Effect Of Biochar And Organic Manure On Saline Sodic Soil Characteristics

Soil salinity and sodicity is considered one of the major devastating problems of degradation increasing worldwide.Although salinization and sodicity is on the increase globally,combined application and sole use of organic amendments is suggested to be a potential remediation for such major degradation.The affected agricultural soils have being limiting production and there is therefore an urgent need to combat salinization and sodicity to improve productive capacity of affected soils.The application of organic amendment?Biochar+Organic Manure?has been suggested to improve soil fertility and agronomic properties of maize plant in Saline-sodic soil.This study evaluated the effect of biochar pyrolysis at 560⁰ and 800^?with organic manure?Pig manure?.This research was carried out to confirm the suitability and sustainability of biochar,organic manure?pig manure?and combination of biochar+pig manure application on Saline-sodic soils.The treatments where:no amendment?T0?,Biochar at 15t/ha?T1?,Biochar at 30t/ha?T2?,Pig manure at 15t/ha?T3?,Pig manure at 30t/ha?T4?,Combination of biochar+Pig manure at 15t/ha?T5?,Combination of biochar+Pig manure at 30t/ha?T6?at two soil depth?0-15 and 15-3?m?.The soil available nutrients properties was evaluated for two years?2016 and 2017?and agronomic values were measured.Soil amendments influenced the agronomic properties and yield during the field work?plant height and stem girth?.The soil pH in 2016 and 2017showed amendment decreased and increased the pH of soil at 0-15cm and 15-3?m depth compared to no amendment.The addition of biochar only?T1?at 15t/ha significantly decreased compared to T2 at 30t/ha and no amendment?T0?at 0-15cm depth in 2016.Furthermore,biochar+pig manure?T5?at 15t/ha was significantly higher compared to T6 at30t/ha and no amendment?T0?at 0-15cm depth.Soil EC in 2016 implied combination of biochar and pig manure?T5?at 15t/ha was significantly higher compared to T6 at 30t/ha and no amendment?T0?.The available N in soil significantly increases with addition of biochar only?T2?at 30t/ha,0-15cm depth in 2016 whereas pig manure application only?T3?at 15t/ha significantly decrease compared to T4 at 30t/ha and T0.SOC influenced biochar+pig manure?T6?at 30t/ha which increased by 15.2%compared to T5 at 15t/ha in 2017.Furthermore,the soil amendments in 2016 and 2017 significantly influenced available phosphorus at 0-15cm and 15-3?m However,similar trend was observed in 2016 and 2017 at0-15cm depth where combination of biochar and pig manure?T6?significantly increased compared to T5 at 15t/ha and no amendment.The soil amendments significantly influenced soil exchangeable bases(K⁺,Na⁺,Ca²⁺,Mg²⁺)at 0-15cm and 15-3?m depth in 2016 and2017.Soil amendments significantly influenced extractible soil micronutrients.The dynamic effect of soil exchangeable bases significantly influenced Soil Adsorption Ration?SAR?and Soluble Sodium Percentage?SNa%?of soil.Biochar pyrolyzed at 800^?was used as part of this study.Soil amendments influenced the agronomic properties and yield during the field work?plant height and stem girth?.The addition of soil amendments influenced changes in soil pH in 2016 and 2017.The EC of soil in 2016 at 0-15cm and 15-3?m differ according to amendments.Biochar application only?T2?at 30t/ha significantly increase compared to T1 at 15t/ha at 0-15cm depth whereas the same amendment reduced soil EC at 15-3?m depth in 2016.SOC in 2017 showed combination of biochar and pig manure?T5?at 15t/ha increased significantly compared to30t/ha and no amendment at 0-15cm depth whereas at 15-3?m depth,biochar addition?T2?at 30t/ha significantly increase compared to T1 at 15t/ha.The available N concentration of the soil in 2017 at 15-3?m depth contributed no significant influence in the amended soil and no amendment.Available P concentration at 0-15cm depth showed pig manure only?T4?at 30t/ha significantly contributed increase compared to T3 and no amendment?T0?in 2016whereas in 2017 biochar addition only?T2?at 15t/ha contributed significant increase compared to T3 at 30t/ha.The soil amendments significantly influenced soil available bases(K⁺,Na⁺,Ca²⁺,Mg²⁺)at 0-15cm and 15-3?m depth in 2016 and 2017.The available K concentration indicated application of biochar only?T1?at 15t/ha significantly contributed an increased compared to T2 at 30t/ha and no amendment at 0-15cm and 15-3?m in 2016.Soil amendments contributed no significant influence to Na concentration in 2017 at 0-15cm and15-3?m depth.Available Mg at 0-15 and 15-3?m depth in 2016 indicated biochar+pig manure?T6?at 30t/ha contributed increase compared to 15t/ha.Soil amendments significantly influenced DTPA extractible soil micronutrients.The dynamic effect of soil exchangeable bases significantly influenced SAR and SNa%of soil.Salinity and sodicity influenced the variation in microbial biomass C,N and P.The application of organic amendments?biochar,pig manure and biochar+pig manure?is an approach to remediation of Saline-sodic soil.Interestingly,combined amendment of biochar and manure is a potential help to combat problem of salinity and sodicity and to improve productive capacity in Saline-sodic soil regions.An incubation study was carried out to investigate the effect of biochar addition in soil.Five soil treatments were investigated:soil only?control?;soil+1%biochar?B1?;soil+2%biochar?B2?;soil+5%biochar?B5?and soil+10%?B10?biochar.The biochar used was obtained from maize residue by pyrolysis at 560^?and 800^?.The dynamics in soil pH,EC,exchangeable bases,total nitrogen,available phosphorus and microbial biomass were investigated.The addition of biochar increases soil pH as a result of biochar alkaline nature.There was an increase in EC as the biochar addition increased.The exchangeable bases concentrations were significantly influenced by biochar addition.The addition of biochar at5%and 10%significantly increased K concentration.Biochar addition at 10%significantly reduced Ca and Mg concentration.The available phosphorus concentration of amended soils increased.Soil organic carbon at 5%significantly increases however Soil microbial biomass carbon,nitrogen and phosphorus were significantly influenced by biochar addition.The significant effect in the soil was influenced by the contribution of these nutrients availability by biochar addition.However,the result of this study indicated that the combined application of biochar and pig manure positively influence soil chemical properties,the vegetative growth and yield of maize plants and uptake of nutrients.The microbial soil activities were stimulated due to soil amendments.The application of biochar and organic manure is of benefit in the Saline-sodic soil.Therefore we suggest that in degraded soils such as salt-affected soil,biochar and organic manure is of great potential to enhance the fertility status and productive capacity of salt-affected soils for agricultural production and also to improve/increase the nutrient concentration of soil.