{"title":"Improving soil health through manure and biochar amendments under climate-smart agriculture","authors":"Binita Thapa, Ripendra Awal, Ali Fares, Atikur Rahman, Anoop Veettil, Almoutaz Elhassan, Niraj KC","doi":"10.1002/saj2.70129","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Enhancing crop productivity and soil sustainability under climate-smart agriculture involves strategically using soil amendments to improve soil health and resilience. A field experiment at Prairie View A&M University, Texas, studied the effects of soil amendments (chicken and dairy manures and biochar) on some soil health indicators. The experiment used two biochar rates (2268 and 4536 kg ha<sup>−1</sup>) and two types of manure (chicken and dairy) at three rates (0, 224, and 448 kg total N ha<sup>−1</sup> for sweet corn [<i>Zea mays</i> (L.)] and 0, 180, and 360 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup> for sorghum [<i>Sorghum bicolor</i> (L.) Moench]) in a factorial design with three replications. Soil macronutrients and micronutrients were measured as chemical soil health indicators, and bulk density, porosity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity were measured as physical soil health indicators. Dairy manure significantly increased soil calcium (Ca) and potassium (K) concentrations. Higher manure application rates improved soil nutrient concentration, with the highest phosphorus (P), Ca, magnesium (Mg), and manganese (Mn) concentration levels at the double recommended rate. Biochar did not affect nutrient concentration but improved soil physical properties by increasing porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and reducing bulk density, especially at higher rates in sweet corn. Correlation analysis showed bulk density was negatively correlated with key nutrients like potassium (K), Ca, and Mg, while porosity and hydraulic conductivity positively influenced nutrient availability. The principal component analysis highlighted that sweet corn and sorghum respond positively to selected soil amendments, while their specific impacts vary based on crop type. The findings emphasize balancing manure and biochar application rates to optimize soil fertility and minimize environmental risks, supporting sustainable soil management strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":101043,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings - Soil Science Society of America","volume":"89 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/saj2.70129","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Proceedings - Soil Science Society of America","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/saj2.70129","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
Enhancing crop productivity and soil sustainability under climate-smart agriculture involves strategically using soil amendments to improve soil health and resilience. A field experiment at Prairie View A&M University, Texas, studied the effects of soil amendments (chicken and dairy manures and biochar) on some soil health indicators. The experiment used two biochar rates (2268 and 4536 kg ha−1) and two types of manure (chicken and dairy) at three rates (0, 224, and 448 kg total N ha−1 for sweet corn [Zea mays (L.)] and 0, 180, and 360 kg N ha−1 for sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]) in a factorial design with three replications. Soil macronutrients and micronutrients were measured as chemical soil health indicators, and bulk density, porosity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity were measured as physical soil health indicators. Dairy manure significantly increased soil calcium (Ca) and potassium (K) concentrations. Higher manure application rates improved soil nutrient concentration, with the highest phosphorus (P), Ca, magnesium (Mg), and manganese (Mn) concentration levels at the double recommended rate. Biochar did not affect nutrient concentration but improved soil physical properties by increasing porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and reducing bulk density, especially at higher rates in sweet corn. Correlation analysis showed bulk density was negatively correlated with key nutrients like potassium (K), Ca, and Mg, while porosity and hydraulic conductivity positively influenced nutrient availability. The principal component analysis highlighted that sweet corn and sorghum respond positively to selected soil amendments, while their specific impacts vary based on crop type. The findings emphasize balancing manure and biochar application rates to optimize soil fertility and minimize environmental risks, supporting sustainable soil management strategies.
在气候智能型农业下提高作物生产力和土壤可持续性涉及战略性地利用土壤改良剂来改善土壤健康和恢复力。德克萨斯州Prairie View a&m大学的一项田间试验研究了土壤改良剂(鸡粪、牛粪和生物炭)对一些土壤健康指标的影响。试验采用2种生物炭(2268和4536 kg ha - 1)和2种粪肥(鸡粪和乳肥),在甜玉米(Zea mays (L.))和高粱(sorghum (L.))中分别以3种氮肥(0、224和448 kg N ha - 1)和0、180和360 kg N ha - 1施用。[Moench]])在三次重复的析因设计中。测定土壤宏量和微量元素作为土壤化学健康指标,测定容重、孔隙度和饱和导水率作为土壤物理健康指标。牛粪显著提高了土壤钙、钾浓度。较高的施肥量提高了土壤养分浓度,在双倍推荐施肥量下,磷(P)、钙、镁(Mg)和锰(Mn)浓度最高。生物炭不影响养分浓度,但通过增加孔隙度、导水率和降低容重来改善土壤的物理性质,尤其是在甜玉米中。相关分析表明,容重与钾、钙、镁等关键养分呈负相关,孔隙度和导水率与养分有效性呈正相关。主成分分析表明,甜玉米和高粱对土壤改良剂有积极的响应,但其具体影响因作物类型而异。研究结果强调平衡肥料和生物炭的施用量,以优化土壤肥力,最大限度地降低环境风险,支持可持续土壤管理战略。