Abstract
The biochar application has been reported to have a positive effect on crop yield and nutrient utilization. However, the effects of the joint application of biochar and nitrogen (N) on soil physical properties, fruit yield, quality, crop water productivity (WP) and partial factor productivity of nitrogen (PFPN) of water-stressed greenhouse tomato under drip fertigation remain poorly understood. In this study, a two-season experiment was conducted on greenhouse tomato in autumn 2021 and spring 2022, involving two biochar application rates (0 and 30 t ha–1 only in the first season before sowing), two N fertilization rates (175 and 250 kg N ha–1), and three irrigation levels (100%, 75%, and 50% of crop evapotranspiration). The results showed that biochar application significantly decreased soil bulk density by 7–13%, but significantly increased soil porosity by 5.5%− 10% and fruit yield by 43.2–73.8% compared with the non-biochar treatment. The biochar application significantly affected the total soluble solids (TSS), soluble sugar (SS), and vitamin C of tomato fruits. The interaction of biochar application and N fertilization increased PFPN and WP by 67.4% and 76.3% in autumn 2021, and by 38.1% and 51.8% in spring 2022, respectively. Biochar rate and irrigation level had significant effects on TSS and SS contents in both seasons, but N rate significantly affected TSS in autumn 2021 only and SS in both seasons. The interaction of biochar application, N rate and irrigation level had significant effects on fruit yield. The effects of biochar rate, N rate, and irrigation level on PFPN were significant in both growing seasons. The joint application of biochar and nitrogen significantly enhanced fruit yield, quality and water-nitrogen productivity of water-stressed greenhouse tomato. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that PC1 accounted for 47.7% and 48%of the variation in autumn 2021 and spring 2022, while PC2 accounted for 14.6% and 15.6% in autumn 2021 and spring 2022, respectively. This study underscores the significance of biochar application in drip-fertigated greenhouse tomato cultivation and highlights its sustained positive effects in the next growing season.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 17
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar decreased soil bulk density by 7–13%.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicumt0 - Treatment
- biochar applicatione0
- Outcome
- soil bulk densitye0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 7–13%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“biochar application significantly decreased soil bulk density by 7–13%”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar increased soil porosity by 5.5%− 10%.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- biochar applicatione1
- Outcome
- soil porositye0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 5.5%− 10%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significantly increased soil porosity by 5.5%− 10%”
t0“tomato”
e1“The results showed that biochar application significantly decreased soil bulk density”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar increased fruit yield by 43.2–73.8% compared with no biochar.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- biochar applicatione1
- Outcome
- fruit yielde0
- Direction
- increasede2
- Value
- 43.2–73.8%e0
- Comparator
- non-biochar treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fruit yield by 43.2–73.8% compared with the non-biochar treatment”
t0“tomato”
e1“The results showed that biochar application significantly decreased soil bulk density”
e2“significantly increased soil porosity by 5.5%− 10% and fruit yield by 43.2–73.8%”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar significantly affected fruit total soluble solids, soluble sugar and vitamin C.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Organ / stage
- fruitse0
- Treatment
- biochar applicatione0
- Outcome
- total soluble solids (TSS), soluble sugar (SS), and vitamin Ce0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“biochar application significantly affected the total soluble solids (TSS), soluble sugar (SS), and vitamin C of tomato fruits”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar and nitrogen increased partial factor productivity of nitrogen by 67.4% in autumn 2021.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- biochar application and N fertilizatione0
- Outcome
- PFPNe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 67.4%e0
- Qualifier
- autumn 2021e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“interaction of biochar application and N fertilization increased PFPN and WP by 67.4% and 76.3% in autumn 2021”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar and nitrogen increased water productivity by 76.3% in autumn 2021.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- biochar application and N fertilizatione0
- Outcome
- WPe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 76.3%e0
- Qualifier
- autumn 2021e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“interaction of biochar application and N fertilization increased PFPN and WP by 67.4% and 76.3% in autumn 2021”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar and nitrogen increased partial factor productivity of nitrogen by 38.1% in spring 2022.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- biochar application and N fertilizatione1
- Outcome
- PFPNe1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 38.1%e0
- Qualifier
- spring 2022e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“by 38.1% and 51.8% in spring 2022”
t0“tomato”
e1“interaction of biochar application and N fertilization increased PFPN and WP”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar and nitrogen increased water productivity by 51.8% in spring 2022.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- biochar application and N fertilizatione1
- Outcome
- WPe1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Value
- 51.8%e0
- Qualifier
- spring 2022e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“by 38.1% and 51.8% in spring 2022”
t0“tomato”
e1“interaction of biochar application and N fertilization increased PFPN and WP”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar rate and irrigation significantly affected soluble solids and soluble sugar in both seasons.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- Biochar rate and irrigation levele0
- Outcome
- TSS and SS contentse0
- Qualifier
- both seasonse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Biochar rate and irrigation level had significant effects on TSS and SS contents in both seasons”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen rate significantly affected soluble solids in autumn 2021.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- N ratee0
- Outcome
- TSSe0
- Qualifier
- autumn 2021 onlye0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“N rate significantly affected TSS in autumn 2021 only”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen rate significantly affected soluble sugar in both seasons.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- N ratee1
- Outcome
- SSe0
- Qualifier
- both seasonse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“SS in both seasons”
t0“tomato”
e1“N rate significantly affected TSS in autumn 2021 only and SS in both seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar, nitrogen and irrigation interacted significantly for fruit yield.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- biochar application, N rate and irrigation levele0
- Outcome
- fruit yielde0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“interaction of biochar application, N rate and irrigation level had significant effects on fruit yield”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar, nitrogen and irrigation rates significantly affected nitrogen productivity in both seasons.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- biochar rate, N rate, and irrigation levele0
- Outcome
- PFPNe0
- Qualifier
- both growing seasonse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“effects of biochar rate, N rate, and irrigation level on PFPN were significant in both growing seasons”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The first principal component explained 47.7% of variation in autumn 2021.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- variatione0
- Value
- 47.7%e0
- Qualifier
- autumn 2021e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PC1 accounted for 47.7% and 48%of the variation in autumn 2021 and spring 2022”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The first principal component explained 48% of variation in spring 2022.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- variatione0
- Value
- 48%e0
- Qualifier
- spring 2022e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PC1 accounted for 47.7% and 48%of the variation in autumn 2021 and spring 2022”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The second principal component explained 14.6% of variation in autumn 2021.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- PC2e0
- Value
- 14.6%e0
- Qualifier
- autumn 2021e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PC2 accounted for 14.6% and 15.6% in autumn 2021 and spring 2022”
t0“tomato”
Claim · model-written summary
The second principal component explained 15.6% of variation in spring 2022.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Outcome
- PC2e0
- Value
- 15.6%e0
- Qualifier
- spring 2022e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“PC2 accounted for 14.6% and 15.6% in autumn 2021 and spring 2022”
t0“tomato”
The same questions in other papers
biochar · yield · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Results differ
50 papers in the same direction as this paper · 5 in the opposite direction
- positive
- no effect
- no effect
52 papers more in this group
See all 56 papers →biochar · quality: sugar starch · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
10 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- positive
8 papers more in this group
See all 12 papers →fertilization · physiology: water · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
32 papers in the same direction as this paper · 8 in the opposite direction
- negative
- no effect
- no effect
37 papers more in this group
See all 41 papers →fertilization · yield · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
849 papers in the same direction as this paper · 104 in the opposite direction · 24 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- positive
- no effect
974 papers more in this group
See all 978 papers →biochar · soil: physics · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Results agree
5 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
2 papers more in this group
See all 6 papers →biochar · physiology: water · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Results agree
14 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
11 papers more in this group
See all 15 papers →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.