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The present study investigated the growth of Capsicum annuum L. (pepper) in an outdoor pot experiment. Changes in the plants’ aboveground and root biomass, leaf area, plant height, stem thickness, and yield, as a response to different doses of biochar amendments were observed. During the 12.5-week-long study, four treatments with biochar amounts of 0, 0.5%, 2.5%, and 5.0% (by weight) were added to silt loam soil. Photochemical responses of plants, the plants photochemical reflectance index (PRI) modified by the different doses of biochar were continuously monitored. Plant height and fruit yield were initially the highest for BC5.0; however, by the end of the experiment, both parameters showed higher values for BC2.5, e.g., 15.9 and 9.1% higher plant height and 32.5 and 22.6% higher fruit yield for BC2.5 and BC5.0 compared to control, respectively. By the end of the experiment the BC2.5 treatments had significantly higher stem thickness (p < 0.001) compared to all other amendments. Root dry matter in biochar treatments increased relative to controls with the highest values (54.9% increase) observed in the BC2.5 treatment. Biochar treatment increased leaf area index (LAI) values for the higher doses (1.58, 1.59, 2.03, and 1.89 for C, BC0.5, BC2.5, and BC5.0, respectively). Significant differences between control and biochar amended soils’ PRI measurements were observed (p < 0.001), showing less plant sensitivity to environmental changes when biochar was applied to the soil. While biochar amendment could greatly enhance plant growth and development, there is an optimal amount of biochar after which additional amount might not result in substantial differences, or even can result in lower fruit yield as found in the present study.
Klára Pokovai; Eszter Tóth; Ágota Horel. Growth and Photosynthetic Response of Capsicum annuum L. in Biochar Amended Soil. Applied Sciences 2020, 10, 4111 .
AMA StyleKlára Pokovai, Eszter Tóth, Ágota Horel. Growth and Photosynthetic Response of Capsicum annuum L. in Biochar Amended Soil. Applied Sciences. 2020; 10 (12):4111.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKlára Pokovai; Eszter Tóth; Ágota Horel. 2020. "Growth and Photosynthetic Response of Capsicum annuum L. in Biochar Amended Soil." Applied Sciences 10, no. 12: 4111.
Leaf Area Index (LAI) is an important plant parameter for both farmers and plant scientists to monitor and/or model the growth and the well-being of plants. Since direct LAI measurement techniques are relatively laborious and time-consuming, various indirect methods have been developed and widely used since the early 1990s. The LP-80 ceptometer uses a linear array of PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) sensors for non-destructive LAI measurements that is backed by 15 years of research. Despite this, considerable discrepancy can be found between the expert opinions regarding the optimal illumination conditions recommended for the measurement. The sensitivity of ceptometer-based LAI values to PAR was investigated, and a simple method was devised to correct raw ceptometer data collected under non-ideal light conditions. Inadequate light conditions (PAR < 1700 µmol m−2 s−1) could cause an underestimation of LAI. Using the corrected LAI values, the ceptometer data showed a significantly better fit (higher R2, smaller mean average error and closer to zero mean signed error values) to the destructive LAI data for both wheat and maize. With the help of the correction equations, the use of the LP-80 ceptometer could be extended to days when light conditions are not ideal.
Klára Pokovai; Nándor Fodor. Adjusting Ceptometer Data to Improve Leaf Area Index Measurements. Agronomy 2019, 9, 866 .
AMA StyleKlára Pokovai, Nándor Fodor. Adjusting Ceptometer Data to Improve Leaf Area Index Measurements. Agronomy. 2019; 9 (12):866.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKlára Pokovai; Nándor Fodor. 2019. "Adjusting Ceptometer Data to Improve Leaf Area Index Measurements." Agronomy 9, no. 12: 866.
Research on the use of soil enhancer materials such as biochar from soil chemical perspective still provide differing results; therefore, investigations focusing on soil-biochar-plant interactions are still necessary to constrain our understanding of complex biochar effects. The present study investigated the changes in biological nitrogen fixation rates (BNF) and overall nutrient dynamics (NO3−, NH4+, total N, K2O, and P2O5) during the growth of Capsicum annuum (pepper) in pot experiments amended with biochar made of paper fiber sludge and grain husk. Four treatments were studied with 0, 0.5%, 2.5%, and 5.0% (by weight) added biochar (BC) amount to temperate silt loam soil. Peppers were planted at 2–4 leave stages and grown for the duration of 12.5 weeks. Our results showed that total nitrogen had relatively small changes in all treatments over time compared to the dynamic changes observed in the case of inorganic nutrients. NO3−-N and NH4+-N abundances presented a continuous decrease during the course of the study after an initial increase. The pepper plant facilitated the BNF rates to triple in the control soils, while plants were in the growing phase (weeks 1–6), which further increased an additional 61% by harvesting (week 12). A high amount of biochar addition suppressed potential BNF rates of the investigated soil, indicating its potentially negative effects on soil indigenous microbial communities if added in excess. We also found a plateau in plant biomass production that after reaching an optimal (2.5%) biochar amendment in the soils, and excess biochar addition did not result in significant changes in the soils’ pH to achieve better nutrient (potassium, nitrogen, phosphorous) use or crop growth.
Ágota Horel; Györgyi Gelybó; Imre Potyó; Klára Pokovai; Zsófia Bakacsi. Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Nitrogen Fixation Rate Changes over Plant Growth in Temperate Soil. Agronomy 2019, 9, 179 .
AMA StyleÁgota Horel, Györgyi Gelybó, Imre Potyó, Klára Pokovai, Zsófia Bakacsi. Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Nitrogen Fixation Rate Changes over Plant Growth in Temperate Soil. Agronomy. 2019; 9 (4):179.
Chicago/Turabian StyleÁgota Horel; Györgyi Gelybó; Imre Potyó; Klára Pokovai; Zsófia Bakacsi. 2019. "Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Nitrogen Fixation Rate Changes over Plant Growth in Temperate Soil." Agronomy 9, no. 4: 179.