article · African Journal of Food Agriculture Nutrition and Development
This research examined the effects of amending degraded upland Ultisols with digestate-fortified biochar on soil characteristics and the growth of basil. Biochar derived from corncobs was incubated with municipal digestate for 21 days to produce the fortified amendment. In an eight-week pot experiment using soil from the Western Highlands of Cameroon, researchers compared unamended soil, soil treated with pristine biochar, and soil treated with fortified biochar. The fortified amendment improved key soil properties, raising the pH from 6.1 to 7.8, reducing bulk density, and increasing porosity and organic matter content from 8.97 percent to 28.3 percent. It also enhanced cation exchange capacity and raised available nitrogen and phosphorus levels, avoiding the nitrogen reduction observed with pristine biochar alone. Consequently, basil plants grown in soil with fortified biochar demonstrated significantly superior growth, including faster stem development and improved leaf metrics.
Degraded agricultural soils limit crop productivity and threaten food security in many regions. By combining corncob waste and municipal digestate into an effective organic amendment, this approach offers a way to restore degraded upland soils. It improves soil structure and nutrient retention while providing an alternative to chemical fertilisers, supporting more sustainable and productive farming systems.
This work demonstrates an applied, pot-tested method for converting agricultural residues and municipal digestate into a soil conditioner. Potential users include commercial soil amendment manufacturers, waste management organisations, and horticulture producers seeking organic fertility solutions for degraded soils. As the findings are based on small-scale pot trials over an eight-week period, field-scale validation and production scaling would be necessary before wider commercial deployment.
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With an ever-growing world population, sustainable farming practices are critically needed to meet rising food demands. This study explored the use of digestate-fortified biochar, to improve the quality of upland Ultisols (upland degraded soil) and enhance basil (Ocimum basilicum) growth. Biochar (BC) was obtained from corncobs, while fortified biochar (MBC) was produced by incubating a 2:1 (w/v) mixture of BC and municipal digestate for 21 days. A slightly acidic upland soil (pH = 6.1) collected from a degraded area of the Western Highlands of Cameroon, was amended with both BC and MBC in a pot experiment at the rate of 1 kg/m2 and changes in the physicochemical properties of the soil were assessed. Basil was grown in three pots (that is, pots with soil only (control), pots with soil and pristine biochar amendment (SBC), and pots with soil and fortified biochar amendment (SMBC)). The pots were set up in three replicates and three growth parameters (stem growth rate, leaf surface area, and leaf numbers) of the plant were monitored for 8 weeks. Results indicated that key properties of the soil were remarkably influenced by the addition of fortified biochar. For example, soil pH increased from 6.1 to 7.8, offering a favourable condition for basil growth. The soil became coarser, possibly due to the addition of coarse biochar particles, and soil porosity was enhanced from 66 % to 77% while density reduced from 0.91 to 0.60 g/m³), improving soil aeration and root penetration. The clay content of soil increased slightly from 17.0 to 21.0, likely due to fine biochar particles mimicking clay while organic matter increased substantially, from 8.97 % to 28.3% with MBC addition, reflecting an enhancement in soil fertility. Biochar (BC) addition reduced nitrogen content possibly through immobilization, while MBC boosted nitrogen and phosphorus availability by factors of 1.8 and 1.3, respectively. Additionally, the Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) increased by a factor of 3.1, with MBC showing superior nutrient retention and soil quality enhancement. These improvements in soil quality, significantly enhanced basil growth (p < 0.001), with stem growth rates reaching 1.2 inch/week by week 8. A strong positive correlation was observed between the measured and modelled growth data (r2 > 0.98), highlighting the effectiveness of digestate-fortified biochar as a soil amendment for enhancing soil quality and crop yields, thus supporting sustainable agricultural production. Key words: Ultisols, digestate-fortified biochar, soil properties, basil plant, growth performance, upland soil
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DOI: 10.18697/ajfand.143.25705
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