Potential risk of weed outbreak by increasing biochar's application rates in slow‐growth legume, lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)

Abstract

Albeit biochar application could be an effective way to improve the soil fertility, the potential risk of weed outbreak in the long term should be evaluated carefully before the use of biochar amendment at field scale. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Preparation and Modification of Biochar Materials and their Application in Soil Remediation

“…Therefore, in order to make better use of biochar and reduce its possible risks, the long-term effects and risk assessment of biochar on soil should be paid more attention. Studies have shown that, although the application of biochar improved soil quality and crop yield, biochar reduced the efficacy of herbicide and increased weed growth by 200% [129]. The reduction of herbicide efficacy must increase the use of herbicide, which may increase the residual concentration of herbicide in the soil and cause more serious pollution to the soil.…”

Impact of biochar and compost amendment on soil quality, growth and yield of a replanted apple orchard in a 4‐year field study

“…13 Particle size distribution, specific surface area (SSA), total pore volume (TPV) and micropore volume (MPV) were characterized according to procedure explained by Yu et al 14 Before use, the biochar was soaked with deionized water (biochar:water 1:50, w/v), and the mixture was stirred at 250 rpm for 10 min at room temperature. The washed biochar was then recovered by centrifugation, followed by oven drying at 105 ∘ C for 24 h. 15 Physicochemical properties of the tested biochar and compost are summarized in Table 1.…”

“…Elevated TOC, TN and P ava content during first 3 years of the experiment, and raised K ava levels during first 2 years of the study, were in agreement with previous studies reporting an enhancement of agricultural soil quality due to biochar-compost substrate application. 8,15 Previously, the addition of 10% and 20% pine-wood biochar to a clay loam soil was reported to increase the soil NO −3 and K + content. 3 Similarly, one-time application of biochar in acidic soil could continuously increase the bioavailability of K + , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ until the end of the fourth year because of the higher ability of soil-biochar mixture to retain nutrients in their microporous and macroporous structures.…”

“…This could be partially due to the addition of decomposed cow manure with high amounts of organic N in winter (December 2014), allowing soil microbes to degrade organic compounds in the presence of appropriate amounts of precipitation. 15 However, this phenomenon needs to be further studied.…”

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and biochar influence simazine decomposition and leaching

“…Although these benefits of biochar have been confirmed in recent studies, there are several potential negative implications, hazards and even risks to soil and water quality that other researchers have highlighted (Graber et al, 2012;Kookana, 2010;Kookana et al, 2011;Kuppusamy et al, 2016). For example, some studies have reported that biochar inhibits simazine biodegradation (Cheng et al, 2017;Jones et al, 2011) and reduces simazine efficacy for controlling weeds or killing pests (Graber et al, 2012;Kookana, 2010;Kuppusamy et al, 2016;Nag et al, 2011;Safaei Khorram et al, 2018;Yang et al, 2006). If biochar results in a longer half-life of pesticides in the soil, then greater concentrations will accumulate in the topsoil where it is at risk of losses to water via leaching and overland flow.…”