Pedosphere 25(5): 749--760, 2015
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2015 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
Effects of enriched biochars containing magnetic iron nanoparticles on mycorrhizal colonisation, plant growth, nutrient uptake and soil quality improvement |
S. JOSEPH1,5,6, H. M. ANAWAR2, P.
STORER3, P. BLACKWELL4, C. CHIA1, Y.
LIN5, P. MUNROE1, S. DONNE5, J.
HORVAT6, J.L. WANG7 and Z. M. SOLAIMAN2 |
1School of Materials Science and Engineering,
University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052
(Australia)
2Soil Biology and Molecular Ecology Group, School
of Earth and Environment (M087) and UWA Institute of
Agriculture, Faculty of
Science, The University of Western
Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia)
3Australian Mineral Fertilisers Pty Ltd.,
Tenterden, WA 6322 (Australia)
4Department of Agriculture and Food Western
Australia, Geraldton Regional Office, Geraldton, WA 6530
(Australia)
5Discipline of Chemistry, University of
Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308 (Australia)
6Institute for Superconducting and Electronic
Materials and School of Physics, University of
Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522
(Australia)
7Institute for Superconducting and Electronic
Materials, University of Wollongong, North Wollongong, NSW
2500 (Australia) |
ABSTRACT |
At present, there is little commercial sale of biochar,
since farmers find they can not gain a return on their
investment in this amendment in the first few years after
its application, because of the high cost associated with
large application rates. To overcome this constraint,
development of artificially aged enriched biochar-mineral
complexes (BMCs), having a higher mineral content, surface
functionality, exchangeable cations, high concentration of
magnetic iron (Fe) nanoparticles, and higher
water-extractable organic compounds has been undertaken by
a combined team of researchers and a commercial company.
Two biochars produced under different pyrolysis conditions
were activated with a phosphoric acid treatment. A mixture
of clay, chicken litter, and minerals were added to the
biochar, and then this composite was torrefied at either
180 or 220 oC. In this study a pot experiment was
carried out in glasshouse conditions to determine the
effects of four different BMCs, with different formulations
applied at rates of 100 and 200 kg ha-1, on the
mycorrhizal colonisation, wheat growth and nutrient uptake,
and soil quality improvement. It was found that the
phosphorus (P) and nitrogen uptake in wheat shoots were
significantly greater for a low application rate of BMCs
(100 kg ha-1). The present formulation of BMC was
effective in enhancing growth of wheat at low application
rate (100 kg ha-1). The increase in growth appeared
due to an increase in P uptake in the plants that could be
partly attributed to an increase in mycorrhizal
colonisation and partly due to the properties of the BMC. |
Key Words: biochar-mineral complexes, Fe nanoparticles, P
uptake, redox reactions |
Citation: Joseph, S., Anawar, H. M., Storer, P., Blackwell, P., Chia, C., Lin, Y., Munroe, P., Donne, S., Horvat, J., Wang, J. L. and Solaiman, Z. M. 2015. Effects of enriched biochars containing magnetic iron nanoparticles on mycorrhizal colonisation, plant growth, nutrient uptake and soil quality improvement. Pedosphere. 25(5): 749-760. |
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