Evaluating the Impact of Combined Application of Biochar and Compost on Hydro-physical Properties of Loamy Sand Soil

ABSTRACT

Biochar, compost and their combination are important organic amendment materials for improving the hydro-physical properties of sandy soils. Series of soil columns experiments were conducted for investigating the application effects of date palm biochar and compost on evaporation, moisture distribution, infiltration, sorptivity (Sp), saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_sat) and water holding capacity (WHC) at application rates of 1%, 2%, 3% and 4% (10, 20, 30 and 40 g kg⁻¹). The columns were filled manually with air-dried soil with 35 cm depth and the thickness of surface amended layer was 10 cm (T10) and 20 cm (T20) from soil surface at bulk density of 1400 kg m⁻³. The results showed that the behavior of soil moisture distribution was influenced by application of biochar, compost and biochar-compost mixture. Moreover, in the amended layer T10, applying biochar at rate of 1%, 2%, 3% and 4% reduced significantly cumulative evaporation by 5.8%, 10.8%, 12.8% and 16.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, the reduction for the biochar-compost mixture at application rates of 1%, 2%, 3% and 4% was 10%, 12.2%, 14.5% and 20%, respectively. In layer T20, applying biochar at rate of 1%, 2%, 3% and 4% reduced cumulative evaporation by 10.24%, 13.0%, 18.3% and 21.5% but this reduction amounted to 18.2%, 21%, 23% and 24% for the biochar-compost mixture, respectively. It was generally observed that the highest application rate (4%) for applied amendments was the most effective impact on Sp, K_sat and WHC compared with other rates.

KEYWORDS:

• Date palm waste biochar
• evaporation
• infiltration
• sorptivity
• saturated hydraulic conductivity
• WHC

Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely thank King Saud University, Deanship of Scientific Research, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Research Center for supporting this research.