Combination of Biochar‐Based Fertilisers and Reactive Barriers Improved Soil Carbon Storage, Soil Moisture Retention, and Crop Yield in Short Term

作者：Negar Omidvar, Stephen Joseph, D. K. R. P. L. Dissanayake, Michael B. Farrar, Frédérique Reverchon, R.B. Burnett, Mehran Rezaei Rashti, Apsara Amarasinghe, Sara Tahery, Zhihong Xu, Wendy Timms, Brittany Elliott, Hongdou Liu, Shahla Hosseini Bai · 发表于：GCB Bioenergy · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1111/gcbb.70021 · 被引用次数：14 · 研究领域：Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics、Phosphorus and nutrient management、Clay minerals and soil interactions

ABSTRACT Climate change threatens long‐term soil health because of increased severity and frequency of drought periods. Applying biochar to soils before a drought can increase non‐biochar soil carbon (C) and water storage over the long term and sustain crop yield. However, the on‐farm benefit of buried solid biochar and applied liquid biochar at low rates remains uncertain. This study examined the effects of two novel biochar‐based soil amendments on soil C, water storage and crop yield. The biochar‐based amendments included a biochar reactive barrier (RB) made by layering wood‐based biochar, straw mulch and cow manure into a series of open surface trenches, and a liquid biochar mineral complex (BMC) applied twice, at low rate (200 kg ha −1 ) to one side of RB (fertilised area), while the other side of RB received no treatments (non‐fertilised area). Moisture concentration within the RB ranged from 6.76% up to 56.68% after large rainfall, more than double the surrounding soils and gradually started migrating from the RB outwards. Soil within 50 cm distance of the RB showed a 24.5% increase in non‐biochar soil C compared with soil at 600 cm distance of the RB, 2.54% versus 2.04%, respectively, in the non‐fertilised area, which was supported with lowering soil microbial activity. Pasture yield increase was associated with liquid BMC fertiliser rather than proximity to the RB. Pasture yield was 44% higher in the fertilised area compared with the non‐fertilised area 27.89 t ha −1...