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Horticulturae
Volume 12
Issue 6
10.3390/horticulturae12060672
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Low-Dose Micronized Biochar Enhances Vegetative and Physiological Traits of Vitis vinifera and Improves Soil Quality in Organic Cultivation: A Two Year-Experiment in Tuscany

by
Costanza Ceccanti
1,
Ermes Lo Piccolo
2,
Michelangelo Becagli
1,
Roberto Cardelli
1,
Lucia Guidi
1,
Ludovica Bigozzi
1,
Giacomo Bianchini
1,
Lorenzo D’Asaro
1 and
Marco Landi
1,*
1
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
2
Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, Viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Horticulturae 2026, 12(6), 672; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12060672 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 27 April 2026 / Revised: 22 May 2026 / Accepted: 25 May 2026 / Published: 28 May 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition Management and Weed Management Strategies in Horticultural Plants)
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Abstract

A two-year field experiment was conducted in an organic vineyard in Tuscany (Italy), to evaluate the effects of micronized biochar (0.5% v/v) applied via fertigation on soil fertility/biological quality and Vitis vinifera performance. The biochar, derived from pyrogasified mixed wood, was compared to watered controls (CTR) following a randomized plot design. Soil chemical properties, dehydrogenase (DHA) and alkaline phosphatase (APA) activities, and plant parameters (biomass, leaf area, gas exchange, chlorophyll, flavonols, and foliar nutrients) were assessed in samples collected in July and September (2021 and 2022). Biochar did not significantly alter total and dissolved organic carbon contents or nitrogen fractions but enhanced DHA and APA activities, alongside increased available phosphorous content (+37.5%) and exchangeable potassium content (+7.1 and +19.7% in September 2021 and July 2022, respectively), indicating improved microbial activity and nutrient availability. Conversely, exchangeable calcium and magnesium contents decreased, likely due to biochar adsorption properties. Plant responses included increased leaf area and dry biomass in 2022, elevated net photosynthesis rate (+14.4%) and apparent carboxylation efficiency, and transient increases in foliar nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium contents, with reduced magnesium concentration (–27%) but stable chlorophyll levels. These findings suggest that low doses of micronized biochar may enhance soil quality and vine physiology, supporting its efficient and effective use in organic vineyards.
Keywords: nutrient availability; photosynthetic performances; pyrogasification; soil enzymatic activity; soil fertility nutrient availability; photosynthetic performances; pyrogasification; soil enzymatic activity; soil fertility
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MDPI and ACS Style

Ceccanti, C.; Lo Piccolo, E.; Becagli, M.; Cardelli, R.; Guidi, L.; Bigozzi, L.; Bianchini, G.; D’Asaro, L.; Landi, M. Low-Dose Micronized Biochar Enhances Vegetative and Physiological Traits of Vitis vinifera and Improves Soil Quality in Organic Cultivation: A Two Year-Experiment in Tuscany. Horticulturae 2026, 12, 672. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12060672

AMA Style

Ceccanti C, Lo Piccolo E, Becagli M, Cardelli R, Guidi L, Bigozzi L, Bianchini G, D’Asaro L, Landi M. Low-Dose Micronized Biochar Enhances Vegetative and Physiological Traits of Vitis vinifera and Improves Soil Quality in Organic Cultivation: A Two Year-Experiment in Tuscany. Horticulturae. 2026; 12(6):672. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12060672

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ceccanti, Costanza, Ermes Lo Piccolo, Michelangelo Becagli, Roberto Cardelli, Lucia Guidi, Ludovica Bigozzi, Giacomo Bianchini, Lorenzo D’Asaro, and Marco Landi. 2026. "Low-Dose Micronized Biochar Enhances Vegetative and Physiological Traits of Vitis vinifera and Improves Soil Quality in Organic Cultivation: A Two Year-Experiment in Tuscany" Horticulturae 12, no. 6: 672. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12060672

APA Style

Ceccanti, C., Lo Piccolo, E., Becagli, M., Cardelli, R., Guidi, L., Bigozzi, L., Bianchini, G., D’Asaro, L., & Landi, M. (2026). Low-Dose Micronized Biochar Enhances Vegetative and Physiological Traits of Vitis vinifera and Improves Soil Quality in Organic Cultivation: A Two Year-Experiment in Tuscany. Horticulturae, 12(6), 672. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12060672

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