Biochar: A Novel Tool to Enhance Wheat Productivity and Soil Fertility on Sustainable Basis Under Wheat-Maize-Wheat Cropping Pattern (original) (raw)
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Pakistan Journal of Botany, 2019
Despite making great progress in agriculture since after green revolution, Pakistan still needs to increase agricultural production to feed its growing population with its increasing expectations while overcoming the considerable environmental and soil related problems that industrial and agricultural development has brought with it such as air and water pollution and soil acidification. Incorporation of biochar in agriculture field has the potential to be a major factor in maintaining soil fertility and productivity. The present experiments were designed to evaluate the effect of varied organic (biochar and FYM) and inorganic amendments (nitrogen, urea) on the growth and yield of wheat and associated soil properties. Incorporation of biochar in agriculture field has the potential to be a major factor in maintaining soil fertility and productivity. The experiments consisted of three factors namely: (1) Biochar (0, 25 and 50 ton ha-1), (2) FYM (5 and 10 ton ha-1) and (3) nitrogen (60 and 120 kg ha-1). A controlled treatment was included in the experiments. All the treatments were replicated three times in RCB design at New Developmental Farm of the University of Agriculture Peshawar Pakistan during winter 2012-13 and 2013-14. It was found that the use of BC increased wheat grain yield and biological yield by 23% and 17% respectively over non BC plots, while 49% and 31% increase in wheat leaf chlorophyll content and relative water content was measured as a result of BC application in integration with 60 kg N ha-1 as compared to control and sole application of biochar at the rate of 25 ton ha-1. Moreover, application of FYM resulted 16% and 33% increase in wheat grain yield and biological yield over control. Likewise, wheat relative water content, leaf chlorophyll content, thousand grain weight , soil N and soil P content was increase by 17%, 11%, 15%, 8%, 13 and 24% as a result of 10 ton FYM ha-1 over 5 ton FYM ha-1. Similarly, N application at the rate of 120 ton ha-1 improved wheat yield and yield components over control. Soil total N was increased by 8% and 4% over controlled by use of N at the rate of 60 and 120 kg ha-1 in combination with 25 ton BC ha-1 respectively. On the whole, the use of biochar in cereal crop production had shown positive effects on crop growth, yield and soil properties. However, more research is needed to evaluate the effect of lower biochar application rate on soil and crop performance.
The Science of the total environment, 2017
The beneficial role of biochar is evident in most of infertile soils, however this is argued that increment in crop yield owing to biochar application does not always achieve in cultivated/fertile soils. The nutrient biochar believed to enhance crop yield and soil fertility than structural biochar that may offset the positive effect of chemical fertilizer on crop performance but improves soil structural properties. Therefore, we investigated the effect of biochars [produced from nutrient rich feedstocks like poultry manure (PMB) and farmyard manure (FMB) and structural feedstocks such as wood chips (WCB) and kitchen waste (KWB)], and chemical fertilizers (CF) when applied alone or in combination on soil chemical properties, wheat growth, yield and nitrogen uptake in a cultivated clay loam soil. Sole biochar treatments increased the total carbon and mineral nitrogen content that were 21 and 106% higher, respectively compared to control after 128days (P<0.001). Contrarily, sole bio...
Field Crops Research, 2017
Low and declining soil organic matter contents pose a significant threat to soil fertility, crop productivity and economic returns in arid and semi-arid agroecosystems. Holistic approaches are required to build and sustain soil organic matter in such soils to enhance nutrient use efficiencies and meet food security. Biochar is emerging as an attractive option for multiple benefits to soil-plant systems and carbon sequestration, especially in low fertility soils. We conducted a two-year maize-wheat rotation field experiments during 2015 and 2016 to test the effects of biochar on crop productivity, soil properties and phosphorous use efficiency (PUE) when applied with organic P sources as either farmyard manure (FYM) or poultry manure (PM) and diammonium phosphate (DAP) chemical fertilizer. Biochar was applied at two rates (0 and 10 t ha −1) whereas percentage of organic-inorganic P sources were 0, 25, 50 and 100% respectively. Biochar and manures were incorporated only once at the start of the field experiments whereas chemical fertilizers were applied during each crop cycle. Analysis of the two-year data revealed that biochar and P sources significantly and positively changed crop and soil quality attributes. Application of biochar significantly increased biological and grain yields of maize and wheat, soil organic carbon (SOC), and available nitrogen (N) and P contents without any negative effects on soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC). Addition of 50% P each from organic (FYM or PM) and chemical fertilizer increased biological and grain yields of maize, however, wheat biological and grain yields were higher with 100% PM or FYM in the presence of biochar. SOC and P contents were the highest when biochar was integrated with 100% P from FYM under maize crop. Biochar enhanced PUE from organic P sources more than the chemical fertilizer for both crops. Grain and biological yields of both crops correlated positively with SOC, soil N and soil P contents. We also found strong correlations between SOC, PUE and harvest index (HI) suggesting the benefits of increasing SOC contents under biochar-related integrated nutrient management practices. Overall results from these field experiments indicate potential of biochar to enhance plant nutrition, crop productivity and soil quality in nutrient poor alkaline calcareous soil under maize-wheat cropping system. Long-term farmers' participatory field experiments, however, are required to extrapolate the potential of biochar integrations into current cereal-based cropping systems of Pakistan. (Vagen et al., 2005; Jones et al., 2013). Combating poverty and hunger of an exponentially growing population is a major challenge of agricultural sector in Pakistan (Ali et al., 2015). There is a need of revising the current agricultural management practices with a view of improving nutrient supply, demand and recycling for better farmer income and soil quality (Delate and Camberdella, 2004; Lal, 2013). Recycling of nutrients from organic sources into the soil is a
bioRxiv, 2021
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of biochar, straw and N fertilizer on soil properties, soil respiration and grain yield of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in semi-arid Western Loess Plateau of northwestern China. The two carbon sources (straw and biochar) were applied alone or combined with nitrogen fertilizer (urea, 46% nitrogen [N]), whilst the soil without carbon is made up of nitrogen fertilizer applied at 0, 50 and 100 kg N/ha. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replicates and was conducted in 2014, 2015 and 2016 cropping season. Results showed that the greatest grain yields were found with 100 kg N ha−1 fertilization rate under biochar, straw and soils without carbon, but the greatest effect occurred on the biochar amended soils. Biochar amendment produced the greatest grain yield at 1906 kg ha−1, followed by straw treated soils at 1643 kg ha−1, and soils without carbon the lowest at 1553 kg ha−1. This results is...
Biochar Effects on Soil Properties and Wheat Biomass vary with Fertility Management
Agronomy, 2019
Biochar can improve soil health and crop productivity. We studied the response of soil properties and wheat growth to four rates of wood biochar (0, 11.2, 22.4, and 44.8 Mg ha−1) and two fertilizer rates [no fertilizer and fertilizer (90 kg N ha−1, 45 kg P ha−1, and 20 kg S ha−1)]. Biochar application increased soil organic matter (SOM), soil pH, phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S) contents, and the shoot and root biomass of wheat. However, these responses were observed at biochar rates below 22.4 Mg ha−1, particularly in treatments without fertilizer. In fertilizer-applied treatments, soil nitrate levels decreased with an increase in biochar rates, mainly due to better crop growth and high nitrate uptake. However, without N addition, the high C:N ratio (500:1) possibly increased nutrient tie-up, reduced plant biomass, and SOM buildup at the highest biochar rate. Based on these results, we recommend biochar rates of about 22.4 Mg ha−1 and below for Walla Walla silt loams.
Enhanced wheat yield by biochar addition under different mineral fertilization levels
Climate change and global warming have worldwide adverse consequences. Biochar production and its use in agriculture can play a key role in climate change mitigation and help improve the quality and management of waste materials coming from agriculture and forestry. Biochar is a carbonaceous material obtained from thermal decomposition of residual biomass at relatively low temperature and under oxygen limited conditions (pyrolysis). Biochar is currently a subject of active research worldwide because it can constitute a viable option for sustainable agriculture due to its potential as a long-term sink for carbon in soil and benefits for crops. However, to date, the results of research studies on biochar effects on crop production show great variability, depending on the biochar type and experimental conditions. Therefore, it is important to identify the beneficial aspects of biochar addition to soil on crop yield in order to promote the adoption of this practice in agriculture. In this study, the effects of two types of biochar from agricultural wastes typical of Southern Spain: wheat straw and olive tree pruning, combined with different mineral fertilization levels on the growth and yield of wheat (Triticum durum L. cv. Vitron) were evaluated. Durum wheat was pot-grown for 2 months in a growth chamber on a soil collected from an agricultural field near Córdoba, Southern Spain. Soil properties and plant growth variables were studied in order to assess the agronomic efficiency of biochar. Our results show that biochar addition to a nutrientpoor, slightly acidic loamy sand soil had little effect on wheat yield in the absence of mineral fertilization. However, at the highest mineral fertilizer rate, addition of biochar led to about 20-30 % increase in grain yield compared with the use of the mineral fertilizer alone. Both biochars acted as a source of available P, which led to beneficial effects on crop production. In contrast, the addition of biochar resulted in decreases in available N and Mn. A maximum reduction in plant nutrient concentration of 25 and 80 % compared to nonbiochar-treated soils for N and Mn, respectively, was detected. This fact was related to the own nature of biochar: low available nitrogen content, high adsorption capacity, and low mineralization rate for N; and alkaline pH and high carbonate content for Mn. Our results indicate that biochar-based soil management strategies can enhance wheat production with the environmental benefits of global warming mitigation. This can contribute positively to the viability and benefits of agricultural production systems. However, the nutrient-biochar interactions should receive special attention due to the great variability in the properties of biochar-type materials.
Frontiers in Plant Science
Crop quality and nutrient uptake are considerably influenced by fertilizers inputs and their application rate. Biochar (BC) improves nitrogen uptake and crop productivity. However, its interaction with synthetic and organic fertilizers in calcareous soil is not fully recognized. Therefore, we inspected the role of biochar (0, 10, 20, and 30 t ha–1) in improving N uptake and quality of wheat in a calcareous soil under integrated N management (90, 120, and 150 kg N ha–1) applied each from urea, farmyard manure (FYM) and poultry manure (PM) along with control) in 2 years field experiments. Application of 20 t BC along with 150 kg N ha–1 as poultry manure considerably improved wheat grain protein content (14.57%), grain (62.9%), straw (28.7%), and biological (38.4%) yield, grain, straw, and total N concentration by 14.6, 19.2, and 15.6% and their uptake by 84.6, 48.8, and 72.1%, respectively, over absolute control when averaged across the years. However, their impact was more pronounced...
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...
FORMULATION OF BIOCHAR BASED FERTILIZER FOR IMPROVING MAIZE PRODUCTIVITY AND SOIL FERTILITY
Incorporation of biochar to agriculture field has the potential to be a primary factor in maintaining soil fertility and productivity particularly in nitrogen and organic matter limiting environments. Clear experimental evidences to support this view, however, are still lacking. Keeping in view the significance of biochar and limited information on its role in crop production, the current experiments were designed to evaluate the potential use of biochar in crop production for 2 years. The experiment consisted of three factors namely: (1) Biochar (0, 25 and 50 ton ha-1), (2) FYM (5 and 10 ton ha-1) and (3) nitrogen (75 and 150 kg ha-1). A control treatment (all at nil level) was included in the experiment for comparison. All the treatments were replicated three time in RCB design at New Developmental Farm of the University of Agriculture Peshawar Pakistan. As per expectation inorganic N and FYM application increased maize yield in comparison to control. Furthermore, BC treatments increased maize grain ear-1 and grain yield by 21 and 11% over no BC treatments (where FYM and N was applied but no biochar) while caused 29 and 35% in comparison to control respectively. Similarly, maize biological yield was increased by 14 and 39% over no BC and control treatments respectively. Beside crop yield, soil properties like carbon content, N status, Phosphorus, crop N uptake and crop P uptake was significantly increased by BC treatment over no BC treatment. Overall, application of BC showed convincing results as compared to sole application of N and FYM, however, problems associated with BC production in Pakistan are needed to be addressed in future research.
2016
A wide variety of soil amendments like manures, compost, humic acid and bio-sorbents have been used to make nutrients available to crops as well as to protect them from toxic elements. Among soil amendments, biochar has been known to improve soil crumping, soil nutrients’ availability to plants and ultimately the yield of crops. A field experiment was conducted by using biochar prepared from Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. wood by brick batch process. Two doses of biochar were applied to soil 0 and 12 t ha-1. Fertilizer rates used in the experiments were 25% recommended doses of fertilizers (RDF), 50% RDF, 75% RDF and 100% RDF alone & with biochar applied under two factorial randomized complete block design in natural field conditions (RDF of NPK fertilizer is 120-60-60 kg ha-1) . Soil physico-chemical properties viz., bulk density, particle density, porosity, pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, soil org...