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The Changes in Aggregates due to the Use of Biochar Obtained from Populus Nigra Branches
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Gilda Moafi   , Leila Gholami * , Ataollah Kavian , Hossein Kheirfam |
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Abstract: (326 Views) |
Introduction
Protection of soil resources is necessary the maintenance of world food security and the improvement of environmental quality. Soil structure is one of the physical and active characteristics of soil that it can be evaluated with the stability. Aggregate stability is important in the discussion of the physical quality of the soil, and its improvement leads to improvement of soil performance. Usage of different types of soil amendments in conditions where there is not the possiblity of biological management, it is a useful solution to conservation and improvement of soil structure. Biochar amendment is prepared from the various biological sources, and has been introduced as a non-structural conservation method in recent years. Therefore, the knowledge of its behaviors, reactions, and short-term and long-term changes in the soil is very important for sustainable management. The effect of biochar amendment on the physical characteristics of the soil under laboratory conditions has shown the positive changes in the criteria and physical indices of the soil. This aspect of biochar applications shows the study and its identification necessity in the natural resource fields with the focus on erosion control. Since the application of biochar amendment obtained from the Populus nigra branches in order to the soil conservation has not been reported in the field and in natural weather conditions, therefore, the current research has investigated the biochar effect on the soil structure in natural conditions in abandoned rain-fed and USLE plots for two continuous years.
Material and Methods
In the present study, the effect of biochar amendment on soil structure changes in the area of Noruzlu dam, Miandoab city, West Azarbaijan province was evaluated at the scale of six USLE plots. Biochar is prepared by the pyrolysis process from the branches of Populus nigra species. To the experiment performance, two treatments of control and biochar were considered each with three replications. After preparing and transferring biochar to the region, it was applied and spread on the plots with the rate of 32.5 t ha-1. Plots sample was conducted to changes the investigation of the soil structure due to the biochar application in four continuous times at intervals of six months after the biochar. Particle size distribution and aggregate stability were measured using the dry sieve series method at these time intervals. The results of dry sieving were used to the measurement of the aggregate stability and for the determination of the particles size, and distinction of the stability level of particles were calculated from two indicators of the mean weight diameter (MWD) and the geometric mean diameter (GMD). Then, homogeneity of variances tests as one of the basic requirements of data analysis, the GLM test to investigate the separate and interactive effects of treatments and time, and the independent T-test to averages comparison of the investigated components between treatments were performed.
Results and discussion
In order to investigate the aggregate stability under biochar treatment in natural weather conditions at USLE plots, the mean weight diameter (MWD) and the geometric mean diameter (GMD) were measured for the control and biochar treatments in four continuous times. The MWD and GMD indices in control plots have the average values of 0.85, 0.68, 0.64, and 0.81, and 0.8, 0.69, 0.7, and 0.76 mm, and in biochar plots with rates of 0.86, 0.82, 0.75, and 0.84, and 0.79, 0.78, 0.75, and 0.77 mm, respectively. The changes trend in the variables D10, D50, and D90 related to the distribution particle size in the second time period were the rates of 43.8, 26.7 and 15.2 percent, and in the third time period also were with the rates of 14.2, 14.2, and 16.8 percent, respectively, which showed in the mentioned time periods, the changes trend of these variables increased in biochar treatment compared to the control treatment. Biochar amendment in combination with the soil of USLE plots had an effect on the aggregate stability indicators so that the separate effect of biochar and time and the interactive effect of biochar and time on the GMD index were significant at the level of 95 percent. In comparing the average of the investigated components between the treatments in each time period, both MWD and GMD variables in the second time period showed the significant difference at the level of five percent. Therefore, it can be said that the biochar is the useful and effective for improving soil stability after one year.
Conclusion
The findings of this study indicated the biochar amendment had the positive effect on aggregate stability indicators, which has caused a limited increase in the weight and geometric mean of the aggregate diameter and changes of 40 percent in the particle size components. In general, the examination of MWD and GMD indices in the control and biochar treatments in four continuous times at six-month intervals indicated the separate effect of biochar and time for both indicators and the interactive effect of biochar and time for the GMD index were significance at level of 95 percent. The second period had the maximum percentage of changes in the component of particle size distribution. Also, in the second period in both indicators, there was the significant difference between the averages of control and biochar treatment. Therefore, Therefore, based on the observed results in the current research, it can be stated that the best biochar performance to improve the aggregate stability and soil structure was after one year of biochar application on soil surface. According to the results of this research, the aggregate stability is affected by the time passage and seasonal climate changes., Due to the field scale of the experiment and also the exposure of the plots to the natural weather added to the complexities governing such processes, and in order to obtain more accurate results, it is necessary to design detailed studies with a more appropriate time scale and smaller time intervals. |
Article number: 3 |
| Keywords: Aggregate stability, Organic amendment, Soil conservation, Standard erosion plots |
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Full-Text [PDF 1583 kb]
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2024/04/7 | Accepted: 2024/05/28 | Published: 2024/09/15
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Moafi G, Gholami L, Kavian A, Kheirfam H. The Changes in Aggregates due to the Use of Biochar Obtained from Populus Nigra Branches. jwmseir 2024; 18 (66) : 3 URL: http://jwmsei.ir/article-1-1162-en.html
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