Abstract
Abstract Drought is the greatest abiotic cause of soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yield loss in rainfed systems in the United States. Preplant incorporation of powdery biochar to soil cultivated with soybean in these water‐stressed regions presents the potential to increase volumetric soil water content (VSWC) between rainfall events and ameliorate the impact of intermittent water stress. However, VSWC and the above‐ and belowground response of soybean to biochar amendment are not well understood. This 2‐yr field study (2014–2015) evaluated the effectiveness of incorporating powdery (325 μm) biochar to 0.2‐m soil depth to increase soil water storage in a coarse‐textured soil in the southeastern United States. Soybean yield, aboveground biomass accumulation, root morphology, and VSWC in the soil profile to 1‐m depth were assessed under three biochar rates (0, 2.5, and 10 Mg ha –1 ) and two water treatments (rainfed and irrigated). In 2014, application of 10 Mg biochar ha –1 increased the cumulative soil water storage in the top 1‐m soil depth. Biochar application did not affect soybean yield or root morphology. Biochar only elicited changes in fresh weight of pods during reproductive stages, which indicates biochar's limited benefit to the water status of this shoot component. Irrigation increased yield by 28% compared with the rainfed treatment. Our study provides evidence that field application of biochar to soybean may be a sustainable practice to sequester recalcitrant C in the soil when biochar is available to producers, but its benefits on protecting soybean yield from water stress might depend on other factors such as soil texture, rainfall amount, and frequency.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
At 10 Mg biochar per hectare, cumulative soil water storage increased in 2014.
- Taxon
- soybean
Glycine maxt0 - Treatment
- 10 Mg biochar ha –1e0
- Outcome
- cumulative soil water storagee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- 0e0
- Setting
- top 1‐m soil depthe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In 2014, application of 10 Mg biochar ha –1 increased the cumulative soil water storage in the top 1‐m soil depth.”
t0“soybean”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar did not affect soybean yield.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe0
- Treatment
- Biochar applicatione0
- Outcome
- soybean yielde0
- Direction
- did not affecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Biochar application did not affect soybean yield or root morphology.”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar did not affect soybean root morphology.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe0
- Treatment
- Biochar applicatione0
- Outcome
- root morphologye0
- Direction
- did not affecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Biochar application did not affect soybean yield or root morphology.”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar changed pod fresh weight during reproductive stages.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxt0
- Organ / stage
- reproductive stagese0
- Treatment
- Biochare0
- Outcome
- fresh weight of podse0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Biochar only elicited changes in fresh weight of pods during reproductive stages”
t0“soybean”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation increased soybean yield by 28% relative to rainfed treatment.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxt0
- Treatment
- Irrigatione0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 28%e0
- Comparator
- rainfed treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Irrigation increased yield by 28% compared with the rainfed treatment.”
t0“soybean”
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