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| Effects of Biochar Amendment on Soil Water and Nutrient Utilization Efficiencies and Tomato Growth |
| Received:June 08, 2014 |
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| KeyWord:biochar;sandy loam;soil water utilization efficiency;soil nutrient utilization efficiency;soil moisture content |
| Author Name | Affiliation | E-mail | | LI Chang-jian | Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Huhhot 010018, China | | | QU Zhong-yi | Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Huhhot 010018, China | quzhongyi68@sohu.com | | GOU Mang-mang | Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Huhhot 010018, China
Hydraulic Research Institute of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot 010020, China | | | SU Yong-li | Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China | | | HUO Xing | Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Huhhot 010018, China | |
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| Abstract: |
| Biochar added to soil has the potential to hold water and retain nutrients. However, the effects of biochar on soil water and nutrient utilization efficiencies were not well understood. A field experiment was carried out to examine changes of physical properties and water and nutrient bearing capability of sandy loam under different application rates of biochar. The experiment had 5 treatments with 3 replication, including no biochar(CK), 10 t·hm-2(T1), 20 t·hm-2(T2), 40 t·hm-2(T3) and 60 t·hm-2 of biochar(T4). Application of biochar reduced soil bulk density, but increased soil porosity and moisture content. Such effects were found to be the greatest in the T4 treatment, in which bulk density was reduced by 23% in 0~10 cm, and by 30% in 0~20 cm, while the porosity was increased by 14% in 0~10 cm, and by 19% in 0~20 cm as compared with the control. Biochar addition enhanced soil water and nutrient utilization efficiency by at least 27.7% and 87.4%, respectively. Also, biochar improved tomato growth and yield, with the greatest effects observed in the T3 treatment, a 56.1% increment over the control. In conclusion, biochar could improve soil physical properties, increase utilization efficiency of soil water and nutrients. The optimum biochar rate would be 40 t·hm-2 for sandy loam. |
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