Residual effect of single biochar application on soil nutrients availability and fertilizer productivity in a mulched drip-irrigated corn field

Authors: YANG, WEI - Inner Mongolian Agriculture University; JIA, YONGLIN - Inner Mongolian Agriculture University; Feng, Gary; MA, CHAO - Inner Mongolian Agriculture University; QU, ZHONGYI - Inner Mongolian Agriculture University

Submitted to: Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/18/2022
Publication Date: 3/6/2022
Citation: Yang, W., Jia, Y., Feng, G.G., Ma, C., Qu, Z. 2022. Residual effect of single biochar application on soil nutrients availability and fertilizer productivity in a mulched drip-irrigated corn field. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science . 69(6):905-919. https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2022.2045280.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2022.2045280

Interpretive Summary: Biochar is well recognized as soil amendment to enhance soil fertility in cropland cropping systems, yet its residual effect on soil available nutrients and fertilizer productivity remains unclear in a dry climate. In a dry climate region, the corn residue-derived biochar with three rates (15, 30, and 45 t ha-1), amended on a sandy loam soil one time in early May, demonstrated the positive effect for the first year and the following two growth seasons in terms of improving soil organic matter, soil available nutrients (N, P, and K), crop grain yield, partial fertilizer productivity of fertilizers, and economic benefit under drip-irrigation with mulching. In comparison, organic matter and soil available P content in top 0-30 cm soil, corn yield, economic return, and partial fertilizer productivity of chemical fertilizers were higher under biochar amendment 30 t ha-1 than under biochar amendment 15 and 45 t ha-1as averaged across three years. These increases in soil available nutrients and soil organic matter contributed to corn yield increase for each growing season after biochar applications. In view of these improvements of soil organic matter, fertilizer use efficiency, and economic benefit, biochar amendment 30 t ha-1 one time is a suitable rate for three years of corn cropping system under film-mulched drip irrigation.

Technical Abstract: A three year field experiment from 2015 to 2017 was carried out to determine the impact of corn residue-derived biochar amendments on soil organic matter (SOM), soil available nutrients (N, P, and K), corn growth, and partial factor productivity of fertilizer (corn grain yield/fertilizer application rate) on a sandy loam soil in Hetao Irrigation District, Inner Mongolia, China. Three rates of biochar 15 (B15), 30 (B30), and 45 (B45) t ha-1 and a non-biochar control (B0) were only applied to a corn field one time at the first crop growing season in 2015 under film-mulched and drip-irrigation condition. Soil organic matter and soil available nutrients at a soil depth of 30 cm were measured at crop harvest each year. These three rates of biochar amendments all showed positive effect in improving SOM, soil available P, corn leaf area index, and partial factor productivity of fertilizers as averaged across three years; however the levels for these variables in each of B0, B15, and B45 were all lowered to these in B30. Relative to B0, the B30 led to the significant increase in SOM (16.1%), soil available P content (48.3%), and partial factor productivity of fertilizers (12.8%) as averaged across the three experiments. Amendment B30 also increased corn yield by 12.9% and net economic benefit by 13.4%. There were strong polynomial quadratic relationships of corn yield with SOM (R2=0.94), soil available N (R2=0.86), available P (R2=0.91), and available K (R2=0.62) over three years. The increase of SOM and available P were more beneficial to the increase of corn grain yield as compared with soil available N and available K. Corn residue-derived biochar amendment 30 t ha-1 one time in the first year is good enough for corn production in three years under film-mulched drip irrigation in a dry climate.