EFFECTS OF BAMBOO BIOCHAR AMENDMENT ON THE GROWTH AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FOKIENIA HODGINSH

Biochar (BC) as a soil amendment has become an encouraging practice due to its role in enhancing soil fertility and plant growth. Measurement of plant physiological attributes has been considered a necessary approach for the evaluation of this practice. Influence of BC on growth and physiological attributes of Fokienia hodginsii remains elusive. Therefore, the present study compares the efficacy of bamboo BC amendment at different levels on the growth and physiological attributes of F. hodginsii. BC was applied to soil with four different levels as Bo (Control), BB5 (5 g kg(-1) of soil), BB20 (20 g kg(-1) of soil) and BB80 (80 g kg(-1) of soil) and seasonal variation in chlorophyll pigments and photosynthetic rate were measured by constructing the light-response curve by using the modified model of rectangular hyperbola. Moreover, biochemical attributes, final biomass and soil physiochemical properties were also compared among seedlings treated with different BC levels. The results revealed that the addition of BC at higher dose significantly increased the chlorophyll pigments, photosynthetic rate and biochemical attributes compared to Bo. Moreover, compared to Bo, amendment of BB20 and BB80 in soil increased the morphological characteristics with a maximum increase of 29% in biomass with improved NPK dynamics Overall, these findings support the idea that BC amendment into the soil can alleviate the physiological performance of these conifer seedlings by improving seedlings health with an appropriate supply of nutrients. Its addition in soil can be a promising tool for reforestation, but its impact on soil varies with BC feedstock and soil type.