Optimizing biochar application to improve soil physical and hydraulic properties in saline-alkali soils

Jiaping Liang; Yi Li; Bingcheng Si; Yanzi Wang; Xinguo Chen; Xiaofang Wang; Haoran Chen; Haoran Wang; Fucang Zhang; Yungang Bai; Asim Biswas

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144802

Optimizing biochar application to improve soil physical and hydraulic properties in saline-alkali soils

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Jun 1:771:144802. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144802. Epub 2021 Jan 27.

Authors

Jiaping Liang¹, Yi Li², Bingcheng Si³, Yanzi Wang¹, Xinguo Chen¹, Xiaofang Wang¹, Haoran Chen¹, Haoran Wang¹, Fucang Zhang¹, Yungang Bai⁴, Asim Biswas⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Water Resources and Architecture Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, PR China; Key Lab of Agricultural Water and Soil Engineering of Education Ministry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, PR China.
² College of Water Resources and Architecture Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, PR China; Key Lab of Agricultural Water and Soil Engineering of Education Ministry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, PR China. Electronic address: liyi@nwsuaf.edu.cn.
³ College of Water Resources and Architecture Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, PR China; Key Lab of Agricultural Water and Soil Engineering of Education Ministry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, PR China. Electronic address: Bing.Si@usask.ca.
⁴ Xinjiang Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Urumqi 830049, Xinjiang, PR China.
⁵ School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.

PMID: 33736170
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144802

Abstract

Biochar application has been a promising approach to improve soil quality but their optimal amount in improving physical and hydraulic properties remains contradictory and inconclusive. The objective of this study was to examine and propose an optimal biochar application amount in saline alkali soil considering their impact on soil physical and hydraulic properties. A three-year field experiment was conducted in the saline-alkali soils under plastic film-mulched drip irrigation in Xinjiang, China. The studied physical and hydraulic properties included bulk density, soil porosity, saturated soil water content (θ_s), permanent wilting point (PWP), field capacity (FC), plant available water (PAW), spatial distribution of soil water content, planar soil water storage (PSWS), and soil evaporation. The treatments included biochar application amounts of 0 (CK), 10 (B10), 50 (B50), and 100 t ha^-1 (B100) in 2018. Additional two treatments with 25 t ha^-1 (B25) and 30 t ha^-1 (B30) were added in 2019 and 2020, respectively. A four-parameter Gaussian function was fitted to the single-peak curves of the studied hydraulic properties vs. biochar application amounts to determine the most optimal biochar application amount. The results indicated that: (1) All of the biochar treatments significantly decreased bulk density and increased soil porosity over CK; (2) B10 and B25 treatments significantly increased θ_s, FC, PAW, PWP, and PSWS of root zones in the film-mulched zones over CK, but reverse results were observed in the B50 and B100 treatments; (3) Daily and cumulative soil evaporation were increased in no mulch zones of all biochar treatments over CK; (4) A dose of 21.9 t ha^-1 was recommended as the most optimal biochar application amount for improving physical and hydraulic properties of saline-alkali soil. This research provided useful information on biochar application amounts for improving physical and hydraulic properties in saline-alkali soil.

Keywords: Biochar; Field capacity; Planar soil water storage; Plant available water; Saline-alkali soil; Soil evaporation.

MeSH terms

Alkalies*
Charcoal
China
Soil*

Substances

Alkalies
Soil
biochar
Charcoal