Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-25-2024

Keywords

Arkansas, Rice production, Biochar, Soil water quality, Dissolved nutrients

Abstract

Biochar is the by-product of burning vegetative dry matter and can positively impact soil properties as an organic soil amendment, leading to biochar’s increased use in agroecosystems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of biochar source [i.e., an Arkansas (AR) and Colorado (CO) biochar] and rate (i.e., 0, 2.5, and 5 Mg ha -1 ) on soil pH and water-soluble (WS) soil phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and sulfur (S) concentrations in simulated-furrow-irrigated rice ( Oryza sativa ) on a silt-loam soil (Typic Albaqualf) in the greenhouse. Soil pH differed among biochar rates ( P < 0.01) and over time ( P < 0.01), while WS-P differed between biochar sources over time ( P < 0.01), WS-Ca, -Mg, and -Fe differed among biochar source-rate combinations ( P < 0.02), and WS-Mn and -S differed among rates ( P < 0.02). Averaged across biochar source and time, mean soil pH was 5.69 from the 5 Mg ha -1 rate, which differed from the no-biochar control (pH = 5.59) but was similar to that in the 2.5 Mg ha -1 rate (pH = 5.64). Water-soluble P was similar between biochar sources and over time for the whole growing season, except for 34 days after planting, where WS-P was eight times greater from the AR than the CO biochar. Results of this study showed that the use of biochar in upland agroecosystems requires considering both biochar source and rate to realize the greatest benefit of biochar on soil nutrient availability over the growing season.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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