Impact of Biochar Soil Amendment on Tomato mosaic virus Infection, Growth and Nutrients Uptake of Tomato Plants

Biochar soil amendment was applied as an eco-friendly approach to control Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) and improve tomato growth and nutritional status. Three concentrations of biochar, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% were used as soil amendments. Using biochar at the rate of 1 and 1.5% reduced the ToMV incidence and delayed symptoms appearance as compared with plants grown in non-amended soil. Infection percentage and disease severity of ToMV were reduced by 33.3 and 50%, respectively, 15 days after inoculation of plants of soil amended with 1.5% biochar. ToMV relative concentration, using indirect ELISA was significantly reduced in plants of biochar 1% and 1.5% treatments. The lowest virus concentration was recorded at 21 days after inoculation in plants of 1.5% biochar amended soil. The shoot fresh weight was increased at biochar rates of 1.5 and 0.5% in non-infected and ToMV infected tomato, respectively. Significant increase was obtained in shoot K content amended with 1.0 and 1.5% biochar treatments of healthy and ToMV-infected tomato plants, respectively. Whereas, shoot Na content was diminished in infected plants grown in biochar amended soil at all tested biochar concentrations. Overall, the biochar application to soil enhanced resistance to ToMV infection, stimulated growth and K content increment and Na content decrement in tomato plants. In conclusion, application of biochar to agricultural soil could be considered a practical tool for minimizing the change effects of climate through carbon sequestration, improve plant productivity and increase diseases tolerance for sustainable agriculture.