Effect of different types of biochar on the growth of Chinese cabbage (Brassica chinensis)

Biochar is the carbon solid produced through the pyrolysis of a biomass from organic sources such as agricultural waste, animal manure, and sludge under limited or anaerobic conditions. Biochar has the effect of reducing greenhouse gases through the carbon sequestration method; additionally, biochar is known to function as a soil amendment. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the application of biochar on the growth characteristics of Chinese cabbage at Chungnam National University in Daejeon, Korea. The Chinese cabbage was grown for 50 days in a glasshouse in pots. A pruning branch was used to produce the bead and pellet forms of biochar through pyrolysis. The biochar was added to the soil at 0, 2, and 5% by weight. The Chinese cabbage with the 2% treatment of the bead form of biochar had the highest fresh weight ($149.43{\pm}15.92g\;plant^{-1}$) which was increased by 10% compared to the control ($136.91{\pm}31.46g\;plant^{-1}$). Moreover, for the 5% treatment of the bead form of biochar ($60.91{\pm}9.82g\;plant^{-1}$), the growth decreased by 57% compared to the control. As the content of the bead form of biochar increased, the shoot dry weight, leaf number, leaf length and lead width that appeared decreased. An increase in the total organic matter, Avail. $P_2O_5$, Ex. cation and EC was observed when the biochar content was increased. Our results support the application of 2% biochar in the bead form for increased growth of Chinese cabbage.