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Effects of biochar, urea and their co‐application on nitrogen mineralization in soil and growth of Chinese cabbage
Author(s) -
Baiga R.,
Rajashekhar Rao B. K.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
soil use and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.709
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1475-2743
pISSN - 0266-0032
DOI - 10.1111/sum.12328
Subject(s) - biochar , mineralization (soil science) , urea , chemistry , agronomy , nitrogen , ammonium , fertilizer , dry matter , zoology , biology , pyrolysis , organic chemistry
Experiments were conducted to study the effect of soil applications of kunai grass ( Imperata cylindrica ) biochar (0 and 10 t/ha) and laboratory grade urea (0, 200 and 500 kg N/ha) and their co‐application on nitrogen (N) mineralization in an acid soil. The results of an incubation study showed that the biochar only treatment and co‐application with urea at 200 kg N/ha could impede transformation of urea to ammonium‐N ( NH 4 + ‐N). Soil application of biochar together with urea at 500 kg N/ha produced the highest nitrate‐N ( NO 3 − ‐N) and mineral N concentrations in the soil over 90 days. Co‐application of urea N with biochar improved soil N mineralization parameters such as mineralization potential ( N A ) and coefficient of mineralization rate ( k ) compared to biochar alone. In a parallel study performed under greenhouse conditions, Chinese cabbage ( Brassica rapa L. ssp. chinensis L.) showed significantly greater ( P < 0.05) marketable fresh weight, dry matter production and N uptake in soil receiving urea N at 500 kg/ha or co‐application of biochar with urea N compared to the control. Application of biochar only or urea only at 200 kg N/ha did not offer any short‐term agronomic advantages. The N use efficiency of the crop remained unaffected by the fertilizer regimes. Applications of biochar only at 10 t/ha did not offer benefits in this tropical acid soil unless co‐applied with sufficient urea N.