Development and Testing of Biochar-Based Foliar Fertilizer

Abstract

Nitrogen fertilizers are essential to improve the crop yield and meet the food demand of the growing global population. Half the world population is dependent on nitrogen fertilizers hence, they play an important role in ensuring food security. However, Nitrogen Use Efficiency is constantly declining and has been reduced to 33% globally and 23-25% in Pakistan. This is due to ineffective fertilizer application methods and management practices which cause excessive nitrogen losses to the environment such as ammonia volatilization, leaching of nitrates. Thus, this necessitates the development of innovative strategies to cope with the declining NUE by reducing nitrogen losses to prevent environmental pollution associated with fertilizer use. Foliar fertilizers are being developed and used to achieve high fertilizer use efficiency and improve agricultural yield due to their enhanced nutrient uptake efficiency. They are sprayed directly on leaves which fulfills the micronutrient deficiencies of plants and prevents excess fertilizer waste. Biochar, which is a carbon rich residue has been proved beneficial for the crops and improving their productivity. It improves the soil structure, nutrient retention process, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and leaching of nitrates to prevent contamination of air and water. This study aims to explore the benefits of biochar based foliar fertilizer to test the effectiveness of foliar applied nutrients focusing on their potential to enhance yield quality and nitrogen use efficiency.