Effects of biochar on berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum, L.) growth and heavy metal (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Ni) accumulation

The worldwide surge in population living in urban and peri-urban areas will gain importance to the food demand for urban residents (Nations United, 2018). The cultivation of urban soils can represent a good alternative for the food supply, but soil pollution by heavy metals (HMs) is the critical point for their use because they often exceed the tolerable limits (Rastegari Mehr et al., 2017). Different technologies were developed for soil remediation which can be combined to obtain better results than those derived from a singular treatment. This study aims aimed at producing fodder crops from HM-polluted soil used for urban and allotment purposes following treatment with biochar. Two different doses of biochar were tested to assess the capacity to reduce heavy metal uptake by plants, which could then be used for livestock fodder