Effects of Co-applied Farmyard Manure (FYM) and Date Palm Biochar (BC) on Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity and Nutrient Availability to Wheat Plants in a Calcareous Sandy Soil

This study conducted in column and greenhouse pot experiments with wheat plants (Triticum Aestivum L.) to investigate the effects of co-applied farmyard manure (FYM) and biochar (BC) with different particle sizes on hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) and nutrient availability in a calcareous sandy soil. The amendments of FYM and BC were added at 1.5% w/w. The treatments consisting of T1: control soil, T2: FYM, T3: BC (≤2 mm), T4: BC (0.8-2 mm), T5: BC (0.4-0.8 mm), T6: BC (≤0.4), T7: BC (≤2 mm) +FYM, T8: BC (0.8-2 mm) + FYM, T9: BC (0.4-0.8 mm) +FYM, and T10: BC (≤0.4) +FYM. The results showed that the Ksat for soils amended with different sizes of biochar decreased by 15.5-42.0% compared to the control. The soil available P and K concentrations exhibited higher increases in all investigated treatments than in the control soil. The highest increases in the soil available P were observed in soil treated with FYM and the high content of soil available K was pronounced for BC≤0.4 mm. Adding most treatments significantly increased the dry matter of the aboveground biomass and nutrients (NPK) uptake. The highest increases in PK uptake were observed in wheat plants treated with T2 (FYM) followed by T9 (FYM with BC at 0.4-0.8 mm) and T7 (FYM with BC at ≤2mm). The highest increase in the shoot N uptake was pronounced for co-applied FYM and BC (0.4-0.8 mm). It could be concluded that FYM alone or co-applying with BC can improve nutrient uptake and plant growth.