Biochar ageing improves soil properties, growth and yield of red radish (Raphanus sativus) in a Haplic Cambisol

Patrick Nyambo; Hammond Motsi; Cornelius Chiduza; Mashapa Elvis Malobane

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0288709

Biochar ageing improves soil properties, growth and yield of red radish (Raphanus sativus) in a Haplic Cambisol

PLoS One. 2023 Jul 19;18(7):e0288709. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288709. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Patrick Nyambo¹, Hammond Motsi², Cornelius Chiduza², Mashapa Elvis Malobane³

Affiliations

¹ Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa.
² Department of Agronomy, University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa.
³ Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, University of South Africa, Roodepoort, South Africa.

Abstract

The use of biochar as a soil ameliorant has recently gained momentum. However, its application has been reported to have some adverse effects soon after the pyrolysis process. This study aimed to determine the effect of different biochar ageing methods and fertiliser applications on selected soil properties, growth, and yield of red radish (Raphanus sativus L.). A 2 x 3 factorial arrangement was used in a complete randomised design (CRD) with three replications. The factors were (1) biochar ageing at three levels, i.e., naturally aged biochar (NB), artificially aged biochar (AB), and fresh biochar (FB), and (2) fertiliser at two levels viz fertilised (F) and non-fertilised (NF). A control treatment (without biochar) was also included. Irrespective of the ageing method used, biochar application significantly increased soil pH, while fertiliser application significantly reduced soil pH throughout the experiment. Similarly, biochar application significantly increased soil hydraulic conductivity compared to the control. However, after ten weeks, significantly higher soil hydraulic conductivity was reported in treatments with AB biochar compared to both NB and FB. The application of fertiliser in biochar-amended soils improves the soil's hydraulic properties and increases radish growth. The study concludes that AB biochar + fertiliser application improves soil properties and growth of radish.

Copyright: © 2023 Nyambo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Charcoal / chemistry
Fertilizers
Raphanus*
Soil* / chemistry

Substances

Soil
biochar
Fertilizers
Charcoal

Grants and funding

This work is based on the research supported wholly by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa and the Dutch Research Council (de Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek - NWO) Project UID 129352 and the Govan Mbeki Research and Development Centre of the University of Fort Hare (GMRDC). The NRF, NOW and GMRDC are thanked for their financial contribution. Any opinion, finding, conclusion, or recommenda-tion expressed in this material is that of the author(s), and the NRF and NWO do not accept any liability in this regard.