Testing Biochar’s Ability to Moderate Extremely Acidic Soils in Tea-Growing Areas
Biochar as a by-product of the carbonization of biomass has an inherent potential to modify acidic soils due to its alkaline nature. To explore the mechanism and effectiveness of biochar, a case study was conducted on severely acidic soils from six fields under tea cultivation in a subtropical zone,...
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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author | Mohammad Ghorbani Elnaz Amirahmadi Jaroslav Bernas Petr Konvalina |
author_facet | Mohammad Ghorbani Elnaz Amirahmadi Jaroslav Bernas Petr Konvalina |
author_sort | Mohammad Ghorbani |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Biochar as a by-product of the carbonization of biomass has an inherent potential to modify acidic soils due to its alkaline nature. To explore the mechanism and effectiveness of biochar, a case study was conducted on severely acidic soils from six fields under tea cultivation in a subtropical zone, comparing rice husk biochars, in three rates (B5, B10, B15 t ha<sup>−1</sup>), and CaCO<sub>3</sub> as conventional liming practice. The results showed increases in pH of 71.5%, 52.7%, 30.6%, and 29.7% in B15, B10, B5, and CaCO<sub>3</sub>-treated soils compared to the control. On average, B15 and B10 treatments resulted in the highest organic matter with 12.3% and 9.7%, respectively. B15, B10, B5, and CaCO<sub>3</sub> caused increases of 196.6%, 173.4%, 129.7%, and 100.9% in base saturation compared to the control, respectively. Also, after the application of B15, B10, and B5 treatments, the effective cation exchange capacity increased by 191.4%, 112.1%, and 39.5%; however, the application of CaCO<sub>3</sub> resulted in a 20.1% decrease. Overall, applying biochar on acidic soils provides adequate negative charges due to its well-extended specific surface area and pore volume, which cause the absorption of additional Al<sup>+</sup>, resulting in ameliorating soil pH. The application of proper biochar could notably be more effective in improving acidic soils than conventional practices such as the overuse of CaCO<sub>3</sub>. In this regard, evaluating various biochars in terms of feedstock, pyrolysis conditions, and modification scenarios merits in-depth research in future studies. |
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spelling | doaj.art-5f8a5285b60d4d1aa2dab55ac445cdd02024-03-27T13:16:49ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952024-03-0114353310.3390/agronomy14030533Testing Biochar’s Ability to Moderate Extremely Acidic Soils in Tea-Growing AreasMohammad Ghorbani0Elnaz Amirahmadi1Jaroslav Bernas2Petr Konvalina3Department of Agroecosystems, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech RepublicDepartment of Agroecosystems, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech RepublicDepartment of Agroecosystems, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech RepublicDepartment of Agroecosystems, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Branišovská 1645/31A, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech RepublicBiochar as a by-product of the carbonization of biomass has an inherent potential to modify acidic soils due to its alkaline nature. To explore the mechanism and effectiveness of biochar, a case study was conducted on severely acidic soils from six fields under tea cultivation in a subtropical zone, comparing rice husk biochars, in three rates (B5, B10, B15 t ha<sup>−1</sup>), and CaCO<sub>3</sub> as conventional liming practice. The results showed increases in pH of 71.5%, 52.7%, 30.6%, and 29.7% in B15, B10, B5, and CaCO<sub>3</sub>-treated soils compared to the control. On average, B15 and B10 treatments resulted in the highest organic matter with 12.3% and 9.7%, respectively. B15, B10, B5, and CaCO<sub>3</sub> caused increases of 196.6%, 173.4%, 129.7%, and 100.9% in base saturation compared to the control, respectively. Also, after the application of B15, B10, and B5 treatments, the effective cation exchange capacity increased by 191.4%, 112.1%, and 39.5%; however, the application of CaCO<sub>3</sub> resulted in a 20.1% decrease. Overall, applying biochar on acidic soils provides adequate negative charges due to its well-extended specific surface area and pore volume, which cause the absorption of additional Al<sup>+</sup>, resulting in ameliorating soil pH. The application of proper biochar could notably be more effective in improving acidic soils than conventional practices such as the overuse of CaCO<sub>3</sub>. In this regard, evaluating various biochars in terms of feedstock, pyrolysis conditions, and modification scenarios merits in-depth research in future studies.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/3/533available nutrientacid saturationorganic carbonporosityexchangeable cations |
spellingShingle | Mohammad Ghorbani Elnaz Amirahmadi Jaroslav Bernas Petr Konvalina Testing Biochar’s Ability to Moderate Extremely Acidic Soils in Tea-Growing Areas Agronomy available nutrient acid saturation organic carbon porosity exchangeable cations |
title | Testing Biochar’s Ability to Moderate Extremely Acidic Soils in Tea-Growing Areas |
title_full | Testing Biochar’s Ability to Moderate Extremely Acidic Soils in Tea-Growing Areas |
title_fullStr | Testing Biochar’s Ability to Moderate Extremely Acidic Soils in Tea-Growing Areas |
title_full_unstemmed | Testing Biochar’s Ability to Moderate Extremely Acidic Soils in Tea-Growing Areas |
title_short | Testing Biochar’s Ability to Moderate Extremely Acidic Soils in Tea-Growing Areas |
title_sort | testing biochar s ability to moderate extremely acidic soils in tea growing areas |
topic | available nutrient acid saturation organic carbon porosity exchangeable cations |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/3/533 |
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