I would like to know your thoughts about applying biochar in the rice field. Would it be a beneficial factor of soil fertility, if be added to the soil or not? In which stage of rice growth is more effective to be added?
Hello Dr. Elaheh Daghighi
Due to the rather stable nature of carbon in biochar owing to the therchemically decomposed biomass coupled with high carbon content, porosity and pH it is safe to assume biochar can sequester both carbon as well as associated contaminants for a long time and increase bioavailable nutrient contents of the soil. On that note biochar application can be a viable option to reclaim spent agricultural soils. There have been various reports of biochar used in paddy fields and resultant significant increase in yield up to 40% more. You can look into those articles as well. I am attaching one such along with the answer for your perusal.
Regards,
Dr. Abhishek Mukherjee
Biochar can be used in the rice field at various stages of the cropping calendar. Biochar can be applied before planting to improve soil structure and nutrient availability, as well as to reduce weed growth and pest pressure. It can also be applied during the growing season to improve soil fertility, reduce nutrient leaching and increase water-holding capacity. Finally, biochar can be applied at the end of the cropping season to improve soil organic matter content and nutrient availability for the next season.
I appreciate the answers provided by @Abhishek Mukherjee, @Peter Donkor. These are helpful comments related to applying biochar in agriculture.