Effects of Biochar Derived from Maize Stover and Rice Straw on the Early Growth of their Seedlings

Alie Kamara; Mary Mankutu Mansaray; Abibatu Kamara; Patrick Andrew Sawyerr

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14

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Effects of Biochar Derived from Maize Stover and Rice Straw on the Early Growth of their Seedlings

Alie Kamara, Mary Mankutu Mansaray, Abibatu Kamara, Patrick Andrew Sawyerr

Published in American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry (Volume 2, Issue 5)

Received: 20 June 2014 Accepted: 8 July 2014 Published: 20 October 2014

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Abstract

Crop residues such as maize and rice are important sources of nutrients and their restitution to the soil is an important residue management strategy for maintaining or improving soil and crop productivity. However, most maize and rice farmers in Sierra Leone burn crop residues during land preparation thereby depriving the soil of this vital resource. An alternative approach is the recycling of crop residues through biochar production. This study was therefore carried out to assess the effects of (i) maize stover biochar on the early growth of maize and (ii) rice straw biochar on the early growth of rice. In this study, biochar (0g, 12.5g, 25.0g, 37.5g and 50.0g) was mixed with 3kg of soil (fine sandy loam) and placed in perforated black polythene bags. Maize or rice seeds (3 per pot) were planted to 2cm depth and later thinned to one plant per pot. All pots were placed in the open under direct sunlight and rainfall. No supplemental irrigation was done since there was sufficient rainfall to supply the required moisture. The experiment was laid in completely randomized design with five treatments and three replications. After four weeks, the experiment was terminated. Mean plant height, stem girth, fresh- and dry-shoot weights of both maize and rice plants generally increased significantly (p<0.05) relative to the control at biochar applications ≥8.3g/kg soil. The results showed that growing maize and rice on soils treated with biochar derived from their residues (maize stover and rice straw respectively) has the potential to improve crop production. Confirmatory field trials and costs/benefits analysis of converting rice and maize residues to biochar will serve as a good guide for policy makers and end-users (farmers) for increased productivity of maize and rice in Sierra Leone.

Published in	American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry (Volume 2, Issue 5)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14
Page(s)	232-236
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Biochar, Rice Straw, Maize Stover, Early Growth, Plant Height

References

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[7]	K. Chan and Z. Xu. Biochar: Nutrient Properties and Their Enhancement. In ‘Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology’. (Eds J. Lehmann and S. Joseph) pp.53-66, 2009. (Earthscan: London, UK).
[8]	J. W. Gaskin, R. A. Speir, K. Harris, K. C. Das, R. D. Lee, L. A. Morris and D. S. Fisher. Effect of Peanut Hull and Pine Chip Biochar on Soil Nutrients, Corn Nutrient Status, and Yield. Agronomy Journal. 102:623-633, 2010.
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[12]	J. M. Novak, W. J. Busscher, D. L. Laird, M. Ahmedna, D. W. Watts, and M. A. S. Niandou. Impact of biochar amendment on fertility of a southeastern Coastal Plain soil. Soil Science, 174(2), p.105-112, 2009
[13]	K. Y. Chan, B. L. Van Zwieten, I. Meszaros, D. Downie, D. and S. Joseph. Using poultry litter biochars as soil amendments. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 46, 437- 444, 2008.
[14]	A. Masulili, W. H. Utomo, and Syekhfani. Rice husk biochar for rice based cropping system in acid soil 1. The characteristics of rice husk biochar and its influence on the properties of acid sulfate soils and rice growth in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Journal of Agriculture Science, 3, 25-33, 2010.

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APA Style

Alie Kamara, Mary Mankutu Mansaray, Abibatu Kamara, Patrick Andrew Sawyerr. (2014). Effects of Biochar Derived from Maize Stover and Rice Straw on the Early Growth of their Seedlings. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 2(5), 232-236. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14

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ACS Style

Alie Kamara; Mary Mankutu Mansaray; Abibatu Kamara; Patrick Andrew Sawyerr. Effects of Biochar Derived from Maize Stover and Rice Straw on the Early Growth of their Seedlings. Am. J. Agric. For. 2014, 2(5), 232-236. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14

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AMA Style

Alie Kamara, Mary Mankutu Mansaray, Abibatu Kamara, Patrick Andrew Sawyerr. Effects of Biochar Derived from Maize Stover and Rice Straw on the Early Growth of their Seedlings. Am J Agric For. 2014;2(5):232-236. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14,
  author = {Alie Kamara and Mary Mankutu Mansaray and Abibatu Kamara and Patrick Andrew Sawyerr},
  title = {Effects of Biochar Derived from Maize Stover and Rice Straw on the Early Growth of their Seedlings},
  journal = {American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry},
  volume = {2},
  number = {5},
  pages = {232-236},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajaf.20140205.14},
  abstract = {Crop residues such as maize and rice are important sources of nutrients and their restitution to the soil is an important residue management strategy for maintaining or improving soil and crop productivity. However, most maize and rice farmers in Sierra Leone burn crop residues during land preparation thereby depriving the soil of this vital resource. An alternative approach is the recycling of crop residues through biochar production. This study was therefore carried out to assess the effects of (i) maize stover biochar on the early growth of maize and (ii) rice straw biochar on the early growth of rice. In this study, biochar (0g, 12.5g, 25.0g, 37.5g and 50.0g) was mixed with 3kg of soil (fine sandy loam) and placed in perforated black polythene bags. Maize or rice seeds (3 per pot) were planted to 2cm depth and later thinned to one plant per pot. All pots were placed in the open under direct sunlight and rainfall. No supplemental irrigation was done since there was sufficient rainfall to supply the required moisture. The experiment was laid in completely randomized design with five treatments and three replications. After four weeks, the experiment was terminated. Mean plant height, stem girth, fresh- and dry-shoot weights of both maize and rice plants generally increased significantly (p<0.05) relative to the control at biochar applications ≥8.3g/kg soil. The results showed that growing maize and rice on soils treated with biochar derived from their residues (maize stover and rice straw respectively) has the potential to improve crop production. Confirmatory field trials and costs/benefits analysis of converting rice and maize residues to biochar will serve as a good guide for policy makers and end-users (farmers) for increased productivity of maize and rice in Sierra Leone.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of Biochar Derived from Maize Stover and Rice Straw on the Early Growth of their Seedlings
AU - Alie Kamara
AU - Mary Mankutu Mansaray
AU - Abibatu Kamara
AU - Patrick Andrew Sawyerr
Y1 - 2014/10/20
PY - 2014
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14
DO - 10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14
T2 - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JF - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JO - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
SP - 232
EP - 236
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2330-8591
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14
AB - Crop residues such as maize and rice are important sources of nutrients and their restitution to the soil is an important residue management strategy for maintaining or improving soil and crop productivity. However, most maize and rice farmers in Sierra Leone burn crop residues during land preparation thereby depriving the soil of this vital resource. An alternative approach is the recycling of crop residues through biochar production. This study was therefore carried out to assess the effects of (i) maize stover biochar on the early growth of maize and (ii) rice straw biochar on the early growth of rice. In this study, biochar (0g, 12.5g, 25.0g, 37.5g and 50.0g) was mixed with 3kg of soil (fine sandy loam) and placed in perforated black polythene bags. Maize or rice seeds (3 per pot) were planted to 2cm depth and later thinned to one plant per pot. All pots were placed in the open under direct sunlight and rainfall. No supplemental irrigation was done since there was sufficient rainfall to supply the required moisture. The experiment was laid in completely randomized design with five treatments and three replications. After four weeks, the experiment was terminated. Mean plant height, stem girth, fresh- and dry-shoot weights of both maize and rice plants generally increased significantly (p<0.05) relative to the control at biochar applications ≥8.3g/kg soil. The results showed that growing maize and rice on soils treated with biochar derived from their residues (maize stover and rice straw respectively) has the potential to improve crop production. Confirmatory field trials and costs/benefits analysis of converting rice and maize residues to biochar will serve as a good guide for policy makers and end-users (farmers) for increased productivity of maize and rice in Sierra Leone.
VL - 2
IS - 5
ER -

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Author Information

Alie Kamara

Soil Science Department, School of Agriculture, Njala Campus, Njala University, Sierra Leone
Mary Mankutu Mansaray

Extension Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Sierra Leone
Abibatu Kamara

Extension Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Sierra Leone
Patrick Andrew Sawyerr

Soil Science Department, School of Agriculture, Njala Campus, Njala University, Sierra Leone

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APA Style

Alie Kamara, Mary Mankutu Mansaray, Abibatu Kamara, Patrick Andrew Sawyerr. (2014). Effects of Biochar Derived from Maize Stover and Rice Straw on the Early Growth of their Seedlings. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 2(5), 232-236. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14

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ACS Style

Alie Kamara; Mary Mankutu Mansaray; Abibatu Kamara; Patrick Andrew Sawyerr. Effects of Biochar Derived from Maize Stover and Rice Straw on the Early Growth of their Seedlings. Am. J. Agric. For. 2014, 2(5), 232-236. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14

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AMA Style

Alie Kamara, Mary Mankutu Mansaray, Abibatu Kamara, Patrick Andrew Sawyerr. Effects of Biochar Derived from Maize Stover and Rice Straw on the Early Growth of their Seedlings. Am J Agric For. 2014;2(5):232-236. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14,
  author = {Alie Kamara and Mary Mankutu Mansaray and Abibatu Kamara and Patrick Andrew Sawyerr},
  title = {Effects of Biochar Derived from Maize Stover and Rice Straw on the Early Growth of their Seedlings},
  journal = {American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry},
  volume = {2},
  number = {5},
  pages = {232-236},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20140205.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajaf.20140205.14},
  abstract = {Crop residues such as maize and rice are important sources of nutrients and their restitution to the soil is an important residue management strategy for maintaining or improving soil and crop productivity. However, most maize and rice farmers in Sierra Leone burn crop residues during land preparation thereby depriving the soil of this vital resource. An alternative approach is the recycling of crop residues through biochar production. This study was therefore carried out to assess the effects of (i) maize stover biochar on the early growth of maize and (ii) rice straw biochar on the early growth of rice. In this study, biochar (0g, 12.5g, 25.0g, 37.5g and 50.0g) was mixed with 3kg of soil (fine sandy loam) and placed in perforated black polythene bags. Maize or rice seeds (3 per pot) were planted to 2cm depth and later thinned to one plant per pot. All pots were placed in the open under direct sunlight and rainfall. No supplemental irrigation was done since there was sufficient rainfall to supply the required moisture. The experiment was laid in completely randomized design with five treatments and three replications. After four weeks, the experiment was terminated. Mean plant height, stem girth, fresh- and dry-shoot weights of both maize and rice plants generally increased significantly (p<0.05) relative to the control at biochar applications ≥8.3g/kg soil. The results showed that growing maize and rice on soils treated with biochar derived from their residues (maize stover and rice straw respectively) has the potential to improve crop production. Confirmatory field trials and costs/benefits analysis of converting rice and maize residues to biochar will serve as a good guide for policy makers and end-users (farmers) for increased productivity of maize and rice in Sierra Leone.},
 year = {2014}
}

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