An Assessment of Plant Growth and Soil Properties Using Coal Char and Biochar as a Soil Amendment
Soil degradation due to loss of soil organic carbon is a serious concern in semiarid agroecosystems. Biochar and other organic char products have long been known to increase soil organic carbon. In this study, three-year field observations were carried out on use of coal char (CC) and biochar (BC) a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/2/320 |
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| author | Resham B. Thapa Roger H. Coupal Mohan B. Dangi Peter D. Stahl |
| author_facet | Resham B. Thapa Roger H. Coupal Mohan B. Dangi Peter D. Stahl |
| author_sort | Resham B. Thapa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Soil degradation due to loss of soil organic carbon is a serious concern in semiarid agroecosystems. Biochar and other organic char products have long been known to increase soil organic carbon. In this study, three-year field observations were carried out on use of coal char (CC) and biochar (BC) as soil amendments in unirrigated semiarid rangeland soil. Coal was pyrolyzed at three different temperatures of 650, 750, and 800 °C to form CC650, CC750, and CC800, respectively, and BC was obtained from a local commercial producer. Manure, CC, and BC were incorporated in soil at 10% (<i>v</i>/<i>v</i>). Analyses of plant growth (aboveground biomass) and soil properties were performed and compared with the control treatment without char. In all three years, CC applied with manure (CC650M) produced significantly greater grass biomass, by 95, 42, 101%, and BC applied with manure (BCM) increased grass biomass by 89, 39, 52% in 2018, 2019, and 2020, than the controls in the respective years. Soil tests a year after application of char indicated significantly increased soil organic matter (OM) with CC and BC treatments (1.60–2.93%) compared with the control (1.37%). However, further detailed studies are required to investigate CC and BC interactions with soil in unirrigated semiarid rangelands. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:45:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a7f5c00df6ac47789be70e53d38afad6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:45:52Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-a7f5c00df6ac47789be70e53d38afad62024-02-23T15:04:10ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952024-02-0114232010.3390/agronomy14020320An Assessment of Plant Growth and Soil Properties Using Coal Char and Biochar as a Soil AmendmentResham B. Thapa0Roger H. Coupal1Mohan B. Dangi2Peter D. Stahl3Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, 1000 E. University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USADepartment of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming, 1000 E. University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USADepartment of Geography and City & Regional Planning, California State University, Fresno, 2555 E. San Ramon Avenue, M/S SB69, Fresno, CA 93740, USADepartment of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, 1000 E. University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USASoil degradation due to loss of soil organic carbon is a serious concern in semiarid agroecosystems. Biochar and other organic char products have long been known to increase soil organic carbon. In this study, three-year field observations were carried out on use of coal char (CC) and biochar (BC) as soil amendments in unirrigated semiarid rangeland soil. Coal was pyrolyzed at three different temperatures of 650, 750, and 800 °C to form CC650, CC750, and CC800, respectively, and BC was obtained from a local commercial producer. Manure, CC, and BC were incorporated in soil at 10% (<i>v</i>/<i>v</i>). Analyses of plant growth (aboveground biomass) and soil properties were performed and compared with the control treatment without char. In all three years, CC applied with manure (CC650M) produced significantly greater grass biomass, by 95, 42, 101%, and BC applied with manure (BCM) increased grass biomass by 89, 39, 52% in 2018, 2019, and 2020, than the controls in the respective years. Soil tests a year after application of char indicated significantly increased soil organic matter (OM) with CC and BC treatments (1.60–2.93%) compared with the control (1.37%). However, further detailed studies are required to investigate CC and BC interactions with soil in unirrigated semiarid rangelands.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/2/320coal charbiocharsoil amendmentplant growthsoil propertiesorganic carbon |
| spellingShingle | Resham B. Thapa Roger H. Coupal Mohan B. Dangi Peter D. Stahl An Assessment of Plant Growth and Soil Properties Using Coal Char and Biochar as a Soil Amendment Agronomy coal char biochar soil amendment plant growth soil properties organic carbon |
| title | An Assessment of Plant Growth and Soil Properties Using Coal Char and Biochar as a Soil Amendment |
| title_full | An Assessment of Plant Growth and Soil Properties Using Coal Char and Biochar as a Soil Amendment |
| title_fullStr | An Assessment of Plant Growth and Soil Properties Using Coal Char and Biochar as a Soil Amendment |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Assessment of Plant Growth and Soil Properties Using Coal Char and Biochar as a Soil Amendment |
| title_short | An Assessment of Plant Growth and Soil Properties Using Coal Char and Biochar as a Soil Amendment |
| title_sort | assessment of plant growth and soil properties using coal char and biochar as a soil amendment |
| topic | coal char biochar soil amendment plant growth soil properties organic carbon |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/2/320 |
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