The impact of the combined application of biochar and organic fertilizer on the growth and nutrient distribution in wheat under reduced chemical fertilizer conditions

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Organic fertilizer can help replenish fertility in cropland and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, with biochar is an important soil conditioner. Under the premise of chemical fertilizer reduction, whether the application of biochar and organic fertilizer affect the yield and nutrient absorption and utilization of wheat? In this experiment, 7 treatments were set up in a randomized field trial with each treatment repeated three times: (1) CK1: no fertilizer; (2) CK2: 100% inorganic fertilizer; (3) T1: recommended amount of biochar with 100% inorganic fertilizer; (4) T2: recommended amount of organic fertilizer with 80% inorganic fertilizer; (5) T3: recommended amount of organic fertilizer and biochar with 80% inorganic fertilizer; (6) T4: recommended amount of organic fertilizer with 60% inorganic fertilizer; and (7) T5: recommended amount of organic fertilizer and biochar with 60% inorganic fertilizer. The results of this study showed that biochar combined with organic fertilizer can reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer by 40%~20% while ensuring wheat yield. Combining the input and output, 80% inorganic fertilizer with biochar and organic fertilizer (T3) was recommended. Under this fertilization scheme, the wheat yield was 37.32% higher than that of 100% chemical fertilizer (CK2), and the photosynthetic capacity was 54.97% higher at seedling stage. At the tillering stage, the root nitrogen content of T3 was significantly higher than that of T2, T4 and T5, which was 21.44%, 54.63% and 60.16%, respectively. The nitrogen content of T3 was significantly higher than that of other treatments at maturity, and the nitrogen content of T3 was 4.38% higher than that of CK2. At heading stage, the nitrogen allocated to T3 leaves was 4.71% higher than CK2. Overall, the results of this study showed that the combination of biochar and organic fertilizer could effectively reduce the application of chemical fertilizer. The recommended fertilizer regimen was 80% inorganic fertilizer with biochar and organic fertilizer, under this scheme, wheat had stronger photosynthetic capacity and better nutrient absorption and distribution mechanism.