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5 August 2022 Biochar–compost mixture and cover crop effects on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics, yield, and fruit quality in an irrigated vineyard
Mehdi Sharifi, Monireh Hajiaghaei-Kamrani
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Abstract

Effects of biochar–compost (B+Com) mixture and cover crop were assessed on soil and grapevine productivity in an irrigated Merlot (Vitis vinifera L.) vineyard in Okanagan Valley, British Columbia (BC), Canada, from 2017 to 2020. The experimental design was a factorial arrangement of control, B+Com, cover crop, and combination of cover crop and B+Com (cover crop/B+Com) treatments in alleys with four replications. The B+Com comprised a 1:1 ratio of biochar and compost and was applied at a rate of 22 Mg ha−1 dry weight basis in May 2017 and 2019. The cover crop consisted of a dryland forage mixture and bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.). B+Com treatment did not affect cover crop biomass or tissue C and N concentrations except for a 12% reduction in 2019 biomass. B+Com and cover crop/B+Com increased soil C content averaged across sampling dates by 11% and 17% (P < 0.05), respectively, only at the 0–15 cm soil depth compared with the control. Cover crop treatment did not affect (P < 0.05) soil C content at two soil depths in all sampling dates. Soil N content was not affected by B+Com, decreased by an average of 12.5% at both soil depths with cover crop, and increased with cover crop/B+Com by 4% only at the 0–15 cm soil depth averaged across sampling dates (P < 0.05). Grape yield was increased by 32% by cover crop/B+Com relative to control only in 2020. The cover crop reduced petiole N and pruning weights in one or two years out of three.

© 2022 Author Hajiaghaei Kamrani and © Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
Mehdi Sharifi and Monireh Hajiaghaei-Kamrani "Biochar–compost mixture and cover crop effects on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics, yield, and fruit quality in an irrigated vineyard," Canadian Journal of Soil Science 103(1), 200-212, (5 August 2022). https://doi.org/10.1139/cjss-2021-0147
Received: 6 October 2021; Accepted: 16 July 2022; Published: 5 August 2022
KEYWORDS
Biochar
biocharbon
carbon sequestration
fruit quality
qualité du fruit
rendement
séquestration du carbone
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