Research progress in effects of biochar application on crop growth and synergistic mechanism of biochar with fertilizer

doi:10.13287/j.1001-9332.201703.035

Abstract

Abstract: The application of biochar made from crop straw to soil has already become a research hotspot in the field of agriculture at home and abroad, because it can increase crop production capacity with specific environmental benefits. This review summarized the progress of recent research regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of biochar on crop growth, with particular emphasis on the interactions between crop roots and biochar in soil. The biological effects of the interactions between fertilizer and biochar application and the probable mechanisms underlying the synergistic effect were discussed. The current work proposed the prospects of biochar in agriculture and would promote the relative researches in China. The recent researches indicated that auxin and related signaling molecules play a key role in the growth stimulation in response to biochar application by promoting the expression of genes controlling cell expansion, loosening of the cell wall, and membrane transport for water and nutrients. Biochar and its interaction with plant roots could directly or indirectly influence the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil, which would regulate the function and synergistic effects of biochar coupled with fertilizer.

LIU Yue, LI Zi-han, ZOU Bo, SUN Sheng-yi, GUO Jian-zeng, SUN Cai-xia. Research progress in effects of biochar application on crop growth and synergistic mechanism of biochar with fertilizer[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2017, 28(3): 1030-1038.

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