10.57647/ijrowa-2026-17554

The Effectiveness of Biochar as a Mulch for Weed Control and Soil Moisture Retention in Strawberry Cultivation

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  • Konstantin Olegovich Ponomarev*1,
  • Arina Nikolaevna Pervushina1,
  • Alina Aleksandrovna Dryagina1,
  • Darya Sergeevna Krasnova1,
  • Roman Borisovich Tabakaev2,
  • Ilya Aleksandrovich Zhovanik1,
  • Alexander Sergeevich Petuhov1,
  • Gulnoz Akhmedovna Hisamutdinova1,
  1. Tyumen State University, 6 Volodarskogo Street, Tyumen, 625003, Russian Federation
  2. National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30 Lenin Ave, Tomsk, 634050, Russian Federation

Received: 2024-07-22

Revised: 2025-02-25

Accepted: 2025-09-16

Published in Issue 2026-03-31

Published Online: 2025-10-01

Copyright (c) -1 Konstantin Olegovich Ponomarev, Arina Nikolaevna Pervushina, Alina Aleksandrovna Dryagina, Darya Sergeevna Krasnova, Roman Borisovich Tabakaev, Ilya Aleksandrovich Zhovanik, Alexander Sergeevich Petuhov, Gulnoz Akhmedovna Khisamutdinova (Author)

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

How to Cite

Ponomarev, K. O., Pervushina, A. N., Dryagina, A. A., Krasnova, D. S., Tabakaev, R. B., Zhovanik, I. A., Petuhov, A. S., & Hisamutdinova, G. A. (2026). The Effectiveness of Biochar as a Mulch for Weed Control and Soil Moisture Retention in Strawberry Cultivation. International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.57647/ijrowa-2026-17554
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Abstract

Purpose: Weed control and soil moisture retention are critical challenges in plant cultivation requiring effective solutions. This study aims to assess the impact of biochar produced from pine nut shells as a mulch for weed composition, biomass, and soil moisture retention compared to widely used spunbond covering material in strawberry cultivation.

Method: The experiment with six weed species was conducted using a growth chamber over two months with sixteen replicates for each of the three treatments: control (no mulch), soil with a 2 cm layer of biochar mulch, and soil with spunbond.

Results: In the control treatment, six weed species germinated, whereas only five and three species were observed in the biochar and spunbond treatments, respectively. Both mulching treatments significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the height of grass weeds, stinging nettles, and shepherds’ purse, as well as the mass of dry above-ground and root biomass of shepherds’ purse, rapeseed, and stinging nettle by 52–100%. Spunbond mulch demonstrated superior soil moisture retention overall. However, during the initial three days of a simulated dry period, biochar retained 7% more water compared to spunbond (2%). The application of spunbond mulch completely suppressed the emergence of rapeseed and burdock, while both biochar and spunbond effectively controlled fennel. Both mulching treatments significantly reduced the height of grasses, stinging nettles, and shepherds’ purse by different mechanisms.

Conclusion: Biochar can be useful for reducing the weed count and increasing the water retention in the soil.

Keywords

  • Mulch,
  • Biochar,
  • Spunbond,
  • Weeds,
  • Moisture retention,
  • Plant protection
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