The Combined Application of Biochar and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) Enhanced the Physical and Chemical Properties of Soil and Rice Productivity in Indonesia

Abstract

Plant productivity, soil quality, and nitrogen uptake can be increased via the combined application of biochar and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Here, we evaluate the effects of the combination of four different rates of biochar (B) (B0: 0 t ha−1, B1: 20 t ha−1, B2: 40 t ha−1, and B3: 60 t ha−1) and four rates of AMF (M) (M0: 0 g polybag−1, M1: 15 g polybag−1, M2: 30 g polybag−1, and M3: 45 g polybag−1) on the rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar Trisakti, grown in polybags using a completely randomized design with three replications. Our results show that the combination of 60 t Biochar ha−1 and 45 g AMF polybag−1 (B3M3) was the best treatment for improving some parameters, such as soil porosity (with the highest values of 68.25 and 68.45%), BD (0.88 and 0.88 g cm−3), pH (6.77 and 6.76), SOM (3.05 and 3.02%), TN (0.48 and 0.47%), AP (31.04 and 31.15 ppm), AK (235.11 and 235.20 ppm), plant height (116.78 and 117 cm), SPAD chlorophyll at maturity stage (43.59 and 43.88), flag leaf area (15.12 and 15.33 cm2), root length (42.10 and 42.17 cm), root volume (53.79 and 53.08 cm3), and shoot dry matter (59.29 and 59.66 g), in the early and late season, respectively. However, the combination of 20 t Biochar ha−1 and 45 g AMF polybag−1 (B1M3) was the best treatment for enhancing the tiller number with the maximum values (52.67 and 53.22), flowering day (67 and 66 day), root dry matter (32.37 and 32.51 g), panicle number (34.67 and 35.21), panicle length (21.44 and 21.67 cm), 1000 grain weight (41.26 and 41.37 g), and nitrogen uptake (32.37 and 32.51 g polybag−1), in the early and late season, respectively. These findings indicate that rice growth and productivity, the physical and chemical soil characteristics, and nitrogen uptake were better with the combined application of biochar and AMF treatments than sole biochar, sole AMF, or the control treatments.