INTEGRATED USE OF BIOCHAR: A TOOL FOR IMPROVING SOIL AND WHEAT QUALITY OF DEGRADED SOIL UNDER WHEAT-MAIZE CROPPING PATTERN

Wheat quality, nutrient uptake and use efficiency is greatly affected by nutrient sources and application rate. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the integrated effect of biochar, FYM and N fertilizer on wheat tissues N content, N-uptake, quality and soil N status at Agricultural Research Farm of the University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan, during winter 2012-13 in a randomized complete block design. The treatments consisted of three levels of biochar (0, 25 and 50 t ha-1), two levels of farmyard manure (5 and 10 t ha-1) and two levels of nitrogen (75 and 150 kg ha-1). A control treatment was also included in the experiment. Biochar application significantly improved wheat leaf, stem, straw and grain N content, grain and total N-uptake, grain protein content and N use efficiency of wheat crop. Moreover, biochar application adversly affected soil total and mineral N content. Similarly, FYM application at the rate of 10 t ha-1 increased wheat leaf, stem, straw and grain N content, grain, straw and total N-uptake and grain protein content while reduced N use efficiency. However, lower level of FYM (5 t FYM ha-1 ) also improved these parameters in comparison with control. Similarly, N application at the rate of 120 kg ha-1 increased wheat leaf, stem, straw and grain N content, grain and total N-uptake, grain protein content, soil total and mineral N content. Nitrogen use efficiency was significantly reduced by increasing level of N application from 0 to 120 kg ha-1.