Nutrients Leaching from Tillage Soil Amended with Wheat Straw Biochar Influenced by Fertiliser Type

Cheng Huang, Xiuyun Sun, Lianjun Wang, Paul Storer, Kadambot H. M. Siddique and Zakaria M. Solaiman
Additional contact information
Cheng Huang: The UWA Institute of Agriculture, and UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
Xiuyun Sun: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Lianjun Wang: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Paul Storer: Troforte Innovations Pty Ltd., Wangara, WA 6065, Australia
Kadambot H. M. Siddique: The UWA Institute of Agriculture, and UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
Zakaria M. Solaiman: The UWA Institute of Agriculture, and UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: The co-application of biochar and fertiliser has emerged as a strategy for improving soil quality and crop growth; however, the impact of the type of fertiliser added with biochar to the soil on leaching and retention of nutrients is not well studied. In this study, a leaching experiment was undertaken using a series of column lysimeters incorporating a wheat straw biochar (WSB) and two fertiliser types—chemical fertiliser (CF), or rock mineral fertiliser (MF). The results showed that CF and MF leached a similar amount of NH 4 + with or without WSB, but the NO 3 – leaching occurred from CF-treated soil which was decreased by CF + WSB application. In contrast, NO 3 – leaching was not affected by WSB in MF-treated soil. Both CF and MF with or without WSB increased the cumulative leaching of P and K. Nevertheless, WSB application increased soil P and K contents after leaching, which was attributed to intrinsic nutrient release from biochar. Shoot growth and P and K uptake also increased with biochar amendment, whereas root growth and N uptake did not change. Therefore, the results highlight that biochar addition can improve nutrient retention and plant growth by reducing nutrient leaching, mainly dependent on biochar and fertiliser type combination used. It suggests that the adsorption properties of biochar for nutrient retention and subsequent release need to know before their broad application to soils as amendments.

Keywords: wheat straw biochar; fertiliser; nutrients leaching; nutrient retention; wheat growth (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: 2021
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