Potential of Biochar to Alternate Soil Properties and Crop Yields 3 and 4 Years after the Application (original) (raw)
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Journal of Ecological Engineering
Recently, a lot of studies focused on the effects of biochar application to agricultural soils and its influence on the soil properties. However, only limited information is available on the simultaneous impact of N-fertilizer combined with biochar to soil physical propersies such as: soil moisture, soil temperature, bulk density and waterfilled pore space. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the soil physical properties of a silty loam Haplic Luvisol affected by the biochar application and its combination with N fertilizer during the years 2014-2016 (Experimental site of SUA-Nitra, Dolná Malanta, Slovakia). The field experiment was carried out in 2014 with different biochar application doses (0, 10 and 20 t ha-1) and different rate of N fertilization (0, 1 st and 2 nd level of N fertilization). The results showed that the both biochar amendment and biochar with N fertilizer increased the soil moisture in the range of 1 to 15%, on average. The higher rate of biochar resulted in higher soil moisture in all treatments with biochar in the following order B0 (14.9) < B10 (15.1) < B20 (16.2) as well as in biochar in combination with N fertilization: B0N1 (14.6) < B10N1 (15.7) < B20N1 (16.2) as well as B0N2 (14.8) < B10N2 (15.8) < B20N2 (16.0) during the years of 2014-2016. A positive trend of water-filled pore space increase by the time in all studied treatments was observed. No significant changes in the average soil temperature were observed between the biochar and biochar with N fertilization treatments during the growing seasons of individual years. The higher rate of biochar resulted in lower soil bulk density in all treatments with biochar in combination with N fertilization in the following order: B0N1 (1.49) > B10N1 (1.47) > B20N1 (1.44) as well as B0N2 (1.51) > B10N2 (1.47) > B20N2 (1.39) during years the studied period (2014-2016).
Acta fytotechnica et zootechnica
An experiment of different application rates of biochar and biochar combined with nitrogen fertilizer was conducted at the newly established experimental field (spring 2014) on a Haplic Luvisol located in Nitra region of Slovakia during the growing season of spring barley. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of biochar combined with fertilization on the soil organic matter and soil structure parameters. The treatments (3 replicates) consisted of 0, 10 and 20 t ha-1 of biochar application (B0, B10 and B20) combined with 0, 40 and 80 kg ha-1 of nitrogen fertilizer applied (N0, N40, N80). The results showed that the effect of biochar application without N fertilization significantly decreased the easily extractable glomalin in B10N0 and B20N0 compared to B0N0, respectively. The same effects were observed in B10N40 and B10N80. The soil organic matter (SOM) was rapidly degradable by microorganisms (on the base of lability index values) in B10N0 treatment and the SOM had greater stability and resistance to microbial degradation in B10N80 treatment. Added N fertilization in both doses together with 10 t biochar ha-1 had statistical significant influence on decreasing of lability index values. The highest accumulation of carbon occurred in B20N0 treatment. The addition of biochar at 10 t ha-1 together with 80 kg ha-1 N significantly increased values of carbon pool index (24%) compared to B10N0. Generally, the highest average content of macro-aggregates was found in the B20N0 treatment and then in B20N80 > B10N0 > B0N0 > B10N80 > B10N40 > B20N40. Treatment B10N0 showed robust increase (by 53%) for the macro-aggregates of > 7 mm, but on the other hand it decreased content of macro-aggregates 3-1 mm compared to B0N0. A considerable increase of aggregates stability was found in range of 19% in case of 20 t ha-1 of biochar application combined with 80 kg ha-1 N compared to B0N0. A positive effect on decrease of percentage of aggregate destruction was found only in case of B20N80 treatment compared to B0N0.
Journal of Ecological Engineering
Since biochar is considered to be a significant source of carbon, in this work we have evaluated the changes in soil organic matter (SOM) and soil structure due to application of biochar and biochar with N fertilization, and have considered the interrelationships between the SOM parameters and the soil structure. The soil samples were collected from Haplic Luvisol at the locality of Dolná Malanta (Slovakia) during 2017. The field experiment included three rates of biochar application (B0 -no biochar, B10 -biochar at the rate of 10 t ha -1 , B20 -biochar at the rate of 20 t ha -1 ) and three levels of N fertilization (N0 -no nitrogen, N160 -nitrogen at the rate of 160 kg ha -1 , N240 -nitrogen at the rate of 240 kg ha -1 ). The rate of biochar at 20 t ha -1 caused an increase in the organic carbon (C org ) content. The combination of both rates of biochar with 160 and 240 kg N ha -1 also caused an increase in C org . In the case of B20 the extractability of humic substances carbon (C HS ) was 17.79% lower than at B0. A significant drop was also observed in the values of the extraction of humic acids carbon (C HA ) and fulvic acids carbon (C FA ) after the addition of biochar at a dose of 20 t ha -1 with 160 kg N ha -1 . However, both rates of biochar had a significant effect at 240 kg N ha -1 . After application of 20 t ha -1 of biochar the content of water-stable macro-aggregates (WSA ma ) significantly increased compared to control. This rate of biochar also increased the mean weight diameter (MWD W ) and the index of water-stable aggregates (Sw) and decreased the coefficient of vulnerability (Kv). The biochar at a rate of 20 t ha -1 with 240 kg N ha -1 the value of MWD W increased and value of Kv decreased significantly. The contents of C org and C L correlated positively with WSA ma , MWD W and Sw and negatively with WSA mi and Kv. The extraction of C HA and C FA was in negative relationship with MWD W . We conclude that the application of biochar and biochar combined with N fertilizer had a positive influence on SOM and soil structure.
Biochar on Soil Fertility and Crop Productivity
The Agriculturists
An experiment was conducted at the farmer’s field in Shibalaya upazilla of Manikganj district during rabi season of 2017to study the effectiveness of biochar on soil fertility and yields of brinjal and cauliflower. There were five treatments viz. control, recommended inorganic fertilizer (RF), biochar 1 t/ha + RF, biochar 3 t/ha + RF and biochar 5 t/ha + RF laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Data revealed that biochar at the rate of 5 t/ha along with RF provided maximum yields of brinjal (67 t/ha) and cauliflower (42 t/ha). The pH, nutrients and moisture contents of the study soils increased and bulk density decreased with the higher rates of biochar application. Significant changes were observed in the total organic carbon in soils which increased by 25 to 41% from the initial levels. Recovery, agronomic and physiological efficiencies of N, P, K and S were found the highest with the application of biochar 5 t/ha. In terms of soil fertility and cr...
Biochar application to temperate soils - effects on soil fertility and crop yield
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts, 2012
Biochar (BC) application as a soil amendment has aroused much interest and was found to considerably improve soil nutrient status and crop yields on poor, tropical soils. However, information on the effect of BC on temperate soils is still insufficient, with effects expected to differ from tropical soils. We investigated the effects of BC on soil nutrient dynamics, crop yield, and quality in a greenhouse pot experiment. We compared three agricultural soils (Planosol, Cambisol, Chernozem), and BCs of three different feedstocks (wheat straw [WS], mixed woodchips [WC], vineyard pruning [VP]) slowly pyrolyzed at 525°C, of which the latter was also pyrolyzed at 400°C. The BCs were applied at two rates (1% and 3%, which would correspond to 30 and 90 t ha-1 in the field). Three crops, namely mustard (Sinapis alba L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and red clover (Trifolium pretense L.) were grown successively within one year. The investigated soil properties included pH, electrical conductivity (EC), cation-exchange capacity (CEC), calcium-acetate-lactate (CAL)-extractable P (P CAL) and K (K CAL), C, N, and nitrogen-supplying potential (NSP). The results show a pH increase in all soils. The CEC increased only on the Planosol. The C : N ratio increased at 3% application rate. Despite improving the soil nutrient status partly, yields of the first crop (mustard) and to a lesser extent of the second crop (barley) were significantly depressed through BC application (by up to 68%); the yield of clover as third crop was not affected. Only the BC from WS maintained yields in the range of the control and even increased barley yield by 6%. The initial yield reduction was accompanied by notable decreases (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) and increases (Mo) in micronutrient concentrations of plant tissues while nitrogen concentrations were hardly affected. The results of the pot experiment show that despite additional mineral fertilization, short-term growth inhibition may occur when applying BC without further treatment to temperate soils.
Agronomy
Due to climate change the productive agricultural sectors have started to face various challenges, such as soil drought. Biochar is studied as a promising soil amendment. We studied the effect of a former biochar application (in 2014) and re-application (in 2018) on bulk density, porosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil water content and selected soil water constants at the experimental site in Dolná Malanta (Slovakia) in 2019. Biochar was applied and re-applied at the rates of 0, 10 and 20 t ha−1. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied annually at application levels N0, N1 and N2. In 2019, these levels were represented by the doses of 0, 108 and 162 kg N ha−1, respectively. We found that biochar applied at 20 t ha−1 without fertilizer significantly reduced bulk density by 12% and increased porosity by 12%. During the dry period, a relative increase in soil water content was observed at all biochar treatments—the largest after re-application of biochar at a dose of 20 t ha−1 at all...
Agronomy
Recent findings of changing climate, water scarcity, soil degradation, and greenhouse gas emissions have brought major challenges to sustainable agriculture worldwide. Biochar application to soil proves to be a suitable solution to these problems. Although the literature presents the pros and cons of biochar application, very little information is available on the impact of repeated application. In this study, we evaluate and discuss the effects of initial and reapplied biochar (both in rates of 0, 10, and 20 t ha−1) combined with N fertilization (at doses of 0, 40, and 80 kg ha−1) on soil properties and N2O emission from Haplic Luvisol in the temperate climate zone (Slovakia). Results showed that biochar generally improved the soil properties such as soil pH(KCl) (p ≤ 0.05; from acidic towards moderately acidic), soil organic carbon (p ≤ 0.05; an increase from 4% to over 100%), soil water availability (an increase from 1% to 15%), saturated hydraulic conductivity (an increase from ...
Biochar and their impacts on soil properties and crop productivity: a review
2018
Biochar may be added to soils with the goal to improve the soil properties and relocate an amount of conventional fossil fuel based fertilizers, and sequester carbon. Biochar stability is critical to quantifying the impact of biochar amendments on net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere, it is not sufficient. Biochar production and incorporation in soil must play a role in climate change mitigation. The need for further clarity on optimizing biochar application to various crop yields is necessary if it is to gain widespread acceptance as a soil amendment. There is urgent need to intensify agricultural production to secure food supply for the increasing population especially in developing country like India of the tropics. But, the organic matter is mineralized at a faster rate due to high temperature (32-44 C) throughout the year except in winter season. Biochar proponents have placed on biochar stability in soil and it also includes increased soil fertility and water h...
2013
Biochar (BC) application as a soil amendment has aroused much interest and was found to considerably improve soil nutrient status and crop yields on poor, tropical soils. However, information on the effect of BC on temperate soils is still insufficient, with effects expected to differ from tropical soils. We investigated the effects of BC on soil nutrient dynamics, crop yield, and quality in a greenhouse pot experiment. We compared three agricultural soils (Planosol, Cambisol, Chernozem), and BCs of three different feedstocks (wheat straw [WS], mixed woodchips [WC], vineyard pruning [VP]) slowly pyrolyzed at 525°C, of which the latter was also pyrolyzed at 400°C. The BCs were applied at two rates (1% and 3%, which would correspond to 30 and 90 t ha -1 in the field). Three crops, namely mustard (Sinapis alba L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and red clover (Trifolium pretense L.) were grown successively within one year. The investigated soil properties included pH, electrical conductivity (EC), cation-exchange capacity (CEC), calcium-acetate-lactate (CAL)-extractable P (P CAL ) and K (K CAL ), C, N, and nitrogen-supplying potential (NSP). The results show a pH increase in all soils. The CEC increased only on the Planosol. The C : N ratio increased at 3% application rate. Despite improving the soil nutrient status partly, yields of the first crop (mustard) and to a lesser extent of the second crop (barley) were significantly depressed through BC application (by up to 68%); the yield of clover as third crop was not affected. Only the BC from WS maintained yields in the range of the control and even increased barley yield by 6%. The initial yield reduction was accompanied by notable decreases (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) and increases (Mo) in micronutrient concentrations of plant tissues while nitrogen concentrations were hardly affected. The results of the pot experiment show that despite additional mineral fertilization, short-term growth inhibition may occur when applying BC without further treatment to temperate soils.
Agricultural and Food Science
The benefits of biochar (BC) application to fertile, non-acid soils in temperate climate regions might not always be as evident as for highly weathered tropical soils. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of BC on soil characteristics, nutrient uptake and crop yield in field experiments on two temperate soils (Cambisol and Chernozem) in Austria. Maize and wheat (Cambisol) and barley and sunflower (Chernozem) were grown in susuccessive bsequent vegetation periods following different after variable BC application rates (0, 24 and 72 t ha-1 at the start of the experiment) supplemented with identical mineral N supply in 33 m² plots. BC treatments showed varying impacts on nutrient uptake of the investigated crops. The first growing season in the Chernozem region was affected by a prolonged drought period , which resulted in positive effects of BC on soil water-holding capacity (WHC) and barley crop yield (+ 10%) for the 72 t ha-1 BC + N treatment compared to a control wit...