Soil Physical, Chemical, and Biological Properties as Influenced by Biochar Application Rates Under Winter Canola Production

Biochar (BC) application to soils has been reported to be a promising practice that improves soil qualities. However, less is known about its effect on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in semi-arid to arid agroecosystems. Therefore, we investigated the potential BC ability to improve soil physical, chemical, and biological properties through a greenhouse pot experiment with four biochar treatments (2.5 t/ha, 7.5 t/ha, 12.5 t/ha, and 25 t/ha) and a control (0 t/ha BC) on a weight-by-weight (w/w) ratio in two agricultural soil types (clay loam and sandy loam). Research results showed that 2.5 t/ha BC is enough to improve the soil physical properties in both soil types compared to other treatments (p ≤ .05). Cation Exchange Capacity and Ca were greater at 12.5 t/ha BC treatment. SOM was not different for all treatments in clay loam (p ≤ .05), whereas 25 t/ha BC treatment in sandy loam had the greatest SOM. Nitrate-N concentration was generally lower in 25 t/ha BC in both soils. The 2.5 t/ha BC had the greatest microbial diversity index in clay loam, whereas 25 t/ha had the greatest in sandy loam. Therefore, the study demonstrated that BC can improve soil properties in irrigated arid and semi-arid agroecosystems. Thus, more field experiments are needed to further understand the potential impact of biochar on soil physical and chemical properties.