Effects of Mixed Hardwood and Sugarcane Biochar as Bark-Based Substrate Substitutes on Container Plants Production and Nutrient Leaching

Yu, Ping; Huang, Lan; Li, Qiansheng; Lima, Isabel M.; White, Paul M.; Gu, Mengmeng

doi:10.3390/agronomy10020156

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Mixes with potato anaerobic digestate and acidified wood pellet BC (1:1, by volume) increased tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) dry weight (DW) but decreased marigold DW compared to those in the 1:1 peat:vermiculite control [29]. Mixes of 50% or 70% (by volume) sugarcane bagasse BC with the rest being bark-based container substrates led to decreased tomato total DW but no negative effects on basil DW compared to the control [30]. In addition to plant species, different percentages of BC mixed with other substrates components also led to diverse results.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biochar and Vermicompost Amendments Affect Substrate Properties and Plant Growth of Basil and Tomato

Huang

Gu²,

et al. 2020

Agronomy

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The suitability of biochar (BC) as a container substrate depends on the BC mix ratio and plant species. Mixes with mixed hardwood BC (20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%, by volume) and vermicompost (VC; 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, by volume) were evaluated as container substrates on basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. ‘Roma’) plants compared to a commercial peat-based substrate (CS). The CS made up the rest of the volume when BC and VC did not add up to 100%. The total porosity of all mixes with BC, VC, and CS (BC:VC:CS mixes) was similar to the control. Mixes with 80% BC had lower container capacity than the control. At 9 weeks after transplanting, the leachate pH of all the BC:VC:CS mixes was higher than that of the control, except for mixes of 20%BC and 5%VC with the rest (75%) being CS (20BC:5VC:75CS) and 20BC:10VC:70CS with tomato plants. The soil plant analysis development (SPAD) readings in BC:VC:CS mixes were similar to or higher than the control except for tomato plants in 80BC:5VC:15CS, 80BC:15VC:5CS, and 80BC:20VC:0CS mixes. Plants in BC:VC:CS mixes had similar growth indexes and total dry weight with respect to those in 100% CS, with the root DW of basil plants in 60BC:15VC:25CS being the highest among all treatments. Therefore, the BC (20%, 40%, 60%, or 80%, by volume) and VC (5%, 10%, 15%, or 20%, by volume) mixes had the potential to replace CS for container-grown plants, with the estimate wholesale price for 80BC:5VC:15CS was only 61.6% that of the control.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biochar and Vermicompost Amendments Affect Substrate Properties and Plant Growth of Basil and Tomato

Huang

Gu²,

et al. 2020

Agronomy

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“…In this study, we only tested one type of biochar. Since biochars from different feedstocks have varied properties [44], we can test different types of biochar in the future. Moreover, we only tested tomato and pepper plants in this study, more horticultural plants should be tested in the future.…”

Section: Treatment Effects On Plant Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using alternative substrate materials such as biochar could slow down peat moss harvest, and thus slow down depleting peat bogs, which could conserve their carbon sink capability and contribute to slower global warming. According to the literature, 20-80% of peat moss can be replaced by biochar [9,28,44]. With those numbers (assuming the commercial substrate contains 75% of peat moss), an estimated 0.02 M-0.08 M m −3 of peat moss can be saved annually.…”

Section: Biochar Potential Climatic Valuementioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effects of Mixed Hardwood Biochar, Mycorrhizae, and Fertigation on Container Tomato and Pepper Plant Growth

Li²,

Huang

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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Biochar (BC) has the potential as a peat moss alternative for container plant growth. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of mixed hardwood BC, compost types, mycorrhizae, and fertigation on container-grown tomato and pepper growth. In experiment 1 (Exp1), BC at 50%, 70%, and 90% (vol.) were mixed with 5% vermicompost (VC) with the rest being a commercial peat moss-based substrate (CS) and fertigated at 200 or 300 mg L−1 N. In experiment 2 (Exp2), 80% BC was mixed with chicken manure compost (CM; 5% or 10%) and CS and fertigated at 100 or 200 mg L−1 N. In experiment 3 (Exp3), 90% BC was blended with CS and fertigated at 200 or 300 mg L−1 N. Mixes in all the three experiments were added with or without mycorrhizae. Results showed that, compared with CS, in Exp1 tomato and pepper plants grown in BC-VC mixes had similar soil-plant analyses development (SPAD), growth index (GI), and total dry weight (TDW); in Exp2 and Exp3, plants in BC mixes (80% or 90%) had lower GI and TDW. In conclusion, BC (≤70%) amended with VC mixes could be used for container tomato and pepper production without negatively affecting plant growth, while BC (80%, 90%) mixes could have some negative impacts on plant growth.

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“…Biochar is produced at an industrial scale as a pyrolysis byproduct during bioenergy production processes for bio-oil and syngas [13,14]. Most biochars generally have a low bulk density and high CEC [15], but the properties of biochar are variable, and the pH is relatively high [16]. In addition, its effects on plant growth vary depending on the percentage used, biochar feedstock, growing conditions, and other media amendments [7,8,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Biochar and Biochar–Compost Mix on Growth, Performance and Physiological Responses of Potted Alpinia zerumbet

et al. 2021

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Container crop production has become increasingly popular over the last 50 years. A major component of container or potting media is peat. Peatlands are a natural carbon sink, and peat is a nonrenewable natural resource. Peat harvesting has become an important environmental issue. There is a growing effort to explore alternative organic materials to completely or partially replace peat as a medium component. Biochar is a carbon-rich product that has gained increasing interest as a component of growing media. In the present study, biochar was produced from rice straw. Peat/perlite/biochar (PPB; 40/30/30 v/v) and peat/perlite/biochar/vermicompost (PPBC; 30/30/35/5 v/v) were evaluated relative to a basal or control medium of peat/perlite (PP; 70:30 v/v). Alpinia (Alpinia zerumbet ‘Variegata Dwarf’) was used as a test plant. Amending biochar and biochar–compost mix increased the pH of the growing media. Hydrophysical properties including container capacity, bulk density, air space and total porosity were all within or near the standard ranges for soilless growing media. Chlorophyll a and b contents of A. zerumbet plants grown in PPB medium were reduced by more than 20% and 28%, respectively, compared to those grown in PP or PPBC media. The net photosynthetic rate of PPB-grown plants was more than 28% lower than those grown in PP and PPBC media. As a result, shoot and root dry weights of plants produced in PPB medium were more than 42% and 22% less, respectively, than those grown in PP and PPBC media. Although visual quality of PPB-grown plants was lower, they still exhibited marketable quality, which was largely due to the fact that their side shoots, leaf numbers, leaf areas, leaf thickness, and shoot diameters were comparable to those produced in PP and PPBC media. The present study showed that in a peat/perlite basal medium, substitution of peat by biochar derived from rice straw at 30% affected the growth of A. zerumbet plants, mainly in dry matter accumulation, but the plants were still marketable. On the other hand, plants grown in the same basal medium with peat replaced by the biochar at 35% plus an amendment of compost at 5% were comparable to those grown in the control medium. As the value of ornamental plants depends on their aesthetic appearance, a potting medium comprised of peat/perlite/biochar/vermicompost at 30/30/35/5 by volume is recommended for the production of A. zerumbet plants. The substitution of peat at 35% suggests that peat use can be reduced in the formulation of potting media, thus contributing to the conservation of peatlands.

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Effects of Mixed Hardwood and Sugarcane Biochar as Bark-Based Substrate Substitutes on Container Plants Production and Nutrient Leaching

Cited by 16 publications

References 53 publications

Biochar and Vermicompost Amendments Affect Substrate Properties and Plant Growth of Basil and Tomato

Biochar and Vermicompost Amendments Affect Substrate Properties and Plant Growth of Basil and Tomato

The Effects of Mixed Hardwood Biochar, Mycorrhizae, and Fertigation on Container Tomato and Pepper Plant Growth

Effects of Biochar and Biochar–Compost Mix on Growth, Performance and Physiological Responses of Potted Alpinia zerumbet

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