Soil and Crop Response to Biochar Application
Biochar is the charcoal remains of incomplete combustion of biomass (e.g., woodchips, brush, greenwaste). Biomass is heated to extract biofuel (biodiesel) in a process called torrefaction. Biochar produced via “slash and smolder” has been implicated in the formation of highly productive terra preta soils in South America. When added to the soil, biochar may sequester carbon, slow nutrient leaching, increase nutrient availability, decrease fertilizer requirements, improve water
relations, and stimulate beneficial soil fungi. This research evaluated crop and soil response to five levels of biochar application (0, 10, 20, 40, 80 t/ha) and two fertilizer treatments (+/- NPK) over five years on a Noboco loamy sand soil in Duplin County, NC.
- Biochar In Situ Decreased Bulk Density and Improved Soil-Water Relations and Indicators in Southeastern US Coastal Plain Ultisols. Robert D. Walters and Jeffrey G. White. Original research article published in 2018 summarizing soil reaction to biochar enrichment. Number of times cited: 23.
- Biochar Improved Agronomically Important Physical Properties in a Coastal Plain Ultisol — An updated (2013) version with new data.
- The Biochar Mystique — Summary of biochar enrichment on soil pH, cation exchange capacity, and fertility in a North Carolina Lower Coastal Plain Noboco-Goldsboro sandy loam soil from 2008-2012. Agrosphere Journal blog entry 2014.
- Whither Bioenergy? — Analysis of bioenergy’s global potential from energy capture by photosynthesis to the planetary land base. Agrosphere Journal blog entry 2016.