Cadmium (Cd) is one the leading environmental contaminants. The Cd toxicity and its potential stabilization strategies have been investigated in the recent years. However, the combined effects of biochar and microorganisms on the adsorption of Cd and maize plant physiology, still remained unclear. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to evaluate the combined effects of biochar (BC) pyrolyzed from (maize-straw, cow-manure, and poultry-manure, and microorganisms [Trichoderma harzianum (fungus) and Bacillus subtilis (bacteria)], on plant nutrient uptake under various Cd-stress levels (0, 10, and 30 ppm). The highest level of Cd stress (30 ppm) caused the highest reduction in maize plant biomass, intercellular CO2, transpiration rate, water use efficiency, stomatal conductance, and photosynthesis rate as compared to control Cd0 (0 ppm). The sole application of BC and microorganisms significantly improved plant growth, intercellular CO2, transpiration rate, water use efficiency, stomatal conductance, and photosynthesis rate and caused a significant reduction in root and shoot Cd. However, the co-application of BC and microorganisms was more effective than the sole applications. In this regard, the highest improvement in plant growth and carbon assimilation, and highest reduction in root and shoot Cd was recorded from co-application of cow-manure and combined inoculation of Trichoderma harzianum (fungus) + Bacillus subtilis (bacteria) under Cd stress. However, due to the aging factor and biochar leaching alkalinity, the effectiveness of biochar in removing Cd may diminish over time, necessitating long-term experiments to improve understanding of biochar and microbial efficiency for specific bioremediation aims.

Centre of Genomics and Biotechnology Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou China

College of Resources and Environmental Sciences Gansu Agricultural University Lanzhou China

Department of Agrochemistry Soil Science Microbiology and Plant Nutrition Faculty of AgriSciences Mendel University in Brno Brno Czechia

Department of Agronomy University of Agriculture Faisalabad Pakistan

Department of Plant Sciences College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences Sultan Qaboos University Seeb Oman

Faculty of Chemistry Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Environmental Protection Brno University of Technology Brno Czechia

Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Arid Land Crop Science Gansu Agricultural University Lanzhou China

Institute for Environmental Studies Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Prague Czechia

Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences University of Agriculture Faisalabad Pakistan

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