Sustainability

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Upendra Kumar

E-Mail Website
Chief Guest Editor

Crop Production Division, ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack-753006, India
Interests: plant-soil-microbe interactions; climate change; biochar

Dr. Anshuman Kohli

E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor

Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bihar 813210, India
Interests: soil physics; biochar; water conservation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biochar application in soils is a reliable approach to mitigate climate change and improves overall soil quality. Recent studies show that biochar plays a crucial role in regulating soil physico-chemical properties and crop improvement. Moreover, biochar affects nutrient cycling by altering chemical forms, changing phosphorous sorption and desorption capacities, and influencing the structural and functional microbial community, enzymatic activities and mycorrhizal associations. The porous structure, high specific surface area, and metal oxide and surface functional groups make biochar an effective material for removing nutrients and pollutants from eutrophic and polluted water via ligand exchange, cation bridge and precipitation. However, its potentiality as a soil conditioner and how its effects on agricultural and environmental sustainability is still in the nascent stage. Hence, it is a need to understand these aspects through biochar process and production and its applicability in wider area including waste management. Chapters related to environmental impact and life cycle assessment by using biochar may also be invited in this Special Issue.

Interests: soil conditioner; soil quality; soil chemistry; agro-ecological progress; environment; green house gas emissions; climate change; microbial aspects

The following are some of the major areas from which papers are encouraged:

Innovative practices in the sustainable production from agricultural residues and use of biochar in agricultural soils
Soil application effects and productivity of biochar conditioned soils
Multidisciplinary approaches towards biochar development
Agroecological benefits of biochar application
Microbial diversity and nutrient management with biochar
Reclamation of problematic soils through biochar application
Remediation of polluted and contaminated soils and waters with biochar
Scaling up biochar production for large scale use
Farmers innovation contributing toward biochar and soil fertility

Dr. Upendra Kumar
Dr. Anshuman Kohli
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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
organic fertilizers
soil quality
environmental assessment
inorganic fertilizers
climate change
microbial role
soil health
waste management

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

15 pages, 3673 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biochar Application Maintains Photosynthesis of Cabbage by Regulating Stomatal Parameters in Salt-Stressed Soil

by Ruixia Chen, Lijian Zheng, Jinjiang Zhao, Juanjuan Ma and Xufeng Li

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4206; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054206 - 26 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1607

Abstract

Salinity is one of the main abiotic stresses, and the stomatal conductance (gs) is an important physiological index in plants that is used to measure their responses to salt stress, as stomatal closure leads to lower yields. However, the factors that affect the gs after biochar application in saline soil remain unclear. To explore the stomatal adaptation mechanisms of facility vegetables under salt stress after the addition of biochar, Chinese cabbage was selected for the pot experiment in this study. The soil and plant Na⁺ and K⁺ concentrations, water status, and plant stomatal parameters were measured following treatments with different salt concentrations (25, 50, and 100 mM) and biochar application rates (0, 2, and 4%). The results showed that salt stress induced the physiological closure of the stomata in Chinese cabbage. Compared with the salt-stress treatment without biochar, the biochar application significantly increased the plant gs (20.29–128.79%). Moreover, in the biochar treatment, the open state of the stomata was maintained by sustaining the plant osmotic adjustment, reducing the abscisic acid (ABA) content, and improving the water status. The Na⁺/K⁺ ratio had the most pronounced effect on the stomata (0.702). The actual photochemical efficiency of the photosystem II (ΦPSII) and electron transport rate (ETR) of the Chinese cabbage increased by 0.75–3.41% and 0.65–2.88%, respectively, after the biochar application, which supported the photosynthetic capacity and yield formation. According to the current findings, biochar application can mitigate salt stress and regulate stomatal opening, thereby improving the photosynthesis and the overall yield of Chinese cabbage. Therefore, the application of biochar is a promising method to maintain the productivity of Chinese cabbage under salt stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar and Its Use as a Promising Soil Conditioner for Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

15 pages, 2264 KiB

Open AccessReview

Research Progress on Effects of Biochar on Soil Environment and Crop Nutrient Absorption and Utilization

by Peng Xu, Yuhong Gao, Zhengjun Cui, Bing Wu, Bin Yan, Yifan Wang, Keranmu Zaitongguli, Ming Wen, Haidi Wang, Na Jing, Yingze Wang, Changyan Chao and Wenfang Xue

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 4861; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15064861 - 9 Mar 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3509

Abstract

As a by-product generated from the pyrolysis of biomass, biochar is extraordinary for improving the soil environment of agricultural fields, improving soil fertility, and promoting nutrient uptake and the utilization of crops. In recent years, breakthroughs in progress have been made regarding the fertility value of biochar and in investigations into the physicochemical properties of soil and into plant nutrient utilization. This review focuses on the physicochemical and biological properties of soil, on soil pollution remediation, on greenhouse gas emissions, and on the effects of biochar on the uptake and utilization of soil nutrients and plant nutrients, as well as on the preparation of biochar, and on biochar produced under different conditions. The results of the relevant studies show that the main characteristics of biochar depend on the biochemical properties and pyrolysis temperature of raw materials, which play an important role in nutrient transport and transformation in the soil. At low temperatures (≤400 ℃), the biochar prepared from manure and waste contains a large amount of nitrogen, which can be used as a nutrient source for plants. In addition, biochar enhances soil fertilizer retention by reducing soil nutrient loss, which in turn promotes nutrient uptake and utilization by crops. By controlling pyrolysis temperature and by optimizing biochar input, one can effectively reduce soil respiration, as well as reduce carbon emissions to achieve the goal of controlling carbon sources and increasing carbon sinks. Therefore, a long-term series of mapping studies on the effects of biochar application on agricultural ecosystems should be conducted, which in turn, it is hoped, will provide a theoretical reference for the physiological and ecological effects of biochar croplands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar and Its Use as a Promising Soil Conditioner for Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability)

► Show Figures