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. 2021 Aug 31;11(1):17413.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-96771-0.

Biochar and urease inhibitor mitigate NH3 and N2O emissions and improve wheat yield in a urea fertilized alkaline soil

Khadim Dawar  1 , Shah Fahad  2   3 , M M R Jahangir  4 , Iqbal Munir  5 , Syed Sartaj Alam  6 , Shah Alam Khan  7 , Ishaq Ahmad Mian  8 , Rahul Datta  9 , Shah Saud  10   11 , Jan Banout  11 , Muhammad Adnan  12 , Muhammad Nauman Ahmad  13 , Aamir Khan  8 , Raf Dewil  14 , Muhammad Habib-Ur-Rahman  15   16 , Mohammad Javed Ansari  17 , Subhan Danish  18   19
Affiliations

Biochar and urease inhibitor mitigate NH3 and N2O emissions and improve wheat yield in a urea fertilized alkaline soil

Khadim Dawar et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

In this study, we explored the role of biochar (BC) and/or urease inhibitor (UI) in mitigating ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) discharge from urea fertilized wheat cultivated fields in Pakistan (34.01°N, 71.71°E). The experiment included five treatments [control, urea (150 kg N ha-1), BC (10 Mg ha-1), urea + BC and urea + BC + UI (1 L ton-1)], which were all repeated four times and were carried out in a randomized complete block design. Urea supplementation along with BC and BC + UI reduced soil NH3 emissions by 27% and 69%, respectively, compared to sole urea application. Nitrous oxide emissions from urea fertilized plots were also reduced by 24% and 53% applying BC and BC + UI, respectively, compared to urea alone. Application of BC with urea improved the grain yield, shoot biomass, and total N uptake of wheat by 13%, 24%, and 12%, respectively, compared to urea alone. Moreover, UI further promoted biomass and grain yield, and N assimilation in wheat by 38%, 22% and 27%, respectively, over sole urea application. In conclusion, application of BC and/or UI can mitigate NH3 and N2O emissions from urea fertilized soil, improve N use efficiency (NUE) and overall crop productivity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Soil NH4+ and NO3− contents as affected by nitrogen application with and without biochar and/or urease inhibitor. Bars on means represent SE for n = 4. The arrows show time of N application.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Soil NH3 Fluxes as influenced by nitrogen application with and without biochar and/or urease inhibitor. Bars on means represent SE for n = 4. The arrows show time of N application. Where, FA (First dose application) and SA (Second dose application).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Soil N2O flux in response to nitrogen application with and without biochar and/or urease inhibitor. Bars on means represent SE for n = 4. The arrows show time of N application.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Soil (0–10 cm) temperature, moisture and precipitation throughout the growing season.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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