Rice straw biochar application and its impact on yield of some faba bean varieties in sandy soil

Abstract

Background and Objective: Biological fertilization in the development of agriculture became one new strategy in the increased production of field crops to decrease the costs of production input and environmental pollution. This study focused on the influence of biochar fertilization on the productivity of faba bean varieties under sandy soils. Materials and Methods: Appreciation of the yield and its components, in addition to measurement of grain protein content as well as carbohydrates (%) of faba bean. Results: The data obtained indicated that the biochar amendment affects plant production at different rates, where the best yield obtained is 90 kg fedG1. The grain yield increase is significant for the variety’s types where, Mariout-2, followed by Nubaria-3 followed by Giza-716 for the addition of 90 kg fedG1 of biochar as referenced by the non-conditioning treatment. Likewise, the protein content was highest in the Mariout-2 variety, followed by Nubaria-3 variety and Giza-716 variety for the addition. This improvement may be regarded to the impact of biochar on the physic-chemical characteristics for the soils, in addition to the biological characteristics. Furthermore, the biochar itself add nutrient to the soil after decomposition. The best improvement happens by the long-term cropping for a long period could be reached up to years. Conclusion: The conclusion that plant growth was better at a high rate (90 kg fedG1) but the economy of this rate may be questioned, under the condition of the study. However, the validation for different soils may vary with different rates, which needs more research. Also, it is recommended to use Mariout-2 cultivars for their high production under these conditions.