Investigation of Agricultural Use Potential of Wood Vinegar

This study aimed to demonstrate the potential use of wood vinegar as a soil conditioner and disease suppressant for agricultural purposes. In the first phase of the study, a greenhouse experiment was established to investigate the effects of different application methods of wood vinegar on wheat plant growth and certain soil properties. In the second phase, the biocide trial, the efficacy of wood vinegar at different concentrations (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) against the sugar beet leaf spot disease pathogen Cercospora beticola was evaluated under in-vitro conditions.

In the greenhouse experiment, the fresh and dry weights of the wheat plants, as well as their nitrogen and phosphorus contents, along with the soil’s total nitrogen, NH₄⁺-N, and NO₃⁻-N values, were found to be lowest in the control treatment and highest in the treatment where seeds were coated with wood vinegar and the solution was applied foliarly (p < 0.05). Although all wood vinegar treatments altered the soil’s pH, EC, OM, lime, P, and K values compared to the control, only the increase in phosphorus content was statistically significant (p < 0.05).

According to the results of the biocide trial, except for the 0.5% dose, all concentrations of wood vinegar completely inhibited the growth of C. beticola under in-vitro conditions. At the 0.5% dose, wood vinegar was still able to inhibit the growth of highly virulent C. beticola isolates by 77.4% and 91.1%, respectively. In other words, even low-dose applications of wood vinegar were found to significantly suppress the growth of highly virulent C. beticola isolates.

Based on the data obtained from the study, it was concluded that testing wood vinegar as a biocide under in-vivo conditions may yield beneficial results.