Investigating the release of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from biochars of grape waste, straw and wheat stubble and walnut shell

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Malayer University, Malayer. Iran

Abstract

To investigate the release of nitrogen. Phosphorus and potassium elements from biochar, an experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design in three replications. Biochars were used by 2% in weight (W/W). The experimental treatments included control soil (CS), Soil+ Grape waste biochar (GSB), Soil + wheat straw and stubble (WSB) + brown walnut shell biochar (NSB) and Soil. The samples were incubated for about four months and sampling was done at days of 0, 7, 14, 28, 42, 56, 88 and 120. The results showed that the biochar addition significantly increased the concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in all biochar-amended soils compared to the control soil. Nitrogen concentration ranged from 766.6 mg kg-1 in control (average of sampling times) to 1272.2, 1366.7, and 1488.9 mg kg-1 in GSB, WSB and NSB treatments, respectively. Phosphorus concentration enhanced from 44.5 mg kg-1 in control (time-average of sampling) to 79.1, 67.1, and 70.8 mg kg-1 in GSB, WSB and NSB, respectively, and the concentration of potassium in the control increased from 103 mg kg-1 to 656.5, 293.8, and 125.6 mg kg-1 in the GSB, WSB, and NSB treatments, respectively. The WSB and NSB treatments released an average of 52% and 50.5% of their nitrogen content, respectively during 120 days, increased while GSB released only 28.6% of its total nitrogen on average. The order of nitrogen release rates in biochar were as follows: WSB≥ NSB> GSB. Regarding the release of phosphorus, NSB was considered to be the most efficient biochar, which was able to release 5% of its phosphorus during 4 months, while, GSB was the lowest effective biochar releasing only 0.5% of its phosphorus during the corresponding time. The order of phosphorus release from biochar treatments was as follows: NSB > WSB > GSB. The amount of available potassium in GSB was 2.3 to 6.7 times higher than the other treatments. The order of potassium release from biochar treatments was as follows: GSB > WSB > NSB. The results of infrared spectroscopy showed that the dissolution of amides containing nitrogen is the main mechanism of N release. The decrease in pH caused by nitrification, probably facilitated Ca-P dissolution from biochar and led to a higher phosphorus release.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Evaluation of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium release from biochars of grape waste, straw and wheat stubble and walnut shell

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

Background and purpose:

A large amount of agricultural wastes is annually produced all around the world, which can make a significant contribution to soil organic matter storage. One of the effective ways to provide soil organic matter is to convert these wastes into compounds e which can provide energy and simultaneously reduce the volume and weight of waste materials. These compounds also improve water use efficiency without causing environmental pollution. One of these compounds is biochar. Biochar decomposition rate is much lower than other organic materials and thus it can remain in the soil for hundreds to thousands of years. Biochar has a high capacity in reducing greenhouse gases and can store carbon in the soil for a long time. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the rates nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) release from biochars of walnut, grape, straw, and wheat stubble residues.

Materials and methods:

This experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design in three replicates. Biochars were used at 2% (W/W). The experimental treatments included control soil (CS), soil + grape waste biochar (GSB), soil + walnut waste (NSB), and soil + wheat straw and stubble biochar (WSB). The samples were incubated at 25 ± 3 °C for about four months (from wheat planting to harvest). During the incubation period, soil moisture contents in treatments were kept constant (70% FC) by adding distilled water to the samples. Sampling was done on days 0, 7, 14, 28, 42, 56, 88, and 120. And after air-drying, the samples were stored to determine the release rate of N, P, and K.

Findings:

Biochar addition significantly increased the concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in all biochar-amended soils compared to the control soil. Nitrogen concentration ranged from 766.6 mg kg-1 in control (average of sampling times) to 1272.2, 1366.7, and 1488.9 mg kg-1 in GSB, WSB and NSB, respectively. Phosphorus concentration enhanced from 44.5 mg kg-1 in control (average of sampling times) to 79.1, 67.1, and 70.8 mg kg-1 in GSB, WSB and NSB, respectively, and the concentration of potassium in the control increased from 103 mg kg-1 to 656.5, 293.8, and 125.6 mg kg-1 in the GSB, WSB, and NSB treatments, respectively. The WSB and NSB treatments released an average of 52% and 50.5% of their nitrogen content, respectively during 120 days, while GSB released only 28.6% of its total nitrogen on average. The nitrogen release rates in biochar treatments increased as follows: WSB≥ NSB> GSB. The highest available phosphorus in the GSB treatment was observed at the beginning of incubation. Regarding the release of phosphorus, NSB was considered to be the most efficient biochar, which was able to release 5% of its phosphorus in 4 months, while, GSB was the least effective biochar releasing only 0.5% of its phosphorus during the corresponding time. Phosphorus release from biochar treatments changed as follows: NSB > WSB > GSB. The amount of available potassium in GSB was 2.3 to 6.7 times higher than other treatments. The order of potassium release from biochar treatments was as follows: GSB > WSB > NSB. The results of infrared spectroscopy showed that the dissolution of amides containing nitrogen is the main mechanism of N release. The decrease in pH caused by nitrification probably facilitated Ca-P dissolution from biochar and led to a higher phosphorus release.

Conclusion:

The results indicated that NSB seemed to play a role as a complete or complementary source of nitrogen and phosphorus for wheat. Additionally, GSB could contribute to potassium supply for plants. However, inherent soil properties may greatly affect this process as well.

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Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research
Volume 54, Issue 9
December 2023
Pages 1283-1297

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