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Effects of Biochar on Soil Improvement and Crop Production

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A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Soils".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 September 2026 | Viewed by 3836

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Dr. Xinliang Dong

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The Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050021, China
Interests: biochar; soil improvement; soil organic carbon; salinity; aggregates; isotope; farmland
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil degradation, salinization, nutrient depletion, and climate-induced agricultural instability are among the most critical global challenges threatening the goals of food security, environmental sustainability, and carbon neutrality. Increasing demand for grain production, paired with intensive farming practices, has accelerated soil compaction, reduced water- and nutrient-use efficiency, and increased greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soils. Biochar, a carbon-rich porous material produced via biomass pyrolysis, has emerged as a highly promising, multi-functional amendment that simultaneously improves soil physical–chemical–biological properties, sequesters carbon, mitigates soil pollution, and enhances crop productivity. Supported by global meta-analyses and long-term field trials, biochar application consistently boosts soil organic carbon, nutrient retention, and water-holding capacity while reducing soil bulk density, acidification, and salt stress. These benefits make biochar not only scientifically innovative but also practically scalable for degraded land restoration, low-fertility soil improvement, and climate-resilient agriculture. Given rapid policy support, growing carbon-trading mechanisms, and advances in biomass utilization, research on biochar–soil–crop systems is exceptionally timely and valuable for both fundamental soil science and field-scale agricultural management.

This Special Issue will present and disseminate the most recent advances related to the effects of biochar on soil improvement and crop production. We welcome high-quality original research, reviews, and methodological papers addressing the mechanisms, applications, optimizations, and sustainability of biochar-based soil management across diverse agroecosystems. Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

Physicochemical and biological mechanisms of biochar in improving soil structure, fertility, and health;
Impacts of biochar on crop germination, growth, yield, quality, and stress tolerance (salinity, drought, heavy metals, etc.);
Interactive effects of biochar with fertilizers, organic amendments, and microbial inoculants;
Optimization of biochar feedstock, pyrolysis conditions, application rate, and field management;
Long-term monitoring, modeling, and life-cycle assessment of biochar in agroecosystems;
Biochar for carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reduction, and climate-smart agriculture;
Field applications and economic–ecological benefits of biochar in saline–alkali, degraded, and low-productivity soils;
Novel biochar-based materials and technologies for soil remediation and sustainable crop production.

Dr. Xinliang Dong
Guest Editor

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Keywords

biochar
soil improvement
crop production
soil quality
soil carbon sequestration

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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17 pages, 3114 KB

Open AccessArticle

Soil Texture Mediates the Short-Term Influence of Wheat Straw Biochar Amendment on Crop Yield and Soil Bacterial Community

by Ying Zhang, Sumei Wang, Xing Liu, Fei Wang, Mu Zhang and Runqiang Liu

Agriculture 2026, 16(15), 1639; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16151639 - 30 Jul 2026

Viewed by 250

Abstract

Optimizing biochar use requires understanding its effects on soil microbes and crop yield, yet the role of soil texture remains unclear. In a two-year field experiment with a winter wheat–summer maize rotation on sandy and fluvo-aquic soils, biochar was applied at rates of 0, 10, and 20 t ha⁻¹. In sandy soil, biochar increased maize yield by 9.8% in the first year and by 13.1% in the second year, and wheat yield by 8.0% in the second year. In fluvo-aquic soil, only the 10 t ha⁻¹ rate increased maize yield by 9.7% in the second year. Biochar altered soil properties and enzyme activities in both soils, but microbial community responses varied with soil type, and soil type exerted a stronger influence than biochar application rate. In fluvo-aquic soil, the highest biochar application rate (20 t ha⁻¹) enhanced bacterial richness and diversity with a changed community structure, increasing Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi while decreasing Proteobacteria, whereas no such effects were observed in sandy soil. These community shifts were correlated with available potassium, urease, and sucrase, factors themselves affected by biochar. Fungal diversity and community structure were unaffected in either soil. Biochar increased yields through direct physicochemical improvements in sandy soil, whereas in fluvo-aquic soil it acted via combined physicochemical and microbial effects. Overall, the effects after two years of biochar on soil microorganisms and crop yield strongly depend on soil texture, mediated by complex interactions among soil properties. Given that the study involved a single biochar type and two soil types, further research across broader conditions is needed to verify the generality of these conclusions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Biochar on Soil Improvement and Crop Production)

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25 pages, 19629 KB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Pyrolysis Temperature and Residence Time on Vineyard Waste Biochar Properties and Short-Term Soil Physical Improvement

by Xing Han, Xinru Zhao, Shakeel Ahmad and Tingting Xue

Agriculture 2026, 16(14), 1530; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16141530 - 17 Jul 2026

Viewed by 481

Abstract

Grape cultivation and processing generate large amounts of pruned vine branches and grape pomace, which can be converted into biochar as an effective recycling strategy. This study aimed to investigate the effects of pyrolysis temperature (300–600 °C) and residence time (0.5–4 h) on biochar physicochemical properties and to evaluate the short-term impacts of biochar–manure co-application on vineyard soil physical quality. A total of 13 biochar variants were produced from vine branches (9 treatments, L₉(3²) orthogonal design) and grape pomace (4 treatments, L₄(2²) orthogonal design) under oxygen-limited pyrolysis. Biochar properties were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Based on comprehensive evaluation, branch-derived biochar pyrolyzed at 300 °C for 4 h (BC4-300; specific surface area: 24.07 m²·g⁻¹) and pomace-derived biochar pyrolyzed at 300 °C for 1 h (BP1-300; pH: 8.2–9.1) were selected as optimal soil amendments. A field experiment was then conducted using a randomized complete block design with ten treatment combinations (five for each biochar type), in which biochar was applied at 10 or 30 t·ha⁻¹ and co-applied with cattle manure at 10 or 30 t·ha⁻¹. After one growing season, BC4-300 significantly enhanced topsoil (0–20 cm) aggregate stability, increasing the mean weight diameter (MWD) by up to 27.8% compared with the control. In contrast, BP1-300 significantly improved subsoil (20–40 cm) aggregate stability, increasing the proportion of water-stable aggregates > 0.25 mm (R_0.25) by 15.6%. Moderate application rates (10 t·ha⁻¹ biochar + 10 t·ha⁻¹ manure) reduced subsoil bulk density by 6.3%. These findings demonstrate that optimizing pyrolysis parameters enables feedstock-specific biochar production and provide practical guidance for short-term soil physical improvement in sustainable vineyard management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Biochar on Soil Improvement and Crop Production)

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19 pages, 5221 KB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Microbially Engineered Biochar Pellets on Net Ecosystem Carbon Balance, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Clubroot Disease in Organic Cabbage Cultivation

by Joungdu Shin, Joohee Nam, Changki Shim, Hyunyoung Hwang, Seonggil Hong and Changyoon Jeong

Agriculture 2026, 16(12), 1344; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16121344 - 18 Jun 2026

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Abstract

Organic vegetable cultivation requires soil management strategies that improve carbon balance and suppress soilborne diseases. This study evaluated the efficacy of acidified microbial biochar pellets (ABPM) in enhancing net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) and suppressing clubroot disease (Plasmodiophora brassicae) during organic Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis) cultivation. In a field-scale evaluation, three treatments were compared: guano fertilizer (control), ABPM 27 (inoculated with Pseudomonas fluorescens 22BCO027), and ABPM 86 (inoculated with Bacillus megaterium 22BCO086). Soil incorporation of ABPM 27 and ABPM 86 significantly increased soil carbon sequestration by 29.1% and 22.4%, respectively, while simultaneously reducing cumulative greenhouse gas emissions under the experimental conditions. This resulted in positive NECB values of 2.63 and 2.94 t CO₂-eq ha⁻¹, suggesting enhanced carbon retention potential within the studied cultivation system. Beyond its impact on carbon dynamics, ABPM 27 increased marketable yield by 8.6% (77.4 t ha⁻¹) and reduced clubroot incidence by 46.2%. Rhizosphere microbial analysis revealed that ABPM 27 promoted late-season microbial diversity and the persistence of beneficial Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. populations. These findings suggest the potential multifunctional role of microbially engineered biochar pellets in improving crop production, carbon retention, and pathogen suppression under organic cultivation conditions. However, these findings are based on a single-season field experiment and NECB-based carbon balance estimates, and therefore require validation across multiple growing seasons and cultivation environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Biochar on Soil Improvement and Crop Production)

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25 pages, 5220 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Co-Application of Biochar and Phosphogypsum on Regulating the Microenvironment of Saline–Alkali Soils to Promote Safflower Growth and Quality Development

by Hong-Jie Long, Hai Sun, Cai Shao, Yan-Mei Cui, Wei-Yu Cao, Yue Wang, Jia-Peng Zhu, Xiao-Meng Geng and Ya-Yu Zhang

Agriculture 2026, 16(11), 1245; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16111245 - 5 Jun 2026

Viewed by 531

Abstract

The utilization of saline–alkali lands and the competition between medicinal plants and grain crops are urgent issues. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of combined biochar and phosphogypsum application on soil physicochemical properties, microbial communities, and safflower growth, yield, and bioactive component accumulation in moderately saline–alkali soil of western Jilin, and to identify key soil factors driving these responses. To achieve this, outdoor pot experiments were conducted using safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), with the application of 1% biochar + 1% phosphogypsum to moderately saline–alkali soil. The results showed that the amendment significantly reduced bulk density (BD), pH, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), total alkalinity (TA), and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), while increasing soil water content (SWC), soil organic matter (SOM), nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and beneficial ions. Soil sucrase, urease, alkaline phosphatase, and catalase activities were enhanced. Copiotrophic taxa (Pseudomonadota, Sphingomonas, Vicinamibacter) increased, whereas oligotrophic taxa (Gemmatimonadetes, Longimicrobium, Luteitalea) decreased, with stronger effects on bacteria than fungi. Safflower growth indices improved; leaf Na⁺/K⁺ ratio, superoxide radicals, and malondialdehyde decreased; and soluble protein, proline, and antioxidant enzyme activities increased. Bioactive components (hydroxysafflor yellow A, kaempferol) and yield reached 1.41%, 0.056%, and 343.23 mg/plant, representing 1.74–27.68-fold increases over moderate and mild saline–alkali soils. Correlation analysis identified SOM, total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (AP), BD, SWC, pH, SAR, TA, and ESP as key factors. In conclusion, co-application of 1% biochar and 1% phosphogypsum improves soil physicochemical and microbial properties, alleviates saline–alkali stress, and enhances safflower quality and yield. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Biochar on Soil Improvement and Crop Production)

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19 pages, 6103 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Different Improvement Measures on Soil Moisture Characteristics in Cold-Soaked Fields and on Maize Root Development and Growth

by Chenyan Tang, Yuxuan Wang, Chengzhi Zhao, Haoqian Yang, Chengdong Jia, Lijian Zheng and Juanjuan Ma

Agriculture 2026, 16(11), 1226; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16111226 - 2 Jun 2026

Viewed by 391

Abstract

To clarify the effects of pond excavation and field elevation combined with biochar application on soil improvement and maize growth in cold-soaked fields in northern China, a two-year field experiment was conducted using maize as the test crop under five biochar application rates: 0, 7.5, 15, 22.5, and 30 t/ha. The effects of biochar application on soil water characteristics, maize root development, plant growth, and yield formation were investigated. The results showed that, under the pond excavation and field elevation treatment, the application of 22.5 t/ha biochar (B3) achieved the best overall improvement effect and significantly improved soil moisture conditions. At the heading stage, the soil water content in the 0–90 cm soil layer under the B3 treatment increased by 6.18% and 27.72% in the two experimental years, respectively, compared with the 0 t/ha biochar treatment (B0). In 2025, compared with the B0 treatment, root length density, root surface area density, and root volume density under the B3 treatment increased by 38.56%, 109.31%, and 65.35%, respectively, while the average diameter of maize fine roots decreased by 8.50%. Meanwhile, the leaf area index, plant height, stem diameter, kernels per ear, 100-kernel weight, and maize yield were all significantly increased, with grain yield reaching 13,991.10 kg/ha in 2025. Correlation analysis showed that the biochar application rate was significantly positively correlated with maize plant height, stem diameter, leaf area index, root morphological traits, and grain yield, indicating that biochar application promoted maize growth and yield by optimizing canopy structure and root architecture. These results demonstrate that pond excavation and field elevation combined with an appropriate biochar application rate can effectively improve cold-soaked fields in northern China and achieve stable and high maize yields, thereby providing technical support for the management of medium- and low-yield farmlands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Biochar on Soil Improvement and Crop Production)

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15 pages, 2723 KB

Open AccessArticle

Overcoming the Salinity Bottleneck: Biochar-Induced Soil Organic Carbon Modulates Wheat Yield via Contrasting Pathways in a Coastal Saline Soil

by Tong Liu, Shengchao Hu, Xinliang Dong, Boyuan Lou, Wenxin Bian, Hongyong Sun, Jintao Wang, Xiaojing Liu, Chengrong Chen and Yunying Fang

Agriculture 2026, 16(8), 911; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16080911 - 21 Apr 2026

Viewed by 710

Abstract

Biochar amendment holds promise for improving saline soils, yet its efficacy is often constrained by the uncertainty of application rates. In this study, a large field trial and associated statistical modeling were conducted to explore the mechanisms by which biochar affects wheat yield in coastal saline soils of northern China. Results showed that biochar application significantly increased soil organic carbon (SOC) content (R² = 0.615, p < 0.001) but induced marked spatial heterogeneity across the field, with the coefficient of variation (CV) reaching 30.2%. Given the difficulty of uniformly applying biochar in the field, subplot-level SOC was used as a proxy for effective biochar distribution. Stepwise regression identified soil electrical conductivity (EC) as the dominant yield constraint (standardized coefficient = −0.69), rather than water and nutrients, and a quadratic relationship was observed between SOC and EC. Structural equation modeling (SEM) further suggested a trade-off: SOC was associated with higher yield through reduced bulk density (BD) (path coefficient = −0.603), whereas high SOC levels were also associated with increased EC under this coastal saline field setting (path coefficient = 0.243), thereby indirectly constraining growth. Consequently, the agronomic response showed a threshold-like transition: the peak wheat yield occurred at an SOC threshold of 13.87 g kg⁻¹ (equivalent to 44.41 t ha⁻¹), which exceeded the point of minimum salinity (11.71 g kg⁻¹, equivalent to ~29.90 t ha⁻¹ biochar). These results suggest that the agronomic benefit of biochar in saline soils depends on maintaining application within an estimated beneficial buffering zone. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Biochar on Soil Improvement and Crop Production)

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Open AccessSystematic Review

Effect of Biochar on Soil Shrinkage and Cracks and Its Evolution Under Dry and Wet Cycles: A Meta-Analysis

by Yingjie Zhou, Liangjun Fei, Shan Li, Yalin Gao, Qian Wang, Youliang Peng and Fangyuan Shen

Agriculture 2026, 16(16), 1722; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16161722 - 12 Aug 2026

Viewed by 230

Abstract

Biochar has been widely investigated as an amendment for mitigating soil desiccation cracking. However, variation in its effects across soil textures, application rates, and long-term drying–wetting (DW) cycles remains insufficiently resolved. Based on a global dataset comprising 278 paired observations from 44 peer-reviewed articles, this study employed a random-effects meta-analysis with article-clustered robust variance estimation to quantify the impacts of biochar on soil crack intensity factor (CIF), crack length density, and mean crack width. The pooled estimates indicated average reductions of 39.12%, 35.17%, and 22.20% in CIF, crack width, and crack length density, respectively; however, substantial heterogeneity (>98%) and prediction intervals crossing zero indicated considerable variation in both the magnitude and direction of responses among experimental conditions. Subgroup analyses revealed the following: (1) Soil-group differences were statistically supported for CIF, while the 14.20% increase in crack length density and 25.86% reduction in mean width observed in non-clay soils were not statistically significant. (2) Application-rate groups differed significantly across all three indices. The <2% group was associated with an 18.75% increase in crack length density, whereas the >5% group showed the largest average reductions. However, application rate explained only 12.60–15.80% of the observed variation. (3) Mean crack suppression was generally greater during the early DW cycles, but evidence beyond 6 cycles was too limited to determine whether the effect persisted under prolonged cycling. Overall, the evidence supported average reductions in CIF and mean crack width, whereas the effect on crack length density and the persistence of crack suppression under prolonged drying–wetting exposure remained uncertain. Field application should balance crack mitigation with agronomic feasibility, soil quality, and long-term performance under repeated drying–wetting conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects of Biochar on Soil Improvement and Crop Production)

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