Growth and production of common bean fertilized with biochar

Production of biochar from organic wastes promises to be an interesting source of plant nutrients, thus reducing pressure on natural resources. To assess the effect of biochar prepared from wastes filtration materials on the growth and production of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), three simultaneous greenhouse experiments were conducted with three different biochar from organic wastes (rice husk, sawdust, and sorghum silage) using as filtration material for swine biofertilizer. In each experiment the treatments consisted of the addition of five different biochar concentrations (0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% v/v), arranged in a completely random design, with four repetitions. Application of biochar increased the root dry mass, shoot dry mass, grain dry mass, number of pods and number of grains. These results indicated that biochar contributed significantly to the growth and production of common bean plants.