Effects of biochars generated from crop residues on chemical properties of acid soils from tropical and subtropical China
Jin-Hua Yuan A B and Ren-Kou Xu A C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 821, Nanjing, China.
B University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
C Corresponding author. Email: rkxu@issas.ac.cn
Soil Research 50(7) 570-578 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR12118
Submitted: 5 May 2012 Accepted: 29 August 2012 Published: 9 October 2012
Abstract
The chemical compositions of biochars from ten crop residues generated at 350°C and their effects on chemical properties of acid soils from tropical and subtropical China were investigated. There was greater alkalinity and contents of base cations in the biochars from legume residues than from non-legume residues. Carbonates and organic anions of carboxyl and phenolic groups were the main forms of alkalis in the biochars, and their relative contributions to biochar alkalinity varied with crop residues. Incubation experiments indicated that biochar incorporation increased soil pH and soil exchangeable base cations and decreased soil exchangeable acidity. There were greater increases in soil pH and soil exchangeable base cations, and a greater decrease in soil exchangeable acidity, for biochars from legume than from non-legume residues. The biochars did not increase the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils with relatively high initial CEC but did increase the CEC of soils with relatively low initial CEC at an addition level of 1%. The incorporation of biochars from crop residues not only corrected soil acidity but also increased contents of potassium, magnesium, and calcium in these acid soils from tropical and subtropical regions and thus improved soil fertility.
Additional keywords: alkalinity, amelioration of acid soils, base cations, biochar, CEC, crop residues.
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