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| Biochar Amendment and Mulches Techniques Reduce Soil Surface Evaporation Rate |
Gamareldawla H.D. Agbna, Mohamed M. Hassan, Mazen Ahmed, Eman O. Alageb
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Abstract:
Crop residues have value when left in the field and also when removed from the field and sold as a commodity. Soil evaporation is the main route of soil moisture loss and often exceeds precipitation in the arid and semi-arid regions. Reducing soil water evaporation is one of the benefits of leaving crop residues in place and essential to maintaining agricultural production in arid and semi-arid areas. The objective of this study was to measure the cumulative soil water evaporation with time under different treatments in a lab experiment and to determine whether biochar and mulches techniques could reduce soil evaporation in dryland areas. The effect of the mulch and two biochars on water evaporation in clayey soils under a lab system has seldom been studied. The relationship between water evaporation and biochar properties is still unknown. Thus, in the present study, cumulative water evaporation under biochar and mulch treatments at the soil surface were measured by the water balance method. Results showed that both biochar and mulch application could inhibit water evaporation in clayey soil under a lab experiment. Plastic mulch showed a better inhibition effect compared with biochar. Covering soil surface reduced the required amount of water. Furthermore, the results showed that biochar addition generally increased the soil average water content and effectively reduced soil cumulative evaporation. However, biochar addition decreased the ratio of evaporative loss. This experiment clearly demonstrates that what might otherwise be agricultural waste can be used to significantly conserve soil moisture, providing more resources for crops and reducing overall costs of production.
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