Synergy of biochar and organic fertilizer improves soybean (Glycine max L.) growth by alleviation nutrient stress in strongly acidic Taiwanese soil

The potential of biochar and organic fertilizer to enhance soil fertility, promote crop growth, and increase yield is driving their growing popularity in modern agricultural practices. This ’This research investigated the effects of applying a combination of biochar and organic fertilizer on soil physico-chemical properties and the growth attributes of soybean (Glycine max L.) in the strong acidic soil of Taiwan. The study was conducted in a greenhouse using a pot experiment arranged in a randomized complete block design with two factorial treatments, replicated three times. Fifteen days after soil amendment, treatment B35F140 had a significant increase in soil pH of 5.54 compared to the control group. Similar treatment resulted in higher P available in soil of 19.11 mg kg-1. In addition, 45 days after soil amendment, organic matter, available potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, and zinc increased by 19.59%, 236.36%, 38.39%, 112.76%, 7.01%, and 44.59% in the application of treatments B70F140, B35F140, B35F105, B70F140, and B35F70, respectively, compared to control. The tallest soybean plants were seen on the application of treatment B70F140 with a maximum height of 112.75 cm, while treatment B35F140 produced many soybean plant leaves — 51 leaves per plant. Moreover, root hairs extensively grew on soybean plants grown on the amended soils than those of the control treatment. Conclusively, our findings have statistically demonstrated that the combination of biochar and organic fertilizer can improve soil quality and soybean growth characteristics under conditions of strongly acidic soil, as evidenced by a short-term pot and greenhouse study.