Effect of Different Types of Sugarcane Bagasse Biochar on Soil Enzymatic Activities under Spinach Crop Grown in an Experimentally Fluoride Contaminated Soil

Aims: To elucidate the impacts of fluorine contamination in soil at various levels on soil enzymatic activities, as well as the effects of adding biochar made from sugarcane bagasse and modified with alum and phosphoric acid to the substrate to reduce the deleterious effects of fluorine.

Study Design: The pot experiment was carried under factorial CRD (complete randomized design).

Place and Duration of Study: The pot experiment followed by laboratory analysis was conducted in the Net house of Centre for Environment Assessment & Climate Change, G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan environment, Kosi-Katarmal, Almora (UK), India during Rabi season (January to March) 2022.

Methodology: The present study was undertaken with 2 levels of fluoride (Factor A) and 3 levels of each three types of biochar viz. non activated biochar, phosphoric acid activated biochar and alum treated biochar with a control (no biochar) i.e. 10 treatments of biochar (Factor B). The combination of Factor A and Factor B comprises 20 treatment combinations with three replicates. The soil enzymes such as urease, dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase, were examined in the postharvest soil sample.

Results: The outcomes demonstrated that the soil enzymatic activity of post-harvest soil under spinach crop was greatly improved with the application of fluoride in case of soil dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase except soil urease. Application of alum modified biochar and phosphoric acid modified biochars at different application rates significantly all the 4 studied soil enzymatic activities. Compared to the control, PAMB40 increases the urease, dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase by 32.71, 58.83, 142.60 and 31.10%, respectively.

Conclusion: This study suggested that biochar treated with phosphoric acid and alum might be utilised as a long term improvement to enhance quality of soil, the importance of which would be vital for agriculture.