Soil fertility and upland rice yield after biochar application in the Cerrado

Abstract

-The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of biochar made from Eucalyptus on soil fertility, and on the yield and development of upland rice. The experiment was performed during two years in a randomized block design with four replicates, in a sandy loam Dystric Plinthosol. Four doses of NPK 05-25-15, annually distributed in stripes (0, 100, 200 and 300 kg ha -1 ), and four doses of biochar (0, 8, 16 and 32 Mg ha -1 ), applied once in the first year -alone or with NPK -were evaluated. In the first year, biochar positively affected soil fertility [total organic carbon (TOC), Ca, P, Al, H+Al, and pH], at 0-10 cm soil depth, and it was the only factor with significant effect on yield. In the second year, the effect of biochar diminished or was overcome by the fertilizer. TOC moved down in the soil profile to the 0-20 cm depth, influencing K availability in this layer. In the second year, there was a significant interaction between biochar and the fertilizer on plant growth and biomass dry matter accumulation.

Biochar: Pyrogenic Carbon for Agricultural Use - A Critical Review

“…In Europe, there are reports on the use of peatcharcoal for agricultural purposes by Davy (1856), and in USA, Tryon (1948) reported on the effect of wood biochar on the properties of forest soils. Recent studies suggest that application of biochar as a soil amendment can potentially increase crop productivity on weathered tropical soils (Glaser et al, 2002;Lehmann et al, 2003;Steiner et al, 2007;Major et al, 2010b;Petter et al, 2012). This is in agreement with a meta-regression analysis by Crane-Droesch et al (2013), who found that soil CEC and organic C were strong predictors of yield response in the presence of biochar.…”

“…On the sandy soil, WB had no effect on grain yield 2 and 3 yr after its application, contrary to the very positive effects observed immediately and 1 yr after biochar application. Interestingly, these first two seasons reported by Petter et al (2012) were very dry and the latest two seasons studied by Carvalho et al (2014) were very wet. Due to this unfortunate sequences of dry and wet seasons it was impossible to directly test whether the positive effects observed by Petter et al (2012) were due to fertilization (nutrients added via WB) or to improved water retention, or maybe to both.…”

“…Interestingly, these first two seasons reported by Petter et al (2012) were very dry and the latest two seasons studied by Carvalho et al (2014) were very wet. Due to this unfortunate sequences of dry and wet seasons it was impossible to directly test whether the positive effects observed by Petter et al (2012) were due to fertilization (nutrients added via WB) or to improved water retention, or maybe to both. Therefore, our analysis of the soil water retention curves was valuable for providing the missing link.…”

“…Later, Pereira et al (2012) demonstrated the significant effect of wood biochar on increasing the capacity of sand to hold water. In a field trial, Petter et al (2012) also reported positive effects of biochar on soil chemical properties and outstanding positive effects on aerobic rice yields on a sandy loam soil immediately and one year after application.…”

INTERACTIONS OF BIOCHAR AND ORGANIC COMPOUND FOR SEEDLINGS PRODUCTION OF Magonia pubescens A. St.-Hil.

“…Those statements are confirmed in this study, proving that the use of biochar in isolation do not give the applicable efficiency to the vegetal production (GLASER et al, 2002;STEINER et al, 2007;GASKIN et al, 2010;PETTER et al, 2012;LIMA et al, 2013b). …”