Abstract
Sandy soils have limited agricultural production. Farmers try to overcome sandy soil constraints by using various soil amendments. This study aims to evaluate the combined effects of biochar and chemical fertilizer on plant growth and nutrient uptake for sweet corn grown on a sandy soil in a glasshouse experiment. The pot experiment was conducted in a glasshouse at the Land Development Department, Bangkok using a super agro sweet corn variety (Market’s variety) (open pollinated variety) (Zea mays L.) on an Ustic Quartzipsamment at field capacity. The Complete Block Design with 2 replications and 16 treatments included 2 controls, 14 different biochar treatments (eucalyptus wood and rice husk biochars) with and without chemical (N, P and K) fertilizers applied at 1 and 2 times the fertilizer recommendation. The results showed that treatment 16 (rice husk biochar 40 ton ha-1 with chemical fertilizer at 2 times fertilizer recommendation: R40F2) was the best treatment which significantly (p<0.05) increased sweet corn growth and nutrient uptake. Clearly, biochar can increase nutrient uptake and plant yield to the benefit of farmers however biochar does not have sufficient plant nutrient contents to support maximum plant growth. Applying biochar together with chemical fertilizers is the best solution for sandy soils. Keywords: Sweet corn, rice husk biochar, eucalyptus wood biochar, chemical fertilizer, sandy soil.
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