Review of Large-Scale Biochar Field-Trials for Soil Amendment and the Observed Influences on Crop Yield Variations

Increasing pressure on farming systems due to rapid urbanization and population growth has severely affected soil health fertility. The need meet the growing food demands also led unsustainable practices with intensive application of chemical fertilizers pesticides, resulting in significant greenhouse gas emissions. Biochar, a multifunctional carbon material, is being actively explored globally for simultaneously addressing concerns related improving fertility mitigating climate change. Reviews biochar, however, mainly confined lab-scale studies analyze biochar production its characteristics, effects fertility, sequestration. present review addresses this gap by focusing field trials enhance current understanding actual impact field, w.r.t. agriculture presents an overview as observed (soil’s physical, chemical, biological properties), crop productivity, potential role General trends from indicate that provides higher benefits properties yield degraded tropical soils vis-a-vis temperate regions. results reveal diverse observations yields amendment different consider crops, feedstocks, local climatic conditions. Furthermore, it been controlled environments are not always distinctly witnessed corresponding field-based synchronous across Hence, there more data, especially well-designed long-term trials, converge validate effectiveness types agro-climatic zones improve productivity mitigate