Short-Term Biochar Impacts on Crop Performance and Soil Quality in Arid Sandy Loam Soil

Lindsay Keller, Omololu John Idowu (), April Ulery, Mohammed Omer and Catherine E. Brewer
Additional contact information
Lindsay Keller: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University, P.O. Box 30003, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Omololu John Idowu: Department of Extension Plant Sciences, New Mexico State University, P.O. Box 30003, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
April Ulery: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University, P.O. Box 30003, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Mohammed Omer: Department of Extension Plant Sciences, New Mexico State University, P.O. Box 30003, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Catherine E. Brewer: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, New Mexico State University, P.O. Box 30001, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: A two-year field study was conducted in sandy loam soil to evaluate the impacts of biochar on soil quality and the growth and yields of pinto bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) and sorghum–Sudan ( Sorghum × drummondii ). A wood-derived commercial biochar was applied at three rates to pinto bean (PB) and sorghum–Sudan (SS) plots. The biochar application rates applied annually for two years to PB plots were 0, 2.2, and 11.2 Mg ha −1 , whereas the rates for SS plots were 0, 3.4, and 6.7 Mg ha −1 . Crop growth and harvest parameters were evaluated. Assessed soil measurements included pH, electrical conductivity, available nutrients, soil organic matter (SOM), permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), soil aggregates, and volumetric soil moisture content. The results showed no significant differences in plant growth parameters and yields over the two growing seasons for both PB and SS. Compared to the control treatment, the biochar at 11.2 Mg ha −1 in PB plots improved soil moisture retention after irrigation by 19% in the first year and 25% in the second year. The SOM in the SS plot at 6.7 Mg ha −1 biochar rate was higher (1.02%) compared to the control plot (0.82%), whereas a similar increase was not observed in the PB plot. Although biochar rates did not affect most of the soil measurements, there were significant changes in soil properties over time, regardless of biochar treatments: POXC increased in the PB and SS plots; SOM increased in the SS plot; and electrical conductivity, sodium adsorption ratio, and most soil micronutrients decreased. This research was conducted over two years; the effects of biochar can persist for much longer, indicating the need for longer-term biochar field studies in arid agroecosystems.

Keywords: biochar; arid agroecosystems; pinto bean; sorghum–Sudan; soil organic matter; soil moisture retention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/4/782/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/4/782/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:13:y:2023:i:4:p:782-:d:1110428

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().