In our "Black goes green" project, we are investigating the effects of Biochar on soil quality in agricultural soils in Switzerland. One positive property of biochar is that it can have a positive influence on the soil water balance due to its physical structure. For practical application, however, there is still a need for research into the extent to which soil texture and biochar interact to influence the soil water balance. The aim of this work is to investigate the effects of commercially produced biochars on the water balance with the help of cylinder samples. To this end, we will produce cylinder samples from two different types of biochar and three substrates with different textures. These samples will then be characterised in terms of pore size distribution and soil water content using a pF system and pressure pots.
Problem statement
The following steps are planned:
- Preparation of the samples
- Determination of dewatering curves (pF curves)
- Determination of water absorption and storage during cyclical
- Watering and dewatering
- Possible determination of saturated water conductivity
- Analysing the results
Accommodation and catering are supported by FiBL.
Procedure/Method
Laboratory experiments
Contact person
- Dr. Markus Steffens, markus.steffens@fibl.org
- Prof. Dr. Stephan Peth, peth@ifbk.uni-hannover.de
Processing period
immediately
Literature
- Scheffer/Schachtschabel (2010): Lehrbuch der Bodenkunde, 16. Auflage,
Spektrum Akademischer Verlag; Kapitel 6.4.2.3, S. 226 ff. - Wei, B., et al. (2023). "Drivers of biochar-mediated improvement of soil
water retention capacity based on soil texture: A meta-analysis."
Geoderma 437: 116591.
