A new review published in Biochar X suggests that biochar could help address the long-standing challenges of continuous cropping in solanaceous vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and potatoes by improving soil health and reducing disease pressure.
Continuous cropping, a common practice in modern vegetable farming, involves growing the same crop repeatedly in the same field. While widely adopted, the practice can gradually reduce soil fertility, increase the spread of diseases and lower crop yields over time, Mirage News reported.
According to the review, solanaceous vegetables are among the world’s most important food crops, providing essential nutrients and supporting major agricultural industries. However, intensive cultivation has increased the risk of continuous cropping problems, including nutrient imbalance, deterioration of soil structure, buildup of harmful compounds released by plant roots and changes in soil microbes that encourage plant diseases.
Corresponding author Chaochan Li said continuous cropping problems are caused by several interacting factors rather than a single issue.
“Our review shows that biochar has great potential because it can act on several of these factors at the same time,” Li said.
The review examines the causes of continuous cropping problems in major solanaceous crops and compares the use of biochar with conventional methods such as crop rotation, fertilizer management, soil disinfection, grafting and microbial treatments.
Researchers noted that while these traditional approaches can help, they often require more time, greater labour input, technical expertise or careful management to avoid unintended environmental impacts.
The review found that biochar offers several advantages because of its porous structure, ability to retain nutrients and capacity to improve soil conditions.
According to the researchers, biochar can enhance water retention, improve soil structure, increase organic matter levels and help maintain soil pH and nutrient availability. These improvements create a healthier environment around plant roots, where important interactions between plants and soil microorganisms take place.
The study also highlights biochar’s ability to reduce the harmful effects of compounds released by plants during continuous cropping. Over time, substances such as phenolic acids, cinnamic acid, benzoic acid and vanillin can accumulate in the soil, restricting root growth, disrupting plant development and encouraging harmful microbes.
The review found that biochar can absorb or help break down these compounds, reducing their negative effects and supporting healthier plant growth under continuous cropping systems.
