Abstract
Abstract Soil nutrient depletion, low crop nutrient‐use efficiency, and limited access to fertilizers are serious issues leading to poor yield in agroecosystems of Burkina Faso. Blending biochars with organic or inorganic nutrients could slow down nutrient release, which can enhance fertilizer‐use efficiency. This study investigates whether charging biochar with nutrients and Acacia gum ( Acacia senegal L.) coating can improve nutrient‐use efficiency in a cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.)–maize ( Zea mays L.) rotation system using low application rates (<5 t ha −1 ). The experiment was conducted in western Burkina Faso during three cropping seasons (2018–2020) with five treatments: T0, control; T1, conventional practice with compost and nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) application; T2, microdose (planting hole application) of NPK; T3. nutrient‐charged biochar activated with dissolved NPK; T4, nutrient‐charged biochar activated with dissolved NPK and coated with Acacia gum. Biochar‐based fertilizers significantly increased soil organic C content, as well as bioavailable P and calcium (Ca), without significantly improving crop yields, compared to conventional practice and microdose of NPK. When nutrient‐charged biochar was coated with Acacia gum, N‐use efficiency (NUE; N recovered in grain/N fertilized) was improved compared to uncoated nutrient‐charged biochar, although the difference was not significant. Despite no significant effects on crop yields during three cropping seasons, the use of coated biochar‐based fertilizer may be a technically effective solution to improve NUE in the long term in agroecosystems characterized by nutrient‐impoverished soils under a constraining South‐Sudanese climate.
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Claims 3
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar fertilizers significantly increased soil organic carbon, available phosphorus and calcium relative to conventional and NPK microdose practice.
- Taxon
- cotton–maize
Gossypium hirsutum
Zea mayst0 - Treatment
- Biochar‐based fertilizerse0
- Outcome
- soil organic C content, as well as bioavailable P and calcium (Ca)e0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- conventional practice and microdose of NPKe0
- Setting
- Burkina Fasot0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Biochar‐based fertilizers significantly increased soil organic C content, as well as bioavailable P and calcium (Ca), without significantly improving crop yields, compared to conventional practice and microdose of NPK”
t0“cotton–maize rotation in Burkina Faso”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar fertilizers did not significantly improve crop yield relative to conventional and NPK microdose practice.
- Taxon
- cotton–maizeGossypium hirsutumZea mayst0
- Treatment
- Biochar‐based fertilizerse0
- Outcome
- crop yieldse0
- Direction
- without significantly improvinge0
- Comparator
- conventional practice and microdose of NPKe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Biochar‐based fertilizers significantly increased soil organic C content, as well as bioavailable P and calcium (Ca), without significantly improving crop yields, compared to conventional practice and microdose of NPK”
t0“cotton–maize rotation in Burkina Faso”
Claim · model-written summary
Acacia gum coating improved nitrogen use efficiency over uncoated nutrient charged biochar, without a significant difference.
- Taxon
- cotton–maizeGossypium hirsutumZea mayst0
- Treatment
- nutrient‐charged biochar was coated with Acacia gume0
- Outcome
- N‐use efficiencye0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Comparator
- uncoated nutrient‐charged biochare0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“When nutrient‐charged biochar was coated with Acacia gum, N‐use efficiency (NUE; N recovered in grain/N fertilized) was improved compared to uncoated nutrient‐charged biochar, although the difference was not significant”
t0“cotton–maize rotation in Burkina Faso”
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8 of 10 groups shown: named compounds and organisms first, then groups whose results differ (checked claim by claim), then those with positive and negative results, then the smaller groups.
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.