Biochar: A Vital Source for Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

The emerging concerns in sub-Saharan Africa are non-sustainability of agricultural and soil management practices threatening food security and environmental safety. Biochar, solid material obtained from thermochemical conversion of plants and/or animal biomass in an oxygen limited environment, is of great importance both agriculturally and environmentally. This chapter reviews the contributions of "biochar technology" to environmental sustainability and food security. This strategy addresses the declining food security issues, depleting soil and plant health challenges. When properly exploited, biochar will enhance soil fertility recovery, guarantee resilience to climate change challenges, and satisfy food production needs of growing global population. The positive impacts of biochar utilization on soil beneficial organisms in harnessing and controlling pests and diseases as well as revitalization of ecological niche make it a preferred option. Unfortunately, there is dearth of information on biochar mechanism to enhance bioremediation technology, which is still facing some challenges that need attention for adequate soil remediation. Many researchers have demonstrated bioremediation in laboratory scale under controlled environmental conditions; it may however be very problematic to establish the growth/survival of these biological entities in situ on heavily polluted soil where the environmental conditions cannot be controlled.

Bioresources in Organic Farming: Implications for Sustainable Agricultural Systems

“…The soil itself is composed of several components, including clay, salt, and sand fractions, and was formed as a result of various biogeochemical changes, which include weathering [24]. Both the organic and mineral components of the soil aggregated into larger units bind together to form a larger scale as part of the soil structure on a hierarchical scale [14]. The soil structure can also be enhanced by microorganisms due to their actions on organic materials [25,26].…”

“…Since bioresources are organic materials, they are often used in agriculture as organic fertilizers, biofertilizers, and biopesticides because they hold enormous potential in nurturing plant-soil-microbe relationship by creating a favorable soil environment in which valuable macro-and microflora and fauna thrive. Furthermore, products of bioresources enhance soil's inherent buffer capacity without causing heavy metal contamination in the soil [13,14].…”

Biostimulants in Plant Science

“…• Biological constraints: There is likelihood of presence of ineffective or antagonistic strains in the bio-inoculants, and removal of these strains from the bio-inoculant is generally a complicated task. The selected strains should also have the ability to compete with other strains, N-fixing or nutrient-solubilizing/nutrient-mobilizing ability over a range of environmental conditions, and ability to survive in broth and in inoculants carrier [134,136]. This largely affects the efficiency of desired microorganism as biofertilizer.…”

“…Biochar has however been reported to increase plant resistance to several soil and air-borne pathogen, it was reported that biochar stimulates several plant's defense pathways and related gene expression [7,134,135]. Biochar has also been well reported for its pH enhancement capacity as it enhances the soil CEC [136][137][138][139] and minimizes salt toxicity in polluted soils (142). According to Cheng and Lehmann [140] and Singh et al [115], biochar is able to oxidize in soil to raise its carbon exchange capacity (CEC) as it disintegrates during tilling and weathering and there are some commercially available biochar purposefully used as soil nutrient enhancement.…”

Adoption of CRISPR-Cas for crop production: present status and future prospects

“…These are causing a decrease in agricultural lands, adequate water resources, and increased competition for the depleting resources, which are recognized as the foremost challenges affecting the productivity of plant products in this age ( Akanmu et al, 2021 ; Babalola, Berner & Amusa, 2007 ; Razzaq et al, 2019 ; Vermeulen, Campbell & Ingram, 2012 ). Therefore, achieving a secure and safe food system in the face of an accelerating food demand will be imperative ( Chukwuka et al, 2020 ; Mamphogoro, Babalola & Aiyegoro, 2020 ).…”