Effect of Biochar on Soil and Water Loss on Sloping Farmland in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China during the Spring Thawing Period

Pengfei Yu,Qiang Fu,Renjie Hou,Tianxiao Li,Hang Zhao,Dong Liu

doi:10.3390/su13031460

Abstract

Biochar, as a kind of soil amendment, has attracted wide attention from scholars in various countries, and the effects of biochar on soil and water loss have been well reported. However, soil erosion is significantly affected by geographical conditions, climate, and other factors, and research on the characteristics of soil erosion and the effects of biochar application in seasonally frozen soil areas is currently unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of corn straw biochar application on soil and water conservation during the spring thawing period. Specifically, through field experiments, the addition of 0, 6, and 12 kg m−2 biochar on slopes of 1.8, 3.6, 5.4, and 7.2° and the effects on runoff and the soil erosion rate of farmland were analyzed. The results showed that in the 6 and 12 kg m−2 biochar addition treatments, the saturated water content of the soil increased by 24.17 and 42.91%, and the field capacity increased by 32.44 and 51.30%, respectively. Compared with the untreated slope, with an increase in biochar application rate, runoff decreased slightly, and soil erosion decreased significantly. This study reveals that biochar can be used as a potential measure to prevent soil and water loss on sloping farmland in cold regions.

Highlights

Soil erosion has always been an environmental problem faced by humans
The results showed that biochar treatment could improve the degree of soil and water conservation, and the effect of the 12 kg m−2 biochar treatment was higher than that of the 6 kg m−2 biochar treatment in the range of 1.8◦ to 7.2◦
Three different proportions of corn straw biochar were used on four different slopes in a seasonally frozen soil area

Summary

Introduction

Soil erosion has always been an environmental problem faced by humans. In modern times, the development of large-scale industry and agriculture has intensified the occurrence of soil erosion, causing sharp deterioration in the ecological environment, which severely restricts agricultural development and threatens the survival of humankind. The soil in the loess region of Northwest China tends to be loose, poorly agglomerated, and structurally unstable; the soil can be susceptible to erosion due to rainfall and runoff [3]. In the black soil region of Northeast China, due to seasonal climate change, freeze–thaw cycling between winter and spring leads to soil accumulation in ditches caused by changes in soil structure, permeability, water conductivity, water content, strength, and aggregate water stability, which make the soil in this region vulnerable to erosion [4,5]. When the environmental temperature changes, the water in the soil undergoes a phase change. This change results in the soil being mechanically damaged and migrating and accumulating under the action of Sustainability 2021, 13, 1460.

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Discussion

Conclusion