Case Study: Enhanced Corn Productivity with Biochar Enhanced Fertilizer
08 Dec, 2024
Posted at 17:30h
in Biochar for Agribusiness: Research and Case Studies
Combining biochar with reduced nitrogen maintained or increased yields
A three-year study published in the European Journal of Agronomy looked at the effects of biochar combined with reduced nitrogen fertilizer applications on corn production. The trial studies four biochar application rates: no biochar, 8t/ha, 16t/ha, 24t/ha combined with three different nitrogen applications: 200kg/ha, 20% reduction, 40% reduction to determine the changes in productivity.
Results:
In all combinations, biochar combined with reduced fertilizer led to maintained or increased yields by about 8-18% by the third year. The combination of 40% N reduction with 16t/ha biochar saw the most consistent and highest economic return.
Source: Zhang et al. 2024