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Biochar-Amended Soils: Mechanisms and Future Directions

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A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Biosystem and Biological Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2022) | Viewed by 11015

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Guopeng Liang

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Guest Editor

Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
Interests: global change ecology; ecosystem carbon cycling; plant ecology; soil biogeochemistry; plant-soil-microbe interactions; agricultural management; meta-analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Yuan Li

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The State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Interests: interaction of soil C-N; conservation tillage; crop rotation; GHG; C sequestration
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Dr. Andong Cai

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Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 10081, China
Interests: carbon cycling; soil biogeochemistry; agricultural management; crop yield
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biochar is a carbon-rich material produced by the pyrolysis of biomass at high temperature and anoxic condition, and it has been proposed as an emerging soil amendment material. Biochar application has been regarded as an effective agricultural management practice to mitigate the threats of climate change, improve soil fertility, and ensure global food security. Although the benefits of biochar as a soil ameliorant have been widely studied, the mechanisms of how biochar application affects soil physical and biogeochemical parameters, greenhouse gas emissions, and crop growth are still poor. Therefore, it is essential to unravel the mechanisms of biochar-amended soils to provide useful information for future agriculture management.

In this Special Issue, we aim to exchange knowledge on any aspect of mechanisms and future directions of biochar-amended soils.

Dr. Guopeng Liang
Dr. Yuan Li
Dr. Andong Cai
Guest Editors

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Keywords

biochar
soil amendment
sustainability
soil parameters
greenhouse gas emissions
crop yield

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 2166 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Combined Application of Solid Pyrolysis Products and Digestate on Selected Soil Properties of Arenosol and Plant Growth and Composition in Laboratory Experiments

by Miklós Gulyás, Edward Someus, Szandra Klátyik, Márta Fuchs, Zsolt István Varga, Sándor Dér, György Fekete, Imre Czinkota, András Székács, Csaba Gyuricza and László Aleksza

Agronomy 2022, 12(6), 1440; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12061440 - 16 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1491

Abstract

Biochars as soil amendments have been reported to improve soil properties and may have an important role in the mitigation of the consequences of climate change. As a novel approach, this study examines whether biochar and digestate co-application can be utilized as cost-effective, renewable plant nutrients. The effects of two types of biochar—wood chip biochar (WBC) and animal bone biochar (ABC), applied alone or in combination with an anaerobic digestate—on soil physicochemical properties, on the levels of selected elements, and on growth yields of ryegrass were studied in laboratory experiments. Most parameters were significantly affected by the treatments, and the investigated factors (biochar type, application rate, and the presence of digestate), as well as their interactions, were found to have significant effects on the characteristics investigated. The easily soluble phosphorus content (AL-P₂O₅) of the soil increased in all WBC and ABC biochar treatments, and the presence of digestate caused a further increase in AL-P₂O₅ in the case of anaerobic digestate-supplemented ABC treatment (ABCxAD). The pH increased in both ABC and WBC treatments, and also in the case of ABCxAD treatments. Similar increases in the salt content were detected in ABC-treated samples and in ABCxAD treatments at higher application rates. WBC increased the water holding capacity and carbon content of the soil. Phytotoxic effects of biochars were not detected, although higher doses resulted in slower germination. Combined biochar–digestate applications resulted in increased plant yields compared to sole biochar treatments. Thus, biochar–digestate combinations appear to be applicable as organo-mineral fertilizers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar-Amended Soils: Mechanisms and Future Directions)

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18 pages, 2221 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Soybean Cultivation Fertilized with Biochar from Various Utility Plants

by Maciej Kuboń, Marcin Niemiec, Agnieszka Klimek-Kopyra, Maciej Gliniak, Jakub Sikora, Urszula Sadowska, Agnieszka Ewa Latawiec, Rafał Kobyłecki, Robert Zarzycki, Andrzej Kacprzak and Michał Wichliński

Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2224; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11112224 - 03 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3907

Abstract

Organic matter is an indispensable element of soil. Its quantity and quality affect its properties, e.g., structure, buffering, sorption capacity, air–water relations, and thermal properties. The purpose of the research was to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in soybean cultivation, fertilized with biochar from various crops. Two experimental factors were included: the dose of biochar and the type of biochar used as per raw material used in its production. The adopted functional unit was 1 ton of soybeans. To reach the adopted goal, a strict field experiment was carried out. The total amount of GHG emitted by the cultivation was calculated according to the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards. The system boundaries included: GHG emissions from fertilizers and seeds used, GHG emissions related to biochar production, emissions related to fossil fuel combustion, and emissions related to the decomposition of crop residues and soil organic matter and the decomposition of biochar. The results of the research indicate a significant potential of biochar to reduce GHG emissions in agricultural production. From the environmental and production perspective, the addition of biochar at 60 Mg ha⁻¹ is the most advantageous. A further increase in the addition of biochar was related to a decrease in plant yield and an increase in GHG emissions per functional unit of the product. The use of biochar in soybean cultivation resulted in a 25% reduction in GHG emissions compared to the object without the biochar addition. The amount of GHG emissions for soybeans ranged from 846.9 to 1260.1 kg of CO₂/Mg. The use of biochar from forest biomass resulted in a higher yield, 12% on average, compared to sunflower husk biochar. The introduction of biochar to soils can be an effective improvement in the economic and environmental efficiency of plant production, as it increases the use of nutrients by the plant and intensifies carbon sequestration in soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar-Amended Soils: Mechanisms and Future Directions)

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Other

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12 pages, 3353 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

The Potential of Biochar to Enhance the Water Retention Properties of Sandy Agricultural Soils

by Elizaphan Otieno Ndede, Soboda Kurebito, Olusegun Idowu, Takeo Tokunari and Keiji Jindo

Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 311; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12020311 - 25 Jan 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3631

Abstract

The impact of climate change has become increasingly severe in drylands, resulting in heat stress and water deficiency and, consequently, reducing agricultural production. Biochar plays an important role in improving soil fertility. The properties of sandy soils where water deficiency occurs with a greater frequency need to be enhanced by biochar amendments to increase the water retention capacity (WRC). Few studies have reported the effects of biochar on the readily available water (RAW) of these soils or an evaluation of the optimal application rate of the biochar. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of different biochar types and application rates on the soil properties related to water retention. Under laboratory conditions, we amended sandy soil with four different types of biochar (woodchip (WBC), waterweed of Ludwigia grandiflora (WWBC), poultry litter (PLBC) and bagasse (BBC)) at rates of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Soils treated with zeolite and perlite, both conventional materials, were arranged for a comparative study. The water content in the amended soils was recorded at saturation, field capacity, wilting point and oven-dry. Our results show a reduction in the bulk density by increasing the amendment rate across all biochar types. Although the WRC increased with the application rate, the RAW reduced and peaked at a 5% (v/v) biochar content for almost all the biochar types. WBC and WWBC showed the highest RAW increments of 165% and 191%, respectively, at a 10% (v/v) rate. In most cases, higher rates (such as 75% (v/v) of PLBC) caused negative effects on the RAW. Following these results, it is clear that both the biochar type and the application rate significantly influence the hydrological properties and the RAW capacity of sandy soils. A 5% (v/v) biochar amendment could significantly improve the readily available water to mitigate drought in sandy agricultural soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar-Amended Soils: Mechanisms and Future Directions)

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