Abstract
Biochar has been confirmed to boost soil fertility and crop efficiency. The study aimed to examine the impacts of different combinations of biochar, plant hill and spacing on the growth and yield parameters of rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i> L.) var NERICA L 19 in an inland valley swamp in Sierra Leone. The experiment was performed in a Randomized Complete Block Design using eight treatment combinations including: two levels of Biochar-soil mixtures (10 t ha<sup>-1</sup> and 0 t ha<sup>-1</sup>), two levels of plant density per hill (1 seedling per hill and 2 seedlings per hill), and two levels of plant spacing (25 cm and 20 cm). Growth parameters were conducted at 4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks after transplanting (WAT), while yield parameters were measured at harvest. Biochar hill and spacing had no significant effect on plant height, leaf area, grain yield, straw yield, and harvest index, but biochar plant spacing had a significant effect on tiller number. Biochar significantly enhanced plant growth (tiller number) and yield attribute traits such as panicle number and straw yield. The potential of gliricidia biochar in supporting increased growth and yield suggest its exploitation for both straw and grain yield productivity of rice in the IVS. Residual gliricidia biochar could be also exploited in future studies to determine their benefit in enhancing grain yield in IVS rice.
Highlights
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the world's essential food crop, as it supports millions of livelihoods in Africa and some parts of Asia [1,2,3]
NERICA L 19 is a variety of the African NERICA varieties that was developed by the West African Rice Development Association in 1994 (WARDA), which is suitable for rainfed lowland ecology
This study examines the effect of biochar amendment, plant density and spacing on the growth of rice
Summary
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the world's essential food crop, as it supports millions of livelihoods in Africa and some parts of Asia [1,2,3] It is the most important staple food in Sierra Leone. The decreased productivity of rice is partly due to infertile soils and the influence by climate change involving changes in rainfall and temperature levels that impede its growth and yield [5, 6]. To resolve this menace, a sustainable novel technology known as biochar has been suggested to be effective in increasing and conserving soil fertility as well as mitigating climate change [7]. Studies have shown that biochar amendment can mitigate climate change, modify soils, and improve crop productivity [9, 10]
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