Peer Review Characterization of biochar combination with organic fertilizer: the effects on physical properties of some soil types

Variability of biochar, organic fertilizer as well as soil type characteristics may causes different physical properties of the soil. The research aims to examine the characteristics of biochar and organic fertilizer on the physical properties of some soil in dry land in Malang Regency. Incubation was conducted in greenhouses using three types of infertile soils and low productivity consists of lithosol, mediteran (clay) and regosol (sandy-loam). Twelve different treatments contain biochar (from rice husk, corncob and crook-cigarette industry byproduct), and organic fertilizer (single or combination of compost or dung) include controls was examined. Biochar-organic fertilizer mixed with soil (3.85 kg) at 150 g pot-1 (single) and 75 g pot-1 (combination) incubated at 70-80% field capacity. The physical properties of the soil were observed after 98 days incubation. The results showed that combination of biochar-organic fertilizer may greatly improve physical properties of soil. Corncob biochar - dung in litosol increase porosity (14%) and macro pore (21-24%). Crooked biochar - compost increased porosity (21%) and macro pore (64%) in mediteran but decreases micro pore (25.4%) from 28.3% to 21.1%. Crooked biochar could decrease meso pit of lithosol (56%) from 11.5% to 5.0%. Meso pores decreased respectively at 33% and 49% which is from 17.4% to 11.7% (corncob biochar) and 8.7% (rice husk biochar) in mediteran. Micro pore reduced 12% by combination of husk biochar – dung as well as corncob biochar – compost in lithosol. Biochar-dung in regosol could increase meso pores 28.4%) from 9.6% to 13.4%, but the macro pore decreased 21%