Carbon material as a sustainable alternative towards boosting properties of urban soil and foster plant growth

Addition of carbon-based byproducts in urban soil is gaining popularity as a plant growth stimulator, soil quality enhancer and fostering green land vegetation. A 60-day trial experiment was carried out for investigating the impacts of sugarcane, neem and bamboo mixed biochar and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) mixed plastic char (1:100, 2:100 and 4:100 char: soil ratio) on physico-chemical properties of soil and growth of Dendrocalamus strictus saplings. It was found that available phosphorus increased from 412.16 to 586.88 kg h(-1) which could be attributed to reduced metal ion activity due to increase in the soil pH (7.75-7.81) and CEC (98.07-131.04 mEq 100 g(-1)). The application of both the char enhanced the quality of soil and thereby helped in achieving higher crop yields. Both biochar and plastic char increased the soil pH, total organic carbon, available phosphorus and nitrogen in the soil. Additionally, the results showed an entirely positive influence of the chars on plant height thereby making it more suitable for the improvement of agricultural system and reducing the dependency on market-based fertilizers. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Adding carbon-based byproducts in urban soil can enhance soil quality, promote plant growth, and increase crop yields.