Biochar-manure compost in conjunction with pyroligneous solution alleviated salt stress and improved leaf bioactivity of maize in a saline soil from central China: a 2-year field experiment

BACKGROUND Salinity is a major stress threatening crop production in dry lands. A 2‐year field experiment was conducted to assess the potential of a biochar product to alleviate salt‐stress to a maize crop in a saline soil. The soil was amended with a compost at 12 t ha−1 of wheat straw biochar and poultry manure compost (BPC), and a diluted pyroligneous solution (PS) at 0.15 t ha−1 (BPC‐PS). Changes in soil salinity and plant performance, leaf bioactivity were examined in the first (BPC‐PS1) and second (BPC‐PS2) year following a single amendment. RESULTS While soil salinity significantly decreased, there were large increases in leaf area index, plant performance, and maize grain yield, with a considerable decrease in leaf electrolyte leakage when grown in amendments. Maize leaf sap nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium increased while sodium and chloride decreased, leaf bioactivity related to osmotic stress was significantly improved following the treatments. These effects were generally greater in the second than in the first year. CONCLUSION A combined amendment of crop straw biochar with manure compost plus pyroligneous solution could help combat salinity stress to maize and improve productivity in saline croplands in arid/semi‐arid regions threatened increasingly by global climate change. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry