Regulation of CH 4 and N 2 O Emissions by Biochar Application in a Salt-Affected Sorghum Farmland

Yibo Zhao, Wei Yang (), Zhongyi Qu (), Liping Wang, Yixuan Yang and Yusheng Hao
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Yibo Zhao: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Wei Yang: College of Grassland Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China
Zhongyi Qu: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Liping Wang: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Yixuan Yang: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Yusheng Hao: College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-20

Abstract: The ameliorative mechanism of biochar in reducing soil greenhouse gas emissions in arid saline farmland remains unclear. A two-year field study in sorghum farmland in China’s Hetao Irrigation District was conducted to assess the influence of corn straw-derived biochar on GHG emissions and explore the role of soil physicochemical properties in regulating GHG fluxes. Four different biochar application rates were tested: 0 (CK), 15 (C15), 30 (C30), and 45 t hm −2 (C45). Compared to CK, C15 reduced CH 4 emissions by 15.2% and seasonal CH 4 flux by 77.0%. The N 2 O flux followed CK > C45 > C30 > C15 from 2021 to 2022. C15 and C30 significantly decreased GWP, mitigating GHG emission intensity. Biochar application enhanced sorghum grain yield. Soil temperature was the primary determinant of CH 4 flux (total effect = 0.92). In the second year, biochar’s influence on CH 4 emissions increased by 0.76. Multivariate SEM identified soil moisture (total effect = −0.72) and soil temperature (total effect = −0.70) as primary negative regulators of N 2 O fluxes. C40 lead to salt accumulation, which increases CH 4 emissions but inhibits N 2 O emissions. Averaged over two years, GWP under C15 and C30 decreased by 76.5–106.7% and 5.3–56.1%, respectively, compared to CK. Overall, the application of biochar at a rate of 15 t hm −2 significantly reduced CH 4 and N 2 O emissions and increased sorghum yield.

Keywords: greenhouse gas; soil properties; biochar; available N; global warming potential; sorghum (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: 2025
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