TY - JOUR
T1 - Biochar's dual impact on soil acidity management and crop yield enhancement in acidic soils
T2 - a meta-analysis
AU - Zhang, Weina
AU - Pang, Jiayin
AU - Qi, Junfeng
AU - Lu, Yang
AU - Liu, Junhe
AU - Yu, Mingfu
AU - Li, Haigang
AU - Wang, Enli
AU - Lambers, Hans
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.
PY - 2025/5/16
Y1 - 2025/5/16
N2 - Background and aims: Biochar is a promising and widely used soil amendment to alleviate soil acidification and improve crop productivity. Quantitative analysis of the impact of biochar application on soil pH and crop yield can help promote its optimal utilization. Methods: We compiled 286 peer-reviewed articles, i.e., 224 articles on yield, 188 articles on soil pH to investigate the impact of biochar application on crop yield, soil pH and other physicochemical properties in acidic soils. Results: Application of biochar significantly increased soil pH and yield by 7% and 21%, respectively. The increase in soil pH exhibited a positive correlation with crop yield, and relationship varied among crop type. The most significant increase in soil pH and crop yield following biochar application was observed in strongly acidic soils (pH < 4.5) characterized by low CEC, < 5 cmol kg−1, and low soil OM content, < 6 g kg−1. Among soil physicochemical properties, biochar application had no significant impact on soil OM, increased soil CEC and CS by 27% and 23%, respectively, while reduced soil BD by 9%. Tropical region demonstrated the most significant increases in soil pH 9% and crop yield 35% following biochar application. Conclusion: Considering the implications of biochar on soil pH, soil properties, and crop yield, the incorporation of wood-derived biochar pyrolyzed at temperatures < 500 °C appears to be most suitable for acidic soils, particularly those with an initial pH < 4.5. Our findings can aid in optimizing management strategies for biochar application on acidic soils.
AB - Background and aims: Biochar is a promising and widely used soil amendment to alleviate soil acidification and improve crop productivity. Quantitative analysis of the impact of biochar application on soil pH and crop yield can help promote its optimal utilization. Methods: We compiled 286 peer-reviewed articles, i.e., 224 articles on yield, 188 articles on soil pH to investigate the impact of biochar application on crop yield, soil pH and other physicochemical properties in acidic soils. Results: Application of biochar significantly increased soil pH and yield by 7% and 21%, respectively. The increase in soil pH exhibited a positive correlation with crop yield, and relationship varied among crop type. The most significant increase in soil pH and crop yield following biochar application was observed in strongly acidic soils (pH < 4.5) characterized by low CEC, < 5 cmol kg−1, and low soil OM content, < 6 g kg−1. Among soil physicochemical properties, biochar application had no significant impact on soil OM, increased soil CEC and CS by 27% and 23%, respectively, while reduced soil BD by 9%. Tropical region demonstrated the most significant increases in soil pH 9% and crop yield 35% following biochar application. Conclusion: Considering the implications of biochar on soil pH, soil properties, and crop yield, the incorporation of wood-derived biochar pyrolyzed at temperatures < 500 °C appears to be most suitable for acidic soils, particularly those with an initial pH < 4.5. Our findings can aid in optimizing management strategies for biochar application on acidic soils.
KW - Amendment
KW - Biochar
KW - Cropland
KW - Meta-analysis
KW - Soil acidification
KW - Soil pH
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105005110417&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11104-025-07490-8
DO - 10.1007/s11104-025-07490-8
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105005110417
SN - 0032-079X
JO - Plant and Soil
JF - Plant and Soil
ER -