Effect of low energy-consuming biochars in combination with nitrate fertilizer on soil acidity amelioration and maize growth

Abstract

We evaluated the ameliorative effects of crop straw biochars either alone or in combination with nitrate fertilizer on soil acidity and maize growth. Low energy-consuming biochars were prepared from canola and peanut straws at 400 °C for 2 h. Incubation experiment was conducted to determine application rate of biochars. Afterward, maize crop was grown in pots for 85 days to investigate the effects of 1 % biochars combined with nitrate fertilizer on soil pH, exchangeable acidity, and maize growth in an Ultisol collected from Guangdong Province, China. Application of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 % either canola straw biochar (CSB) or peanut straw biochar (PSB) increased soil pH by 0.15, 0.27, 0.34, and 0.30, 0.58, 0.83 U, respectively, after 65-day incubation. Soil pH was increased by 0.49, 0.72, 0.78, and 0.88 U when 1 % CSB or PSB was applied in combination with 100 and 200 mg N/kg of nitrate, respectively, after maize harvest in greenhouse pot experiment. These low-cost biochars when applied alone or in combination with nitrate not only reduced soil exchangeable acidity, but also increased Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, and base saturation degree of the soil. A total of 49.91 and 80.58 % decreases in exchangeable acidity were observed when 1 % CSB and PSB were incubated with the soil for 65 days, compared to pot experiment where 71.35, 78.64, 80.2, and 81.77 % reductions of exchangeable acidity were observed when 1 % CSB and PSB were applied in combination with 100 and 200 mg N/kg of nitrate, respectively. The higher contents of base cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+) in biochars also influenced the plant growth. The higher biomass in CSB-treated pots was attributed to the higher K content compared to PSB. The higher percent reduction in exchangeable Al3+ by applying 1 % CSB combined with 200 mg N/kg of nitrate consistently produced maximum biomass (129.65 g/pot) compared to 100 mg N/kg of nitrate and 1 % PSB combined with 100 and 200 mg N/kg of nitrate. The exchangeable Al3+ mainly responsible for exchangeable acidity was decreased with the application of biochars and nitrate fertilizer. A highly significant negative relationship was observed between soil exchangeable Al3+ and plant biomass (r 2 = 0.88, P < 0.05). The biochars in combination with nitrate fertilizer are cost-effective options to effectively reduce soil acidity and improve crop growth on sustainable basis.