Journal of Ecology and Rural Environment ›› 2016, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (2): 283-288.doi: 10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2016.02.017

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Impact of Application of Maize Stalk-Derived Biochar on Soil Properties of and N2O, CO2 and CH4 Emissions From Vegetable Fields

JIA Jun-xiang1,2, XIONG Zheng-qin2   

  1. 1. College of Resources and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China;
    2. College of Resources and Environment, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
  • Received:2015-04-22 Online:2016-03-25 Published:2016-04-01

Abstract:

A pot experiment was carried out to explore impacts of application of maize stalk-derived biochar on emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) from and soil physicochemical properties of vegetable fields. Results show that application of the biochar suppressed N2O emission. Compared to Treatment N (N 400 kg·hm-2), Treatment NB1(N 400 kg·hm-2+biochar 20 t·hm-2) and Treatment NB2(N 400 kg·hm-2+biochar 40 t·hm-2) decreased N2O emission by 76.4% and 70.7%, respectively. But the effect did not increase with increasing application rate of the biochar. Application of the biochar and nitrogen fertilizer promoted CO2 emission, but did not affect much CH4 emission. The cumulative CO2 emission in Treatments NB1 and NB2 was 1.8 times and 2.1 times, respectively, as much as that in Treatment N. Application of the biochar increased soil organic carbon content, which was 15.2% and 21.3% higher, respectively, in Treatments NB1 and NB2 than in Treatment N. Meanwhile, application of the biochar increased the content of ammonium nitrogen and pH, and reduced the content of nitrate nitrogen while maintaining and even increasing yield of the vegetable. Soil pH and content of ammonium nitrogen was 0.265 and 34.9% higher in the field applied with biochar than in the field without application of biochar, while content of nitrate nitrogen was 12.7% lower in the former than in the latter. So biochar has a great potential of decreasing N2O emission and improving vegetable soil quality. However, it still calls for further study to explore net effect of application of biochar on CO2 emission and soil organic carbon pool.

Key words: biochar, vegetable field, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, methane, soil chemical property

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