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Agriculture
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Biochar Applications in Agricultural Soil Restoration
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Biochar Applications in Agricultural Soil Restoration

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 | Viewed by 1154

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Chenyang Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: soil restoration; biochar; soil colloids; soil nanoparticles; colloidal stability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biochar has emerged as a promising solution for agricultural soil restoration, with the potential to improve soil quality, increase fertility, and mitigate environmental degradation. Originating from ancient practices, modern applications of biochar have gained significant attention due to its carbon sequestration capabilities and role in sustainable agriculture. This Special Issue aims to explore the latest advancements in biochar research, particularly its role in soil restoration for agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability.

The benefits of biochar application are manifold. Most studies indicate that biochar can directly reduce soil bulk density, increase soil water holding capacity, supply nutrient elements, enhance cation exchange capacity, and improve microbial community structure. Currently, there are significant variations in the feedstock materials used for biochar preparation and a wide range of pyrolysis temperatures, which hinders direct comparisons of the improvement effects of biochar produced from different materials. Additionally, the application periods for biochar in most studies are relatively short, leading to an insufficient understanding of its long-term effects. From a long-term perspective, the effects of biochar application on soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission reduction remain unclear.

This Special Issue mainly solicits research papers in the following areas:

  • Long-term (5 or more years’ application) effects of the field application of biochar;
  • Applications of biochar in improving the quality of degraded agricultural soils (e.g., acidic soils, saline soils, and polluted soils);
  • Effects of biochar on carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission reduction in agricultural soils;
  • Effects and mechanisms of biochar application, including direct comparative studies on the effects of biochar derived from different feedstocks, as well as studies on the application rates and durations of biochar application, in addition to its synergistic effects with other soil amendments.

We are soliciting original research papers, comprehensive reviews, and case studies that contribute new insights into the use of biochar in agricultural soil restoration. Papers that highlight interdisciplinary approaches, including environmental science, agronomy, and soil microbiology, are particularly welcome. The aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of biochar’s potential and its challenges in real-world applications.

Dr. Chenyang Xu
Guest Editor

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. Agriculture 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 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
  • agricultural soil restoration
  • soil improvement
  • long-term biochar application

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 4012 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Dissolved Biochar on Oxidative Stress and Its Effect on the Virulence of Steinernema feltiae: Implications for Biocontrol Efficiency
by Xinrui Wang, Jie Li, Jing Li, Lan Luo, Gang Li, Weibin Ruan and Guilong Zhang
Agriculture 2025, 15(7), 772; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15070772 - 2 Apr 2025
Viewed by 230
Abstract
Dissolved biochar (DBC) can make a significantly impact on soil ecosystems and the associated biota due to its high environmental bioavailability. However, the impact of DBC on the adaptability of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), such as Steinernema feltiae, remains uncertain. This study investigates [...] Read more.
Dissolved biochar (DBC) can make a significantly impact on soil ecosystems and the associated biota due to its high environmental bioavailability. However, the impact of DBC on the adaptability of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), such as Steinernema feltiae, remains uncertain. This study investigates the impact of DBC on oxidative stress, antioxidant enzyme activity, virulence, and gene expression in EPNs through culture assays and RNA-seq analysis. Results showed that DBC exposure significantly increased the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. The nematodes treated with DBC700 exhibited 64.34% higher ROS levels, while those treated with DBC400 had 51.13% higher levels compared to the control. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were significantly suppressed, with a stronger inhibition observed in the DBC700 group. As revealed by virulence assays, DBC treatment reduced the infectivity of EPNs against Galleria mellonella larvae. Transcriptome analysis revealed that DBC primarily affected oxidative stress response, membrane transport, and longevity regulation pathways. Moreover, DBC400 predominantly inhibited carbohydrate metabolism, whereas DBC700 significantly impacted oxidative metabolism, protein processing, and neuronal signaling pathways, suggesting the presence of distinct metabolic adaptation mechanisms between the two DBCs. Overall, this study suggests that DBC may impair the biocontrol efficacy of S. feltiae through oxidative stress and genetic perturbations, providing new insights into its long-term ecological impacts on soil ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar Applications in Agricultural Soil Restoration)
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22 pages, 4923 KiB  
Article
Biochar Input to Saline-Alkali Farmland Can Improve Soil Health and Crop Yield: A Meta-Analysis
by Liqiang Zhang, Baoyin Bate, Jinhu Cui, Yudi Feng, Jianning Yu, Zhengguo Cui, Hongyu Wang and Qiuzhu Li
Agriculture 2025, 15(5), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15050561 - 6 Mar 2025
Viewed by 654
Abstract
Soil salinization in farmland is a critical factor limiting global soil health, food security, and ecosystem productivity. Biochar has recently shown great application potential in agricultural fields in many domains, such as soil structure improvement, carbon sequestration, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. [...] Read more.
Soil salinization in farmland is a critical factor limiting global soil health, food security, and ecosystem productivity. Biochar has recently shown great application potential in agricultural fields in many domains, such as soil structure improvement, carbon sequestration, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Here, a meta-analysis of 113 published papers was carried out to quantify the effects of biochar on the remediation of saline-alkali soil and crop yield in terms of climatic conditions and agricultural management, with the aim of determining the optimal agricultural management strategy for biochar application to saline-alkali soils. The results show that adding biochar to saline-alkali farmland increases the TOC in soil (44.0%) and water utilization efficiency (8.7%), and decreases soil salinity (−9.6%), certain salt ion contents in particular (Na+, 12.5%; Cl−, 23.4%; HCO3−, −17.7%), along with soil pH (−2.2%), resulting in a 20.8% higher crop yield. Applying shell biochar at a rate of 10–20 t·ha−1 for monoculture is the most promising way to bolster the yield in severely saline-alkali irrigated farmland. However, adding biochar raises CO2 and CH4 emissions by 9.8% and 31.6%, respectively, but lowers the emission of N2O by 29.4%. These findings provide scientific recommendations for the sustainable application of biochar in saline-alkali farmland areas worldwide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biochar Applications in Agricultural Soil Restoration)
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