Bamboo biocharcoal as soil fertility enhancer in sugar cane

Abstract

The deterioration exhibited by the soils is largely due to the scarcity and poor quality of water, and to the decrease in their fertility, in particular. Biocharcoal or biochar is a byproduct of the pyrolysis of residual biomass, which helps to recover soil fertility. The present work aims to evaluate organic bamboo biochar amendments in Saccharum spp. var. CP 72-2086. For this purpose, a factorial design 2², T0 = control without biochar (S-AB); T1 = 10 t ha^-1 (BBV) and T2 = 20 t ha^-1 (BBV) of Bambusa vulgaris biochar; T3 = 10 t ha^-1 (BBVV) and T4 = 20 t ha^-1 (BBVV) of Bambusa vulgaris vittata biochar, distributed in random blocks. In the statistical model, the assessed variables were root biomass, height, diameter and number of shoots. The response variables were analyzed by means of an analysis of variance (ANOVA) based on a general linear model and the comparison of Tukey means with a significance level of 5 %. The application of bamboo biochar in the cultivation of sugarcane improved the physical and chemical properties of the soil by increasing the field capacity, the permanent wilting point, the moisture content, pH and the cation exchange capacity. Bamboo biochar in a concentration of 20 t ha^-1 is a good organic amendment to the soil since it increases the availability of nutrients benefiting the growth of this species.