Abstract
Soils in the semi-arid regions such as north-eastern South Africa, where chickpea was recently introduced, are commonly characterized by poor fertility and low pH. Preliminary studies show that the crop has a huge potential in the region, but lack of nodulation has consistently been a problem. We assessed the response of soil pH and nodulation of three chickpea genotypes (ACC #4, ACC #5, and ACC #6) to biochar application (0, 10, and 20 t ha−1) and rhizobium inoculation (inoculated and uninoculated) in Thohoyandou (clay soil) and Nelspruit (loamy sand soil), South Africa in 2015 and 2016. Nodulation was assessed at flowering by determining the number of nodules per plant and nodule dry weight, and soil pH was analyzed after harvest in both seasons. Biochar increased pH by 0.7 (clay soils) and 0.7–0.8 (the more acidic loamy sand soils) pH units. Similarly, biochar increased nodulation in inoculated treatments in both locations and seasons, and this was mainly associated with the effect of biochar on soil pH. The increase in nodulation with inoculation varied amongst the genotypes. Clearly biochar and rhizobium inoculation may be crucial for improving soil pH and nodulation in chickpea cropping systems characterized by poor soils.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar raised pH of clay soil by 0.7 units.
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“Biochar increased pH by 0.7 (clay soils)”
t0“Chickpea”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar raised pH of more acidic loamy sand by 0.7–0.8 units.
- Treatment
- Biochare0
- Outcome
- pHe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 0.7–0.8e0
- Setting
- the more acidic loamy sand soilse0
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Verbatim
e0“Biochar increased pH by 0.7 (clay soils) and 0.7–0.8 (the more acidic loamy sand soils) pH units.”
t0“Chickpea”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar increased chickpea nodulation in inoculated treatments at both locations and in both seasons.
- Treatment
- biochare0
- Outcome
- nodulatione0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- inoculated treatments in both locations and seasonse0
Not reportedTaxonInteractorInteractor roleComparator
Verbatim
e0“biochar increased nodulation in inoculated treatments in both locations and seasons”
t0“Chickpea”
e1“biochar application (0, 10, and 20 t ha−1) and rhizobium inoculation”
Claim · model-written summary
The biochar-associated nodulation increase was mainly associated with biochar effects on soil pH.
- Taxon
- Chickpea
Cicer arietinumt0 - Treatment
- biochare0
- Outcome
- nodulatione1
- Qualifier
- effect of biochar on soil pHe0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“this was mainly associated with the effect of biochar on soil pH”
t0“Chickpea”
e1“biochar increased nodulation in inoculated treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
The nodulation increase with inoculation varied among chickpea genotypes.
Not reportedTaxonInteractorInteractor role
Verbatim
e0“The increase in nodulation with inoculation varied amongst the genotypes.”
t0“Chickpea”
e1“biochar application (0, 10, and 20 t ha−1) and rhizobium inoculation”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest biochar and rhizobium inoculation to improve soil pH and nodulation in poor chickpea soils.
- Taxon
- chickpeaCicer arietinume0
- Treatment
- biochar and rhizobium inoculatione0
- Outcome
- improving soil pH and nodulatione0
- Qualifier
- poor soilse0
RhizobiumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Clearly biochar and rhizobium inoculation may be crucial for improving soil pH and nodulation in chickpea cropping systems characterized by poor soils.”
The same questions in other papers
biochar · symbiosis · Cicer arietinum (chickpea)Results agree
3 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
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.