In recent years, climate changes became an increasingly urgent problem, that prompted the world scientific community to find practices and “green” technologies that may contribute to the mitigation of the climate change effects. In this context a promising strategy is the use of biochar, a charcoal obtained by controlled pyrolysis of organic substance, as a soil amendment.

If on the one hand human activity could be negative, on the other hand it is considered as an important way of progress. For example, in relation to man’s survival in little or no natural lighting environments, there is the creation of a new device. Indeed, the importance of light is not only linked to the visibility concept, but also to the influence that it has on some physiological and metabolic processes of humans and plants, such as circadian cycle or biological rhythms. In this context, for some year, Coelux® is burned, an innovative and interesting “green technology” that is able to artificially reproduce the images of the sky and sun thanks to nanostructured materials, LED lighting and sophisticated optical systems.

The aim of this research project is to assess the capability of biochar in relation to morphological and physiological changes of plants that grown in presence of artificially reproduced sunlight by Coelux® device.

To set up the experimental plan will be used cuttings of houseplants and horticultural plants and they will grow in presence and in absence of biochar and under CoeLux® lighting system and sunlight. The analysis will be focuses on different levels of investigation:

• Activity of biochar (chemical and physical properties of biochar);
• Effects of biochar and artificial light on soil-plant system and on morpho-physiological changes (chemical and physical analysis of soil, morphological analysis of plants, photosynthetic activity of plants);
• Molecular and proteomic variations.