Influence of Biochar on the Moisture of Dark Brown Soil and Yield of Maize in Northern China

The application of biochar has been shown to increase crop yields on acidic and low activity soils in the tropics but fewer positive yield responses have been reported for soils of Northern China. In field conditions, the application of biochar can raise the crop yields in dark brown soil of Northern China. This study tested the influence of biochar on the moisture of dark brown soil and the yield of two consecutive maize crops. The readily available water (RAW) content (volumetric water available between -10 kPa and -100 kPa) has been re shown to be increased significantly. The bulk density (BD) has been decreased, but moisture uptake hasn't been affected consistently. Following very high stover application rates, the grain yield has been increased by 5% to 12% because of the application of biochar in 2013 and 2014, which was presumably because biochar mitigated adverse effects of allelochemicals released from the decomposing maize residue. These results indicate that biochar in combination with crop residue can improve the characteristics of soil moisture and the yield of maize.