Effects of biochar on seedling root growth of soybeans

Abstract

Biochar application is an effective method for agriculture production. In order to study the biochar effect on soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) seedling root growth, this study was conducted in a sand culture experiment using two soybean cultivars with different P efficiencies. Soybean was pot-grown at four biochar rates (0%, 0.15%, 0.75% and 1.5%, w/v). The results showed no difference in Cultivar × Biochar interaction on root morphologic characteristics. At 7 d after germination (DAG), biochar slightly enhanced root growth; at 10 DAG, biochar significantly increased total root length (TRL) and total root surface area (TRSA) highest by 48.4% and 27.4% (P < 0.05) at 1.5% biochar rate, respectively, compared to the control. The positive effects on root morphology by biochar were especially concentrated on fine roots (< 0.5 mm). In addition, root vitality and leaf soluble sugar content were significantly increased by both 0.75% and 1.5% biochar; shoot biomass increased maximally by 65.6% at 1.5% biochar rate compared to the control; inversely, root/shoot ratio significantly reduced by 32.3% and 23.5% at 1.5% biochar rate, respectively, at 7 and 10 DAG. We suggest that biochar had positive effects on soybean seedling growth through improving root morphology and root vitality, regardless of different P efficient cultivars.

Effect of Biochar, FYM and Nitrogen on Uptake of Nutrients, Quality and Yield of Blackgram

“…was recorded with the soil application of biochar @ 10 t ha -1 + FYM @ 10 t ha -1 and nitrogen @ 20 kg ha -1 , it could be due to the increased root allocation proportion with the application of biochar which increase the number of bacteria and also the soil physicochemical properties and hence more root nodule plant -1 were produced. Similar results finding in the line of present observation was reported by Zhu et al [10].…”

Integrated use of biochar and lime as a tool to improve maize yield and mitigate CO2 emission: A review

“…The potential for nutrient retention is the second important quality of biochar (Mensah and Frimpong, 2018). Furthermore, biochar-amended soil assists nutrient uptake for adequate plant growth by maintaining root growth and biomass and the root/shoot ratio (Zhu et al, 2018).…”

Effects of effective microorganisms biochar-based fertilizer on photosynthetic characteristics and chlorophyll content of flue-cured tobacco under water-saving irrigation strategies

“…There are currently many reports on flue-cured tobacco base fertilizers. Biochar has a strong adsorption ability because of its great porosity and high specific surface area (Zhu et al, 2018). Biochar-based fertilizer prepared with biochar as a fertilizer carrier can promote tobacco growth and increase its quality (Qin et al, 2018;Chen et al, 2019;Li et al, 2019a).…”