Improvement of Soil Fertility and Crop Yield through Biochar Amendment from Salt Affected Soil of Central China

Abstract

Soil salinity has been considered a brutal environmental factor for decreasing crop yield due to the accumulation of excessive sodium salts in soil under arid and semi-arid region of the world. This study tries to address the potential use of biochar. An organic matter rich material, used to reclaim salt-stressed soil in order to enhance crop production in dry croplands as well as to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) and to improve soil fertility. In this regard, a field experiment for two years was conducted in a moderately salt-stressed soil of Central China with wheat-maize cropping system. The soil was amended with biochar composted with poultry manure (BPC) at 12 t/ha with diluted pyroligneous solution (PS) at 0.15 t/ha a week before sowing of crop. Results showed significant improvement in soil physical properties, soil nutrient content with reduction of sodium salts and soil pH by amendment of BPC-PS1 and BPC-PS2 over the experimental control salt-stressed cropland. Furthermore, wheat and maize grain yield, nitrogen, phosphorous potassium and K/Na ratio increased while sodium decreased with the application of BPC-PS amendment in wheat and maize grain. This study concluded that the biochar amendment in conjunction with PS greatly improved SOC storage, crop nutrient uptake and soil fertility. Thus, waste treatment of crop straw and poultry manure compost as biochar could be combined to alleviate salt stress and improve crop production in the vast area of arid and semi-arid regions of the world.