INTRODUCTION The rapidly growing human population, climate change, infectious diseases and degradation of soil habitats have seriously affected the global food supply chain (Hofstra et al., 2016). The demand for food is continued to grow with an order of magnitude. It has been estimated that the demand for food and agriculture products will be almost double in the next thirty-five years. Considering the escalating food security issue and future food supply, it has become necessary to increase the agriculture output throughout the globe (Garnett et al., 2013). New techniques are being adopted which are mostly relying on the use of synthetic agrochemicals. The addition of these chemicals for crop protection and stimulating plant growth are associated with various undesired health and ecological site effects. Another important issue causing huge productivity loss is the presence of inorganic pollutants in the soil. In view of the toxicity of the agrochemicals and inorganic pollutants, various bio-based methods have been proposed (Swartjes et al., 1999). However, these methods are currently incapable of producing food at par with the growing demand. In Pakistan, most of the agriculture soils are deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (Akhtar et al., 2003; Inzamam-ul-Haq et al., 2019). In order to gain the required agriculture output, a huge amount of fertilizers are being imported. According to the Ministry of Finance, an increase of 21.1 % of the imported fertilizers was recorded in 2018 owing to the drop of 5.4 % internal manufacturing capacity. Under the situation, the demand of agriculture products is continued to increase and on the other side, fertilizer production capacity is declined (Quddus et al., 2008) so innovative alternative methods should be adopted to meet the growing food demand. Furthermore, the addition of heavy metals such as Cd from various industrial and domestic activities causes severe toxicities at all trophic levels (Wieczorek- Dąbrowska et al., 2013). In this connection, the application of biochar derived from the ligno-cellulosic materials has been proposed as a promising technology in order to improve agriculture productivity and reducing the impact of toxic contaminants in the soil. Pak. J. Agri. Sci., Vol. 57(5), 1201-1210;2020 ISSN (Print) 0552-9034, ISSN (Online) 2076-0906 DOI: 10.21162/PAKJAS/20.137 http://www.pakjas.com.pk IMPACT OF Zea mays L. WASTE DERIVED BIOCHAR ON CADMIUM IMMOBILIZATION AND WHEAT PLANT GROWTH Saeed Ullah Jan 1,2 , Asif jamal 1 , Muhammad Adnan Sabar 1 , İbrahim Ortaş 2 , Mehmet Işik 2 , Veysi Akşahin 2 , Huda Ahmed Alghamdi 3 , Sarah Gul 4 , Zafeer Saqib 4 and Muhammad Ishtiaq Ali* ,1 1 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan; 2 Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Cukurova, Adana, 01330, Turkey; 3 Department of Biology, College of Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia; 4 Faculty of Basic & Applied Sciences, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan. *Corresponding author’s e-mail: ishi_ali@hotmail.com The lethal consequence of cadmium (Cd) toxicity is a serious environmental concern in crops and food chain. Promising strategies for Cd immobilization are prerequisite to diminish its mobility through biochar. Present research highlights the laboratory and greenhouse-based study of production and quality assessment of biochar derived from maize (Zea mays L.) crop waste. Further, the effect of biochar on the growth of wheat plants under the cadmium stress was evaluated along with Cd bioaccumulation in shoots, roots, micro and macronutrients, and characterization of wheat plant roots grown in Cd-spiked soil. The biochar was prepared at 700°C in a muffle furnace heating for 2 hours under anaerobic conditions. Different concentrations of biochar (BC) i.e., 0%, 1.5%, and 3% w/w, along with three different rates of Cd levels: 0, 10, and 20 mg/kg were used in pot culture experiment. The physiological and morphological parameters were analyzed after 75 days of harvesting. Amendments of biochar increased plant dry biomass by 55% at BC 1.5% and 68% at BC 3%, while biochar enhanced fresh biomass by 21% at BC 1.5% and 25% at BC 3%. It also reduced Cd in wheat shoots by 51% at BC 1.5% and 48% at BC 3%. Similarly, Cd reduction was recorded in wheat roots by 23% at BC1.5% and 51% at BC 3%. In addition, the maize derived biochar enhanced root length by 23% at BC 1.5% and 38% at BC 3%. Root surface area was enhanced by 39% at BC 1.5% and 92% at BC 3%, while root volume was increased by 54% at BC 1.5% and 72% at BC 3%. In summation, maize waste- derived biochar presented positive outcomes as soil amendments for enhancing the wheat plant growth and Cd immobilization and thus, reducing its bioavailability in the Cd-spiked soil to alleviate food security risks. Keywords: Biochar, agro-waste, cadmium, immobilization, XRD, contaminants.