Effect of biochar and redmud amendment combinations on Salix triandra growth, metal(loid) accumulation and oxidative stress response

Remediation of metal(loid) polluted soils is an important area of research nowadays. In particular, one remediation technique is much studied, phytomanagement. Phytomanagement combines amendment application and plant growth in order to reduce the risk posed by contaminants. Salicaceae plants showed tolerance towards metal(loid)s and the ability to accumulate high amounts of metal(loid)s in their tissue. Amendments are often applied to counterbalance the reduced soil fertility and high metal(loid) concentrations. Two amendments gathered attention over the last decades, biochar (product of biomass pyrolysis), which can be activated for better effects, and redmud (by-product of alumina production). Those two amendments showed ability to improve soil conditions and thus plant growth, although few studied their combined application. Moreover, since metal(loid)s are known to induce the overproduction of reactive oxygen species, it is important to measure the level of oxidative stress in the plant, to which plants respond using enzymatic and non-enzymatic systems. But no studies evaluate the response of Salicaceae plants to metal(loid) stress and amendment application at the biochemical level in a real soil condition. Therefore, a mesocosm study was set up to evaluate the effect of amending a mine soil with redmud combined to diverse biochars on the soil properties and Salix triandra growth, metal(loid) accumulation and stress marker levels. Results showed that all amendment combinations improved the soil fertility, reduced metal(loid) mobility and thus ameliorated Salix triandra growth, which accumulated metal(loid)s mainly in its roots. Moreover, among the different amendment combinations, Salix triandra plants still suffered from oxidative stress when grown on PG soil amended with redmud and chemical activated carbon, showing elevated levels of phenolic compounds and salicinoids and important antioxidant and enzymatic activities. Finally, one treatment showed levels of these stress markers similar or lower than the control, the combination of redmud with steam activated carbon. In conclusion, this treatment seemed a good solution in a phytomanagement strategy using Salix triandra, improving soil conditions and plant growth and reducing oxidative stress level in the plant roots.