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Results of a recent multiyear experiment conducted on an agricultural plot that was recently converted from boreal forest (Labrador, Canada) suggested that NPK fertilizers contributed to better crop establishment and higher yield but only when it was applied along with biochar. The failure of fertilizer only treatments to allow crop establishment and desirable growth and yield could be related to the deficiency of one or more micronutrients. Consequently, a missing element trial with a number of micronutrients (Mn, Cu, Zn, and Mo) was initiated on the same soil to investigate whether biochar can facilitate the availability of one or more of these micronutrients, contributing to crop growth and yields. Results show that the incorporation of chemical fertilizers with biochar produced significantly higher yields than in the absence of biochar. Furthermore, in the absence of biochar, the addition of micronutrients (i.e., Mn, Cu, Zn, and Mo) did not significantly increase yield. On the other hand, among the treatments that included biochar, the absence of a micronutrient (i.e., only three of the four micronutrients included) had either no effect (e.g., absence of Mn or Zn) or was associated with the increased yields (i.e., absence of Cu or Mo). Thus, it is proposed that while all tested micronutrients were present in the podzolic soil, with Cu and Mo possibly oversupplied, co-application with biochar enhanced both macronutrient and micronutrient utilization by plants. The data on the availability of micronutrients in the soil, their concentration in plants, and total uptake also support this conclusion. Thus, biochar facilitates the plant uptake of both naturally occurring and added micronutrients, and associated crop productivity, in a podzolic soil typical for lands converted from forest to agricultural use in the boreal ecoregion of Labrador. These results also challenge the view that micronutrients must always be added to Podzols to achieve maximum productivity; biochar-mediated micronutrient plant uptake deserves consideration when managing Podzols.

This study calculates the economic feasibility of converting biomass from black spruce forests into biochar and using it as soil amendment to grow potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) and beets (Beta vulgaris L.) to improve food availability in one of Canada's most consistently food insecure provinces. The trees were clear cut for the construction of the controversial Muskrat Falls hydroelectric dam and have been left to decay due to a lack of economically feasible processing options. A stochastic analysis conducted on a biochar production budget of a slow pyrolysis mobile biochar unit reveals fixed and variable cost estimates of $505.14 Mg−1 and $499.13 Mg−1, respectively. Applying the biochar as a soil amendment for local beet or potato production makes the biochar venture profitable. Beet field trial data from the study region using 10 t C biochar application rates increases beet yield from 2.9 Mg/ha to 11.4 Mg/ha with a midline increase of 5.59 Mg/ha. A stochastic analysis with variable prices and yields shows a 0.99 probability of biochar production being profitable when applied to beets at the midline production rate, with an average annualized net return over variable costs of $4,953 ha−1, and maximum annualized net return of $11,288 ha−1, over variable costs. Potato production yields average annualized net returns of $965.48 ha−1 over variable costs, but with much more downside risk, considering the minimum annualized net return of −$318.82 ha−1 over variable costs. Biochar application covers average total costs for beets but not potatoes. Using biochar from forest biomass as a soil amendment presents an opportunity to create a local market for biochar in a remote area of Canada, where biochar may be used as an experimental soil amendment to improve food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluates the impact of aresenic-contaminated irrigation water on the growth and uptake of arsenic into rice grain, husk, straw and root.