{"title":"Biochar Application in Saline Soils for Increasing Wheat Germination Success in Central Mexico","authors":"L. E. Medina-Orozco","doi":"10.3103/s0147687423050022","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Abstract</h3><p>Soil salinity is one of the main limitations in wheat production worldwide. Global wheat crop losses due to saline stress are estimated at 15–40%. It is reported that 60% of the soils of agricultural areas of Mexico are affected by salinity; that means a significant area of soils under wheat have problems related to the toxicity of soluble salts. In the country, an annual wheat area of approximately 554 thousand hectares is harvested; this crop represents 9.7% of the total grains’ yields grown nationally. The majority of the fields are irrigated, while the remaining 13% are under rainfed agriculture. A controlled trial was conducted with Urbina S2007 variety wheat in the present study. The wheat seed was planted in pots in strongly saline soil (pH = 8.8 and E.C. = 10.59 dSm<sup>–1</sup>), the soil’s name Salic Vertisol (Gleyic). The experimental design consisted of three completely random blocks, each one consisting of twenty pots. In ten pots, 1% of biochar (w/w) (T1) was added, while the rest consisted of a control without biochar (T0). The percentage of germinated seeds was evaluated; to explain the differences in treatments, the soil Water Holding Capacity (WHC), pH, electrical conductivity (CE) and soil temperature were measured. The results showed a germination rate of 62.5% in T1 and 25.0% in T0. Biochar application resulted in a 21% increase in the WHC. Soil pH values after the test were 8.5 in T1 and 8.0 in T0. The soil temperature varied between 20 and 34°C, and there were no differences between treatments. The application of biochar in salts affected soils is non-conventional alternative amendment to increase germination success in wheat crops.</p>","PeriodicalId":501690,"journal":{"name":"Moscow University Soil Science Bulletin","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Moscow University Soil Science Bulletin","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3103/s0147687423050022","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Soil salinity is one of the main limitations in wheat production worldwide. Global wheat crop losses due to saline stress are estimated at 15–40%. It is reported that 60% of the soils of agricultural areas of Mexico are affected by salinity; that means a significant area of soils under wheat have problems related to the toxicity of soluble salts. In the country, an annual wheat area of approximately 554 thousand hectares is harvested; this crop represents 9.7% of the total grains’ yields grown nationally. The majority of the fields are irrigated, while the remaining 13% are under rainfed agriculture. A controlled trial was conducted with Urbina S2007 variety wheat in the present study. The wheat seed was planted in pots in strongly saline soil (pH = 8.8 and E.C. = 10.59 dSm–1), the soil’s name Salic Vertisol (Gleyic). The experimental design consisted of three completely random blocks, each one consisting of twenty pots. In ten pots, 1% of biochar (w/w) (T1) was added, while the rest consisted of a control without biochar (T0). The percentage of germinated seeds was evaluated; to explain the differences in treatments, the soil Water Holding Capacity (WHC), pH, electrical conductivity (CE) and soil temperature were measured. The results showed a germination rate of 62.5% in T1 and 25.0% in T0. Biochar application resulted in a 21% increase in the WHC. Soil pH values after the test were 8.5 in T1 and 8.0 in T0. The soil temperature varied between 20 and 34°C, and there were no differences between treatments. The application of biochar in salts affected soils is non-conventional alternative amendment to increase germination success in wheat crops.