Influence of biochar on soil nitrogen availability and maize yield in a hyper-arid Leptosol soil on the Peruvian Pacific coast
Campos-Astupiña, C. U. L. de M. León and B. Ladd. 2005.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of biochar on the soil nitrogen supply for maize.
A field experiment was conducted across two crop cycles, with four treatments: control; urea (0.5 t.ha-1); biochar (1 t.ha-1); and a combination of urea (0.42 t.ha-1) and biochar (0.5 t.ha-1). Biochar was
produced from municipal green waste using an adobe kiln and later blended with urea (75%) and
clay (25%) for enrichment purposes. The changes in the supply rate of soil nitrogen and increased
vegetative growth ( 8% in the first crop and 41% in the second crop) and yield ( 160% in the first
crop and 110% in the second crop) in the maize, as a result of the combined application of biochar
and urea, demonstrate the value of enriching biochar with synthetic nitrogen. Furthermore, the
comparatively low maize yield when only biochar was applied suggests that enriching biochar with
nitrogen fertilizer may be essential for achieving agronomic benefits with biochar, at least in the case
of the low fertility Leptosol soil which was the focus of this study. These results offer an initial insight
into the benefits and challenges associated with biochar application in Peru's sandy coastal soils,
indicating promising effects on soil nitrogen stabilization.
Key Words
biochar, municipal green waste, urea, maize, nitrogen
