A comparative study of fresh and residual biochar effects on wheat growth and yield metrics

Biochar is a highly stable carbon compound produced through pyrolysis, and it has been widely studied for its potential to enhance soil fertility and carbon sequestration. However, the impact of fresh and residual biochar is not thoroughly explored. Therefore, a comparative study on fresh and residual biochar were conducted at filed conditions on wheat cultivation, using a randomized block design. A fresh biochar (S1), residual biochar of previous season crop (S2) and two season old residual biochar (S3) with nine different treatments using varied amounts of rice husk and rice straw biochar along with the fertilizers (recommended doses of N, P, K) were considered in triplicate. Result clearly indicates that biochar application significantly improved plant height, leaf area, fresh and dry biomass of plant, internodal length, node & internode diameter, as well as biological yield, grain and straw yield of wheat crop. S1 had the most significant impact on plant growth and yield-attributing characteristics compared to S2 and S3, even at higher doses. In S1, the most significant results were observed at a biochar application rate of 5 tons/ha, while S2 showed maximum impact at 10 tons/ha. In S3, the highest impact was recorded at the highest biochar dose of 15 tons/ha. The present findings conclusively showed the efficiency of fresh biochar to enhance soil fertility for agricultural production as well as the residual impact of biochar in succeeding crop.