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The integration of biochar and deficit irrigation is increasingly being evaluated as a water-saving strategy to minimize crop yield losses under reduced irrigation in arid and semi-arid regions such as West Texas. A 2-year (2019 and 2020) open-field study evaluated the effect of two types of biochar amendments (hardwood and softwood) and three irri...
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... hardwood biochar was prepared through slow pyrolysis at 350 • C for 24 h whereas the softwood biochar was prepared at 500 • C for 15 min. The physical and chemical characteristics of the two biochars are described in Table 1. Both biochars were spread in the respective field plots at 13 Mg ha −1 and incorporated into the soil using a tractormounted rotary tiller once on 9 April 2019, approximately 1 month before sowing. ...Context 2
... et al. (2021) reported an increased concentration of N, P, K, and Mg in the sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) shoots by paper sludge biochar application. The concentrations of most macro-and micronutrients were higher in hardwood biochar compared to softwood ( Table 1). Based on the 2-year data, the hypothesis that biochar may improve the water status of the sweet corn plants under water stress was hardly true as it did not alter the gas exchange parameters significantly. ...Citations
... Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is one of the important vegetable crops that is largely consumed in the US. According to the report, the import of fresh cucumbers for salads or for snacking has increased between 1970−2020 reflecting that domestic production cannot fulfill the increasing demand of greenhouse-produced cucumbers [17] . One of the major problems with less cucumber production in the greenhouse could be the lack of selection of appropriate media composition and healthy transplant production in greenhouse industries. ...
The interest in replacing peat with biochar in soilless substrate media is increasing however, the proportion of biochar inclusion in the media which could improve the media properties as well as the seedling performance of vegetables is still unknown. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to test different biochar types at different proportions with cotton burr-compost in the growing media on hydro-physicochemical properties of media, germination, and shoot and root growth of cucumber seedlings. Two trials were conducted in 2022 using cv ‘Picolino’ in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Control included peat:perlite:vermiculite at 50:25:25 %v/v. Other treatments were prepared to replace peat either partially [12.5% (v/v) biochar and 12.5% (v/v) compost (Partial hardwood: PHW, Partial softwood: PSW, and Partial hemp: PH)] or completely [25% (v/v) biochar and 25% (v/v) compost (Full hardwood: FHW, Full softwood: FSW, and Full hemp: FH)]. Biochar-compost inclusion increased the pH and EC of the medium. Water retention capacity and thermal conductivity of the medium were found to be improved in hemp biochar-compost treatment. FSW increased fresh shoot weight, the number of leaves, leaf area, and shoot:root ratio by 83%, 33%, 84%, and 46%, respectively compared to control. Root length density and root surface area density increased by 40% and 47%, respectively in FSW compared to control. Most of the biochar-compost amended media performed better for the cucumber seedling production compared to control showing a possibility of replacing the peat in the media for sustainable transplant production.
... The sustainability of this water resource is crucial to the economy of the region as about 95% of the pumped groundwater is used to irrigate agriculture [20] . Cotton (Gossypium herbaceum) is the main crop in Texas and its water requirement is 2.5 times higher than that of the water demand of hemp per growing season [21] . Notably, it needs 2,041 to 3,401 L of water to produce 1 kg of viable hemp fiber compared to 9,788 to 9,958 L of water to produce 1 kg of cotton fiber. ...
... Notably, it needs 2,041 to 3,401 L of water to produce 1 kg of viable hemp fiber compared to 9,788 to 9,958 L of water to produce 1 kg of cotton fiber. As a result, compared to hemp, cotton uses roughly three times as much water to create 1 kg of finished fiber [21] . There is a need to develop sound and cost-effective remedial strategies and provide a possible substitute crop such as industrial hemp for west Texas that can complement cotton and assist in extending the life of the Ogallala aquifer. ...
Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a water-efficient crop that could fit in the declining water situation of West Texas. However, being a new crop, there is a lack of knowledge about hemp cultivation practices. Therefore, multiple experiments were conducted at Quaker Research Farm of Texas Tech University to (1) evaluate the biomass productivity potential of several imported hemp cultivars under different planting dates in field conditions, and (2) test the seed germination capacity of hemp cultivars in a range of temperatures using a growth chamber. In the field, the highest biomass yield was recorded for Jinma in 2020, which was almost 180% higher than the average biomass of two other cultivars. In 2021, early planting observed higher plant biomass, plant height, and irrigation water use efficiency compared to late planting. The highest biomass was recorded for Jinma, followed by Yuma, Eletta Campana, and Fibranova in 2021. Jinma and Yuma resulted in high Tetrahydrocannabinol content at harvesting. In the growth chamber study, percentage germination remained similar from 10 to 30 °C, but it decreased by 28% at 35 °C compared to 30 °C. The speed of germination was higher at 30 °C compared to other temperatures. The mean germination time was recorded the highest at 10−15 °C, and in Jinma among cultivars. Results indicate that Eletta campana with early planting could be more productive in West Texas. Overall, hemp germination was more sensitive to high temperatures compared to low temperatures.
... [26] on the dry matter production was a reliable indicator of crop development that was significantly increased with higher fertilizer levels. and [27] on maize found an increase in biomass with increasing in chemical and biological fertilizer levels. Table 6. ...
This study was conducted in the Agriculture research station of Chamchamal in Sulymaniyah / Iraq, on 3rd July 2022. Was designed using a completely randomized block design (CRBD) 4*4 with three replications. The arrangement of treatment is as follows, the first treatment was chemical fertilizer (NPK) consisting of four levels (0, 50, 75and 100) % of recommended application dose. The second treatment of two types of poultry manure (0, 4ton ha ⁻¹ domestic, 4ton ha ⁻¹ imported, and 2ton ha ⁻¹ from domestic and imported), results obtained from this study can conclude as follows. All parameters (Plant height, Number of leaves, Leaf area, Stem diameter, Biomass, and Chlorophyll content in heaves) significantly differ is by levels of chemical and organic fertilizers compared with control, the combination between 50% of recommended chemical fertilizer and 2 ton ha ⁻¹ of both organic fertilizer gave the highest value for all parameters.
... The results of this study show that under different levels of irrigation, tomato LA and vegetative organ biomass increase as biochar amounts increase. Under the W2 level, the tomato WPF, FWPP and yield values showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with the increase in the amount of biochar addition, which differs from the results of Singh et al. [58], who showed that biochar had no significant effects on leaf area index, vegetative organ biomass or the yield of maize under different levels of irrigation, which may be due to the different types of biochar used or the soil texture [59,60]. Under the W2 irrigation level, the WPF, FWPP and yield values of tomato reached their maximum when the amount of biochar added was 45 t ha −1 , indicating that under the W2 level, excessive biochar supplementation promotes the vegetative growth of greenhouse tomato, but has a reduced promotional effect on its reproductive growth. ...
It is important to evaluate any effects that biochar may have on tomato yield under deficit-irrigation to develop water-saving and yield-increasing best management practices for greenhouse tomato production. For this purpose, greenhouse trials were conducted in 2021 and 2022 with five biochar (B) application rates and three irrigation (W) levels. The B treatments were B0: 0 t ha−1; B1: 15 t ha−1; B2: 30 t ha−1; B3: 45 t ha−1; and B4: 60 t ha−1, and the W levels were W1: 50–70% of field capacity (θf); W2: 60–80% of θf; and W3B0: 70–90% of θf full irrigation without biochar, which was designated as the control. Our objective was to quantify the effects of biochar on the characteristics of tomato sources and sinks to determine, first, the optimal irrigation–biochar combination to achieve high yield tomato production, and, second, evaluate the mechanisms of this effect. At W1 and W2 irrigation levels, the addition of 30–60 t ha−1 and 45–60 t ha−1 biochar could compensate for the adverse effects of deficit-irrigation on the tomato source and sink characteristics. Our results show that in both years the highest tomato yield was obtained with the W2 irrigation level and the B3 biochar application rate, with 52% higher tomato yield compared to the lowest value obtained with the W1 irrigation level and B0 application rate. We conclude that biochar application can improve tomato yield by promoting the filling rather than the building of the sink capacity. The tomato yield was mainly affected by the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), followed by the leaf area, and the leaf chlorophyll content indirectly affected tomato yield through Pn. The W2 irrigation level combined with the B3 biochar application rate resulted in the best water–biochar combination under the experimental conditions.
... Hardwood (oak tree) and softwood (pine tree) biochar were purchased from Wakefield Agricultural Carbon LLC (Columbia, MO, USA). The physicochemical properties of these two types of biochars have previously been reported in Singh et al. (2022). The hemp biochar was prepared by combusting the dried hemp residue in a limited oxygen supply for 24 h in a 208-L capacity steel drum and was hammered to obtain fine particle biochar. ...
Peat is one of the most commonly used substrates in soilless cultivation. However, peat mining produces a negative carbon footprint, which raises the need for alternative sustainable substrate media. To address this, we studied the impact of peat replacement with a combination of various biochars and cotton burr compost on the growth and yield of cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.), and nutrient concentration of media, plant leaf, and fruit in greenhouse conditions. Two experiments were conducted from Nov 2020 through Jan 2021 (Trial 1) and from Feb to Apr 2021 (Trial 2). The treatments were control (peat, vermiculite, and perlite at 2:1:1) and in the control peat was either fully replaced (hardwood biochar+compost, softwood biochar+compost, and hemp biochar+compost) or partially replaced up to 50% (v/v) (hardwood biochar+compost, softwood biochar+compost, and hemp biochar+compost). The control media was more acidic with lowest electrical conductivity than the other treatments. The leaf chlorophyll content and the photosynthetic assimilation rate varied among the treatments in both trials. The final dry shoot biomass was lowest in peat-dominated control treatment suggesting biochar-compost in the substrate media contributed in increased dry biomass of the cucumber plant. The total number of fruits per plant and total yield per plant was significantly increased in all the treatments with the highest in hardwood biochar+compost, compared with the control. The nutrient concentration of media, leaf, and fruit indicates that biochar-compost enhances the nutritional status of the media, which supplies essential nutrients to the plant leaf and fruit while growing in different substrate compositions. Our results suggest that the replacement of peat with full or partial proportions of biochar-compost can produce similar and, in some cases, even better growth, yield, and physiology in potted cucumber than in the unamended control treatment.
... Water scarcity is a determinant environmental limit that is related to the physiological processes involved in the growth and development of plants (Baeza et al. 2019). It has an adverse effect on the gas exchange, growth and biomass of plants in semiarid environments (Singh et al. 2022). For instance, water stress could affect the transpiration of plants by reducing stomatal conductance (Seleiman et al. 2021). ...
... The effects of B may vary across different soil types and plant species. While most previous studies have focused on the impact of B on crop performance, physiology and growth (Singh et al. 2022;Tarin et al. 2020), there are limited B studies that support such an influence on the physiology and growth of woody plants (Zoghi et al. 2019). Moreover, most previous experiments related to B were conducted in pots (Kayama et al. 2021). ...
... Al-Mefleh et al. (2019) in this regard revealed that the growth rate of Vachellia saligna was enhanced in the dry season by applying supplementary irrigation. Severe water deficits in control treatment have an adverse effect on the gas exchange and the leaf-level photosynthesis by decreasing the leaf area (Singh et al. 2022). Furthermore, the reduction in photosynthetic capacity of citrus plants due to soil moisture deficit (Panigrahi 2023) could be related to the fact that plants close their stomata to reduce transpiration (E) when there is water deficit. ...
Water availability is the main challenge for the growth and development of woody species in drylands. Application of biochar under deficit irrigation can enhance seedling growth in arid regions. The growth of commercial woody species seedlings was monitored for approximately two years using the combined effect of biochar and deficit irrigation treatments. Biochar was applied to the plantation pits during plantation at a rate of 38 g kg⁻¹ of soil. The applied deficit irrigation per season covered 60% (459 mm) and 35% (459 mm) of the dry season crop evapotranspiration for Citrus sinensis and Yushinia alpina, respectively. We found statistically clear effects of biochar and deficit irrigation on the growth of both species with combined application. Compared to control treatment, the combined application of biochar and deficit irrigation significantly (P < 0.05) increased new culms of Y. alpina by 44%. Moreover, the combined application of biochar and deficit irrigation significantly (P < 0.05) affected the height and diameter relative growth rates (RGRs) of both species by enhancing soil moisture and which in turn increased the photosynthesis and transpiration rates of the species. Compared to Y. alpina, C. sinensis had significantly (P < 0.05) higher height and diameter RGRs and higher transpiration rate. The maximum height RGRs of Y. alpina (0.142) and C. sinensis (0.108 cm month⁻¹) were attained at the end of the rainy season. The highest and significant increment (266.5%) of biomass of Y. alpina was recorded in the plants subjected to combined application of biochar and deficit irrigation However, we could not confirm a significant effect of B alone on the growth parameters of the species. Hence, the integration of biochar and deficit irrigation would be essential for the successful establishment of C. sinensis and Y. alpina seedlings in farmlands of dried region.
... compost at 10 t ha −1 saved 25% N without a significant reduction in the grain yield of rice and wheat in sodic soils. In recent years, the application of biochar as an amendment for salt-affected soils has been reported and has attracted considerable attention from several researchers (A. Yang et al., 2020;Bin Yousaf et al., 2022;Kul et al., 2021;M. Singh et al., 2022;Phuong et al., 2020;Saifullah Dahlawi et al., 2017;Y. Sun et al., 2022), with emphasis on the improvement of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of salt-affected soils. Though numerous researchers reported positive results using biochar as an amendment for salt-affected soils, the efficacy is controlled by various factors s ...
Salt-affected soils are a global challenge, affecting 1 billion ha of land, with 200 million ha found in Africa. The challenge brings adverse impacts on agricultural productivity, food security, environmental sustainability, and food security. In Tanzania, more than 2 million ha of land are salt-affected, of which 1.7 million ha are saline soil and 0.3 million ha are sodic soil. To cope with this threat, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of its extent (coverage), existing types, and available management strategies. This review presents a comprehensive account of the challenges and opportunities of salt-affected soils in Tanzania and examines management options that have been observed to increase agricultural productivity in rice-growing areas. A systematic review of relevant articles published in databases was carried out using PRISMA guidelines and flowcharts. This review highlights the origin, extent, types, and various techniques for alleviating salt-affected soil problems. It also emphasize on the use of inorganic and organic amendments, salt-tolerant varieties, irrigation water quality, and drainage infrastructure. We revealed that farmers, use burned and unburned rice husks, sawdust, gypsum, and farm yard manure (FYM) as copping mechanisms. Furthermore, there have been continuing efforts to develop salt-tolerant rice varieties, coupled with maintenance of irrigation infrastructure and site-specific soil management options, as appropriate solutions to tackle salt issues. Given the light of existing data, the review recommends using RS and GIS for updating information on salt-affected soils, particularly in irrigated areas, as an essential component of sustainable management and preventing further loss of agricultural land.
... compost at 10 t ha −1 saved 25% N without a significant reduction in the grain yield of rice and wheat in sodic soils. In recent years, the application of biochar as an amendment for salt-affected soils has been reported and has attracted considerable attention from several researchers (A. Yang et al., 2020;Bin Yousaf et al., 2022;Kul et al., 2021;M. Singh et al., 2022;Phuong et al., 2020;Saifullah Dahlawi et al., 2017;Y. Sun et al., 2022), with emphasis on the improvement of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of salt-affected soils. Though numerous researchers reported positive results using biochar as an amendment for salt-affected soils, the efficacy is controlled by various factors s ...
... rugosa) (Oktem, 2008a;Singh et al., 2019). However, it is evident that plants can adapt to moderate water stress, thereby increasing the WP with minimal yield losses (Parkash et al., 2021a;Singh et al., 2022). Combining DI with appropriate soil management practices may help to close the yield gaps relative to full irrigation. ...
... However, we did not observe any adverse effect on plant growth and yield during 2 years of study due biochar application. Interestingly, hardwood increased the plant height and vegetative dry biomass sweet corn as reported in Singh et al. (2022). Some of these positive effects of hardwood biochar especially during second year after application indicates that its effects on soil properties and plant growth need to be studies beyond 2 years. ...
Root modifications can play a vital role in crop adjustments to soil water deficit. It is important to understand root growth and soil water depletion patterns to develop effective cropping systems, especially in semi-arid regions like Texas High Plains (THP). This study evaluated root growth, soil water depletion, and water productivity (WP) of sweet corn under three deficit irrigation treatments [100 %, 70 % and 40 % crop evapotranspiration (ETc)] and biochar application (hardwood and softwood). The experimental units were replicated 4 times in a split-plot design. The results revealed no interaction between irrigation and biochar treatments for almost all measured parameters. The 70 % ETc treatment increased the root length density (RLD) over 100 % ETc during 2019, while no differences were observed among irrigation treatments in 2020. Both deficit irrigations (70 % and 40 % ETc) increased soil water depletion compared to 100 % ETc, the highest being in 40 % ETc. The 70 % ETc maintained a similar yield and increased WP by 21 % compared to 100 % ETc across two years. However, 40 % ETc resulted in significant decline in yield and WP in 2020. The hardwood biochar increased RLD over no biochar treatment without affecting the soil water status and WP. Long-term studies are needed to investigate biochar effects beyond two years of application. In case of limited water availability, 70 % ETc can be recommended as an alternative to 100 % ETc in the THP of the US.
... water, the use of hardwood biochar significantly affected the physical properties by reducing the bulk density of the soil, but it was observed that the effects on the plants' available water content was insignificant. Biochar application increased plant height, chlorophyll content, and vegetative dry biomass, however, water productivity and yield remained unchanged (Singh et al., 2022). ...
