Comprehensive assessment of biochar integration in agricultural soil conditioning: Advantages, drawbacks, and future prospects

Abstract

Agriculture nowadays faces numerous issues because of the fast growth in food demand and environmental considerations. Due to the rapid depletion of agricultural areas and soil quality caused by a continuously growing population and the excessive addition of chemical fertilizers, rehabilitated consideration is required for sustaining viable crop production methods. Biochar (BC) use in agricultural soils has garnered considerable interest. BCs offer significant agricultural and environmental advantages, including improved soil health, enhanced crop growth and production, carbon sequestration, reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and nutrient dynamics regulation. BC application in agricultural systems is influenced by various parameters, including pyrolysis temperature, feedstock composition, dosage and procedure, nature of the soil, crop varieties, and biotic interactions that substantially impact the efficacy of BC under varying environmental conditions. BC improved nitrogen mineralization and plant absorption by modifying the rhizosphere's abiotic and microbiological activities. Thus, BC increased the plant's resistance to pathogens, decreased the availability of heavy metals (HMs), and promoted the plant's tolerance to environmental challenges. Nonetheless, BC application is hazardous in certain circumstances. This review discusses the advantages, drawbacks, and future developments of applying BC to agricultural soils. By providing an extensive assessment of the advantages and limitations of BC integration in agriculture soil conditioning, this review is highly informative regarding the development of soil and crop-specific BC with the appropriate properties. It could help increase agriculture yield, ensure food security, and enhance environmental management. In addition, this review highlights knowledge deficits and proposes future perspectives for commercializing large-scale BC applications.