Effects of Common Biochar and Acid-Modified Biochar on Growth and Quality of Spinach in Coastal Saline Soils

Abstract

The rational development and efficient utilization of saline soils can alleviate the problem of insufficient arable land faced by agricultural production in China. A prominent problem is improving soil salt and water conditions for promoting land resources’ productivity in coastal areas. Biochar is widely used for soil improvement, as it has remarkable properties. A pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of two kinds of biochar (common biochar and acid-modified biochar) with three addition rates (2%, 4%, and 8%) on the growth, yield, photosynthetic characteristics, and quality of spinach. The results revealed that 2% and 4% common biochar increased the plant height, stem diameter, and leaf area index, effectively improving the yield of spinach and water productivity, while 8% common biochar was detrimental to the growth of spinach to some extent. Acid-modified biochar significantly benefited the growth and increased the water productivity of spinach, ensuring high yields, while also improved quality. Similarly, acid-modified biochar was less effective at high additions than at low-to-medium additions. The integrated biological response version 2 (IBRV2) values under acid-modified biochar treatments were all significantly higher than those under common biochar, but there is no significant difference among three treatments in the same biochar group, which suggested a pronounced amelioration in spinach growth within saline-alkali soil upon the incorporation of acid-modified biochar. Overall, applying acid-modified biochar at the rate of 4% exhibited enormous potential for increasing the yield and quality of spinach in saline soils.

How Does Bio-Organic Fertilizer Combined with Biochar Affect Chinese Small Cabbage’s Growth and Quality on Newly Reclaimed Land?

“…In the bio-organic fertilizer group, the greatest ET, yield and water productivity were obtained under B1Ft, and the peak WP was also observed under B1Fc in the compound fertilizer group, which indicates that there is a threshold of biochar addition and that excessive biochar addition is uneconomical and less effective. A similar conclusion was also reached by Huang [31], who reported that the water use efficiency significantly improved under low and medium biochar addition rates, and there was no help when the addition rate reached 8%. Zhuang [32] also reported that at the same N fertilizer application amount, the dry matter accumulation of plants first increased and then decreased with increasing biochar addition rate, and a moderate increase of 4% was a reasonable amount combined with N fertilizer application.…”

“…On the other hand, due to its huge specific surface area, biochar can also improve soil structure and provide growth space for soil microorganisms, promote microbial activity, contribute to the decomposition and transformation of organic fertilizer, and release more nutrients for crops to absorb [25]. The plant growth-promoting effects of biochar were also reported for spinach by Wang et al [26]. Wu et al [27] revealed that soybean growth and yield were significantly improved by biochar addition.…”

Liming potential and characteristics of biochar produced from woody and non-woody biomass at different pyrolysis temperatures

“…However, the material and pyrolysis temperature have the greatest influence on the effects of biochar 16 . Biochar addition to the soil increases its pH and improves nutrient availability and uptake by plants 17 . For example, biochar increases the availability of fixed phosphorous with high contents of aluminum (Al 3+ ) and iron (Fe 2+ ) under acidic conditions 18 , and improves the bioavailability of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K), Ca 2+ , and Mg 2+ 19 .…”

Effect of Intertidal Vegetation (Suaeda salsa) Restoration on Microbial Diversity in the Offshore Areas of the Yellow River Delta

“…Degraded vegetation exacerbates intertidal surface exposure, and sunlight exposure will exacerbate the salinization of intertidal soils, destroying the ecological function of soils and damaging microbial environments [ 2 , 3 ]. It could ultimately transform the coastal soil environment into salting beaches with low plant diversity [ 4 , 5 ]. Furthermore, the degradation of vegetation also leads to a decrease in the ability of the intertidal zone to absorb pollutants and heavy metals in the sedimentary environment, which exacerbates environmental pollution in the intertidal zone.…”