Biochar, Compost, and Biochar–Compost Blend Applications Modulate Growth, Photosynthesis, Osmolytes, and Antioxidant System of Medicinal Plant Alpinia zerumbet

Alpinia zerumbet (Zingiberaceae) is a unique ornamental and medicinal plant primarily used in food ingredients and traditional medicine. While organic amendments such as biochar (BC) and compost (Co) have been demonstrated to improve plant productivity, no studies have examined their effects on the growth, physiology, and secondary metabolites of A. zerumbet. This study evaluated the impact of the amendment of BC, Co, or a biochar and compost mixture (BC+Co) on modifying and improving the growth, photosynthesis, antioxidant status, and secondary metabolism of A. zerumbet grown on sandy loam soil. The morpho-physiological and biochemical investigation revealed variation in the response of A. zerumbet to organic amendments. The amendment of BC and BC+Co significantly increased net photosynthetic rates of plants by more than 28%, chlorophyll a and b contents by 92 and 78%, respectively, and carboxylation efficiency by 50% compared with those grown in the sandy loam soil without amendment. Furthermore, the amendment significantly decreased plant oxidative stress, measured as leaf free proline and glycine betaine. Enzymatic antioxidant activity, total phenols, and flavonoids also varied in their response to the organic amendments. In conclusion, this study shows that BC and/or Co amendments are an efficient and sustainable method for improving the metabolite contents and reducing oxidative stress in A. zerumbet.

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Soil water drying and recharge rates as affected by tillage under continuous barley and barley-canola cropping systems in northwestern Canada

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/s00-029 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 81 (1) ◽

pp. 45-52 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

R H Azooz ◽

M A Arshad

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Soil Water ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Time Domain Reflectometry ◽

Sandy Loam Soil ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Silt Loam ◽

Silt Loam Soil ◽

Loam Soil ◽

The Impact

In areas of the northwestern Canadian Prairies, barley and canola are grown in a short growing season with high rainfall variability. Excessively dry soil in conventional tillage (CT) in dry periods and excessively wet soil in no-tillage (NT) in wet periods could cause a significant decrease in crop production by influencing the availability of soil water. The effects of CT, NT and NT with a 7.5-cm residue-free strip on the planting rows (NTR) on soil water drying (–dW/dt) and recharge (dW/dt) rates were studied in 1992 and 1993 during wet and dry periods to evaluate the impact of NTR, NT and CT systems on soil moisture condition. The soils, Donnelly silt loam and Donnelly sandy loam (both Gray Luvisol) were selected and soil water content by depth was measured by time domain reflectometry. Water retained at 6 matric potentials from –5 to –160 kPa were observed. In the field study, –dW/dt was significantly greater in CT than in NT in the silt loam for the 0- to 30-cm layer during the first 34 d after planting in 1992. The 0- to 30-cm soil layer in CT and NTR dried faster than in NT during a period immediately following heavy rainfall in the silt loam in 1993. The drying coefficient (–Kd ) was significantly greater in CT and NTR than in NT in the silt loam soil in 1993 and in the sandy loam soil in 1992 in the top 30-cm depth. The recharge coefficient (Kr) was significantly greater in NT and NTR than in CT for the silt loam soil. The NTR system increased the –dW/dt by 1.2 × 10-2 to 12.1 × 10-2 cm d-1 in 1992 and 1993 in the silt loam soil and by 10.2 × 10-2 cm d-1 in 1993 in the sandy loam soil as compared with NT. The dW/dt was 8.1 × 10-2 cm d-1 greater in NTR in 1992 and 1993 in the silt loam soil and was 1.9 × 10-2 greater in NTR in 1992 than in CT in the sandy loam soil. The laboratory study indicated that NT soils retained more water than the CT soils. The NTR practice maintained better soil moisture conditions for crop growth than CT in dry periods than NT in wet periods. Compared with NT, the NTR avoided prolonged near-saturated soil conditions with increased soil drying rate under extremely wet soil. Key words: Water drying, water recharge, water depletion, wet and drying periods, hydraulic properties, soil capacity to retain water

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Effect of tillage and fertilization on inorganic and organic soil phosphorus

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss93-038 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

pp. 359-369 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

I. P. O'Halloran

Keyword(s):

Surface Layer ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Sandy Loam Soil ◽

Fertilizer Treatment ◽

Soil Organic C ◽

P Fractionation ◽

Organic C ◽

No Till ◽

Loam Soil ◽

The Impact

This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of tillage and fertilization practices on soil organic carbon (organic-C) and the distribution of phosphorus between inorganic (Pi) and organic (Po) pools in a clay and sandy loam soil under a continuous corn (Zea mays L.) production system. Tillage treatments were established in the fall of 1981. The soils for this study were sampled (0- to 10-cm and 10- to 20-cm) in June 1988. Treatments consisted of three types of tillage: (i) conventional (CT): fall moldboard ploughing with two spring diskings; (ii) reduced (RT): with either fall chisel ploughing (1981–1986) or no fall tillage (1987) followed by one spring disking, and (iii) no-till (NT); and two types of fertilization (i) inorganic (I): 170 kg N ha−1. 80 kg P2O5, ha−1, 75 kg K2O ha−1, and (ii) organic fertilizer (O): dairy manure applied to give 170 kg N ha−1 plus 80 kg P2O5, ha−1 from inorganic P fertilizer. Even though a lime application was made in the fall of 1985, soil pH was significantly lower in the I fertilizer treatments. Reduction of tillage intensity resulted in a lower pH in the surface layer of the sandy loam soil. Tillage did not affect soil organic-C, or total soil Po (soil-Po) in either soil. Compared with the I fertilizer treatment, the O fertilizer treatment resulted in increased levels of soil organic-C and soil-Po only in the sandy loam soil. Labile levels of Po in the soil were not affected by treatments. Increased soil-Po levels possibly resulted from an increase in stable Po complexes. Moderately labile Po levels were not affected by treatments in the clay soil. In the sandy loam soil, O fertilization decreased moderately labile Po levels in the surface layer of the NT treatment, and increased this P fraction in the 10- to 20-cm soil layer of the RT and CT treatments. In the surface layer of both soils, labile levels of Pi were greater for the O fertilization treatment (approximately 40 and 47% higher for the clay and sandy loam, respectively), and were lower under CT. Increased labile Pi levels were associated with the O fertilizer treatment in the 10- to 20-cm depth increment in the sandy loam soil only, suggesting a greater downward movement of P with manure applications. Key words: Conventional tillage, zero-tilled, no-till, reduced tillage, manure, P fractionation

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Biochar increases plant-available water in a sandy loam soil under an aerobic rice crop system

Solid Earth ◽

10.5194/se-5-939-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 939-952 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

M. T. de Melo Carvalho ◽

A. de Holanda Nunes Maia ◽

B. E. Madari ◽

L. Bastiaans ◽

P. A. J. van Oort ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Retention ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Sandy Loam Soil ◽

Aerobic Rice ◽

Undisturbed Soil ◽

Available Water ◽

Eucalyptus Wood ◽

Loam Soil ◽

Plant Available Water ◽

The Impact

Abstract. The main objective of this study was to assess the impact of biochar rate (0, 8, 16 and 32 Mg ha−1) on the water retention capacity (WRC) of a sandy loam Dystric Plinthosol. The applied biochar was a by-product of slow pyrolysis (∼450 °C) of eucalyptus wood, milled to pass through a 2000 μm sieve that resulted in a material with an intrinsic porosity ≤10 μm and a specific surface area of ∼3.2 m2 g−1. The biochar was incorporated into the top 15 cm of the soil under an aerobic rice system. Our study focused on both the effects on WRC and rice yields 2 and 3 years after its application. Undisturbed soil samples were collected from 16 plots in two soil layers (5–10 and 15–20 cm). Soil water retention curves were modelled using a nonlinear mixed model which appropriately accounts for uncertainties inherent of spatial variability and repeated measurements taken within a specific soil sample. We found an increase in plant-available water in the upper soil layer proportional to the rate of biochar, with about 0.8% for each Mg ha−1 biochar amendment 2 and 3 years after its application. The impact of biochar on soil WRC was most likely related to an effect in overall porosity of the sandy loam soil, which was evident from an increase in saturated soil moisture and macro porosity with 0.5 and 1.6% for each Mg ha−1 of biochar applied, respectively. The increment in soil WRC did not translate into an increase in rice yield, essentially because in both seasons the amount of rainfall during the critical period for rice production exceeded 650 mm. The use of biochar as a soil amendment can be a worthy strategy to guarantee yield stability under short-term water-limited conditions. Our findings raise the importance of assessing the feasibility of very high application rates of biochar and the inclusion of a detailed analysis of its physical and chemical properties as part of future investigations.

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The impact of contact time on pyrene sorptive behavior by a sandy-loam soil

Environmental Pollution ◽

10.1016/s0269-7491(01)00202-0 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 117 (3) ◽

pp. 371-378 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

S. Hwang ◽

T.J. Cutright

Keyword(s):

Contact Time ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Sandy Loam Soil ◽

Loam Soil ◽

The Impact

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FIELD EVALUATION OF SOIL AND WHEAT RESPONSES TO COMBINED APPLICATION OF HARDWOOD BIOCHAR AND INORGANIC FERTILIZERS IN ACIDIC SANDY LOAM SOIL

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0014479717000205 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 507-519 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

BANASHREE SARMA ◽

NIRMALI GOGOI ◽

MADHURI BHARALI ◽

PRIYANKA MALI

Keyword(s):

Soil Quality ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Wheat Yield ◽

Sandy Loam Soil ◽

Soil Parameters ◽

N Recovery ◽

Data Set ◽

Inorganic Fertilizers ◽

Loam Soil ◽

The Impact

SUMMARYBiochar application appears to be a promising method to improve soil physicochemical and biological properties by increasing soil carbon. Along with the influence of hardwood biochar on wheat growth, yield and soil quality for a period of two years, this study also evaluates the major soil parameters to be taken as minimum data set while assessing the impact of hardwood biochar in an acidic sandy loam soil. Five fertilizer treatments combining inorganic fertilizers and biochar were applied: unfertilized control (T1); 100% NPK (T2); 5 Mg ha−1 biochar (T3); 100% NPK + 5 Mg ha−1 biochar (T4); and 50% N + 100% PK + 5 Mg ha−1 biochar (T5). Biochar application (T3 vs. T1; T4 and T5 vs. T2) significantly increased leaf chlorophyll content, net photosynthesis rate, leaf N concentration and above and below-ground biomass, with improved wheat yield and grain quality (total grain protein and carbohydrate). Soil pH, water-holding capacity, available nutrients (N, P and K), organic carbon and its fractions also enhanced in biochar applied plots with reduced bulk density. Increased activities of soil enzymes urease, phosphatase, dehydrogenase, fluorescein di-acetate and arylsulphatase were recorded in biochar treatment along with significant increase in N recovery index (22%) and agronomic efficiency (40%). Multivariate analysis identified activity of phosphatase, pH and humic acid to fulvic acid ratio as the indicators to explain the total variance from biochar addition in acidic sandy loam soil under wheat cultivation. Soil quality index showed a significant improvement when biochar was added with reduced N doses (T5). This study confirms the efficacy of biochar as a soil conditioner when applied with reduced N fertilizer and would be a sustainable option to improve wheat production and soil quality in acidic sandy loam soils of northeast India.

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Effect of organic amendments on nitrate leaching mitigation in a sandy loam soil of Shkodra district, Albania

Italian Journal of Agronomy ◽

10.4081/ija.2018.1136 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 93 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Erdona Demiraj ◽

Angela Libutti ◽

Jamarbër Malltezi ◽

Evan Rroço ◽

Ferdi Brahushi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wheat Straw ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Lolium Multiflorum ◽

N Uptake ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Sandy Loam Soil ◽

N Leaching ◽

Lake Basin ◽

The Balkans ◽

Loam Soil

European lacustrine systems are frequently exposed to nitrate (NO3–) pollution causing eutrophication processes. An example of these lakes is Shkodra Lake, a large, shallow lake shared by Albania and Montenegro, in the Balkans Peninsula. Shkodra Lake is a natural sink that collects NO3– from agricultural activities, widely diffused in the surrounding area. The additions of wheat straw and biochar have been suggested to increase soil NO3– retention of agricultural lands. To better understand the role of these two organic soil amendments in mitigating NO3– leaching from arable lands, a pot experiment using a representative sandy loam soil of the Skodra Lake basin was performed. More specifically, a greenhouse experiment with Lolium multiflorum L. and Zea mays L., was carried out for three months, to evaluate the concentrations of NO3–-N in leachate and the cumulative leaching losses of NO3–-N, after wheat straw (10 Mg ha–1) and biochar (10 Mg ha–1) soil addition, under the same rate of NPK fertiliser (300 kg ha–1). The effect of the two organic amendments on nitrate retention, was evaluated according to two methods: i) Soil NO3–-N leaching with distilled water; and ii) Soil NO3–-N extraction with 2M KCl. The leached NO3–-N and the Potentially Leachable NO3–-N (2M KCl extraction) were respectively determined. N uptake by plants, as well as the Nitrogen Use Efficiency were also calculated. A retention effect on nitrate was found in Lolium multiflorum L. and wheat straw treatments compared to control, by reducing leached NO3–-N almost to 35%. In SBFL (soil+biochar+fertiliser+Lolium) treatment, biochar effectively reduced the total amount of nitrate in leachate of 27% and 26% compared to SFL (soil+fertiliser+Lolium) and SSFL (soil+straw+fertiliser+Lolium) treatments, respectively. The potentially leachable NO3–-N was two to four times higher than the leached NO3–-N. The amount of potentially leachable NO3–-N per hectare ranged from 220 in SL (soil+Lolium) treatment, to 500 kg ha–1 in SFL. N plant uptake values ranged from 18.16 mg kg–1 in the non- fertilised treatment to 58.06 mg kg–1 soil in SSFM (soil+straw+fertiliser+maize) treatment. The NUE showed a similar trend (from 0 in the non-fertilised treatment to 47.9 % in SSFM). Results indicated a mitigating action of biochar on leaching of NO3–-N (leached up to 100 kg ha–1), despite the retention effect of the two different amendments applied.

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EFFECTS OF SOIL PROPERTIES AND AMENDMENTS ON THE AVAILABILITY OF ZINC IN SOILS

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss74-050 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 369-378 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

A. J. MACLEAN

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Acid Soil ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Organic Amendments ◽

Matter Content ◽

Sandy Loam Soil ◽

Loam Soil ◽

The Mean ◽

Extractable Zn

In a soil incubation experiment with different rates of Zn, the amounts of Zn extracted with 0.005 M DTPA, 1 M MgCl2, and 0.01 M CaCl2 increased with an increase in the organic matter content of a neutral sandy loam soil and with alfalfa added as an organic amendment. Addition of muck and peat increased the amount of Zn exchanged with 1 M MgCl2 but decreased the amount soluble in 0.01 M CaCl2, whereas addition of clay increased the amount of exchangeable Zn but decreased the amounts in the DTPA and 0.01 M CaCl2 extracts. Liming of an acid sandy loam soil (pH 4.9) to about the neutral point reduced the amounts of extractable Zn markedly. A pretreatment of the soils with phosphate almost invariably increased the amounts of extractable Zn. In a corresponding pot experiment, the highest rate of Zn (250 ppm) reduced the yield of corn slightly, prevented the growth of lettuce, and reduced the yield of alfalfa markedly when these crops were grown successively in the acid soil. The concentration of Zn reached levels of 792 ppm in the corn and 702 ppm in the alfalfa. Addition of 50 ppm Zn to the acid soil restricted the growth of lettuce and increased the concentration of Zn to 523 ppm. Despite discrepancies, the concentrations of Zn in the plants as influenced by soil organic matter, organic amendments and liming were usually in accord with the amounts of Zn extracted from the soils. But the P pretreatment tended to decrease the concentration of Zn in corn and lettuce. The mean weight concentrations of Zn in the three species were correlated significantly with the amounts of Zn extracted with 0.005 M DTPA (r = +0.73), 1 M MgCl2 (r = +0.93) and 0.01 M CaCl2 (r = +0.90).

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Assessing the impact of irrigating with saline water on physical properties of a sandy loam soil.

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-8741 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tinashe Mawodza ◽

Manoj Menon ◽

Masoud Babaei ◽

Genoveva Burca ◽

Oxana V. Magdysyuk

Keyword(s):

Physical Properties ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Saline Water ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Ct Scanning ◽

Sandy Loam Soil ◽

Irrigation Period ◽

The World ◽

Loam Soil ◽

The Impact

<p>Soil salinisation is one of the most potent forms of land degradation that affects soils of arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Management of soils with potential for salinisation is key to ensuring the sustainability of marginal soils in predominantly dry regions of the world. In this research, to assess the potential impact of irrigation with saline water on the physical properties of a marginal soil. We subjected a sandy loam soil to flood irrigation with water of variable salinity levels (namely 0, 2, &#160;5 and 10 g/L NaCl) for up to 40 days. After every irrigation cycle, each of the soil samples was subjected hydraulic conductivity measurements for the duration of the experiment. At the end of the 40 day experimental irrigation period, soil cores were non-invasively scanned using X-Ray CT scanning to assess for changes in pore distribution as a result of the different irrigation quality water. Furthermore, measurement of other physio-chemical soil properties such as aggregate stability, EC and pH of each soil were also done to get a more complete idea of the changes that occurred during the experiment.&#160;</p>

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Factors driving the carbon mineralization priming effect in a sandy loam soil amended with different types of biochar

Solid Earth ◽

10.5194/se-5-585-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 585-594 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

P. Cely ◽

A. M. Tarquis ◽

J. Paz-Ferreiro ◽

A. Méndez ◽

G. Gascó

Keyword(s):

Co2 Emissions ◽

Priming Effect ◽

Sandy Loam ◽

Carbon Mineralization ◽

Sandy Loam Soil ◽

Phenolic Substance ◽

Order Kinetic ◽

Different Types ◽

Loam Soil ◽

The Impact

Abstract. The effect of biochar on the soil carbon mineralization priming effect depends on the characteristics of the raw materials, production method and pyrolysis conditions. The goal of the present study is to evaluate the impact of three different types of biochar on physicochemical properties and CO2 emissions of a sandy loam soil. For this purpose, soil was amended with three different biochars (BI, BII and BIII) at a rate of 8 wt% and soil CO2 emissions were measured for 45 days. BI is produced from a mixed wood sieving from wood chip production, BII from a mixture of paper sludge and wheat husks and BIII from sewage sludge. Cumulative CO2 emissions of biochars, soil and amended soil were well fit to a simple first-order kinetic model with correlation coefficients (r2) greater than 0.97. Results show a negative priming effect in the soil after addition of BI and a positive priming effect in the case of soil amended with BII and BIII. These results can be related to different biochar properties such as carbon content, carbon aromaticity, volatile matter, fixed carbon, easily oxidized organic carbon or metal and phenolic substance content in addition to surface biochar properties. Three biochars increased the values of soil field capacity and wilting point, while effects over pH and cation exchange capacity were not observed.

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