Publication detail

The Potential of Biochar Made from Agricultural Residues to Increase Soil Fertility and Microbial Activity: Impacts on Soils with Varying Sand Content

BRTNICKÝ, M. HAMMERSCHMIEDT, T. ELBL, J. KINTL, A. ŠKULCOVÁ, L. RADZIEMSKA, M. LÁTAL, O. BALTAZÁR, T. KOBZOVÁ, E. HOLÁTKO, J.

Original Title

The Potential of Biochar Made from Agricultural Residues to Increase Soil Fertility and Microbial Activity: Impacts on Soils with Varying Sand Content

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

Different types of soil respond variably to biochar amendment. Soil structure and fertility are properties which strongly affect the impacts of biochar on soil fertility and microbial activity. A pot experiment with lettuce was conducted to verify whether biochar amendment is more beneficial in sandy soil than in clay soil. The nutrient content (carbon and nitrogen), microbial biomass carbon, soil respiration, metabolic quotient, and plant biomass yield were determined. The treatments were prepared by mixing silty clay loam (Haplic Luvisol) with a quartz sand in ratios of 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of sand; the same six treatments were prepared and amended with biochar (12 treatments in total). Soil carbon and nitrogen, microbial biomass carbon, and soil respiration were indirectly dependent on the descending sand ratio, whereas the metabolic quotient increased with the ascending sand ratio. The biochar's effects were positive for total carbon, microbial biomass carbon, metabolic quotient, and plant biomass in the sand-rich treatments. The maximum biochar-derived benefit in crop yield was found in the 100% sand + biochar treatment, which exhibited 24-fold (AGB) and 11-fold (root biomass) increases compared to the unamended treatment. The biochar application on coarse soil types with lower fertility was proven to be favorable.

Keywords

pot experiment; Lactuca sativa; soil respiration; metabolic quotient; crop yield; total soil nitrogen

Authors

BRTNICKÝ, M.; HAMMERSCHMIEDT, T.; ELBL, J.; KINTL, A.; ŠKULCOVÁ, L.; RADZIEMSKA, M.; LÁTAL, O.; BALTAZÁR, T.; KOBZOVÁ, E.; HOLÁTKO, J.

Released

3. 6. 2021

Publisher

MDPI

Location

BASEL

ISBN

2073-4395

Periodical

Agronomy

Year of study

11

Number

6

State

Swiss Confederation

Pages from

1

Pages to

17

Pages count

17

URL

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/6/1174

Full text in the Digital Library

http://hdl.handle.net/11012/203356

BibTex

@article{BUT175528,
  author="Martin {Brtnický} and Tereza {Hammerschmiedt} and Jakub {Elbl} and Antonín {Kintl} and Lucia {Škulcová} and Maja {Radziemska} and Oldřich {Látal} and Tivadar {Baltazár} and Eliška {Kobzová} and Jiří {Holátko}",
  title="The Potential of Biochar Made from Agricultural Residues to Increase Soil Fertility and Microbial Activity: Impacts on Soils with Varying Sand Content",
  journal="Agronomy",
  year="2021",
  volume="11",
  number="6",
  pages="1--17",
  doi="10.3390/agronomy11061174",
  issn="2073-4395",
  url="https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/6/1174"
}