2024, Vol. 7, Special Issue 5

author(s)
Neha Kumari, Asha Kumari Sinha, Shashi Bhushan Kumar, Bhupendra Kumar, Nargish Kumari, Satish Kumar Pandey and Chitrotpala Dehury

abstract
A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of biochar on soil organic carbon (SOC) content and its active fractions (DOC and SMBC). The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replication and seven treatments. The treatments were T₁-RDF, T₂- RDF + 1.0 ton ha^-1 biochar at the time of initiation of the project, T₃- RDF + 1.0 ton ha^-1 in every season, T₄- RDF + 2.0 ton ha^-1 biochar at the time of initiation of the project, T₅- RDF + 2.0 ton ha^-1 in every season, T₆- RDF + 3.0 ton ha^-1 biochar at the time of initiation of the project, T₇- RDF + 3.0 ton ha^-1 biochar in every season. Soil samples were air dried and analyzed for soil reaction (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), very labile carbon (VLC), labile carbon (LC), less labile carbon (LLC), recalcitrant carbon, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), oxidisable carbon, total organic carbon (TOC) and soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC). The data pertaining to soil was statistically analyzed for their level of significance. pH (5.62-5.93), EC (0.15-0.28 dSm^-1), very labile carbon (1.83-2.36 g kg^-1), labile carbon (1.16-1.49 g kg^-1), less labile carbon (0.51-0.67 g kg^-1), recalcitrant carbon (2.25-2.89 g kg^-1), dissolved organic carbon (3.0-5.0 kg^-1), oxidisable carbon (4.35-5.60 g kg^-1), total organic carbon (5.74-7.39g kg^-1) soil microbial biomass carbon (249.60-328.30 mg kg^-1).The results revealed that different forms of carbon were highest in treatments T₇ (RDF + biochar @ 3 t/ha in every season) and lowest in T₁ (RDF). Increased status of carbon forms might be due to continuous addition of high quantities of biochar i.e.21 ton ha^-1 from Rabi 2018 to Rabi 2021. Based on the present study, it may be inferred that continuous application of RDF + 3.0 ton ha^-1 of biochar in every season would be viable option for improving the different forms of organic carbon in soil.