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Agronomy
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Biochar-Based Fertilizers for Resilient Agriculture
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Biochar-Based Fertilizers for Resilient Agriculture

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2928

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Qiao Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China
Interests: climate change; biochar; C and N cycling; soil microorganisms
Prof. Dr. Zubin Xie

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Soil &Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
Interests: biochar; nitrogen fixation; GHGs emission; 13C; 15N

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agriculture faces critical challenges including climate change, soil degradation, and pollutants. These all threaten soil biological fertility by disrupting microbially driven carbon (C) and nutrient cycles. Biochar-based fertilizers offer a promising strategy to reinforce these cycles, enhance ecosystem stability, and buffer against abiotic perturbations through synergistic interactions with soil biota.

This Special Issue invites innovative research that elucidates the role of biochar in shaping biotic drivers of soil fertility amid these challenges.

We welcome a broad spectrum of studies that explore the following:

  • Interactions between biochar, soil microbiomes, and plants, focusing on nutrient dynamics and resilience to stressors.
  • Mechanisms by which biochar enhances microbial dynamics and organic matter cycling for improved ecosystem resilience.
  • Integrated approaches using biochar with other amendments or crop management to optimize nutrient cycling and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  • The role of biochar in mitigating emerging pollutants in agricultural soils, enhancing degradation, and promoting soil biodiversity.

Submissions with interdisciplinary approaches that connect multi-omics to experimental measurements of carbon and nitrogen fluxes are encouraged. Novel review and opinion articles are also welcomed.

Dr. Qiao Xu
Prof. Dr. Zubin Xie
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biochar
  • soil fertility
  • microbiome
  • nutrient cycling
  • greenhouse gas emissions
  • ecosystem resilience
  • multi-omics

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 3936 KB  
Article
Agricultural Waste for Remediation of Neonicotinoid Pollution: Mechanisms and Environmental Effects of Multi-Site Adsorption of Dinotefuran on Rice Husk Biochar
by Longfei Liu, Xinyu Jiang, Tianyu Lu and Jinzhao Ma
Agronomy 2025, 15(12), 2746; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15122746 - 28 Nov 2025
Viewed by 296
Abstract
The increasing contamination of neonicotinoid pesticides in the environment has become a growing concern, and biochar is considered a promising strategy for removing these pollutants. This study converted waste rice husks into biochar (RHB) via pyrolysis at 400–600 °C under anaerobic conditions, using [...] Read more.
The increasing contamination of neonicotinoid pesticides in the environment has become a growing concern, and biochar is considered a promising strategy for removing these pollutants. This study converted waste rice husks into biochar (RHB) via pyrolysis at 400–600 °C under anaerobic conditions, using dinotefuran (DIN) as a representative neonicotinoid. The physicochemical properties of RHB and its adsorption mechanisms for DIN were systematically investigated. Results showed that higher pyrolysis temperatures increased the specific surface area, microporosity, and aromaticity of biochar, while altering the distribution of surface functional groups. RHB prepared at 600 °C (RHB600) exhibited the highest adsorption capacity. The adsorption process followed the Sips isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, indicating a spontaneous and endothermic process involving heterogeneous physic–chemical adsorption. The primary mechanisms included pore filling, π–π interactions, and hydrogen bonding. The sequence of functional group response during DIN adsorption was C–O > C=C > C=O > –OH. Environmental factors such as solution pH and humic acid concentration significantly influenced adsorption, while phosphate ions caused strong competitive inhibition. An artificial neural network model accurately predicted adsorption under multiple interacting factors, and RHB600 demonstrated good regeneration after ethanol elution. This study confirms that RHB is an effective and practical adsorbent, providing a technical reference for agricultural waste valorization and pesticide-polluted water remediation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar-Based Fertilizers for Resilient Agriculture)
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16 pages, 12410 KB  
Article
Elevated CO2 Modulates Selenium Bioaccumulation in Garlic (Allium sativum L.): Contrasting Effects of Biochar and Phosphate Fertilizer Amendments
by Yabo Wang, Wei Li, Yuling Suo, Zishu Zheng, Meiling Xu, Fen Xu, Weiqin Yin, Shengsen Wang and Xiaozhi Wang
Agronomy 2025, 15(11), 2579; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15112579 - 9 Nov 2025
Viewed by 542
Abstract
Elevated CO2 (eCO2) influences crop nutrition, but the impact of its interaction with soil amendments on selenium (Se) bioavailability is unclear. This study investigated how eCO2 (+200 ppm), biochar (BC, 1% w/w), and phosphate fertilizer (PF, [...] Read more.
Elevated CO2 (eCO2) influences crop nutrition, but the impact of its interaction with soil amendments on selenium (Se) bioavailability is unclear. This study investigated how eCO2 (+200 ppm), biochar (BC, 1% w/w), and phosphate fertilizer (PF, 1 g kg−1) affect Se uptake in garlic—a model crop chosen for its efficiency in accumulating and transforming Se into bioactive forms. The results showed that eCO2 significantly enhanced garlic biomass by 19.1–34.2% and decreased soil pH by 0.05–0.13 units. Concurrently, eCO2 increased Se concentration in garlic tissues by 2.9–13.3% compared to ambient CO2 (aCO2). Biochar amendment reduced soil Se bioavailability, leading to a 15.2–22.8% decrease in garlic Se concentration under eCO2. In contrast, phosphate fertilizer enhanced Se bioavailability via competitive ligand exchange, increasing Se uptake by 18.7–31.4%. These findings demonstrate that PF can be strategically co-managed with eCO2 to optimize Se biofortification in garlic, providing a practical strategy to safeguard nutritional security under future climate scenarios. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar-Based Fertilizers for Resilient Agriculture)
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20 pages, 2104 KB  
Article
Biochar-Based Granular Fertilizers with Agro-Industrial Binders Enhance Enzymatic Activity and Nutrient Cycling in Tropical Oxisols
by José Mendes dos Santos Júnior, Luiz Arnaldo Fernandes, Fernando Colen, Leidivan Almeida Frazão and Rodinei Facco Pegoraro
Agronomy 2025, 15(9), 2230; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15092230 - 21 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1227
Abstract
The low fertility of tropical Oxisols challenges sustainable agriculture. While biochar-based granular fertilizers (BBGFs) offer a solution, the influence of different organic binders is unclear. This study investigated how BBGFs formulated with bio-oil (BO), pyroligneous extract (PE), and cassava wastewater (CW) impact soil [...] Read more.
The low fertility of tropical Oxisols challenges sustainable agriculture. While biochar-based granular fertilizers (BBGFs) offer a solution, the influence of different organic binders is unclear. This study investigated how BBGFs formulated with bio-oil (BO), pyroligneous extract (PE), and cassava wastewater (CW) impact soil enzyme activities and nutrient dynamics over time. Eucalyptus biochar (B) and natural phosphate (NP) were granulated with three binders at four doses. These treatments, plus controls (unfertilized soil, NP, B with NP, and B alone), were incubated in an Oxisol, assessing soil samples after 10 and 40 days of incubation. All BBGFs significantly enhanced β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase, and arylsulfatase activities over controls, with increases exceeding 8%. While the BBGFs-BO formulation sustained the highest enzymatic activity, BBGFs-PE at 125% maximized acid phosphatase at 10 days, with a subsequent decline, and inhibited arylsulfatase at the 150% dose. BBGFs-CW was most effective for increasing P availability (up to 24.0 mg kg−1). BBGFs-BO and BBGFs-PE also enhanced soil organic carbon and cation exchange capacity by up to 430% and 163%, respectively. The BBGFs-BO at 150% dose is the most effective and stable formulation to enhance nutrient cycling and soil health, offering a viable pathway to convert agricultural residues into high-value fertilizers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar-Based Fertilizers for Resilient Agriculture)
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