Effect of manure-based biochar amendment on soil chemical properties, total enzymic activities and tomato growth performance in acidic soil under controlled conditions

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of biochar on tomato production under controlled conditions. Trials were installed using a complete randomized block design (CRD) with 5 replications of 4 treatments: T0 (0%); T1 (8%); T2 (12%) and T3 (16%). During plant growth, parameters including height, diameter, number of leaves, number of fruits and plant biomass were collected. Plants obtained from pot that received biochar (T1, T2 and T3) were higher than plant without biochar application (T0). The average value of tomato fruits per treatment indicated that plants from treatment T1 displayed a greater number of fruit per plant with an average of 12±2; whereas plants in control treatment, T0 did not have fruit. Plants from treatments T2 and T3 showed a number of fruit between control and T1. Soil chemical analysis indicated that exchangeable cation, CEC, pH, SOM, total nitrogen and C/N ratio were higher than in the initial soil. Regarding microbial activity, various treatments did not have a significant effect on soil enzymic activity. The recovery of waste as a source of organic materials is a practice to be encouraged in urban horticulture and in open field to restore soil fertility.