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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Parlier, California » San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center » Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #379473
Research Project: Develop Water Management Strategies to Sustain Water Productivity and Protect Water Quality in Irrigated Agriculture

Location: Water Management Research

Title: Biochar effects on yield of cereal and legume crops using meta-analysis

Author
item FARHANGI-ABRIZ, SALAR - University Of Tabriz
item TORABIAN, SHAHRAM - Oregon State University
item QIN, RUIJUN - Oregon State University
item LU, YANYAN - Oregon State University
item NOULAS, CHRISTOS - Institute Of Industrial And Forage Crops
item Gao, Suduan

Submitted to: Science of the Total Environment
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/9/2021
Publication Date: 2/15/2021
Citation: Farhangi-Abriz, S., Torabian, S., Qin, R., Lu, Y., Noulas, C., Gao, S. 2021. Biochar effects on yield of cereal and legume crops using meta-analysis. Science of the Total Environment. 775. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145869.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145869

Interpretive Summary: Biochar, an organic-rich material from pyrolysis, has been widely studied as a potential agronomic practice for carbon sequestration, but its effects on economical yield of commercial crops under field conditions varied tremendously. This research utilized meta-analysis and evaluated the effects of biochar from available literature on yield of four main crops (wheat, maize, rice, and soybean) and the influence of climate conditions, soil types, and biochar properties. Results showed positive effects of biochar on wheat and maize but not on rice and soybean, likely due to the flooding conditions or N-fixing capability of the crops that minimize biochar effects on soil structure or nutrient improvement. Varying effects were concluded between different climate or soil conditions as well as biochar characteristics. Findings from this research increased our understanding of biochar effects on crop yield and assist in development of strategies for adoption of biochar to maximize its agronomic benefits.

Technical Abstract: Biochar is a carbon-rich organic material deliberately used as soil amendment to improve plant growth. However, its diverse effects on crop performance under field conditions revealed conflicting results among researchers. Based on published peer-reviewed papers, a meta-analysis was conducted to identify the effects of biochar on grain yield (GY), biological yield (BY), and 1000 grain weight (TGW) of four main (wheat, maize, rice and soybean) crops. Compared to control, biochar increased GY of maize and wheat by 28 and 13% respectively; whereas other crops were not significantly affected. Our analysis revealed that the most effective application rates of biochar was 1–10 t ha-1, which improved significantly GY (65%), BY (38%) and TGW (23%). In case of soil conditions, biochar application in coarse soil texture with pH less than 7.5 increased GY considerably. Besides, use of animal waste and crop residues as feedstock had significant effects on GY in comparison with woody residues. Data suggest that biochar produced at heating temperature = 550 °C with the material pH less than 8 was more effective to enhance yield and growth of crops than that from higher pyrolysis temperature and pH. Findings from this study suggest that characteristics or types of biochar, soil, crop, and climate should all be considered to maximize fertility and organic amendment benefits of biochar for crop production.