Effects of biochar on the emissions, soil distribution, and nematode control of 1,3-dichloropropene

ABSTRACT Emissions of volatile soil fumigant 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) from soil to air are a significant concern in relation to air quality, and cost-effective strategies to reduce such emissions are urgently required by growers to help them comply with increasingly stringent regulations. In this work, application of a rice husk-derived biochar to the surface of a sandy loam soil chamber reduced soil–air emissions of 1,3-D from 42% in a control (no biochar) to 8% due to adsorption onto the biochar. This adsorbed 1,3-D showed a potential for re-volatilization into air and solubilization into the soil–liquid phase. Biochar at the soil surface also reduced soil–gas concentrations in the upper soil; based on the determination of concentration–time values, this may limit 1,3-D-induced nematode control in the upper soil. In batch studies, the mixing of biochar into the soil severely limited nematode control; 1,3-D application rates around four times greater than the maximum permissible limit would be required to give nematode control under such conditions. Therefore, the use of biochar as a surface amendment, while showing an emission reduction benefit, may limit pest control during subsequent fumigations if, as seems probable, it is plowed into the soil.