Please wait a minute...
Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2014, Vol. 13 Issue (3): 533-540    DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(13)60709-1
Section 2: Crop Improvement by iochar Soil Amendment Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Improvement to Maize Growth Caused by Biochars Derived From Six Feedstocks Prepared at Three Different Temperatures
 LUO Yu, JIAO Yu-jie, ZHAO Xiao-rong, LI Gui-tong, ZHAO Li-xin , MENG Hai-bo
1、Institute of Energy and Environmental Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, P.R.China
2、College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P.R.China
3、Key Laboratory of Energy Resource Utilization from Agriculture Residue, Ministry of Agriculture/Chinese Academy of Agricultural Engineering, Beijing 100125, P.R.China
Download:  PDF in ScienceDirect  
Export:  BibTeX | EndNote (RIS)      
摘要  Biochar is increasingly proposed as a soil amendment, with reports of benefits to soil physical, chemical and biological properties. In this study, different biochars were produced from 6 feedstocks, including straw and poultry manure, at 3 pyrolysis temperatures (200, 300 and 500°C) and then added separately to a calcareous soil. Their effects on soil properties and maize growth were evaluated in a pot experiment. The biochars derived from crop straw had much higher C but smaller N concentrations than those derived from poultry manure. Carbon concentrations, pH and EC values increased with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Biochar addition resulted in increases in mean maize dry matter of 12.73% and NPK concentrations of 30, 33 and 283%, respectively. Mean soil pH values were increased by 0.45 units. The biochar-amended soils had 44, 55, 254 and 537% more organic C, total N, Olsen-P and available K, respectively, than the control on average. Both feedstocks and pyrolysis temperature determined the characteristics of the biochar. Biochars with high mineral concentrations may act as mineral nutrient supplements.

Abstract  Biochar is increasingly proposed as a soil amendment, with reports of benefits to soil physical, chemical and biological properties. In this study, different biochars were produced from 6 feedstocks, including straw and poultry manure, at 3 pyrolysis temperatures (200, 300 and 500°C) and then added separately to a calcareous soil. Their effects on soil properties and maize growth were evaluated in a pot experiment. The biochars derived from crop straw had much higher C but smaller N concentrations than those derived from poultry manure. Carbon concentrations, pH and EC values increased with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Biochar addition resulted in increases in mean maize dry matter of 12.73% and NPK concentrations of 30, 33 and 283%, respectively. Mean soil pH values were increased by 0.45 units. The biochar-amended soils had 44, 55, 254 and 537% more organic C, total N, Olsen-P and available K, respectively, than the control on average. Both feedstocks and pyrolysis temperature determined the characteristics of the biochar. Biochars with high mineral concentrations may act as mineral nutrient supplements.
Keywords:  biochar       feedstock       temperature       maize       soil  
Received: 09 October 2013   Accepted:
Fund: 

The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41171211) and the Special Fund for Agro-Scientific Research in the Public Interest, China (201303095-2).

Corresponding Authors:  LI Gui-tong, Tel: +86-10-62732963, E-mail: lgtong@cau.edu.cn   
About author:  LUO Yu

Cite this article: 

LUO Yu, JIAO Yu-jie, ZHAO Xiao-rong, LI Gui-tong, ZHAO Li-xin , MENG Hai-bo. 2014. Improvement to Maize Growth Caused by Biochars Derived From Six Feedstocks Prepared at Three Different Temperatures. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 13(3): 533-540.

Asadullah M, Zhang S, Min Z H, Yimsiri P, Li C. 2010. Evaluation of structural features of chars from pyrolysis of biomass of different particle sizes. Fuel Processing Technology, 91, 877-881

 Baldock J A, Smernik R J. 2002. Chemical composition and bioavailability of thermally altered Pinusresinosa (Red pine) wood. Organic Geochemistry, 33, 1093-1109

 Bauer A, Black A L. 1994. Quantification of the effect of soil organic matter content on soil productivity. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 58, 185-193

 Beesley L, Moreno-Jiménez E, Gomez-Eyles L, Harris E, Robinson B, Sizmur T. 2011. A review of biochars’ potential role in the remediation, revegetation and restoration of contaminated soils. Environmental Pollution, 159, 3269-3282

 Chan K Y, Xu Z. 2009. Biochar for environmental management science and technology. In: Lehmann J, Joseph S, eds., Biochar: Nutrient Properties and their Enhancement. Earthscan, London. pp. 67-84

 DeLuca T H, MacKenzie M D, Gundale M J. 2009. Biochar effects on soil nutrient transformations. In: Lehmann J, Joseph S, eds., Biochar for Environmental Management. Sterling, London. pp. 251-270

 DeLuca T H, MacKenzie M D, Gundale M J, Holben W E. 2006. Wildfire-produced charcoal directly influences nitrogen cycling in ponderosa pine forests. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 70, 448.

Enders A, Whitman T, Joseph S, Lehmann J. 2012. Characterization of biochars to evaluate recalcitrance and agronomic performance. Bioresource Technology, 114, 644-653

 Goldberg E D. 1985. Black Carbon in the Environment. John Wiley, New York. pp. 198-199

 Hossain M K, Strezov V, Chan K Y, Ziolkowski A, Nelson P F. 2011. Influence of pyrolysis temperature on production and nutrient properties of wastewater sludge biochar. Journal of Environmental Management, 92, 223-228

 Jeffery S, Verheijen F G A, Van V M, Bastos A C. 2011. A quantitative review of the effects of biochar application to soils on crop productivity using meta-analysis. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 144, 175-187

 Kwapinski W, Byrne C M P, Kryachko E, Wolfram P, Adley C, Novotny E H, Hayes M H B. 2010. Biochar from biomass and waste. Waste Biomass Valorization, 1, 177-189

 Kuzyakov Y, Subbotina I, Chen H Q, Bogomolova I, Xu X L. 2009. Black carbon decomposition and incorporation into soil microbial biomass estimated by 14C labeling. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 41, 210-219

 Laird D, Fleming P, Wang B, Horton R, Karlen D. 2010. Biochar impact on nutrient leaching from a Midwestern agricultural soil. Geoderma, 158, 436-442

 Lal R. 2004. Soil carbon sequestration impacts on global climate change and food security. Science, 304, 1623- 1627.

Lehmann J. 2007a. A handful of carbon. Nature, 447, 143- 144.

Lehmann J. 2007b. Bio-energy in the black. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 5, 381-387

 Lehmann J, Gaunt J. 2006. Bio-char sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 11, 395-419

 Lehmann J, Joseph S. 2009. Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology. Sterling, VA, Earthscan, London. p. 416.

Liang B, Lehmann J, Solomon D, Kinyangi J, Grossman J, O’Neill B, Skjemstad J, Thies J, Luizão F J, Petersen J, et al. 2006. Black carbon increases cationexchange capacity in soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 70, 1719.

Luo R K. 1996. Soil Chemistry Analytical Method. China Agricultural Science and Technology Publishing House, Beijing.

Luo Y, Durenkamp M, Denobili, Lin Q M, Brookes P C. 2011. Short term soil priming effects and the mineralisation of biochar following its incorporation to soils of different pH. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 43, 2304-2314

 Luo Y, Durenkamp M, Denobili, Lin Q M, Devonshire B J, Brookes P C. 2013. Microbial biomass growth, following incorporation of biochars produced at 350°C or 700°C, in a silty-clay loam soil of high and low pH. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 57, 513-523

 Mathews J A. 2008. Carbon-negative biofuels. Energy Policy, 36, 940-945

 Nguyen B T, Lehmann J. 2009. Black carbon decomposition under varying water regimes. Organic Geochemistry, 40, 846-853

 Peng X, Ye L L, Wang C H, Zhou H, Sun B. 2011. Temperature- and duration-dependent rice straw-derived biochar: Characteristics and its effects on soil properties of an Ultisol in southern China. Soil and Tillage Research, 112, 159-166

 Ro K S, Cantrell K B, Hunt P G. 2010. High-temperature pyrolysis of blended animal manures for producing renewable energy and value-added biochar. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 49, 10125-10131

 Sanchez M E, Lindao E, Margaleff D, Martinez O, Moran A. 2009. Bio-Fuels and bio-char production from pyrolysis of sewage sludge. Journal of Residuals Science & Technology, 6, 35-41

 Steiner C, Teixeira W G, Lehmann J, Nehls T, Macêdo J L V, Blum W E H, Zech W. 2007. Long term effects of manure, charcoal and mineral fertilization on crop production and fertility on a highly weathered Central Amazonian upland soil. Plant and Soil, 291, 275-290

 Verheijen F G A, Jeffery S, Bastos A C, Vander V M, Diafas I. 2010. Biochar Application to Soils: a Critical Scientific Review of Effects on Soil Properties, Processes and Functions. Office for the Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg. Woolf D, Amonette J E, Street P, Alayne F, Lehmann J, Joseph S. 2010. Sustainable biochar to mitigate global climate change. Nature Communications, 1, 1-9

 Yuan J H, Xu R K, Zhang H. 2011. The forms of alkalis in the biochar produced from crop residues at different temperatures. Bioresource Technology, 102, 3488-3497

 van Zwieten L, Kimber S, Morris S. 2010. Effects of biochar from slow pyrolysis of papermill waste on agronomic performance and soil fertility. Plant and Soil, 327, 235- 246.
[1] Teng Li, Shumei Wang, Qing Liu, Xuepeng Zhang, Lin Chen, Yuanquan Chen, Wangsheng Gao, Peng Sui. Effects of changing assimilate supply on starch synthesis in maize kernels under high temperature stress[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2026, 25(2): 639-647.
[2] Xin Wan, Dangjun Wang, Junya Li, Shuaiwen Zhang, Linyang Li, Minghui He, Zhiguo Li, Hao Jiang, Peng Chen, Yi Liu. Land use type shapes carbon pathways in Tibetan alpine ecosystems: Characterization of 13C abundance in aggregates and density fractions[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2026, 25(2): 448-459.
[3] Liyan Wang, Buqing Wang, Zhengmiao Deng, Yonghong Xie, Tao Wang, Feng Li, Shao’an Wu, Cong Hu, Xu Li, Zhiyong Hou, Jing Zeng Ye’ai Zou, Zelin Liu, Changhui Peng, Andrew Macrae. Surface soil organic carbon losses in Dongting Lake floodplain as evidenced by field observations from 2013 to 2022[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2026, 25(2): 436-447.
[4] Miaomiao Wang, Hongsong Chen, Wei Zhang, Kelin Wang. Variations and major driving factors for soil nutrients in a typical karst region in Southwest China[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2026, 25(2): 424-435.
[5] Valensi Kautsar, Takamori Kanno, Kaho Sakai, Riza Kurnia Sabri, Keitaro Tawaraya, Kazunobu Toriyama, Kazuhiko Kobayashi, Weiguo Cheng. Reconstructed organic rice fields: Effects on soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, their mineralization, and rice yield in Japanese Andosols[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2026, 25(2): 493-500.
[6] Shunjie Zhu, Liangliang Xu, Chengzhong He, Yongxing Guo, Changqun Duan, Xin Jiang, Shiyu Li, Hailong Yu. Effects of land use type on soil organic carbon in different soil types[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2026, 25(2): 540-552.
[7] Ligong Peng, Sicheng Deng, Wentao Yi, Yizhu Wu, Yingying Zhang, Xiangbin Yao, Pipeng Xing, Baoling Cui, Xiangru Tang. Partial organic fertilizer substitution and water-saving irrigation can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in aromatic rice paddy by regulating soil microorganisms while increasing yield and aroma[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2026, 25(1): 273-289.
[8] Xiaohui Xu, Qiang Chai, Falong Hu, Wen Yin, Zhilong Fan, Hanting Li, Zhipeng Liu, Qiming Wang. Intercropping grain crops with green manure under reduced chemical nitrogen improves the soil carbon stocks by optimizing aggregates in an oasis irrigation area[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2026, 25(1): 326-338.
[9] Shending Chen, Ahmed S. Elrys, Siwen Du, Wenyan Yang, Zucong Cai, Jinbo Zhang, Lei Meng, Christoph Müller. Soil nitrogen dynamics regulate differential nitrogen uptake between rice and upland crops[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2026, 25(1): 302-312.
[10] Xin Zhao, Hai Liang, Danna Chang, Jiudong Zhang, Xingguo Bao, Heng Cui, Weidong Cao. Maize–green manure intercropping improves maize yield and P uptake by shaping the responses of roots and soil [J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2026, 25(1): 313-325.
[11] Yanqing Wu, Jiao Liu, Lu Zhao, Hao Wu, Yiming Zhu, Irshad Ahmad, Guisheng Zhou. Abiotic stress responses in crop plants: A multi-scale approach[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2026, 25(1): 1-15.
[12] Ziwen Shi, Sheng Zhang, Qing He, Xiaoyuan Wang, Bo yang, Tao Yu, Hongyang Yi, Tingzhao Rong, Moju Cao. ZmCals12 impacts maize growth and development by regulating symplastic transport[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2026, 25(1): 42-55.
[13] Qinghao Wang, Juan Hu, Weizhen Yu, Limin Gu, Peng Liu, Bin Zhao, Wenchao Zhen, Jiwang Zhang, Baizhao Ren. Shading and waterlogging interactions exacerbate summer maize yield losses by reducing assimilate accumulation and remobilization processes[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2026, 25(1): 92-104.
[14] Yuxin He, Fei Deng, Chi Zhang, Qiuping Li, Xiaofan Huang, Chenyan He, Xiaofeng Ai, Yujie Yuan, Li Wang, Hong Cheng, Tao Wang, Youfeng Tao. Wei Zhou, Xiaolong Lei, Yong Chen, Wanjun Ren. Can a delayed sowing date improve the eating and cooking quality of mechanically transplanted rice in the Sichuan Basin, China?[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(9): 3368-3383.
[15] Yunji Xu, Xuelian Weng, Shupeng Tang, Weiyang Zhang, Kuanyu Zhu, Guanglong Zhu, Hao Zhang, Zhiqin Wang, Jianchang Yang. Untargeted lipidomic analysis of milled rice under different alternate wetting and soil drying irrigation regimes[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(9): 3351-3367.
No Suggested Reading articles found!