The Response of Nutrient Uptake, Photosynthesis and Yield of Tomato to Biochar Addition under Reduced Nitrogen Application

Abstract

Tomato is an important economic crop that is widely consumed worldwide. Tomato production is mainly limited by the use of nitrogen fertilizer, sunlight, soil and water conditions. Biochar is one of the soil amendments, and it is recognized as a promising practice for improving crop production in agriculture. The effect of biochar on the photosynthetic traits and tomato yield under reduced nitrogen fertilizer application is still not well understood. The objective of this research is to investigate the influence of biochar application on the photosynthesis and yield of tomato under reduced nitrogen fertilizer application from the perspectives of the nutrient uptake of plants (nitrogen and phosphorus), leaf photosynthetic pigment and leaf gas exchange parameters. Two-year greenhouse experiments containing six biochar levels (0, 10, 30, 50, 70, and 90 t ha−1) and two nitrogen fertilizer application rates (190 and 250 kg ha−1) were conducted. Compared with C0, C50 significantly improved the nitrogen uptake (74–80%) and phosphorus uptake (76–95%) by tomato plants and further enhanced the photosynthetic traits of tomato leaves (net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (Tr) and chlorophyll (2–60%), which lead to the highest gains in tomato yield (more than 50%) even when the applied nitrogen fertilizer was significantly reduced (from 250 kg ha−1 to 190 kg ha−1). The photosynthesis rate had a linear correlation with the total nitrogen and phosphorus accumulation and tomato yield. The results will enhance our understandings about the effect of biochar on the photosynthesis and yield of tomato and be of importance for practical agricultural management.

Assessing the impact of biochar and nitrogen application on yield, water-nitrogen use efficiency and quality of intercropped maize and soybean

“…The synergistic or complementary interaction between BC and N improves soil nutrient availability and enhances slow-release performance of fertilizer ( Chen et al., 2018 ). These findings are consistent with previous studies conducted by Guo et al. (2021) and Omara et al.…”

Biochar-Soil-Plant interactions: A cross talk for sustainable agriculture under changing climate

“…The promotion of fruit quantity and quality could be attributable to the high total P content in the biochar-treated substrate and the high total N concentration in roots of the biochar-treated plants observed at high level. Indeed, according to other reports, there might be a relationship between the phosphorous and nitrogen contents in both growing substrates and plant tissues and the promotion of fruit production by improving the vegetative and reproductive properties of tomato plants (Hameeda et al, 2019), also attributed to the increased values of lycopene, titratable acidity, and total soluble solids when biochar was used as a soil amendment (Guo et al, 2021). The continuous application of 20 t ha −1 of rice biochar to a rice field resulted in plant growth promotion and an increase of 14%-26% in soil N uptake, 7%-11% in internal N use efficiency, and a 6% in grain yield (Gomez et al, 2022).…”

Long term co‐application of biochar and fertilizer could increase soybean yield under continuous cropping: insights from photosynthetic physiology

“…One study found that the biochar application significantly increased plant uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus and improved leaf photosynthetic characteristics. 42 Moreover, our research revealed that BCAF could enhance the absorption and transformation of light energy. The photosynthetic performance index (PI ABS and PI Total ), driving force (DF ABS and DF Total ), potential photochemical efficiency (F v /F 0 ), and quantum yield (φ E0 ) for electron transfer in the high biochar dose Note: Different letters in different treatments indicated significant difference (P < 0.05), while the same letter indicated no significant difference (P < 0.05).…”

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