Does paddy straw biochar improved soil health, crop yields and economics in tropics?

After the Kharif season, farmers conventionally burned significant agricultural waste, primarily paddy crops, outside to remove this massive biomass and ensure timely sowing of the next Rabi wheat crop to maximize yields. However, the open burning of paddy straw (PS) pollutes the environment, ultimately fueling global warming and deteriorating the quality of nutrients in the soil that crops need to grow. Therefore, implementing climate-smart agriculture in the region requires sustainable management of paddy straw. Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana has proposed several solutions to address this issue. Among them one is to prepare the paddy straw biochar or paralichar, a low-tech, environmentally friendly method that replenishes soils with nutrients, enhances soil health, and lessens the adverse effects of global warming. The current article emphasizes the concept and methodological strategy for its wider national adoption which on one side managed the problem of paddy straw while on others improves soils health and mitigates the adverse effects of global warming.