Influence of rice husk biochar application and irrigation water salinity on growth and nitrogen use efficiency by wheat
2011
Saleh, M.E. | Mahmoud, A.H. | Rateb, K.A.
Biochar plays various roles in improving soil fertility, productivity, water use efficiency and reducing the environmental pollution coming from open field burning of crop residues. Greenhouse experiment was conducted to study the effect of rice husk (RH) and rice husk biochar (RHB) application (30 ton ha . l) as soil amendments on yield of wheat plants and nitrogen use efficiency under the irrigation water of different salinity levels (0.75, 5 and 10 dSm . 1). Under the irrigation by fresh water, addition of RH to soil increased grain and straw yield by 60 and 33.3% over those obtained in non amended soil while added RHB increased the two parameters by 10.4 and 2.5%, respectively. Less increases in grain and straw yield of RH treated pots were obtained under the irrigation by saline water. The effect of water salinity on N uptake by wheat plants was non significant while RH significantly increased N uptake comparing with RHB. Both sodium and potassium increased only in wheat straw with increasing water salinity and with the addition of RH and RHB. After harvest, under all salinity levels of irrigation water, mineral N in soil significantly increased in RHB- treated soil by 35.3 to 50.4% over those amounts in non treated soils which reflect an important role for biochar in facilitating additional surfaces for N adsorption and reducing N loss against leaching and assimilation. Further studies are needed to explore the role of biochar application under the conditions of water and/or soil salinity as well as to investigate the mechanisms by which biochar maintains applied N in available form for the next growing seasons.
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