Using Biochar and Vermiwash to Improve Biological Activities of Soil

Michelangelo Becagli, Iduna Arduini and Roberto Cardelli
Additional contact information
Michelangelo Becagli: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Iduna Arduini: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Roberto Cardelli: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: The recycling of key nutrients and bioenergy from waste materials is a goal of sustainable agriculture. The co-application of biochar and a vermicompost solution (vermiwash) could enhance the positive effects of both materials on soil biomass and biological activities. Tomato plants were grown in soil amended with biochar, mixed at a rate of 2% w / w , and vermiwash, applied through fertigation at a rate of 25 mg per plant, alone (B and V) and in combination (BV). Organic C, dissolved organic C (DOC), soil biomass C, and some enzymatic activities were determined at the start (T0) and the end (T100) of the cultivation period in bulk soil and rhizosphere soil. B and V significantly increased the organic C and soil biomass contents. In addition, B retained the DOC species derived from the soil and, in the BV treatment, also the humic substance of the vermiwash. Generally, all the parameters achieved higher values in the rhizosphere than in the bulk soil. The altered soil index three (AI3) of enzyme activities suggests that applying V and B is helpful for the soil microorganisms. Synergisms between B and V were low in the bulk soil and clearly evident in the rhizosphere.

Keywords: biochar; β-glucosidase; organic fertilisers; phosphatase; soil enzyme activity; soil microbiome; Solanum lycopersicum; urease; vermicompost (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 complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/2/178/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/2/178/ (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:12:y:2022:i:2:p:178-:d:735051

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 ().