article · Agronomy
A two-year field experiment evaluated the effects of applying biochar and inorganic fertiliser, both separately and combined, on soil quality and maize yield. Trials tested biochar at rates of zero and twenty tonnes per hectare alongside inorganic fertiliser at zero and three hundred kilograms per hectare, under three irrigation levels. Soil hydro-physical and chemical properties and maize grain yield were evaluated at harvest using principal component analysis. The analysis identified soil moisture content and total nitrogen as the primary factors influencing grain yield. Soil physico-chemical properties and maize yields improved in a consistent hierarchy, with the lowest performance in control plots, followed by biochar alone, fertiliser alone, and the highest performance from combined biochar and fertiliser. Furthermore, the calculated comprehensive soil quality index increased by seventy-six percent with biochar alone, one hundred percent with fertiliser alone, and two hundred percent when both treatments were applied together.
Declining soil fertility and unpredictable moisture restrict crop productivity in agricultural regions. Demonstrating that combining biochar with inorganic fertiliser can double a comprehensive soil quality index provides clear evidence for integrated soil management. Identifying moisture content and total nitrogen as key yield drivers helps target soil management strategies to sustain maize yields under limited water availability.
This field research directly informs agricultural producers and soil amendment suppliers seeking to optimise fertiliser regimes and soil conditioning. Applying biochar in conjunction with standard fertiliser offers a tested management practice to enhance nutrient retention and crop yield under varying irrigation levels. As a completed two-year field trial, the findings represent applied and tested research ready for farm-scale demonstration, although the abstract provides no economic analysis regarding the cost of high-volume biochar application.
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A 2-year field experiment was conducted to test the effects of individual and co-application of biochar and inorganic fertilizer on soil quality using the principal component analysis (PCA) technique. The dry season field experiments were performed with biochar applied at 0 and 20 t ha−1, and fertilizer at 300 and 0 kg ha−1 (control). The factorial combinations of the above-mentioned treatments were subjected to irrigation at 60, 80, and 100% of irrigation amounts (IAs). Soil hydro-physical and chemical properties and grain yield were determined at harvest. Results from the PCA indicated that the soil total nitrogen (N) and moisture content (MC) were the soil properties mostly affecting the grain yield. The amendments’ effects on the soil physico-chemical properties and maize yield were in the order control < biochar < fertilizer < biochar + fertilizer. The derived comprehensive soil quality index (CSQI) from the PCA showed that the soil quality increased by 76, 100, and 200% in treatments individually applied with biochar, inorganic fertilizer, and the co-applications. This study therefore showed that the PCA revealed the actual dynamics in soil properties, in terms of the SQI upon the soil amendment addition, as well as their relationship with maize yield under different weather conditions.
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DOI: 10.3390/agronomy14081761
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