Impact of Biochar and Compost on Soil Quality and Crop Yield
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 April 2021) | Viewed by 41747
Special Issue Editor
Interests: soil physics; soil water retention; grassland; turfgrass; organic soil amendments; root morphology; organic farming
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
It is widely recognized that composting and pyrolysis are two processes for reducing organic waste storage, with products used as soil amendments. Compost application has a beneficial impact on the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils that is reflected in crop yields. However, compost application creates some risks, e.g., water repellency or heavy metal contamination, especially when municipal wastes or sewage sludge are used as feedstock. During the past decade, biochar has been recognized as a very promising soil amendment, resulting in higher soil quality and carbon sequestration. Biochar is characterized by high sorption capacity, which benefits plants by reducing the availability of heavy metals in soil. However, the high sorption of biochar may result in nutrient deficiency and further inhibition of plant growth. Little information is available concerning the long-term effects of compost and biochar application; the effects of their combined usage (including co-composting); and the interactions between feedstocks, soil characteristics and crop species.
This Special Issue will focus on the “Impact of Biochar and Compost on Soil Quality and Crop Yield”. Original research, reviews, or opinions on compost, biochar, compost–biochar mixtures or the application of their co-composting products in crop production are welcome. Long-term experiments and field trials with different soils or crops are exceptionally valuable.
Dr. Tomasz Głąb
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- Waste management
- Biomass
- Municipal wastes
- Pyrolysis
- Co-composting
- Soil quality
- Crop production
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