The Interactive Impact of Straw Mulch and Biochar Application Positively Enhanced the Growth Indexes of Maize (Zea mays L.) Crop

Abstract

A two-year experiment was carried out at Shenyang Agricultural University’s research field area in China to evaluate the impact of the combined application of straw mulch (0 and 8 t ha−1) and biochar (0, 4, 12, and 36 t ha−1) on the morphological traits and grain development of rainfed maize during 2018 and 2019. The results showed that straw mulch and different biochar application rates significantly impacted the maize growth index. Compared to non-biochar-treated soils, the introduction of straw mulch improved plant height, stem diameter, leaf area index (LAI), leaves, stem, root, and crop growth rate (CGR), and dry weight of rainfed maize crop. The highest plant height, stem diameter, LAI, leaves, stem, root growth rate, CGR, and dry weight of rainfed maize crop were reported when soil was treated with a higher rate of biochar (36 t ha−1). Biochar increased grain filling rate while decreasing grain filling duration in rainfed maize crops. Our results indicate that straw mulch and biochar-based soil management strategies can improve the rainfed maize growth with the environmental benefits of global warming mitigation. However, due to the wide range of biochar properties, the interactions between straw mulch and biochar should be given special consideration in the maize cropping system.

Assessment of Biochar Produced from Aquatic Plants for Environmental and Agricultural Applications by Multi-Analytical Characterizations

“…However, beside biochar aquatic plants are also important biosorbents from water bodies [42,43]. [44,45] reported that elemental composition of biochar is affected by the feedstock type and also investigated that after the pyrolysis process some metals (Fe, Al, Ni, Mg, Ca, Zn, Co, Mn, Cu, Cr) and heavy metals (Cd, Pb) remain unaffected and present in the solid biochar. Therefore, it is important to analyze feedstock and biochar as well before applying as water or soil amendment.…”

“…However, to maintain nutrient evacuation efficiency of wetlands, a huge amount of aquatic plant biomass is required to be appropriately disposed of which has become a challenge since disintegration of plant biomass in water can boomerang all the nutrients and micro-organisms reverse back to the water. Though Lemna minor L. and Pistia stratiotes L. are widespread free-floating aquatic plants with fast reproduction and spreading rates, that can maintain high productivity of 10-30 tons of dry mass ha −1 year −1 [8] and 60-110 tons ha −1 year −1 [9]. However, overproduction of aquatic plants causes waterway clogging and acts as a secondary environmental pollutant [10].…”

“…For waste biomass management, pyrolysis is emergent and time-consuming technology; thus, biochar is an aromatized carbon-rich product comprised through pyrolysis. Biochar was increasingly used as a promising environmentally useful material and received more attention [8,12]. Therefore, producing biochar from aquatic plants not only solves the environmental pollution issue but is also helpful in waste management in a productive way [13].…”

Elucidating the impact of biochar with different carbon/nitrogen ratios on soil biochemical properties and rhizosphere bacterial communities of flue-cured tobacco plants

“…For example, regarding improvement in soil nutrients, cedar leaf biochar was shown to be superior to sawdust biochar but reduced the soil’s total carbon contents ( Hu et al., 2019 ). However, a high dosage of biochar negatively influences soil fertility, plant growth and yield, short-term reduction in the availability of soil mineral nutrients, and soil microbial activities ( Tammeorg et al., 2014 ; Khan et al., 2022 ).…”

Medium-Term Effects and Economic Analysis of Biochar Application in Three Mediterranean Crops

“…The effect of biochar application in agricultural environments has been widely studied, reporting particularly good results for horticultural crops [10,[38][39][40][41]. Some authors have reported an improvement in corn yields from amending the soil with biochar [42][43][44]. It also has been found that the application in vineyards can lead to an improvement in yield without affecting the quality of grapes [45][46][47].…”