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Biochar improves fertility of a clay soil in the Brazilian Savannah: short term effects and impact on rice yield

Citation

de Melo Carvalho, MT and Madari, BE and Bastiaans, L and van Oort, PAJ and Heinemann, AB and da Silva, MAS and de Holanda Nunes Maia, A and Meinke, H, Biochar improves fertility of a clay soil in the Brazilian Savannah: short term effects and impact on rice yield, Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics, 114, (2) pp. 101-107. ISSN 1612-9830 (2013) [Refereed Article]


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Copyright 2013 The Authors-licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives)(CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 AU) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to report single season effects of wood biochar (char) application coupled with N fertilization on soil chemical properties, aerobic rice growth and grain yield in a clayey Rhodic Ferralsol in the Brazilian Savannah. Char application effected an increase in soil pH, K, Ca, Mg, CEC, Mn and nitrate while decreasing Al content and potential acidity of soils. No distinct effect of char application on grain yield of aerobic rice was observed. We believe that soil properties impacted by char application were inconsequential for rice yields because neither water, low pH, nor the availability of K or P were limiting factors for rice production. Rate of char above 16 Mgha −1 reduced leaf area index and total shoot dry matter by 72 days after sowing. The number of panicles infected by rice blast decreased with increasing char rate. Increased dry matter beyond the remobilization capacity of the crop, and high number of panicles infected by rice blast were the likely cause of the lower grain yield observed when more than 60 kgNha−1 was applied. The optimal rate of N was 46 kg ha−1 and resulted in a rice grain yield above 3Mgha−1.

Item Details

Item Type:Refereed Article
Keywords:aerobic system, carbonised biomass, Ferralsol, nitrogen, Oryza sativa, Oxisol
Research Division:Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences
Research Group:Agriculture, land and farm management
Research Field:Sustainable agricultural development
Objective Division:Plant Production and Plant Primary Products
Objective Group:Grains and seeds
Objective Field:Rice
UTAS Author:de Melo Carvalho, MT (Ms Marcia de Melo Carvalho)
UTAS Author:Meinke, H (Professor Holger Meinke)
ID Code:88976
Year Published:2013
Deposited By:Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture
Deposited On:2014-02-21
Last Modified:2014-07-29
Downloads:280 View Download Statistics

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