Abstract
Soil degradation and water stress in Costa Rica challenge the production of highly sensitive crops. This work is aimed at evaluating the physical and chemical changes in sandy loam (SL) and a silt loam (SiL) soil when amended with bamboo biochar while estimating the enhancement of tomato productivity. Biochar, obtained from Guadua Angustifolia bamboo feedstock, was mixed into sieved bulk soil substrate from the topsoil, from Andosol and Umbrisol groups, at application rates of 1, 2.5, and 5% (dry mass). Physicochemical and morphological properties of biochar such as pH, hydrophobicity, scanning electron microscopy images, helium picnometry, specific surface area by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, CHNS, and ash content were determined. Soil hydrophobicity, acidity, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity and water retention, available water content, and air capacity were analyzed for the amended soils. Tomato yield was quantified after a harvest period of two months. The admixture of biochar did not significantly increase soil cation exchange capacity but increased water retention in the range of available water content. Class A (>200 g) tomato yield increased 350% in the SL and 151% in the SiL. Class B (100–200 g) tomato yields increased 27% in the SL but decreased about 30% in the SiL. Tomato yield response seems attributable to variation of water retention capacity, available water content, and air capacity. These results support the use of adapted water management strategies for tomato production based on soil physical changes of biochar.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar did not significantly increase soil cation exchange capacity.
- Taxon
- tomato
Solanum lycopersicume1 - Treatment
- biochare0
- Outcome
- soil cation exchange capacitye0
- Direction
- did not significantly increasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The admixture of biochar did not significantly increase soil cation exchange capacity”
e1“enhancement of tomato productivity”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar increased soil water retention within available water content.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume2
- Treatment
- biochare1
- Outcome
- water retentione0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increased water retention in the range of available water content”
e1“The admixture of biochar did not significantly increase soil cation exchange capacity”
e2“enhancement of tomato productivity”
Claim · model-written summary
Class A tomato yield increased 350% in sandy loam.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- biochare1
- Outcome
- Class A (>200 g) tomato yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 350%e0
- Setting
- SLe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Class A (>200 g) tomato yield increased 350% in the SL and 151% in the SiL”
e1“The admixture of biochar”
Claim · model-written summary
Class A tomato yield increased 151% in silt loam.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- biochare1
- Outcome
- Class A (>200 g) tomato yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 151%e0
- Setting
- SiLe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Class A (>200 g) tomato yield increased 350% in the SL and 151% in the SiL”
e1“The admixture of biochar”
Claim · model-written summary
Class B tomato yield increased 27% in sandy loam.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- biochare1
- Outcome
- Class B (100–200 g) tomato yieldse0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 27%e0
- Setting
- SLe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Class B (100–200 g) tomato yields increased 27% in the SL but decreased about 30% in the SiL”
e1“The admixture of biochar”
Claim · model-written summary
Class B tomato yield decreased about 30% in silt loam.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- biochare1
- Outcome
- Class B (100–200 g) tomato yieldse0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- about 30%e0
- Setting
- SiLe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Class B (100–200 g) tomato yields increased 27% in the SL but decreased about 30% in the SiL”
e1“The admixture of biochar”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attribute tomato yield response to water retention, available water and air capacity.
- Taxon
- TomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Outcome
- yield responsee0
- Qualifier
- variation of water retention capacity, available water content, and air capacitye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Tomato yield response seems attributable to variation of water retention capacity, available water content, and air capacity”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend adapted water management based on biochar induced soil physical changes.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Outcome
- use of adapted water management strategiese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“use of adapted water management strategies for tomato production based on soil physical changes of biochar”
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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.