Biochar Enhancing Soil Resilience: A Dual Strategy for Mitigating Heavy Metal Contamination and Drought Stress

Abstract

Drought and heavy metals are abiotic stressors that affect soil fertility and plant growth excessively and have significant toxic consequences, threatening agricultural sustainability. Plants ' accumulation of heavy metals in soil uptake leads to disrupting physiochemical and biochemical metabolisms. Biochar has attracted major attention for potential and sustainable soil amendment. Biochar is a complex carbon-rich organic substance whose properties vary depending on the manufacturing process and feedstock. Application of biochar reduces drought stress by increasing the water holding capacity through modification of soil properties, helps in the retention of moisture, absorbs heavy metals, inhibits harmful bacteria, improves soil pH, and also significantly modifies the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) scavenging enzymes and provide an efficient electron transferring mechanism to reduce the toxic effects in plants. The review focuses on the effects of drought and heavy metals on soil fertility and plant growth, biochar counteracting the drought and as a soil improver, and the various direct and indirect interaction mechanisms of biochar with the soil. This article also focuses on the potential role of biochar in ameliorating drought and heavy metal stress. © 2024 by the authors.