Abstract: |
Drought is one of the major threats to global food security. Biochar use in agriculture has
received much attention and improving it through chemical modification offers a potential approach
for enhancing crop productivity. There is still limited knowledge on how acidified biochar influences
soil properties, and consequently its influences on the agricultural productivity of drought stressed
plants. The water use efficiency (I-WUE) of drought stressed faba beans was investigated through
the effects of acidified biochar (ACBio) (a 3:100 (w:w) combination of citric acid and biochar) on soil
properties, growth, productivity, nutrient uptake, water productivity (WP), and irrigation. Two field
experiments (2016/2017 and 2017/2018) were conducted in saline soil (ECe, 7.2 dS m1) on faba
been plants grown under three irrigation regimes (i.e., 100, 80, and 60% of crop evapotranspiration
(ETc)) combined with three levels of ACBio (0, 5, and 10 t ha1). Plants exposed to water stress
presented a significant decrease in plant height, dry matter, leave area, chlorophyll content (SPAD),
the quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm, Fv/F0, and PI), water status (membrane stability
index and relative water content), and seed yield. Acidified biochar soil incorporation improved
soil properties (chemical and physical), plant growth, physiological responses, WP, I-WUE, and
contents of N, P, K, and Ca. Results revealed that the application of ACBio at 10 t ha1 and 5 t ha1
significantly increased seed yield by 38.7 and 25.8%, respectively, compared to the control. Therefore,
ACBio incorporation may find application in the future as a potential soil amendment for improving
growth and productivity of faba bean plants under deficit irrigation
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