Rhizobia are frequently used in the agriculture sector to enhance legume growth and improve soil fertility. There is growing interest in utilizing biological nitrogen fixation as a means of increasing the potential for sustainable intensification of food production whilst simultaneously reducing environmental damage caused by overuse of chemical fertilisers. Biochar, a recalcitrant carbon-rich product of pyrolysis which may be added to soil as a fertilizer or as a soil improver, alters soil physico-chemical properties usually by acting as a liming agent, by increasing water holding capacity or by modifying cation exchange capacity. The effects of biochar on the soil microbial community are not fully understood. Therefore, the main aim of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of biochar on the Rhizobium-legume relationship and determine whether biochar could increase legume growth. To achieve this aim, a series of growth experiments were carried out under controlled conditions .....

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An experiment was carried out to determine the synergistic effects of biochar and peat moss on growth and soil-plant interaction of choy sam. It was implemented at the Soil Science Laboratory, Sultan Idris Education University. The plants were treated with different amount of biochar (0g and 20g) and peat moss (0g and 20g). Parameters of the sample such as root and shoot length, plant biomass, soil pH and soil moisture content were analysed after 44 days of transplanting. Total of experimental units were 20 pots. The experimental design used in this experiment was Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD). Data were analysed by using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) (SAS University Edition) and means were compared using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) with significance level (P ). Results in the experiment showed that soil amendment with biochar and peat moss applications did not affect any growth parameter studied such as root and shoot length, plant biomass, soil pH and soil moisture.....

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A study was conducted to determine the effects of phosphate solubilizers and biochar on growth and yield of tomato plants. For this purpose, a 4×3 factorial experiment based on Completely Randomized Block Design (RCBD) with 4 replications were conducted in the growth room. In this factorial experiment, 4 levels of phosphate solubilizer bacteria (B1, B2, Bmix and Control) and 3 levels of biochar (Powder, Large Size, and Control) were applied on tomato plants to identify changes in growth parameters and yield. Results were analysed using Genstat Statistical Package (16th Edition). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were conducted to test the effects of each factor and their interactions. Subsequently, Tukey test was used to compare the treatments means at P..

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