Converting pig manure into biochar mitigates the antibiotic resistance of vegetable endophytes

Manure application can facilitate antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) transmission from soil to the plant microbiome, posing a potential threat to human health through the food chain. Green technologies to mitigate the introduction and transfer of ARGs from animal waste to plant are urgently needed. Our previous study revealed that converting composted manure into biochar can effectively mitigate ARGs spread into soil. However, whether the compost-derived biochar can decrease the spread of ARGs and potential bacterial pathogens into vegetable endosphere and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. A pot experiment planting pakchoi (Brassica chinensis) was conducted to investigate the effect of compost-derived biochar application on the endophytic ARGs and microbiome of packchoi.