Abstract
Climate change and soil degradation threaten agricultural sustainability in arid oases, where water and nutrient limitations constrain crop production. In Tunisia, date palm residues are abundant but frequently burned despite their potential as soil amendme. This study assessed the effects of date palm waste biochar (B; 10 t ha−1), mineral fertilizers (NPK), and their combination as enriched biochar (BNPK) on soil fertility, including total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN), as well as barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) yield over two consecutive cropping seasons (2023–2024) using a randomized complete block design with three replications. During 2024, B increased TOC to 0.5% (control: 0.18%), while NPK enhanced TN to 0.037% in 2023; however, in 2024, nitrogen levels returned to values comparable to the control condition (0.017%). BNPK combined these beneficial improvements, maintained them in 2024, and resulted in a C/N ratio of 16.7 (control: 9.6), reflecting the most favorable balance between soil carbon accumulation and nitrogen retention. Grain yield increased by 21% (B), 80% (NPK), and 79% (BNPK) relative to the control (3.12 t ha−1), while BNPK reduced soluble sugars in grains (fructose 100%), glucose 86% (control: 0.09, 0.014) and increased grain nitrogen content to 1.80% (control: 0.74). Principal component analysis revealed a clear separation among treatments, with BNPK strongly associated with improved soil fertility, grain yield, and grain quality. These results demonstrate that integrating biochar with nutrient management enhances soil fertility and supports sustainable agriculture in arid oasis agroecosystems.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar raised soil total organic carbon to 0.5% in 2024 versus 0.18% in control.
- Taxon
- barley
.jpg?width=60)
Hordeum vulgaret0 - Treatment
- Be0
- Outcome
- TOCe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 0.5%e0
- Qualifier
- 2024e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“During 2024, B increased TOC to 0.5% (control: 0.18%)”
t0“Barley”
Claim · model-written summary
NPK raised soil total nitrogen to 0.037% in 2023.
- Taxon
- barleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- NPKe0
- Outcome
- TNe0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Value
- 0.037%e0
- Qualifier
- 2023e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“while NPK enhanced TN to 0.037% in 2023”
t0“Barley”
Claim · model-written summary
In 2024 nitrogen levels returned to the control value of 0.017%.
- Taxon
- barleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Outcome
- nitrogen levelse0
- Direction
- comparablee0
- Value
- 0.017%e0
- Comparator
- control conditione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in 2024, nitrogen levels returned to values comparable to the control condition (0.017%)”
t0“Barley”
Claim · model-written summary
BNPK maintained carbon and nitrogen improvements in 2024.
- Taxon
- barleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- BNPKe0
- Outcome
- beneficial improvementse0
- Direction
- maintainede0
- Qualifier
- 2024e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BNPK combined these beneficial improvements, maintained them in 2024”
t0“Barley”
Claim · model-written summary
BNPK produced a soil C/N ratio of 16.7 compared with 9.6 in control.
- Taxon
- barleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- BNPKe0
- Outcome
- C/N ratioe0
- Direction
- increaseinferrede0
- Value
- 16.7e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BNPK combined these beneficial improvements, maintained them in 2024, and resulted in a C/N ratio of 16.7 (control: 9.6)”
t0“Barley”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar increased barley grain yield by 21% relative to control.
- Taxon
- barleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- Be0
- Outcome
- Grain yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 21%e0
- Qualifier
- 3.12 t ha−1e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Grain yield increased by 21% (B), 80% (NPK), and 79% (BNPK) relative to the control (3.12 t ha−1)”
t0“Barley”
Claim · model-written summary
NPK increased barley grain yield by 80% relative to control.
- Taxon
- barleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- NPKe0
- Outcome
- Grain yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 80%e0
- Qualifier
- 3.12 t ha−1e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Grain yield increased by 21% (B), 80% (NPK), and 79% (BNPK) relative to the control (3.12 t ha−1)”
t0“Barley”
Claim · model-written summary
BNPK increased barley grain yield by 79% relative to control.
- Taxon
- barleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- BNPKe0
- Outcome
- Grain yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 79%e0
- Qualifier
- 3.12 t ha−1e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Grain yield increased by 21% (B), 80% (NPK), and 79% (BNPK) relative to the control (3.12 t ha−1)”
t0“Barley”
Claim · model-written summary
BNPK reduced grain fructose by 100%.
- Taxon
- barleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- BNPKe0
- Outcome
- fructosee0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 100%e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BNPK reduced soluble sugars in grains (fructose 100%), glucose 86% (control: 0.09, 0.014)”
t0“Barley”
Claim · model-written summary
BNPK reduced grain glucose by 86%.
- Taxon
- barleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- BNPKe0
- Outcome
- glucosee0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 86%e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BNPK reduced soluble sugars in grains (fructose 100%), glucose 86% (control: 0.09, 0.014)”
t0“Barley”
Claim · model-written summary
BNPK increased grain nitrogen content to 1.80% versus 0.74 in control.
- Taxon
- barleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- BNPKe0
- Outcome
- grain nitrogen contente0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 1.80%e0
- Qualifier
- 0.74e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BNPK reduced soluble sugars in grains (fructose 100%), glucose 86% (control: 0.09, 0.014) and increased grain nitrogen content to 1.80% (control: 0.74)”
t0“Barley”
Claim · model-written summary
Principal component analysis separated treatments, associating BNPK with improved soil fertility, grain yield, and quality.
- Taxon
- barleyHordeum vulgaret0
- Treatment
- BNPKe0
- Outcome
- soil fertility, grain yield, and grain qualitye0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Principal component analysis revealed a clear separation among treatments, with BNPK strongly associated with improved soil fertility, grain yield, and grain quality”
t0“Barley”
The same questions in other papers
boron atom · yield · Hordeum vulgare (barley)Results differ
4 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- positive
3 papers more in this group
See all 7 papers →fertilization · nutrient: content · Hordeum vulgare (barley)Positive and negative results
95 papers in the same direction as this paper · 21 in the opposite direction · 3 reporting no difference from an alternative
- negative
- no effect
- no effect
116 papers more in this group
See all 120 papers →fertilization · yield · Hordeum vulgare (barley)Positive and negative results
472 papers in the same direction as this paper · 66 in the opposite direction · 11 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- positive
- no effect
546 papers more in this group
See all 550 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.