scholarly journals Bentonite Clay Mixed With Different N Sources Have Variable Effect on Nitrate Leaching From Sandy Soil

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahid Hussain ◽  
Cheng Tang ◽  
Muhammad Irshad ◽  
Riaz A. Khattak ◽  
Chen Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sandy Soil ◽  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Groundwater Pollution ◽  
Soil Amendment ◽  
Calcium Nitrate ◽  
Bentonite Clay ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Variable Effect ◽  
N Sources ◽  
Leaching Fraction

Abstract Nitrate (NO3) leaching from soils results in lower soil fertility, reduced crop productivity and groundwater pollution. The present study determined NO3 leaching from bentonite [0, 2 and 4% (m/m)] treated sandy soil, under three N sources (calcium nitrate [Ca(NO3)2], ammonium chloride [NH4Cl], urea [CO(NH2)2] @ 300 kg N ha-1) with a leaching fraction of 0.3-0.4. Bentonite markedly reduced NO3 release in leachate, while 4% bentonite retained higher NO3 in soil. The NO3 leaching varied with N sources as Ca(NO3)2>NH4Cl>(CO(NH2)2. This study indicated that soil amendment with bentonite could efficiently mitigate NO3 leaching from soil and hence prevent N fertilizer losses and groundwater pollution.

scholarly journals Role of Biochar in Improving Sandy Soil Water Retention and Resilience to Drought

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 407
Author(s):  
Ling Li ◽  
Yong-Jiang Zhang ◽  
Abigayl Novak ◽  
Yingchao Yang ◽  
Jinwu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Sandy Soil ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Sandy Soils ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Soil Water Retention ◽  
The World ◽  
Water Holding

In recent years, plants in sandy soils have been impacted by increased climate variability due to weak water holding and temperature buffering capacities of the parent material. The projected impact spreads all over the world, including New England, USA. Many regions of the world may experience an increase in frequency and severity of drought, which can be attributed to an increased variability in precipitation and enhanced water loss due to warming. The overall benefits of biochar in environmental management have been extensively investigated. This review aims to discuss the water holding capacity of biochar from the points of view of fluid mechanics and propose several prioritized future research topics. To understand the impacts of biochar on sandy soils in-depth, sandy soil properties (surface area, pore size, water properties, and characteristics) and how biochar could improve the soil quality as well as plant growth, development, and yield are reviewed. Incorporating biochar into sandy soils could result in a net increase in the surface area, a stronger hydrophobicity at a lower temperature, and an increase in the micropores to maximize gap spaces. The capability of biochar in reducing fertilizer drainage through increasing water retention can improve crop productivity and reduce the nutrient leaching rate in agricultural practices. To advance research in biochar products and address the impacts of increasing climate variability, future research may focus on the role of biochar in enhancing soil water retention, plant water use efficiency, crop resistance to drought, and crop productivity.

scholarly journals Facultative-anaerobic microbial digestion of coal preparation waste and use of effluent solids to enhance plant growth in a sandy soil

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul H. Fallgren ◽  
Liang Chen ◽  
Min Peng ◽  
Michael A. Urynowicz ◽  
Song Jin
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Solid Waste ◽  
Sandy Soil ◽  
Soil Amendment ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Poa Pratensis ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
Kentucky Bluegrass ◽  
Coal Preparation

AbstractCoal preparation solid waste, which is a major environmental issue for coal-producing areas in China, may be microbiologically digested and transformed into a product suitable as a soil amendment to increase soil organic matter content and prevent and enhance plant/crop growth. Coal preparation waste collected from a coal sorting plant in Inner Mongolia, China was digested in bioreactors inoculated with microbial enrichments prepared from activated sludge and cow manure. The effluent solids from the coal preparation waste bioreactors were analyzed for their suitability as organic soil amendments, which complied with China standards. Plant growth tests were conducted in sandy soil from a semi-arid region in Colorado, which was amended with the effluent solids. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) and chives (Allium schoenoprasum) were used as the representative plants for the growth tests, where results indicated substantially higher yields of Kentucky bluegrass and chives for the sandy soils amended with the effluent solids when compared to a commercial organic fertilizer. The number and average length of Kentucky bluegrass shoots were 10 and 5.1 times higher, respectively, in soils amended with the effluent solids. Similarly, the number and average length of chives shoots were 10 and 1.7 times higher, respectively, in soils amended with the effluent solids. Overall, the microbial digestion of coal preparation waste for application as an organic soil amendment is a viable alternative and beneficial use of coal preparation solid waste.

scholarly journals The 3R Principles for Applying Biochar to Improve Soil Health

Soil Systems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingxin Guo
Keyword(s):  
Soil Amendment ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
High Water ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Erosion Risk ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Biochar Amendment

Amending soil with biochar is a promising approach to persistently improve soil health and promote crop growth. The efficacy of soil biochar amendment, however, is soil specific, biochar dependent, and influenced by the biochar application programs. To maximize the benefits of biochar application, this paper proposes the 3R principles for applying biochar to soils: right biochar source, right application rate, and right placement in soil. The quality of biochar as a soil amendment varies significantly with the feedstock and the production conditions. Biochar products capable of everlastingly sustaining soil health are those with high stable organic carbon (OC) content and high water- and nutrient-holding capacities that are manufactured from uncontaminated biomass materials. Acidic, coarse-textured, highly leached soils respond remarkably more to biochar amendment than other types of soils. Soil amendment with particular biochars at as low as 0.1 mass% (equivalent to 2 Mg ha−1) may enhance the seasonal crop productivity. To achieve the evident, long-term soil health improvement effects, wood- and crop residue-derived biochars should be applied to soil at one time or cumulatively 2–5 mass% and manure-derived biochars at 1–3 mass% soil. Optimal amendment rates of particular biochar soil systems should be prescreened to ensure the pH of newly treated soils is less than 7.5 and the electrical conductivity (EC) below 2.7 dS m−1 (in 1:1 soil/water slurry). To maximize the soil health benefits while minimizing the erosion risk, biochar amendment should be implemented through broadcasting granular biochar in moistened conditions or in compost mixtures to cropland under low-wind weather followed by thorough and uniform incorporation into the 0–15 cm soil layer. Biochars are generally low in plant macronutrients and cannot serve as a major nutrient source (especially N) to plants. Combined chemical fertilization is necessary to realize the synergic beneficial effects of biochar amendment.

scholarly journals Biochar and Its Effects on Plant–Soil Macronutrient Cycling during a Three-Year Field Trial on Sandy Soil with Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.). Part I: Yield and Macro Element Content in Soil and Plant Biomass

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1950
Author(s):  
Urszula Sadowska ◽  
Iwona Domagała-Świątkiewicz ◽  
Andrzej Żabiński
Keyword(s):  
Sandy Soil ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilization ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Biomass Productivity ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Mentha Piperita ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Applied Dose ◽  
Fertilizer Rates

Pyrolyzed organic residues can be incorporated as a soil additive to improve their properties, crop productivity, or to increase retention or absorption of different compounds. However, in agronomy, the practice of biochar application is still under examination. The interactions between plant, soil, and biochar can be complex, and determines the agronomic effects obtained. A three-year field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of biochar addition and nitrogen (N) fertilization on biomass productivity and nutrient uptake of Mentha piperita L. The experiment was conducted with a three-factorial design in triplicate at N fertilizer rates of 75, 100, and 125 kg N ha−1 and biochar rates of 0, 5, 15, and 45 t ha−1. Commercial wood-based biochar produced at 650 °C was incorporated into sandy soil in 2017. Generally, our results demonstrated potential for treating a sandy soil, since biochar improved the nutrient availability for peppermint. However, on average, during a three-year mint-yielding period, no significant effect of the applied dose of biochar on this parameter was found. Significantly more soluble Ca, K, and SO4-S was found in the soil amended with biochar as compared with the control soil. Biochar, in doses of 15 and 45 t ha−1, increased the NH4-N concentration in the soil in the second and third year of the study, as well as NO3-N in 2018. The greatest amount of N and P was contained in the peppermint biomass after using 15 and 45 t biochar ha−1. The highest dose of biochar (45 t ha−1) also increased the contents of K and S in plants. Nitrogen fertilization increased the dry matter yield of peppermint on the harvest sampling dates. The N content in the mint increased proportionally to the nitrogen dose in fertilization, regardless of the biochar dose applied. The use of biochar in doses of 15 and 45 t ha−1 in coarse-textured soil contributed to increased use of nitrogen by plants after nitrogen fertilization at doses of 100 and 125 kg N ha−1. These findings suggest that the time-dependent responses of soil to biochar amendment are strongly influenced by plant, microbial, and soil feedback; if so, then practical long-term biochar effectiveness requires further study.

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