The interactive impact of straw mulch and biochar application positively enhanced the growth indexes of maize (Zea mays L.) crop

Ismail Khan, Babar Iqbal, Asif Ali Khan, Inamullah Inamullah, Abdul Rehman, Amna Fayyaz, Awais Shakoor, Taimoor Hassan Farooq, Li-xue Wang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A two-year experiment was carried out at Shenyang Agricultural University’s research field area in China to evaluate the impact of the combined application of straw mulch (0 and 8 t ha−1) and biochar (0, 4, 12, and 36 t ha−1) on the morphological traits and grain development of rainfed maize during 2018 and 2019. The results showed that straw mulch and different biochar application rates significantly impacted the maize growth index. Compared to non-biochar-treated soils, the introduction of straw mulch improved plant height, stem diameter, leaf area index (LAI), leaves, stem, root, and crop growth rate (CGR), and dry weight of rainfed maize crop. The highest plant height, stem diameter, LAI, leaves, stem, root growth rate, CGR, and dry weight of rainfed maize crop were reported when soil was treated with a higher rate of biochar (36 t ha−1). Biochar increased grain filling rate while decreasing grain filling duration in rainfed maize crops. Our results indicate that straw mulch and biochar-based soil management strategies can improve the rainfed maize growth with the environmental benefits of global warming mitigation. However, due to the wide range of biochar properties, the interactions between straw mulch and biochar should be given special consideration in the maize cropping system.
Original languageEnglish
Article number2584
Number of pages12
JournalAgronomy
Volume12
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Open Access - Access Right Statement

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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