Prof. Ahmed Saeed Fathi Yousef Abuzaid :: Publications:

Sustainable food production is the main challenge in today’s world. Around one third of the food consumption worldwide is wasted; instead, these litters could be pyrolyzed forming biochar that can be applied to restore soil fertility. Yet, both the Egyptian soils and biochar are basic. The current study aims at investigating to what extent “elemental-S+ biochar” and “sulfuric-acid-modified biochar (SMBC)” can improve the nutritional status of maize plants and boost their growth performance under the arid conditions versus normal biochar. A non-amended control treatment was included for data comparison. Acidified and non-acidified biochars were produced from potato-straw then incorporated in a pot experiment, considering two factors: (1) acidified and non-acidified biochars (all applied at 10g kg-1 soil) and (3) elemental-sulfur applied at three rates: 0, 1 and 2 g S kg-1. All pots received compost as a source of nutrients Maize seeds were then planted in all pots for 60 days. The dry-weights of maize roots and shoots improved significantly for only SAMB treatment because this treatment decreased soil pH, consequently increased the availability of Olsen-P, S, and AB-DTPA-Zn, while reduced AB-DTPA-Fe and K-available content. Nevertheless, all biochars increased nutrient uptake by plants, with superiority for SMBC. Moreover, SMBC stimulated the transfer of K, Fe and Zn from root-to-shoot. Likewise, S-applications decreased soil pH. This, in turn, increased AB-DTPA extractable- amounts of Fe and Zn when being applied at the lower dose; yet exhibited no effect on Olsen-P and K availability. Its main mechanism was via increasing nutrient uptake by plants which boosted shoots and roots biomasses. Overall, the increases in plant biomasses were significantly correlated with increasing nutrient uptake by plants. Results also revealed that SMBC exhibited better shoot growth and higher chlorophyll content than the dual application of “non-acidified biochar+S”. In spite of that, the latter treatment exhibited higher contents of K and Zn (but not Fe) in shoots. In conclusion, application of elemental S can increase the efficiency of applied biochar to increase soil productivity; in spite of that, acidified biochar is more preferable as a fertilizer in arid soils.