ORCID Profile
0000-0002-8975-3652
Current Organisation
Universiti Putra Malaysia
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Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 28-06-2021
Abstract: Biochar, an ecologically friendly soil amendment, is suggested for large-scale field application for its multiple potential benefits, including carbon sequestration, crop yield improvement, and the abatement of greenhouse gas emissions. However, it is unknown how effective it is in changing soil properties and its associated yield improvement when biochar is co-applied with lime in acidic soil. Here, we examined the effects of two different biochars, i.e., rice husk biochar (RHB) and oil palm empty fruit bunches biochar (EFBB), and lime on nutrient availability, the yield of maize, and soil CO2 emission of acid soil. Biochars were applied at two different rates (10 and 15 t ha−1) in combination with two rates of lime (100% and 75%), while the recommended rate of NPK fertilizers, 100% lime, and without any amendments (control) were also included. Hybrid sweet corn was grown in pots with 20 kg soils for 75 days. Plant performance and soil analyses were performed before and after crop maize cultivation while CO2 emission was recorded. Compared to the control, combined RHB biochars with lime significantly buffered soil pH and increased nutrient availability (e.g., P by 137%), while reducing Al and Fe concentration at harvest. These changes in soil properties significantly increased maize yield (by 77.59%) and nutrient uptake compared to the control. Between the two biochars, RHB was relatively more effective in making these changes than EFBB. However, this treatment contributed to a greater carbon loss as CO2 (209% and 145% higher with RHB and EFBB) from soil than the control. We believe that biochar-mediated buffering of soil pH is responsible for this change. Our results suggest that combined biochar application could bring desirable changes in soil properties and increase crop performance, although these effects can be short-lived.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 17-06-2022
DOI: 10.3390/SU14127418
Abstract: Biochar has been suggested for application in acidic soils for increasing agricultural productivity, as it may result in the benefits of sustainable carbon offset into soils and of increasing soil fertility improvement. However, the role of biochar in enhancing nutrient bioavailability and plant performance is manifested through the complex interactions of biochar-soil-plant. Moreover, it is not yet known how a crop-residue-derived biochar would perform in acidic soil when applied with a reduced rate of lime and phosphorus. Here, we examined the performance of maize with different combinations of biochar, lime, and phosphorus (P) application rates under field conditions. Specifically, rice husk biochar (10 t ha−1) was applied with 75% of the required lime and three rates of phosphorus fertilizer (100%, 75%, and 50%). The results showed that incorporation of biochar and lime, irrespective of the rates of P application, significantly increased soil nutrient (nitrogen and P) availability, while aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) concentrations in soil were reduced. Furthermore, when biochar was combined with a lower amount of lime (75% of the recommended amount) and half of the required P, maize production increased by 62.38% compared to the control. Similarly, nutrient uptake in plants increased significantly in the same treatment (e.g., P uptake increased by 231.88%). However, soil respiration (CO2 emission) increased with lime only and the combined application of lime with biochar compared to the control these treatments resulted in a higher carbon loss, as CO2 from the soil (84.94% and 67.50% from only lime treatment (T2), and rice husk biochar (RHB) and lime with 50% triple superphosphate (TSP) (T5), respectively). Overall, our findings imply that biochar application may sustain productivity in acid soils even when lime and P fertilizer applications are made at a reduced rate.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 30-06-2022
DOI: 10.3390/SU14137977
Abstract: Water-saving irrigation occasionally causes an inconsequential yield loss in rice thereby, biochar incorporation in this context has great scope due to its properties, including the release of nutrients and improving soil physicochemical properties. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of biochar combined with fertilizer on physiological response, water and nutrient efficiency of rice and changes in biochemical properties of soil under AWD (alternate wetting and drying) irrigation system. Two types of irrigation practice, such as AWD and CF (continuous flooding), and four types of fertilizer combination, namely T1: 25% Rice husk biochar (RHB) + 75% of recommended fertilizer dose (RFD) T2: 25% oil palm empty fruit bunch biochar (EFBB) + 75% of RFD T3: 100% RFD and T0: 0% biochar and fertilizer, were assigned to assess their impacts. The AWD irrigation produced a sharply reduced grain yield (210.58 g pot−1) compared to CF irrigation (218.04 g pot−1), whereas the biochar combination treatments T1 and T2 produced greater yields (260.27 and 252.12 g pot−1, respectively), which were up to 12.5% higher than RFD. Within AWD, irrigation water usage by T1 and T2 (98.50 and 102.37 g L−1, respectively) was profoundly reduced by up to 28.8%, with improved water use efficiency (WUE). The main effect of biochar treatment T1 and T2 also increased photosynthesis rate during vegetative and maturing stage (up to 17.6 and 24.4%, respectively), in addition to boosting agronomic efficiency of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) compared to RFD (T3). Nevertheless, T1 and T2 significantly enhanced the total carbon and nitrogen dehydrogenase and urease enzyme activities also increased in both irrigation regimes. The results reveal that the integrated application of RHB and EFBB with fertilizer in the AWD regime significantly reduces irrigation water usage and improves nutrient use efficiency, WUE and soil biochemical properties with a minimum yield penalty for rice.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 22-06-2022
DOI: 10.3390/SU14137622
Abstract: Biochar is a potential carbon-rich soil amendment that improves the physicochemical properties of soil, besides acting as a controlled release fertilizer. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of biochars on rice yield, fertilizer use efficiency and recovery under water-saving irrigation by 15N isotopic tracer study. Two types of irrigation as alternate wetting and drying (AWD) and continuous flooding (CF), and four types of biochar treatments such as rice husk biochar (RHB) with 15N urea, oil palm empty fruit bunch biochar (EFBB) with 15N urea, 15N urea alone and control, were applied to assess their impact on rice. About 4% reduced grain yield with 18% improved water productivity was achieved by the AWD regime over the CF, whereas RHB and EFBB significantly increased rice yield compared to unamended soil. RHB and EFBB enhanced the water productivity up to 25.3%. The fertilizer N uptake and recovery were boosted by RHB and EFBB up to 18.8% and 24.5%, respectively. RHB and EFBB accelerated the agronomic use efficiency and partial factor productivity of N (up to 21% and 8%, respectively). RHB and EFBB profoundly enhanced the pH, the total C and N and the available N (NH4+ and NO3−) of the post-harvest soil. This study suggests that adding RHB and EFBB with urea improves fertilizer N utilization and soil N retention, and their combination with AWD could enhance rice yield with better water productivity due to their porous structure and controlled N release capacity.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 19-08-2021
DOI: 10.3390/AGRICULTURE11080793
Abstract: Biochar, a pyrogenic carbon, has been receiving incremental attention for potential contribution to soil health, agricultural productivity enhancement while mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, it is not well-known to us how far rice husk biochar (RHB) application rates could increase phosphorus (P) bioavailability and plant performance when co-applied with P and lime. Here, we present data of a pot experiment consisting of eleven treatments to evaluate RHB, lime, and phosphorus effect on soil phosphorus availability, CO2 emission, nutrient uptake, and yield performance of maize. Co-application of RHB (10 and 15 t ha−1) and lime (100% and 75%) was made with different rates of P (100%, 75%, and 50%). Our result revealed that, at harvest, the combined application of RHB, lime, and phosphorus fertilizer significantly increased soil pH, P availability and decreased Al and Fe toxicity relative to the control while increasing maize yield. The maximum soil pH increased by 36.75%, the highest available P increased by 158.75%, whilst, the exchangeable Al content reduced by 96.84% compared to the control treatment. However, the difference in biomass production and yield among different lime, RHB, and P were minimal, with the largest grain yield (15.50 t ha−1) was recorded in the T6 treatments (75% lime + 10 t ha−1 RHB + 100% Triple superphosphate). The increment in biomass and grain yield could have occurred due to lime and RHB mediated changes in soil properties, including enhancement of soil pH, availability of P, and other nutrients. This increased availability then increased nutrient uptake and biomass production. Our results suggest that the combined application of lime and RHB could bring favorable changes in soil properties while sacrificing some carbon from soils.
No related grants have been discovered for Muhammad Firdaus Sulaiman.