Optimizing biochar application for enhanced cotton and sugar beet production in Xinjiang: a comprehensive study

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Soil Science
• Agronomy

Background:

• Optimizing biochar application is crucial for enhancing crop production and promoting sustainable agriculture.
• A 3-year field experiment investigated the effects of varying biochar application rates (BAR) on crop growth, quality, productivity, and yield.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the optimal biochar application rate (BAR) for improving cotton and sugar beet cultivation.
• To evaluate the impact of different BARs on crop growth, quality, productivity, and yield over three years.

Main Methods:

• Field experiment with varying biochar application rates (0-100 t ha⁻¹).
• Evaluation of crop growth, quality, and yield using methods including dynamic technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution with entropy weighted method (DTOPSIS-EW), principal component analysis (PCA), membership function analysis (MFA), and gray relation analysis (GRA).
• Analysis of key parameters: biomass, plant height, leaf area index (LAI), water and fertility productivities, yield, salt absorption, and sugar content.

Main Results:

• Low-dose biochar application (≤25 t ha⁻¹ for cotton, ≤50 t ha⁻¹ for sugar beet) significantly increased biomass, plant height, LAI, productivities, and yield.
• Biochar application enhanced sugar beet salt absorption (116.45%) and sugar content (20.35%), with no significant effect on cotton fiber quality.
• The 10 t ha⁻¹ BAR consistently yielded the highest scores and proved most economically viable, with GRA identified as the most appropriate assessment method.

Conclusions:

• Continuous application of 10 t ha⁻¹ biochar is the optimal strategy for enhancing cotton and sugar beet cultivation in Xinjiang, China.
• This approach improves crop productivity and economic viability, contributing to sustainable agricultural practices.