Effect of Date Biochar Pyrolyzed at Different Temperature on Physiochemical Properties of Sandy Soil and Wheat Crop Response

Date biochar (DB) was obtained by pyrolyzing date residues at four different temperatures (300, 400, 500, and 600 degrees C referred as DB3; DB4; DB5; and DB6). Three experiments were performed: 1) assessment of wheat crop growth 2) water retention in the sandy soil 3) soil physiochemical properties after the application of DB to the soil. Results showed that the low temperature pyrolysis biochar (LTDB; DB3 and DB4) showed that the wheat biomass (by 47 and 29%) and water-holding capacity (by 55% and 32%) was improved when applied along with NPK fertilizer. Moreover, LTDB had positive impacts on soil enzyme activities, i.e., Phosphomonoestrase; Urease; Catalase; Acid Phosphate; Dehydrogenase; and beta-glucosidase by 63, 59, 77, 29, 56, and 43%, respectively, over high-temperature DB pyrolysis (HTDB). In the incubation study, LTDB not only improved the physicochemical properties (bulk density, total porosity, pH, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, organic matter, soil aggregation stability), but also improved the water retention. Additionally, carbon dioxide emission was increased in HTDB and the microbial activities are increased in the LTDB. Overall, LTDB improved the soil fertility and productivity over to HTDB in sandy soil.