Biochar amendment on agricultural soils has showed improving soil quality and enhancing nutrient availability to plants. However, the effect of biochar application on agricultural water quality has not yet fully investigated. In this study, the impact of field biochar applications on water quality parameters was compared in light and heavy textured soils that grow sugarcane. Commercially produced biochar from sugarcane harvest residue were applied at a rate of 8960 kg/ha. Results showed that biochar application generally decreased runoff volume in heavy soil but increased in light soils. In addition, biochar amendment reduced runoff water electrical conductivity (EC), loads of nitrate, base cations, and zinc levels in heavy soil but showed opposite or inconsistent results in light soils. Significant decreases in biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) were observed in heavy soils while the increases were found in light soils. On the other hand, biochar applications significantly decreased nitrate leaching in the profiles of both heavy and light textured soils. Overall, these findings suggest that biochar amendment tend to improve water quality especially in heavy-textured soils but have inconsistent effects on light soils under sugarcane production.

Biochar application effects on water quality in two different textured soils

255th National Meeting (2018)

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