Application Effect of Cow Manure and Its Biochar on Some N Cycling Processes in Soil

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Soil Science, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

2 Professor of Soil Science, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

Abstract

In recent year, application of biochar in soils of dry and semi-arid regions has been considered for increasing soil organic carbon. However,  few reports are available about the effect of biochar on nitrogen cycling in such soils. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of cow manure and its biochar on some N cycling processes and related biological properties in a calcareous soil. For this purpose, 0, 1, 2 and 5% of cow manure and its biochar were added to a calcareous soil and then the treated soils incubated for 30 and 90 days. The results showed that the microbial biomass nitrogen and urease activity in the soils treated with cow manure increased more intensively against the soils treated with biochar. The application of 2 and 5% of biochar increased the nitrogen mineralization by 20.5 and 32.3% at 30-days incubation, and by 103 and 106% at 90-days incubation. Addition of cow manure to soil led to a significant increase in nitrogen mineralization by 38-233% at 30-day incubation and 21- 105% at 90-day incubation. At 30-days of incubation, nitrification increased in soils treated by 5% of biochar. The addition of biochar to the soil increased nitrification by 10-50% compared to the control at 90-days of incubation. The addition of cow manure to soil increased nitrification by 1500-300% and 39-95% in comparison to the control after 30 and 90 days of incubation. In general, our findings showed that the use of cow manure biochar compared with cow manure could reduce nitrogen mineralization and nitrification and prevent rapid nitrate leaching.

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