The interactive effects of biochar and cow manure on rice growth and selected properties of salt-affected soil

ABSTRACT

Salt-affected soil induces detrimental influences on paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) growth and ameliorating the influences could be done with organic amendments, such as animal manure and biochar. The aims of the current study are: (1) to examine the interactive effects of biochar and cow manure on rice growth and on selected properties of salt-affected soil, and (2) to identify potential mechanisms related to the amendments. Saline-sodic soil was used for a net house experiment with two experimental factors: biochar (no-biochar, rice-husk, and -straw biochar) and cow manure (with and without cow manure). Without the manure, addition of both rice-hush and – straw biochar significantly increased rice growth, whereas a combination of individual biochar with manure did not show a positive synergistic effect. The interactive effect of two factors was not significant on available P and exchangeable K concentrations, but the main effects of the two factors were significant. Biochar addition resulted in higher soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) (28.8 to 29.0 cmol_c kg⁻¹) than the control (25.6 cmol_c kg⁻¹), but manure addition did not. Improved nutrient availabilities such as P and K, as well as CEC are among the potential mechanisms accounting for the enhanced rice growth with biochar.

KEYWORDS:

• Organic amendment
• soil salinity
• soil fertility
• animal manure
• CEC

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City (IUH) for providing financial support for the current study under the grant No 171.4031 and contract No 38/HĐ-ĐHCN. The authors also acknowledge support from the Institute of Environmental Science, Engineering and Management (IESEM) of IUH, Mr. Nguyen Khanh Hoang from IUH, and Dr. Mai Lan Anh from Thai Nguyen University, Vietnam. Many thanks are given to the staffs and students at IESEM for their help with the experiment.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh city [171.4031];