Impact of Different Sources and Levels of Biochar on Maize Growth and Yield in a Vertisol

Abstract

Biochar preparation is one of the beneficial technologies for crop residue management. The production and use of biochar have many opportunities for soil improvement and agricultural productivity. A field experiment was laid out in Factorial RBD, to assess the potential effect of biochar derived from maize cob rind, coconut shell and Prosopis sps on growth and yield of maize grown in Kharif season 2022. Treatments comprised of first factor as biochar sources viz., maize cob rind biochar, Prosopis sps biochar and coconut shell biochar, second factor as application rates viz., 7.5, 10 and 15 t ha-1 along with RPP without FYM, RPP and absolute control with three replications. Among the different biochar sources PSB recorded significantly higher total dry matter (188.21 g plant-1), grain weight per cob (174.44 g cob-1), grain yield (59.60 q ha-1) and Stover yield (81.22 q ha-1). Among the different rates of biochar application, significantly higher total dry matter (196.00 g plant-1), grain weight per cob (183.02 g cob-1), grain yield (57.55 q ha-1), stover yield (88.94) were recorded with biochars application of 15 t ha-1. However, lower values were recorded in absolute control. Among the Interaction effect between the sources and rate of biochar application was found to be non- significant with yield and soil parameters. Therefore, effect of biochar on the availability of soil nutrients is associated with the nature of the biochar feedstock, the rate of application and the soil characteristics.