Agronomic Effects of Tectona grandis Biochar from Wood Residues on the Growth of Young Cedrela odorata Plants in a Nursery

Abstract

Biochar from agroforestry biomass residues is an alternative source of fertilizers for improving the soil fertility. In Costa Rica, Cedrela odorata is planted in pure plantations and agroforestry systems and different types of substrates are used in the nursery to enhance the growth and performance of the young saplings. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the growth (in height, diameter, biomass) and distribution of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and nitrogen (N) for C. odorata plants in a nursery with different application rates of biochar produced from Tectona grandis wood residues. The results showed that the above-measured variables were statistically affected by different application rates of the biochar. The stem diameter, total height, number of leaves, and height increment were statistically significantly higher in the substrate with an application rate of 25–50 tons/ha, in contrast to the 0 and 75 tons/ha application rates, which were statistically the lowest. As for the levels of C, H, and N, there were differences, with the highest values of N and C being in the leaves and stem with the 50 tons/ha application rate and the highest values of H for the 75 tons/ha application rate. The above results showed that applying biochar obtained from T. grandis residues improved soil conditions, resulting in better growth of C. odorata saplings with an application rate of 25 and 50 tons/ha.

Pyrogenic Carbonaceous Materials Production of Four Tropical Wood Produced by Slow Pyrolysis at Different Temperatures: Charcoal and Biochar Properties

“…Some studies evaluated the charcoal and biochar qualities of some Costa Rican tropical woods, including energy densities, energy yields, biochar characteristics, and thermal profiles, in addition to other properties [20,[24][25][26], but when specifically studying the Costa Rican species in slow pyrolysis, Tectona grandis and Gmelina arborea lacked the same attention [27]; however, it does not refer to the effects of temperature in slow pyrolysis [28][29][30][31]. A study carried out on T. grandis by Parthasarathy and Sheeba [32] studied the yield, solid residence time, and charcoal characteristics produced at different temperatures of slow pyrolysis (300 • C, 350 • C, 450 • C, 500 • C, and 550 • C) and demonstrated that the yield of charcoal decreased, and residence time remained stable.…”