Invasive plant-derived biochar inhibits sulfamethazine uptake by lettuce in soil.

Abstract Veterinary antibiotics are frequently detected in soils posing potential contamination of food crops. Sulfamethazine (SMT) uptake was investigated by lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.) grown in the soils treated with/without biochar derived from an invasive plant, burcucumber ( Sicyos angulatus L.) (BBC700). Soils were contaminated with SMT at 5 and 50 mg kg −1 , and treated with/without 5% BBC700 (w w −1 ). The lettuces were harvested after 5 weeks of cultivation and were analyzed for SMT by a high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry after solid-phase extraction. With 5% BBC700, the uptake of SMT was reduced by 86% in the soil spiked with 5 mg kg −1 SMT compared to the control whereas a 63% reduction was observed in the soil spiked with 50 mg kg −1 SMT. Application of BBC700, into soils effectively reduced the SMT uptake by lettuce.