10.57647/ijrowa-2026-17419

Application of biochar and impacts on corn (Zea Mays L.) agronomic development and nutrient availability in soil under tropical climate

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  • Juan Manuel Trujillo-González1,
  • Juan David Mahecha-Pulido1,
  • Andrea Maritza Astroz-Cano1,
  • Marco Aurelio Torres-Mora1,
  • Amanda Silva-Parra2,
  • Marlon Serrano-Gómez3,
  • Edgar Fernando Castillo-Monroy3,
  • Francisco J. García-Navarro4,
  • Raimundo Jiménez-Ballesta*5,
  1. Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales de la Orinoquia Colombiana ICAOC, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad de los Llanos, Campus Barcelona Villavicencio, Colombia
  2. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Recursos Naturales, Grupo de Investigación Innovación en Sistemas Agrícolas y Forestales, Universidad de los Llanos, Villavicencio, Colombia
  3. Centro de Innovación y Tecnología Instituto Colombiano del Petróleo (ICP), Ecopetrol S.A., Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia
  4. High Technical School of Agricultural Engineers of Ciudad Real, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla-La Mancha, Madrid, Spain
  5. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Application of biochar and impacts on corn (Zea Mays L.) agronomic development and nutrient availability in soil under tropical climate

Received: 2025-04-07

Revised: 2025-06-21

Accepted: 2025-07-30

Published in Issue 2025-09-01

Copyright (c) -1 Juan Manuel Trujillo-González, Juan David Mahecha-Pulido, Andrea Maritza Astroz-Cano, Marco Aurelio Torres-Mora, Amanda Silva-Parra, Marlon Serrano-Gómez, Edgar Fernando Castillo-Monroy, Francisco J. García-Navarro, Raimundo Jiménez-Ballesta (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Trujillo-González, J. M., Mahecha-Pulido, J. D., Astroz-Cano, A. M., Torres-Mora, M. A., Silva-Parra, A., Serrano-Gómez, M., Castillo-Monroy, E. F., García-Navarro, F. J., & Jiménez-Ballesta, R. (2025). Application of biochar and impacts on corn (Zea Mays L.) agronomic development and nutrient availability in soil under tropical climate. International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture. https://doi.org/10.57647/ijrowa-2026-17419
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Abstract

Purpose: Soil amendments such as biochar, a by-product of renewable energy production from organic waste, have the potential to improve crop yields by increasing water-holding capacity and soil nutrient content. However, data on the impact of biochar on corn and tropical environments are rare. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of biochar produced from coffee residues on maize (Zea mays L.) in acid soils exposed to a tropical climate.

Method: A field experiment quantifying maize growth was conducted in a randomised complete block design with four replications. Acid soils were amended with four biochar rates (0%, 1%, 2% and 10% by volume). After maize harvest, soil was collected and soil properties, phenological and performance variables were measured. 

Results: The physico-chemical effects of the biochar applied to the soil showed that acidic soils changed to neutral or moderately acidic soils. Water holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, organic carbon, phosphorus and potassium contents increased significantly.

Conclusion: Our results show that biochar has positive effects on soil properties and plant growth, suggesting that biochar as a soil amendment has the potential to improve the quality of poor soils and nutrient availability. These results could theoretically support the idea of applying biochar to soils to increase nutrient stocks, reduce nutrient leaching and improve crop yields.

Highlights

·       Coffee residue biochar enhances corn growth and phenology.

·       Biochar increased soil water holding, cation exchange, organic C, P, and K.

·       Biochar increased maize yield and partial nutrient productivity.

·       Biochar is effective for corn seedling growth without irrigation or N fertilizer.

·       Equatorial acidic soils benefit from biochar amendment.

Keywords

  • Biochar,
  • Corn crops,
  • Physico-chemical properties,
  • Plant growth,
  • Recycling,
  • Tropical environment
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