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Wheat growth and yield responses to biochar addition under Mediterranean climate conditions

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Abstract

The effects of the addition of a slow pyrolysis biochar (produced from olive-tree prunings) to a vertisol were studied in a field experiment during one wheat (Triticum durum L.) growing season. The biochar addition did not significantly affect soil parameters such as pH, dissolved organic C and N, ammonium, nitrate or microbial biomass N. By contrast, biochar addition decreased soil compaction and increased the soil water-retention capacity and nutrient content (total N and the available contents of P, K, Mg, Cu and Zn). These favourable changes led to an increase in fine root proliferation (increasing specific root length and reducing root tissue density) and promoted crop development. As a result, the plants in biochar-treated plots showed higher relative growth and net assimilation rates, aboveground biomass and yield than those in control plots. Neither grain quality nor nutrient content were significantly affected by biochar addition. Our results suggest that the use of biochar as a soil amendment in agricultural soils can improve soil physical properties and increase fertility, favouring crop development under semiarid Mediterranean conditions.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Spanish ‘Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación’ (Programa Nacional de Cooperación Público-Privada, Subprograma INNPACTO) and FEDER Funds ‘Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, una manera de hacer Europa’ in the framework of the project ‘Proyecto Biochar: Estudio del Biocarbón como Sumidero de Carbono’ (IPT-440000-2010-8). We thank J. Torrent for his comments aimed at improving the manuscript, J. Espejo (Valoriza Energía S.L.), M.E. Sánchez and her team (Instituto de Recursos Naturales, Universidad de León), J.A. Beltran and his team (Agrupación Cordobesa de Agricultores S.A.T. Córdoba), J.C. Moreno and his team (Encineño farm), F.M. Lopera, M.A. Rey, M. Castro and C. Allely for all their help in conducting the experiment and L. Gómez and A. Serrano from Zero Emissions Technologies S.A. for their contribution to the project development. The authors are also grateful to Dr. D.J. Walker for the English revision and to the anonymous reviewers and the Editor for their helpful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Área de Ecología, Universidad de Córdoba, Edificio C-4 “Celestino Mutis”, Campus de Rabanales, 14071, Córdoba, Spain

    Manuel Olmo, José Antonio Alburquerque & Rafael Villar

  2. Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad de Córdoba, Edificio C-4 “Celestino Mutis”, Campus de Rabanales, 14071, Córdoba, Spain

    Vidal Barrón & María Carmen del Campillo

  3. Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Edificio 22, 41013, Sevilla, Spain

    Antonio Gallardo

  4. Departamento de Ciencias y Recursos Agrícolas y Forestales, Universidad de Córdoba, Edificio C-4 “Celestino Mutis”, Campus Rabanales, 14071, Córdoba, Spain

    Mariano Fuentes

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  1. Manuel Olmo
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  2. José Antonio Alburquerque
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Correspondence to José Antonio Alburquerque.

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Olmo, M., Alburquerque, J.A., Barrón, V. et al. Wheat growth and yield responses to biochar addition under Mediterranean climate conditions. Biol Fertil Soils 50, 1177–1187 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-014-0959-y

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