Effects of Amendment of Biochar Produced from Woody Biomass on Soil Quality and Crop Yield

Improved soil quality and increased crop yield are commonly reported benefits of amending soil with biochar. This study is to address the potential of using biochar as an organic matter-rich material to amend soil in order to enhance crop production. Pot experiments were conducted in Chicago using agricultural soil amended with wood-based biochar for a period of two months. The soil was amended with biochar before the sowing of two kinds of bush beans, Tendergreen Improved (TI) and Blue Lake 274 (BL). Soil and plant samples were collected while the yield was measured when harvested. The changes in soil properties, as well as crop yield, were examined with comparison between the pots treated with and without biochar. Results show that biochar increased bean growth for TI. However, no negligible effects were observed for plant growth of BL. The yield of TI was increased over the control under biochar treatment. Effects of biomass yield were different for two kinds of beans due to the different dependence on fertilizers of the crop, which was partially proved by significant increase of soil fertility of TI and inconsistent nutrients change of BL. These results demonstrated a possible potential of biochar treatment on soil improvement and crop productivity enhancement in agricultural soil, although the effects varied with plant species.