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Research Project: Developing Technologies that Enable Growth and Profitability in the Commercial Conversion of Sugarcane, Sweet Sorghum, and Energy Beets into Sugar, Advanced Biofuels, and bioproducts-Bridging Project

Location: Commodity Utilization Research

Title: Effects of mixed hardwood and sugarcane biochar as bark-based substrate substitutes on container plants production and nutrient leaching

Author
item YU, PING - Texas A&M University
item HUANG, LAN - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences
item LI, QIANSHENG - Texas A&M University
item Lima, Isabel
item White, Paul
item GU, MENGMENG - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences

Submitted to: Agronomy
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/20/2020
Publication Date: 1/22/2020
Citation: Yu, P., Huang, L., Li, Q., Lima, I.M., White Jr., P.M., Gu, M. 2020. Effects of mixed hardwood and sugarcane biochar as bark-based substrate substitutes on container plants production and nutrient leaching. Agronomy. 10(2):156. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10020156.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10020156

Interpretive Summary: Biochar (BC) has the potential to replace bark-based commercial substrate to produce container plants. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential of mixed hardwood biochar (HB) and sugarcane bagasse biochar (SBB) to replace bark-based commercial substrate. A bark-based commercial substrate was incorporated with either HB at 50% (vol.) or SBB at 50% and 70% (vol.), bark-based commercial substrate used as the control. All the SBB-amended mixes’ total porosity (TP) and container capacity (CC) were slightly higher than the recommended value, respectively, the others were within the recommended range. Both tomato and basil plants grown in all BC-amended mixes had similar or higher growth index (GI), leaf greenness (indicated by soil-plant analyses development), and yield to the control. All the mixes’ leachate had the highest NO3-N concentration at 1 week after transplanting (1WAT). All BC-amended mixes grown with both tomato and basil had similar NO3-N concentration to the control (except 50% SBB at 1 and 5WAT, and 50%HB at 5WAT with tomato plants; 50% SBB at 5WAT with basil plants). In conclusion, HB could replace bark-based substrate at 50% and SBB at 70% for tomato and basil plant growth without negative effects.

Technical Abstract: Biochar (BC) has the potential to replace bark-based commercial substrate to produce container plants. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential of mixed hardwood biochar (HB) and sugarcane bagasse biochar (SBB) to replace bark-based commercial substrate. A bark-based commercial substrate was incorporated with either HB at 50% (vol.) or SBB at 50% and 70% (vol.), bark-based commercial substrate used as the control. All the SBB-amended mixes’ total porosity (TP) and container capacity (CC) were slightly higher than the recommended value, respectively, the others were within the recommended range. Both tomato and basil plants grown in all BC-amended mixes had similar or higher growth index (GI), leaf greenness (indicated by soil-plant analyses development), and yield to the control. All the mixes’ leachate had the highest NO3-N concentration at 1 week after transplanting (1WAT). All BC-amended mixes grown with both tomato and basil had similar NO3-N concentration to the control (except 50% SBB at 1 and 5WAT, and 50%HB at 5WAT with tomato plants; 50% SBB at 5WAT with basil plants). In conclusion, HB could replace bark-based substrate at 50% and SBB at 70% for tomato and basil plant growth without negative effects.