A net-house experiment was conducted to assess the impacts of different sources of biochar on growth and development of plant. Three different types of biomasses viz ., cow dung, poultry manure and sewage sludge produced were used for the study. An upland leafy vegetable commonly known as kalmi ( <i> Ipomoea aquatic </i> ) was used for pot culture experiment. The biomass or biochar was applied to the soil at a rate of 5 t/ha and the pots were arranged following completely randomized design. A number of physical, chemical and physico-chemical properties of the soil, biochar, biomass and plant samples were analyzed in the laboratory. Biochar treated soils showed higher CEC than the corresponding biomass treated ones. Organic carbon in biochar treated soils was also higher. Total nitrogen contents of biomass treatments were higher than biochar treatments. Phosphorus, potassium and sulphur concentrations of the treated soils increased after harvesting. The paper discusses plant growth and agricultural crop production vis-à-vis biochar application, indicating that the materials might not exert similar positive effects as their biomass sources and thereby likely to jeopardize crop production and soil health.
KeywordsNet-HouseBiocharBiomassKalmiCrop Production
Bates, A. (2010) The Biochar Solution: Carbon Farming and Climate Change. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island.
Clapp, J. and Dauvergne, P. (2005) Paths to a Green World: Political Economy of the Global Environment. MIT Press, Cambridge, 314-320.
Lehmann, J.C., Matthias, N., Rillig, J., Thies, A. and Crowley, D. (2011) Biochar Effects on Soil Biota. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 43, 1816-1821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.04.022
Steiner, C. (2006) Slash and Char as Alternative to Slash and Burn: Soil Charcoal Amendments Maintain Soil Fertility and Establish a Carbon Sink. In: Glaser, B. and Woods, W., Ed., Amazonian Dark Earths: Explorations in Space and Time, Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, 22-28.
Stoyle, A. (2011) Biochar Production for Carbon Sequestration. BS Thesis, Department of Chemical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai.
McClellan, T., Deenik, J., Uehara, G. and Antal, M. (2007) Effects of Flashed Carbonized Macadamia Nutshell Charcoal on Plant Growth and Soil Chemical Properties. ASA-CSSA-SSA International Annual Meetings, New Orleans, 6 November 2007, 194.
USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) (1951) Soil Survey Manual. Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils and Agricultural Engineering, 18, 205.
Tan, K.H. (1996) Soil Sampling, Preparation and Analysis. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York City, 123-126.
Huq, S.M.I. and Alam, M.D. (2005) A Handbook on Analysis of Soil, Plant and Water. Bangladesh-Australia Centre for Environmental Research (BACER-DU). University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 43-50.
Schollenberger, C.J. and Simon, R.H. (1945) Determination of Exchange Capacity and Exchangeable Bases in Soil-Ammonium Acetate Method. Soil Science, 59, 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1097/00010694-194501000-00004
Walkley, A. and Black, I.A. (1934) An Examination of the Degtjareff Method for Determining Soil Organic Matter and a Proposed Modification of the Chromic Acid Titration Method. Soil Science, 37, 29-38. https://doi.org/10.1097/00010694-193401000-00003
Chan, K.Y. and Xu, Z. (2009) Biochar: Nutrient Properties and Their Enhancement. In: Lehmann, J. and Joseph, S., Eds., Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology, Earthscan, London, 67-84.
Carter, S., Shackley, S., Sohi, S., Suy, T.B. and Haefele, S. (2013) The Impact of Biochar Application on Soil Properties and Plant Growth of Pot Grown Lettuce (Lactucasativa) and Cabbage (Brassica chinensis). Journal of Agronomy, 3, 404-418. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy3020404
Artiola, J.F., Rasmussen, C. and Freitas, R. (2012) Effects of Biochar Amended Alkaline Soil on Growth of Romaine Lettuce and Bermuda Grass. Soil Science Society of American Journal, 177, 561-570. https://doi.org/10.1097/SS.0b013e31826ba908
Gunes, A., Inal, A., Taskin, M.B., Osahin, E.C. and Atakol, A. (2014) Effect of Phosphorus Enriched Biochar and Poultry Manure on Growth and Mineral Composition of Lettuce (Lactucasativa L.) Grown in Alkaline Soil. Soil Use Management, 30, 182-188.
Olszyk, D., Johnson, M., Shiroyama, T., Novak, J., Cantrell, K. and Watts, D. (2014) Effects of Biochar Feedstock and Pyrolysis Temperature on Growth of Corn, Soybean, Lettuce and Carrot. Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, US Environmental Protection Agency, Vancouver.
Gaskin, J.W., Speir, R.A., Harris, K., Das, K.C., Lee, R.D., Morris, L.A. and Fisher, D.S. (2010) Effect of Peanut Hull and Pine Chip Biochar on Soil Nutrients, Corn Nutrient Status and Yield. Journal of Agronomy, 102, 623-633. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2009.0083
Schulz, H. and Glaser, B. (2012) Effects of Biochar Compared to Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Soil Quality and Plant Growth in a Greenhouse Experiment. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, 175, 410-422. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.201100143
Schulz, H., Gerald, D. and Glase, B. (2013) Positive Effects of Composted Biochar on Plant Growth and Soil Fertility. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 33, 817-827. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-013-0150-0
Lehmann, J., Pereira, J., Steiner, C., Nehls, T., Zechs, W. and Glaser, B. (2003) Nutrient Availability and Leaching in the Archaeological Anthrosols and Ferrosol of the Central Amazon Basin: Fertilizer, Manure and Charcoal Amendments. Plant and Soil, 249, 343-357. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022833116184
Chan, K.Y., Van, Z.L. Meszaros, I., Downie, A. and Joseph, S. (2007) Agronomic Values of Green Waste Biochar as a Soil Amendment. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 45, 629-634. https://doi.org/10.1071/SR07109
Steiner, C., Teixeira, W., Lehmann, J., Nehls, T., Blum, W. and Zech, W. (2007) Long Term Effects of Manure, Charcoal and Mineral Fertilization on Crop Production and Fertility on a Highly Weathered Central Amazonian Upland Soil. Plant and Soil, 291, 275-290. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9193-9
Biederman, L.A. and Harpole, W.S. (2012) Biochar and Its Effects on Plant Productivity and Nutrient Cycling: A Meta-Analysis. GCB Bioenergy, 5, 202-214. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12037
Dharmakeerthi, R.S., Chandrasiri, J.A.S. and Edirimanne, V.U. (2012) Effect of Rubber Wood Biochar on Nutrition and Growth of Nursery Plants of Hevea brasiliensis Established in Ultisol. SpringerPlus, 1, 84. https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-1801-1-84