With the rapid development of industry and human society, massive heavy metals have been released into varied environments, the long-term accumulation of heavy metals is difficult to be removed and toxic to the ecological environment subtly. Global heavy metal pollution is serious, so it is necessary to study and develop economically feasible, green and effective remediation strategies to solve these pollution problems. In soil contaminated by heavy metals, especially in farmland, a vast number of heavy metals will directly or indirectly accumulate the food chain, and then lead to a severe threat to food production and security. Heavy metal pollution in soil threatens health and ecological sustainable development of all kinds of life, including human beings. Biochar, as a current and environmentally friendly material, has been widely used for remediation of water and soil polluted by heavy metals, carbon sequestration and other aspects, exhibiting the great application potential. The adsorption effect of biochar depends largely on its raw material source, preparation method and conditions, so the biochar obtained by traditional preparation method needs to be improved due to its limited adsorption capacity. Increasing scholars have focused on modification biochar in the past decade, and the combined application technology of biochar has also achieved huge progresses. Based on this, this review summarizes the current research progress of biochar in remediation of heavy metal pollution, the production, properties, repair mechanism, and modified methods. Simultaneously, the applications of biochar combined with microbial technology are introduced in detail, and we also propose the future research and development direction of biochar used for remediation of soil contaminated by heavy metals.

Aims An ectomycorrhizal fungus (ECMF) may enhance plant drought resistance. However, there is limited information regarding the effects of ECMFs on drought resistance in Pinus massoniana Lamb., a native species representing an afforestation pioneer tree in subtropical regions of China. Methods In this study, a pot experiment was conducted to determine the effects of ECMF Suillus luteus inoculation on the root morphology and endogenous hormones of P. massoniana, including roots, leaves, and stems, under various water treatment conditions. Four water levels (regular, light, moderate, and severe drought) and three inoculations (inoculated Suillus luteus, numbered S12 and S13, and non-ECMF-inoculated) were compared using a factorial design. Results Under drought stress, P. massoniana seedlings inoculated with S12 and S13 had significantly increased root morphology development (p < 0.05). Light drought positively influenced root development, resulting in a more than twofold increase in root length and root surface area compared to non-inoculated seedlings. Concentrations of gibberellic acid (GA), zeatin riboside (ZR), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in roots, stems, and leaves of inoculated S12 and S13 plants were elevated, whereas abscisic acid (ABA) concentrations were significantly lower, compared to non-inoculated seedlings. The ABA concentrations in the roots of S12 and S13 inoculated seedlings under light drought stress were 1.5 times lower than those in non-inoculated controls. Moreover, root development was positively correlated with plant total GA, IAA, and ZR but negatively correlated with ABA. ConclusionsS. luteus can promote the root growth and development of P. massoniana seedlings, notably by regulating the balance in the concentration of endogenous hormones, thus improving the drought resistance of P. massoniana seedlings.

Paragibellulopsis and Phialoparvum, both erected in 2018, currently comprise merely one and three validly published species, respectively. The identification of two new species, Paragibellulopsis sinensis and Phialoparvum sinense, was achieved by analyzing morphological characteristics and phylogenetic data obtained from four molecular markers (ITS, LSU, rpb2, and tef-1α). Morphologically, Pa. sinensis possessed short conidiogenous cells and aseptate and smaller conidia. On the other hand, Ph. sinense had obovate conidia and longer phialides. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Pa. sinensis formed an independent branch as a sister species to Pa. chrysanthemi, whereas Ph. sinense clustered in a monophyletic clade with a stable topology. The maximum likelihood bootstrap ratio and the Bayesian inference posterior probability provided robust statistical evidence, indicating the presence of two novel species within the genera of Paragibellulopsis and Phialoparvum. The present study contributes to the discovery of species diversity in Paragibellulopsis and Phialoparvum.

This study evaluated the effects of cadmium (Cd) on seed germination and the physiological and biochemical characteristics of Pinus massoniana, which was used as the experimental material; culture dishes and germination boxes were used as testing devices. Seed germination and seedling growth in the presence of various Cd concentrations (0.4, 0.8, 1.2, 2, and 0 mg/L) were explored. The germination indexes of Pinus massoniana seeds used were germination percentage (GP), germination energy (GE), germination index (GI), vigor index (VI). and embryo length. The indexes of early growth of seedlings used were soluble sugar and soluble protein content, antioxidant enzyme activity, Cd content, and Cd enrichment. We found that Pinus massoniana presented reduced GP, GE, GI, VI, and embryo length with increasing Cd concentrations, and the VI and embryo length significantly decreased (P < .05). The physiological and biochemical indexes of Pinus massoniana seedlings were promoted at low Cd concentrations and inhibited at high Cd concentrations; each index peaked under 0.4 mg/L Cd. The Cd content in seedlings and the degree of enrichment decreased and then increased with increasing Cd concentration. Grey correlation analysis results showed that the effects of Cd stress were the strongest on embryo length in seeds (correlation degree: 0.769). The effect of heavy metal pollution on seed germination and growth is closely related to phytoremediation of heavy metal soil. Pinus massoniana is the most widely distributed pine species in China. It is an economically important industrial timber with important ecological value. This study found that under the stress of different cadmium concentrations, heavy metal Cd stress inhibited the germination of Pinus massoniana seeds, and moderate Cd concentration promoted the physiological and biochemical of Pinus massoniana seedlings. Pinus massoniana seedlings have the ability to enrich heavy metal Cd.