Influence of rice-husk biochar and Bacillus pumilus strain TUAT-1 on yield, biomass production, and nutrient uptake in two forage rice genotypes

PLoS One. 2019 Jul 31;14(7):e0220236. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220236. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Biochar is widely used as a soil amendment to increase crop yields. However, the impact of the interaction between the biochar and microbial inoculants (e.g., biofertilizer) on plant nutrient uptake and yield in forage rice is not fully understood. A greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate the synergistic effects of rice-husk biochar and Bacillus pumilus strain TUAT-1 biofertilizer application on growth, yield, and nutrient uptake in two forage rice genotypes; Fukuhibiki and the newly bred line, LTAT-29. Positive effects of biochar and biofertilizer, alone or in a combination, on growth traits, nutrient uptake, and yield components were dependent on the rice genotypes. Biochar and TUAT-1 biofertilizer influenced the overall growth of plants positively and increased straw and above-ground biomass in both genotypes. However, although biochar application significantly increased grain yield in LTAT-29, this was not the case in Fukuhibiki. Biochar and TUAT-1 biofertilizer, either alone or combined, significantly affected plant nutrient uptake but the effect largely depended on rice genotype. Results of this study indicate that biochar amendment and TUAT-1 biofertilizer can enhance forage rice productivity depending on genotypes, and therefore, there is a need to consider plant genetic composition when evaluating the potential for crop response to these soil amendments before application on a commercial scale.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacillus pumilus / growth & development*
  • Biomass*
  • Charcoal / chemistry*
  • Crop Production
  • Genotype
  • Nitrogen / metabolism
  • Nutrients / metabolism*
  • Oryza / genetics
  • Oryza / growth & development*
  • Oryza / microbiology
  • Seedlings / growth & development
  • Seedlings / metabolism
  • Soil / chemistry

Substances

  • Soil
  • biochar
  • Charcoal
  • Nitrogen

Grants and funding

This project is supported by grants from the Project of the NARO Bio-oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution: the special scheme project on regional developing strategy (Grant No.16822446) to O.Y., O.K., O.T., Y.T., and K.T.W. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.