Evaluation of coconut biochar as a soil amendment for enhanced productivity of sweet peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) in Joanna, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, Berbice, Guyana

Abstract

Agriculture plays a vital role in providing food globally including Guyana, however, the increase in the human population adversely decreases farm size, which results in nutrient depletion on existing farms due to extensive farming activities on the same land season after season. Biochar is commonly used as a non-conventional farming system to enhance the soil’s quality and simultaneously to produce better yield of various staple food crops. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of coconut biochar as a soil amendment and to quantify its impact on the growth performance of sweet peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) in Joanna, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, Berbice, Guyana. A field trial was carried out using the randomized block experimental design with 15 g, 30 g, 45 g biochar; 2 g NPK; and control, each replicated on clayey loam soil. The physico-chemical characteristics of biochar were determined along with the soil-biochar mixture before and after cultivation. In addition, vegetative and reproductive parameters of the sweet peppers, nutrient content of the fruits and chlorophyll content of the leaves were examined. The results obtained from this study revealed that biochar played a minor role in enhancing the yield of the sweet peppers (31.44 g) and amending the soil characteristics when compared to the control. It was observed in this study that soil pH (8.4), organic carbon (1.9 %), carbohydrates concentration (1.25 %) of fruits and chlorophyll content (a:5.6097µM, b: 5.4833 µM, total: 11.093 µM) of the leaves increased with the application of biochar. Based on the obtained results, it can be inferred that biochar may potentially be recommended in the range of 30 g to 45 g as a soil amendment to enhance the growth performance of sweet peppers, however, further experiments with diverse crops and soils are still required to investigate the use of the exact quantity of biochar sourced from different materials.