate was reduced by 81%, 74% and 58% in BC300, BC375 and BC475 treated soils, respectively. The respective values for AMPA were 46%, 39% and 23%. Biochar had no significant effect on the retention of water-soluble phosphorus in the soil. Our results corroborate earlier findings on pesticides, suggesting that biochar amendment to the soil is a promising way to reduce also the leaching of glyphosate. Importantly, the ability of biochar to adsorb agro-chemicals depends on the temperature at which feedstock is pyrolysed.

Polyphenols in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) leaves induced by plant activators.

Strawberry leaves contain high amounts of diverse phenolic compounds potentially possessing defensive activities against microbial pathogens and beneficial properties for human health. In this work, young strawberry plants were treated with two plant activators, S-methylbenzo-1,2,3-thaidiazole-7-carbothiate (BTH) and birch wood distillate. Phenolic compounds from activator-treated and control leaves were subjected to quantitative analyses by HPLC-DAD, HPLC-ESI-MS, and microQTOF ESI-MS. Thirty-two different phenolic compounds were detected and characterized, and 21 different ellagitannins constituted the largest group of compounds in the strawberry leaves (37.88-45.82 mg/g dry weight, 47.0-54.3% of total phenolics). Treatment with BTH resulted in higher levels of individual ellagitannins, whereas treatment with birch wood distillate strongly increased the levels of chlorogenic acid in strawberry leaves compared with the control. The results suggest that different plant activators may be useful tools for the activation of different branches in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in strawberry.

Influence of carrot psyllid (Trioza apicalis) feeding or exogenous limonene or methyl jasmonate treatment on composition of carrot (Daucus carota) leaf essential oil and headspace volatiles.

The effect of carrot psyllid (Trioza apicalis Förster) feeding and limonene and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatments on the essential oil composition and headspace volatiles of carrot (Daucus carota ssp. sativus), cvs. Parano and Splendid, leaves was studied. Carrot psyllid feeding significantly increased the concentrations of sabinene, beta-pinene, and limonene, whereas limonene treatment increased the concentration of (Z)-beta-ocimene in the leaves of both cultivars. The limonene treatment significantly increased the concentration of total phenolics in the leaves of both cultivars, and MeJA treatment increased phenolic concentration in the leaves of Parano. Exogenous limonene spray did not decrease the number of carrot psyllid eggs laid either 2 or 24 h after treatment. The results suggest that carrot psyllid feeding induces changes in the endogenous monoterpene pool in the carrot leaves. Limonene and MeJA treatments affect some induced defenses of the carrot, but the exogenous limonene spray is not an effective oviposition deterrent against carrot psyllid.