Abstract:
Bio-materials are pyrolyzed to create biochar, a stable form of carbon. Because of its potential to boost crop productivity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and trap carbon in the soil, it is gaining attention on a global scale. Rice and maize were used as test crops in laboratory, pot, and field tests to assess the effects of biochar made from Prosopis wood on carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emission from the soil. The Prosopis wood biochar had an exchangeable acidity of 49 mmol kg-1 and a cation exchange capacity of 16 cmol kg-1, and its pH was neutral. The Prosopis-Biochar contained a significant amount of carbon (940 g kg-1). Under intermittent wetting and drying conditions, biochar application was observed to lower CO2-C emission by 31 to 36%, and by 47 to 54% under continuous submersion. Additionally, it had an impact on the soil’s CO2-C emissions, which were decreased by 49%. in garden land soils. Due to the application of biochar, the C sequestration in garden land soil under maize ranged from 2644 to 5431 kg ha-1. When Biochar was added to the soil under submerged conditions at rates of 2.5 and 5 t ha-1, the CH4 – C was reduced by 20% and 45.8%, respectively. The application of vermicompost and biochar together effectively reduced the CH4 – C emission from the soil by 36.7 to 66.1%. Similarly to this, applying biochar reduces CH4 – C emission under intermittent wetting and drying by 23.6 to 46.3% without any vermicompost and by 28.3 to 56.2% with vermicompost. The application of biochar has the inherent potential to increase crop output, decrease CO2 and CH4 emissions, and sequester significant amounts of carbon in the soil.