Abstract
Hydrothermal carbonization allows rapid conversion of biomass into a carbon-rich, lignite-like product (hydrochar). It is assumed to have beneficial effects on soil properties and plant growth, but detailed studies are lacking, especially in the field. The objective of our study was to investigate the effect of hydrochar incorporated into arable soils on soil mineral nitrogen (N) content and sugar beet growth. In 2010-2011, a field and a pot trial were conducted. Hydrochars (field: 10 Mg ha; pot: equivalent to 30 Mg ha) processed from sugar beet pulp (HSP) and beer draff (HBD) were tested against an untreated control. As a second factor, mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer level (field: 0, 50, 100, 150 kg N ha; pot: 0, 100, 200 mg N kg soil) was varied. In both trials, hydrochars reduced initial sugar beet growth, especially when hydrochar with a high C/N ratio (38, HSP) was combined with a low N fertilizer level; high N supply partly compensated for the reduced seedling growth. Without N fertilization, no extractable N was present at the end of the pot trial in the HSP treatment, whereas in HBD even more N was extracted than in the control. This suggests remineralization of previously immobilized N when hydrochar with a low C/N ratio was applied (16, HBD). In the field, beet yield was equal at the high N fertilizer level in HSP and at all N levels in HBD treatment. Our results suggest that hydrochar can decrease plant-available N due to N immobilization. Other potential causes for the observed early growth reduction need to be studied more in detail.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Hydrochars reduced initial sugar beet growth in both trials.
- Taxon
- sugar beet
Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgarise0 - Treatment
- hydrocharse0
- Outcome
- initial sugar beet growthe0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In both trials, hydrochars reduced initial sugar beet growth”
Claim · model-written summary
Growth reduction was greatest for high C/N hydrochar with low nitrogen fertilizer.
- Taxon
- Sugar BeetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Treatment
- hydrochar with a high C/N ratio (38, HSP)e0
- Outcome
- sugar beet growthe0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- low N fertilizer levele0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In both trials, hydrochars reduced initial sugar beet growth, especially when hydrochar with a high C/N ratio (38, HSP) was combined with a low N fertilizer level”
t0“Sugar Beet”
Claim · model-written summary
High nitrogen supply partly compensated for reduced seedling growth.
- Taxon
- Sugar BeetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Treatment
- high N supplye0
- Outcome
- seedling growthe0
- Direction
- partly compensatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“high N supply partly compensated for the reduced seedling growth”
t0“Sugar Beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Without nitrogen fertilizer, no extractable nitrogen remained at pot trial end under HSP.
- Taxon
- Sugar BeetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Treatment
- HSP treatmente0
- Outcome
- extractable Ne0
- Direction
- no extractable Ne0
- Qualifier
- Without N fertilizatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Without N fertilization, no extractable N was present at the end of the pot trial in the HSP treatment”
t0“Sugar Beet”
Claim · model-written summary
HBD had more extractable nitrogen than control without nitrogen fertilizer.
- Taxon
- Sugar BeetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Treatment
- HBDe0
- Outcome
- N was extractede0
- Direction
- moree0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“whereas in HBD even more N was extracted than in the control”
t0“Sugar Beet”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors interpret HBD as allowing remineralization of immobilized nitrogen.
- Taxon
- Sugar BeetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Treatment
- hydrochar with a low C/N ratioe0
- Outcome
- remineralization of previously immobilized Ne0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“This suggests remineralization of previously immobilized N when hydrochar with a low C/N ratio was applied (16, HBD)”
t0“Sugar Beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Field beet yield under HSP equaled the comparison at high nitrogen fertilizer.
- Taxon
- Sugar BeetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Treatment
- HSPe0
- Outcome
- beet yielde0
- Direction
- equale0
- Qualifier
- high N fertilizer levele0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In the field, beet yield was equal at the high N fertilizer level in HSP”
t0“Sugar Beet”
Claim · model-written summary
Field beet yield under HBD equaled the comparison at all nitrogen levels.
- Taxon
- Sugar BeetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Treatment
- HBD treatmente0
- Outcome
- beet yielde0
- Direction
- equale0
- Qualifier
- all N levelse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In the field, beet yield was equal at the high N fertilizer level in HSP and at all N levels in HBD treatment”
t0“Sugar Beet”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest hydrochar can reduce plant-available nitrogen through immobilization.
- Taxon
- Sugar BeetBeta vulgaris subsp. vulgarist0
- Treatment
- hydrochare0
- Outcome
- plant-available Ne0
- Qualifier
- N immobilizatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“hydrochar can decrease plant-available N due to N immobilization”
t0“Sugar Beet”
The same questions in other papers
nitrogen · growth · Beta vulgaris (beet)Positive and negative results
96 papers in the same direction as this paper · 11 in the opposite direction
- negative
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