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The potential for biochar application in rubber plantations in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China: a pot trial

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Abstract

Biochar can enhance crop production and sequester carbon, but there have been few studies with tree crops. Rubber plantations cover more than 8 million hectares in Southeast Asia, so we assessed the feasibility of biochar application in these plantations with a pot trial. Rubber seedlings were planted in soil with four concentrations (0, 1.25%, 2.5% and 5%, w/w) of biochar combined with two concentrations of compound fertilizer (0 kg/ha and 300 kg/ha). Soil properties and seedling growth were measured, and a leaching experiment was conducted in the rainy season. Our results show that biochar increased pH, water content (27.4–65.1%), total carbon (25.4–53.6%), nitrate nitrogen, and available phosphorus in the soil, and decreased bulk density (3.2–23.9%). Biochar treatment reduced leaching of ammonium nitrogen and ortho-P. Biochar increased seedling nutrient uptake (C, N, P and K), with 2.5% and 5% biochar showing the largest effects, but seedling biomass was the highest with 1.25%, and declined in 2.5% and 5%. Our results suggest that biochar addition is an effective way to improve rubber plantation soils, sequester more carbon and decrease nutrient leaching, but the optimum application rate under field conditions needs further research.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Xishuangbanna Central Laboratory and Biogeochemical Laboratory for the soil analyses. And we also thank Dr. Mohd Zeeshan for his kindly help of English editing.

Funding

This research was supported by the "Strategic Priority Research Program" of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA05070304), the CAS 135 Program (XTBG-T03), Key program of NSF (31290221), the Science and Technology Service Network Initiative of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KFJ-EW-STS-084).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China

    Libing Pan, Fanzhen Xu, Huizhu Mo & Liqing Sha

  2. Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, China

    Libing Pan & Richard T. Corlett

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Libing Pan

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  1. Libing Pan
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  2. Fanzhen Xu
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  3. Huizhu Mo
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  5. Liqing Sha
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Contributions

LP and LS: designed the study, LP, FX and HM: coordinated data collection, LP and LS: designed and implemented the analytical approach, LP, RC and LS: lead the writing, and all authors provided comments.

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Correspondence to Liqing Sha.

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Pan, L., Xu, F., Mo, H. et al. The potential for biochar application in rubber plantations in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China: a pot trial. Biochar 3, 65–76 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-020-00072-0

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