This study investigates the potential of biochar derived from various biomass sources: apricot kernel (AK), pine sawdust (PS), rice husk (RH), wheat straw (WS), and reed stem (RS) to enhance the yield, nutritional quality, and environmental sustainability of parsley crops. Comprehensive characterization through SEM, EDAX, nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, and FTIR analyses identified AK biochar as the most suitable for further enrichment due to its superior specific surface area (512.3 m²/g) and iodine number (51.23 mg/g). EDAX analysis revealed that AK biochar exhibited the highest carbon content (92.1%), while RH biochar contained the highest silicon content (46%), indicating different potential applications. FTIR analysis identified key functional groups, such as carbonyl (1740 cm⁻¹) and hydroxyl (3430 cm⁻¹) groups, which contribute to the biochar’s reactivity and potential effectiveness in various applications. The effects of selenium (Na₂SeO₄), iodine (KI), their combination (Na₂SeO₄ + KI), and BISF (biochar‐enriched iodine and selenium fertilizer) on parsley growth, antioxidant properties, and nutrient accumulation were evaluated. The results demonstrated that joint applications of iodide and selenate led to a 3.1‐fold increase in iodine content (up to 16.8 mg/kg d.w.) and a 1.2‐fold increase in selenium accumulation (up to 2482.1 μg/kg d.w.) in parsley compared to separate treatments. Additionally, BISF treatment significantly improved key biometric parameters, with leaf weight increasing by 1.6 times (up to 326.5 g) compared to the control, and antioxidant content—ascorbic acid, polyphenols, and antioxidant activity—showing increases of 1.56, 1.27, and 1.50 times, respectively. This study underscores the effectiveness of selenium‐ and iodine‐enriched biochar in enhancing parsley crop yield and nutritional quality while also demonstrating the multifunctional role of biochar in environmental remediation.

In this paper, the effect of an organic fertilizer, namely, “vermicompost tea” (VCT), on the germination of seeds of the rare wild species Scorzonera tau-saghyz Lipsch. et & G.G. Bosse was studied. S. tau-saghyz is an alternative rubber plant to Hevea brasiliensis, and it was widely distributed and grew well in the northwestern spur of the Tien Shan in the pre-war years (1931–1943). In recent decades, the number of wild species of S. tau-saghyz in natural populations has declined sharply due to climate change and the impact of anthropogenic factors. In this context, it has become necessary to restore the number of wild species. One of the critical phases in the restoration of surviving S. tau-saghyz populations and domestication is seed germination. The approaches that have been explored to increase seed germination, such as stratification and seed dressing with ethyl mercuric chloride, have not yielded good results. The current study covered 4 and 8 h short-term seed treatments with 1, 5 and 10% VCT. The priming of S. tau-saghyz seeds with 10% VCT was found to significantly increase germination from 39.0 (in the control) to 76.7% and to improve seedling vigor, mean germination time, and seedling weight. The combination of soaking the seeds in 10% VCT for 8 h and cultivating the seedlings in soil with 20% vermicompost further improved both germination and seedling growth. The vermicompost incorporation lengthened the main root, which normally accumulates rubber, and it increased its crude biomass by 1.6 times compared to that of the control.

Due to its admirable adsorption capacity, activated carbon is used widely as an adsorbent. Thus, it proves to be an effective adsorbent for environmental remediation, water purification, and air cleaning. The present work takes a perspective on the synthesis, characterization, and adsorption behavior of activated carbon from walnut shell, an environmental waste material of huge renewable source. High-surface-area activated carbon with high adsorption capacity was prepared by chemical activation based on the utilization of phosphoric acid. The synthesized AC is characterized by using sophisticated techniques: SEM, FTIR, BET, and XRD. Batch adsorption tests using methylene blue (MB) were carried out to measure adsorption efficiency, with recorded maximum adsorption capacity reaching 450 mg/g. These results highlight the walnut shell activated carbon as an efficient, economical, and green adsorbent. This shows the feasibility of this material on the industrial scale for applications to purify water and air: a safe method for treating agricultural waste besides fighting against environmental pollution. Results reveal that even moderate conditions lead to a very porous architecture with BET surface area higher than 1200 m²/g. FTIR and XRD illustrate functional groups and the presence of amorphous carbon structures, corresponding to SEM images of a well-defined porous network. These results underline that WSAC can serve as an effective, sustainable, and economic adsorbent that can find applications in extra-large environmental applications, elaborating a circular economy concept converting agricultural waste into resources for pollution elimination.