Effects of Various Irrigation Levels and Biochar-Based Fertilizers on Peanut Production

Abstract

Biochar-based fertilizers, customized to specific soil conditions, have piqued public attention to enhance soil quality and carbon sequestration. The incorporation of biochar into agricultural fields can become a primary factor in the preservation of soil productivity and fertility. However, there is still no conclusive experimental evidence to support this claim. In this study, a split-plot experiment was carried out according to a randomized complete block design (RCBD) using three replications to evaluate the influence of irrigation and varied amounts of biochar-based fertilizer on peanut plants' yield to determine the water use efficiency (WUE). The primary treatment with different irrigation cycles and no irrigation, and the sub-treatment with biochar-based fertilizer of 50, 100, and 150 kg N ha-1 and no fertilizer, were performed in Sulaymaniyah which is located in the east of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The results revealed that the seven-day irrigation cycle produces the largest pods and seeds, with 4325 and 2435 kg ha-1 yields, respectively. The 100 kg ha-1 biochar-based fertilizer yielded the highest output, with a pod yield of 3652 kg ha-1 and a seed yield of 1921 kg ha-1. According to the results of the interaction between irrigation management and biochar-based fertilizer, the irrigation treatment had a maximum seed yield of seven-day and the fertilizer treatment had a maximum seed output of 100 kg N ha-1 with an average of 3462 kg ha-1. The variance analysis results indicate that water use efficiency in irrigation management, different levels of biochar-based fertilizer, and their combined effect on total biomass, seed, and pods were significant.

Keywords

• fertilizer management
• harvest index
• irrigation management
• peanut
• water use efficiency