Agroenvironmental Performances of Biochar Application in the Mineral and Organic Fertilization Strategies of a Maize–Ryegrass Forage System

Carla Scotti, Chiara Bertora, Massimo Valagussa, Lamberto Borrelli, Giovanni Cabassi and Alberto Tosca
Additional contact information
Carla Scotti: CREA Zootecnia e Acquacoltura Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, I-26900 Lodi, LOM, Italy
Chiara Bertora: UPTOFARM s.r.l., I-10095 Grugliasco, TO, Italy
Massimo Valagussa: MAC Minoprio Analisi e Certificazioni s.r.l., I-22070 Vertemate Con Minoprio, CO, Italy
Lamberto Borrelli: CREA Zootecnia e Acquacoltura Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, I-26900 Lodi, LOM, Italy
Giovanni Cabassi: CREA Zootecnia e Acquacoltura Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, I-26900 Lodi, LOM, Italy
Alberto Tosca: Fondazione Minoprio, I-22070 Vertemate Con Minoprio, CO, Italy

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-20

Abstract: Biochar, included as a soil amendment by EU Regulation 2019/1009, has been shown to increase soil organic C stock and nutrient retention. We investigated the effect of biochar incorporation alone (B) and in association with mineral (BMin), digestate (BDig) and slurry (BSlu) fertilization, compared to the respective controls without biochar (C, Min, Dig and Slu), in a silage maize–Italian ryegrass rotation, on yield, soil fertility parameters and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions. Two types of biochar in three doses (0.2, 0.45, 0.9%) were tested in two cropping seasons. Biochar did not significantly affect maize yield; however, BDig tended to increase silage yield and the ear component compared to Dig, while BMin tended to reduce maize N uptake compared to Min. Biochar incorporation significantly increased soil organic C (+31%) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) (+13%) in all the fertilization treatments; BMin and BDig also showed an increase compared to biochar alone (B). Emission of N 2 O was mainly driven by fertilization, digestate exhibiting the highest emissions. Biochar addition decreased the cumulative N 2 O emissions consistently in all the fertilization treatments, though not significantly. The association of biochar with organic fertilizers, in particular digestate, appears promising in increasing the fertilizer efficiency and reducing N 2 O emissions.

Keywords: biochar; digestate; silage maize–Italian ryegrass rotation; GHG emission; soil organic C; soil CEC (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
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