Effect of acidic biochar extracts and biofertilizers on seed germination
Date
2024-03
Authors
Islas-Valdez, Samira
Wagner, Nicole C.
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Abstract
At least 33% of all croplands are moderately or highly degraded due to synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, intensive tillage, monocropping, and yield-based management systems (FAO, 2015).
Soil degradation has led to mineral and nutrient decline in foods, as well as reduced soil-water holding capacity and microbiological diversity (Montgomery & Biklé, 2022).
Most agricultural soils globally have lost 30-75% of their original organic carbon, resulting in atmospheric CO2 (Global Carbon Project 2019).
In response to these global challenges, biochar is being investigated as a soil amendment to restore degraded soils. Biochar is produced from organic waste material (e.g. woody materials, crop residues, manures) that is partially combusted with limited oxygen. Biochars have been shown to improve soil health, plant growth and soil microbial dynamics; sequester carbon; and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Lehman and Joseph, 2015). While biochar has been used for millennia to improve soil health and plant productivity, gaps in applying soil to alkaline soils, such as those in Texas, remain.
Description
Keywords
biochar, biofertilizer, seed germination
Citation
Islas-Valdez, S., & Wagner, N. C. (2024). Effect of acidic biochar extracts and biofertilizers on seed germination. Poster presented at the Health Scholar Showcase, Translational Health Research Center, San Marcos, Texas.