Characterization of biochar enriched with compost tea, its effects and after-effects in continuous cultivation of maize (Zea mays L.) on a ferralsol of Lubuya Bera, Tshopo Province, R.D.Congo

Abstract

The cultivation of maize, the second crop after cassava in terms of consumption in the Kisangani region, is faced with edaphic constraints aggravated by itinerant slash and burn agriculture. Our study proposes the use of biochar enriched with compost tea to remove these constraints. The chemical characteristics of biochar are: 2.48 to 4.68 c. moL.g-1 for the acid functions; 0.64 to 1.03 c. moL.g-1 for basic functions; 8 for the pH at the point of zero load; 64 to 103% for retention capacity; 875.3 mg.g-1 for the iodine index. From a microbiological point of view, out of around thirty isolates, the majority of Gram-negative bacilli corresponding to the genera Nitrosomonas, Azotobacter and Nitrobacter were identified. The experimental site was arranged according to the Device in complete random blocks with 4 blocks and 4 plots of dimensions 6 m x 4.5 m each corresponding to the following 4 treatments: T0 (witness); T1 (Biochar over 2 mm in diameter); T2 (Biochar 2 mm in diameter); T3 (Biochar 2 mm in diameter and enriched with compost tea). The average yields obtained increase during 8 cropping seasons under all the treatments and vary from 2.38 t.ha-1 under T0 to 7.39 t.ha-1 under T3. They are relatively higher in the dry season than in the rainy season with an average increase of around 18% and a marginal rate of return for grain maize of 4.4 under T3. Compost tea-enriched biochar, due to its resilience, with substantial aftereffects is an important input for climate-smart agriculture.

Perspective Chapter: Valorization of Biological Waste into Biofertilizers and Biopesticides in Climate-Smart Agriculture in the Democratic Republic of Congo

“…Our study aims to (i) deploy sanitation technologies for a healthy environment in the Tshopo Province in DRC; (ii) use Stability Indices of Organic Materials (SIOM) to evaluate mineralization and stabilization of organic materials; (iii) use pyrolysis, composting, and mycorrhization techniques to recover biological waste into biofertilizers and biopesticides in climate-smart agriculture. The results of the study show that (i) the sanitation [13] of the environment by recovering biological waste; (ii) the Biochar Kahambwe contains an evident potential of humus and fertilizing power in climate-smart agriculture [14].…”