Abstract

Miscanthus plant establishment in the field may suffer as a result of natural pollution and climate change. This is especially important because biomass can be produced on uncultivated land without harming food crops. The chosen hybrid, the cultivation method, the climatic conditions, and the concentration of pollutants in the soil all have an impact on establishment success. During the first growing season and after the first winter, there are a number of ways to increase the chances that the plants will survive. Utilizing biochar and photodegradable plastic mulch, both of which have the potential to be a solution for polluted soils containing trace elements (TMEs), is one of them. For two Miscanthus hybrids planted by rhizome (TV1) and seedling plugs (GNT43) on soils contaminated with trace metal elements (Pb, Cd, and Zn), the purpose of this study was to investigate the application of plastic mulch and biochar separately and in combination at the planting stage. TV1 is not suitable for TME-contaminated field cultivation, as the survival rate was below 60% in the majority of the treatments studied. The survival rate did not rise with the chosen treatments. This parameter was significantly reduced when biochar and plastic mulch were combined, regardless of the hybrid under investigation. Pb and Cd in GNT43 were significantly higher in all treatments, but applied agrotechnology had no effect on TME accumulation in TV1's aboveground plant parts. During establishment on TME-contaminated soil or after the first growing season, neither biochar nor plastic mulch applied separately nor in combination increased survival or decreased the accumulation of toxic TMEs.