Biochar delays the downward water infiltration and improves soil moisture retention on cultivated sloping land in the karst region

IF 6.8 1区农林科学 Q1 SOIL SCIENCE

Soil & Tillage Research Pub Date : 2025-09-05 DOI:10.1016/j.still.2025.106839

Lang Peng , Xiaoai Yin , Ruyi Zi , Qian Fang , Zhen Han , Longshan Zhao

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

In the karst rocky desertification region of southwestern China, the uneven distribution of seasonal rainfall, shallow soil layers, and poor soil water retention contribute to the scarcity of soil water resources, which poses a significant threat to agricultural production. The efficacy of biochar as a soil amendment for enhancing soil quality and various soil properties has been confirmed; however, there remains a lack of consensus regarding its impact on soil moisture. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of biochar application on soil moisture dynamics and water retention in karst sloping cultivated land. Twelve monitoring plots (2 m × 1 m) were established on the experimental farm at the campus of Guizhou University. Two treatments (T1 = 30 t ha⁻¹; T2 = 60 t ha⁻¹) and a control group (CK=0 t ha⁻¹) were implemented on slopes of 10° and 20°, respectively. Soil water content was monitored for each treatment from November 2021 to November 2022 under natural rainfall conditions. The results indicated that the addition of biochar decreased the soil water content in the surface layer but effectively increased the soil water content in the subsurface layer. At the 10 cm soil depth, the soil water content under the CK treatment was higher than that under the T1 and T2 treatments. However, at the 20 and 30 cm soil depths, the soil water content under the T1 and T2 treatments was higher than that under the CK treatment. The addition of biochar can alleviate the downward infiltration of water. The response lag time (RLT) and response duration time (RDT) of soil water content to rainfall followed the order of T2 > T1 > CK, while the mean water infiltration rate (W_mean) and maximum water infiltration rate (W_max) followed CK>T1 > T2. As a result, the addition of biochar does not significantly (P > 0.05) increase soil water storage (SWS). Therefore, the application of biochar had little effect on soil water content during rainfall, but led to differences in water infiltration response to rainfall and changes in post-rainfall soil water dynamics.

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生物炭延缓了喀斯特地区耕地坡耕地向下入渗，提高了土壤保水能力

在西南喀斯特石漠化地区，季节性降雨分布不均、土层浅、土壤保水能力差导致土壤水资源稀缺，对农业生产构成重大威胁。生物炭作为土壤改良剂改善土壤质量和各种土壤性质的有效性已得到证实；然而，关于其对土壤湿度的影响仍缺乏共识。本研究旨在探讨生物炭对喀斯特坡耕地土壤水分动态和保水的影响。在贵州大学校园实验农场建立了12块监测地块（2 m × 1 m）。2个处理（T1 = 30 t ha−1;T2 = 60 t ha−1）和对照组（CK=0 t ha−1）分别在10°和20°坡度上实施。在自然降雨条件下，于2021年11月至2022年11月监测各处理的土壤含水量。结果表明，生物炭的添加降低了表层土壤含水量，但有效提高了亚表层土壤含水量。在10 cm土层深度，CK处理土壤含水量高于T1和T2处理。但在20和30 cm土层深度，T1和T2处理的土壤含水量高于CK处理。添加生物炭可以缓解水的向下渗透。土壤含水量对降雨的响应滞后时间（RLT）和响应持续时间（RDT）依次为T2 >； T1 >； CK，平均入渗速率（Wmean）和最大入渗速率（Wmax）依次为CK>；T1 >； T2。结果表明，添加生物炭并没有显著提高土壤储水量（P >； 0.05）。因此，施用生物炭对降雨期间土壤含水量影响不大，但会导致入渗对降雨的响应差异和雨后土壤水分动态的变化。

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来源期刊

Soil & Tillage Research 农林科学-土壤科学

CiteScore

13.00

自引率

6.20%

发文量

266

审稿时长

5 months

期刊介绍： Soil & Tillage Research examines the physical, chemical and biological changes in the soil caused by tillage and field traffic. Manuscripts will be considered on aspects of soil science, physics, technology, mechanization and applied engineering for a sustainable balance among productivity, environmental quality and profitability. The following are examples of suitable topics within the scope of the journal of Soil and Tillage Research: The agricultural and biosystems engineering associated with tillage (including no-tillage, reduced-tillage and direct drilling), irrigation and drainage, crops and crop rotations, fertilization, rehabilitation of mine spoils and processes used to modify soils. Soil change effects on establishment and yield of crops, growth of plants and roots, structure and erosion of soil, cycling of carbon and nutrients, greenhouse gas emissions, leaching, runoff and other processes that affect environmental quality. Characterization or modeling of tillage and field traffic responses, soil, climate, or topographic effects, soil deformation processes, tillage tools, traction devices, energy requirements, economics, surface and subsurface water quality effects, tillage effects on weed, pest and disease control, and their interactions.