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Characterization of Biochar from Prunus armeniaca shells collected in cold desert Kargil, Ladakh, as a soil enhancer

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Abstract

Cold desert regions such as Kargil in Ladakh face severe agricultural challenges due to poor soil fertility, limited nutrient availability, water scarcity, and short growing seasons, leading to a heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers. This study explores the potential of biochar produced from locally available apricot seed shells (Prunus armeniaca), an abundant agro-waste in the region, as a sustainable soil amendment. The biochar was applied to native cold desert soil to evaluate its influence on soil fertility and plant growth using spinach (Spinacia oleracea), a commonly cultivated vegetable in household gardens. Compared with untreated soil, biochar-amended soil showed improved plant growth, reflected in increased leaf size and leaf number. The results demonstrate that apricot seed shell biochar can enhance soil quality and support healthier vegetable growth under cold desert conditions. By converting locally generated apricot agro-waste into a value-added soil amendment, this study proposes a region-specific and sustainable strategy to improve soil productivity while reducing dependence on external chemical fertilizers. The findings highlight the potential of apricot seed shell biochar as an environmentally sustainable option for soil management and agricultural resilience in fragile cold desert ecosystems such as Kargil, Ladakh.

Data availability

All data are available within the manuscript.

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Funding

Open access funding provided by Symbiosis International (Deemed University). not applicable.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, Government Degree College Drass, University of Ladakh, Kargil, India

    Sajad Hussain

  2. Dept. of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering & Physical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India

    Pratima Gajbhiye

  3. Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Pune Campus, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India

    Sonawane Chandrakant

  4. Symbiosis Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India

    Sonawane Chandrakant & Amol Vedpathak

  5. Faculty of Engineering and Quantity Surveying, INTI International University, Nilai, 71800, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

    Choon Kit chan

  6. Centre of Research Impact and Outcome, Chitkara University, Rajpura, 140417, Punjab, India

    Saurav Dixit

  7. Centre for Promotion of Research, Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun, India, Uttarakhand

    Saurav Dixit

  8. Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh, 12372, Saudi Arabia

    Md Irfanul Haque Siddiqui

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  1. Sajad Hussain
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  2. Pratima Gajbhiye
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  3. Sonawane Chandrakant
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Contributions

S.H. conceived and designed the study, carried out experimentation, performed data curation, and prepared the original manuscript draft.P.G. contributed to methodology development, supervised experimental work, validated results, and participated in manuscript review and editing.C.S. provided resources, guided microstructural characterization, and contributed to critical revision of the manuscript.A.V. contributed to formal analysis, visualization, and manuscript editing, and assisted in interpreting corrosion and electrochemical data.C.K.C. supported data analysis, assisted in microstructural evaluation, and participated in manuscript review.S.D. contributed to project supervision, technical guidance, and refinement of the manuscript.M.I.H.S. carried out additional data interpretation, contributed to validation, and supported manuscript review and editing.

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Sajad Hussain or Amol Vedpathak.

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Hussain, S., Gajbhiye, P., Chandrakant, S. et al. Characterization of Biochar from Prunus armeniaca shells collected in cold desert Kargil, Ladakh, as a soil enhancer.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46973-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-46973-1

Keywords

  • Biochar
  • Apricot seed shell
  • Cold desert soil
  • Sustainable agriculture
  • Soil fertility
  • Spinacia oleracea
  • Ladakh agro-ecosystem

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