Integrated application of biochar and bio-fertilizer improves yield and yield components of Cowpea under water-deficient stress

Abstract

A low amount of organic matter and insufficient irrigation are two main challenges facing successful crop production in arid and semiarid regions. Application of biochar as an organic amendment to soil not only can help increase organic matter in soil, but also may alleviate adverse effects of water deficit on plant growth and yield production. To test this hypothesis, a two-year field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of sugarcane biochar on yield and yield components of cowpea in water-deficient soil. Treatments consisted of two levels of seed treatment with nitroxin, three levels of biochar application (0, 4, and 8 ton/ha), and a threelevel irrigation regime (60, 90, and 120 mm from evaporation pan class A), laid out in a split-factorial design. Results showed that the seed number per plant was significantly higher in cowpea when grown with biochar, possibly due to the relief of water-deficient stress and higher phosphorus and potassium content. Biomass production of cowpea declined under a severe waterdeficit condition (ir3) compared to normal irrigation (ir1) in 2018 and 2019, decreasing by 39% and 42%, respectively. The maximum biomass obtained from application of 8 ton/ha biochar reached 617.43 and 664.92 g/m2 in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Seeds treated with nitroxin exhibited 10% and 8% greater biomass production in 2018 and 2019 as compared with control treatments. Seed yield increased with the addition of biochar to soil under all irrigation regimes; however, the maximum seed yield of 266.46 and 275.36 g/m2 was observed when there was no water-deficient stress condition and application of 8 ton/ha biochar in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

The Use of Soil Conditioners to Ensure a Sustainable Wheat Yield under Water Deficit Conditions by Enhancing the Physiological and Antioxidant Potentials

“…In a field study, Grabi ński and Wyzi ńka [53] concluded that the addition of superabsorbent polymers at the rate of 30 kg/h in winter wheat elevated all the growth and yield parameters in water stress conditions, which strongly endorsed our experimental treatment of the KPAM polymer and the results. Similarly, Moosavi et al [54] showed that the cultivation of cowpea with biochar enhanced the seed number per plant due to the relief of water-deficient stress and a higher phosphate and potassium content. Other studies also endorsed that biochar and nitrogen fertilizer improved the yield-related characteristics in arid climates [55,56].…”

Soil respiration, root traits and dry matter yield of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) as affected by biochar application under different cropping patterns and irrigation method

“…In most cases, biochar application improved the properties of the soil, although in some cases, its adverse effects were observed, which may be due to the insufficient application of biochar. The beneficial effects of biochar increase the availability of water (Cornelissen et al, 2013;Moosavi et al, 2020), thereby increasing soil moisture retention (Buss et al, 2012) and improving soil chemical properties such as increasing the level of soil organic carbon, soil nitrogen and nutrient uptake (Ma et al, 2016). There was no correlation between the root characteristics, SR and DMY (Table 3).…”

Investigating effects of deficit irrigation levels and fertilizer rates on water use efficiency and productivity based on field observations and modeling approaches

“…[4][5][6][7] On the other hand, in the spreading method used by farmers, seeds are spread on the smoothed soil surface, followed by narrow cultivation. In Pakistan, wheat grain yield per hectare is still 65−70% lesser than that in other wheat-producing countries 3,8,9 even though farmers use excessive amounts of irrigation 10,11 and fertilizers to boost crop yield in flat sowing method.…”