Abstract
The application of biochar is promising for improving the physical, chemical and hydrological properties of soil. However, there are few studies regarding the influence of biochar particle size. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of biochar size on the physical, chemical and hydrological properties in sandy and loamy tropical soils. For this purpose, an incubation experiment was conducted in the laboratory with eight treatments (control (only soil), two soils (loamy and sandy soil), and three biochar sizes (<0.15 mm; 0.15–2 mm and >2 mm)). Analyses of water content, bulk density, total porosity, pore size distribution, total carbon (TC) and total N (TN) were performed after 1 year of soil–biochar-interactions in the laboratory. The smaller particle size <0.15 mm increased water retention in both soils, particularly in the loamy soil. Bulk density slightly decreased, especially in the loamy soil when biochar > 2 mm and in the sandy soil with the addition of 0.15–2 mm biochar. Porosity increased in both soils with the addition of biochar in the range of 0.15–2 mm. Smaller biochar particles shifted pore size distribution to increased macro and mesoporosity in both soils. Total carbon content increased mainly in sandy soil compared to control treatment; the highest carbon amount was obtained in the biochar size 0.15–2 mm in loamy soil and <0.15 mm in sandy soil, while the TN content and C:N ratio increased slightly with a reduction of the biochar particle size in both soils. These results demonstrate that biochar particle size is crucial for water retention, water availability, pore size distribution, and C sequestration.
Highlights
The intensification of agricultural production on a global scale is necessary in order to secure the food supply for an increasing world population
The Miscanthus-derived biochar had a higher quantity of C, N, Ca, Mg, Na, K, P, and S when compared to both soils (Table 1)
Sandy soil has a very low amount of K; a low amount of Mg and P; a base saturation of Ca; a medium amount of S, Al, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and m%; and a high content of sand at a low pH can contribute to the low fertility as compared to loamy soil (Table 3)
Summary
The intensification of agricultural production on a global scale is necessary in order to secure the food supply for an increasing world population. In most tropical environments, sustainable agriculture faces large constraints due to low nutrient content and accelerated mineralization of soil organic matter (SOM) [1]. The low cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the soils further decreases. Under such circumstances, the efficiency of applied mineral fertilizers is very low when the loss of mobile nutrients from the topsoil is enhanced by high rainfall [2]. Coarse-structured soils with low clay content are characterized by a lack of both water retention and nutrient-holding capacities that are necessary for plant growth [3]. Nutrient deficiency is prevalent in many crop production systems of the tropics [4]
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