Residual effect of biochar and summer legumes on soil physical properties and wheat growth

Biochar, a carbon-rich solid material and legumes having numerous benefits to the soil-plant system gaining a keen interest as an innovative sustainable approach among the agriculture research community in many parts of the world especially in developing countries in order to enhance soil quality an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pure and applied biology 2019-03, Vol.7 (4), p.16-26
Main Author: Rahim, Hafeez Ur
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural production
Agricultural research
Agriculture
Beans
Biomass
Carbon
Cereal crops
Charcoal
Corn
Cowpeas
Crop growth
Cropping systems
Crops
Developing countries
Environmental management
Experiments
Farms
Fodder
Food quality
Food security
Grain
Harvest
Harvesting
Horticulture
LDCs
Legumes
Nitrogen
Nutrients
Physical properties
Residual effects
Soil physical properties
Soil properties
Soil quality
Summer
Sustainable agriculture
Wheat
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Summary:Biochar, a carbon-rich solid material and legumes having numerous benefits to the soil-plant system gaining a keen interest as an innovative sustainable approach among the agriculture research community in many parts of the world especially in developing countries in order to enhance soil quality and ensure food security. Thus, with the same approach, we have carried out a field experiment to examine the residual effect of biochar application and summer legumes on soil physical properties and subsequent wheat crop growth at the Research Farm, The University of Agriculture Peshawar during winter 2016-2017. An experiment was designed in two-factor factorial randomized complete block design with three replications in summer 2016 in which three different summer legumes i.e. mungbean, sesbania, and cowpea were grown in the summer for the purpose of grain, green manuring and fodder, a fallow was also included with the purpose of control. Biochar was applied at the rate of 0, 5 and 10 tons ha-1. After the harvesting of summer legumes, sesbania biomass was completely incorporated into the soil while the biomass of other two legumes were removed. The experiment on subsequent wheat was on the same field layout of summer legumes. Both the treatments i.e. previously applied biochar especially 10 tons ha-1 and preceding summer legumes especially sesbania as well as their interaction showed a significant effect on the selected soil physical properties. Similarly, the response of wheat growth was also significant to both treatments but their interaction was non-significant. Thus, it was concluded that both the treatments had a significant effect on the soil physical properties and growth of wheat and should be included in the cropping system.
ISSN:2304-2478
2304-2478
DOI:10.19045/bspab.2018.700159