AUTHOR=Jiang Fuchang , Li Yi , Jia Yonglin , Li Liwei , Guan Ronghao , Biswas Asim 

TITLE=Compound effects of biochar application and irrigation on soil water and temperature transport

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1480991

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2024.1480991

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=<p>The issue of soil salinization poses a significant barrier to sustainable agricultural development, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Finding methods to enhance the quality of salinized soils while conserving water resources has become a pressing challenge. In arid and semi-arid environments, conserving water resources while maintaining soil health is a critical challenge. This study, conducted from 2021 to 2023, aimed to explore the combined effects of irrigation and biochar application on soil physicochemical properties, such as bulk density, porosity, and pH, as well as on Weighted Plane Soil Water Storage (<italic>WPSWS</italic>), soil temperature, and soil water evaporation. The experimental design included four irrigation levels, based on actual crop evapotranspiration (<italic>ETc</italic>): I1 (0.6 <italic>ETc</italic>), I2 (0.8 <italic>ETc</italic>), I3 (1.0 <italic>ETc</italic>), and I4 (1.2 <italic>ETc</italic>), coupled with four amounts of biochar application (<italic>AOBA</italic>) of 0, 10, 20, and 30 t ha<sup>−1</sup>, designated as C0, C10, C20, and C30, respectively. Through binary quadratic regression analysis, we sought to identify the optimal combination of irrigation amount and <italic>AOBA</italic> for enhancing soil quality. The results revealed that as <italic>AOBA</italic> increased from 10 to 30 t ha<sup>−1</sup>, soil bulk density decreased by 1.31–8.58% and soil pH by 0.23–1.31%. However, higher levels of <italic>AOBA</italic> adversely affected <italic>WPSWS</italic>, with the C10 treatment showing the maximum improvement in <italic>WPSWS</italic>, registering an average increase of 6.77, 7.49, and 11.16% compared to the C0, C20, and C30 treatments, respectively. We observed that an increase in irrigation amount significantly elevated accumulated soil evaporation (<italic>ASE</italic>) and <italic>WPSWS</italic> but led to a reduction in accumulated soil temperature (<italic>AST</italic>). The most notable soil quality improvements were recorded when irrigation levels were between 340 and 380 mm and <italic>AOBA</italic> ranged from 10 to 25 t ha<sup>−1</sup>. This study provides insights into the effective combination of biochar application and irrigation for optimizing soil resilience, thereby offering a sustainable approach to soil management in water-limited environments.</p>