Soil Phosphorus Fractionation and Bio-Availability in a Calcareous Soil as Affected by Conocarpus Waste Biochar and Its Acidified Derivative

Mutair A. Akanji, Munir Ahmad (), Mohammad I. Al-Wabel and Abdullah S. F. Al-Farraj
Additional contact information
Mutair A. Akanji: Soil Sciences Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Munir Ahmad: Soil Sciences Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mohammad I. Al-Wabel: Soil Sciences Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah S. F. Al-Farraj: Soil Sciences Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-35

Abstract: Biochar possesses more profound effects on the availability of soil P in acidic soil than in alkaline and/or calcareous soil, mainly due to P fixation. Therefore, biochar derived from Conocarpus waste (BC) was acidified with sulfuric acid to produce acidified biochar (ABC) and incorporated into a calcareous soil planted with alfalfa in order to investigate P availability and fractionation. Additionally, the changes in some other soil chemical properties were investigated. Both BC and ABC were applied at three rates (0%, 2.5%, and 5%) along with P fertilizer application at four rates (0, 75, 150 and 300 ppm). The results showed that acidification remarkably reduced the pH of ABC by 6.84 units. The application of ABC considerably lowered the soil pH; however, it did not significantly increase P availability in the studied soil. Furthermore, BC, especially at a higher application rate, increased the extractable soil K. Similarly, the amendments increased the soil cation exchangeable capacity (CEC) and soil organic matter (OM), where a profound increase was observed at a higher application rate in the case of soil OM. Similarly, soil-available micronutrients were increased over the control, where a more profound increase was observed in soils treated with ABC. The NaHCO 3 − P (exchangeable) fraction increased with increasing fertilizer application rate while the residual–P decreased. Therefore, BC and ABC could be used to improve soil quality and enhance soil nutrient availability. However, further studies are required on how to significantly improve soil available P in calcareous soil.

Keywords: acidified biochar; available phosphorous; alkaline soil; alfalfa (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: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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