THE EFFECTS OF USING MELALEUCA BIOCHAR ON VEGETABLE PRODUCTION AND N2O EMISSIONS

Abstract

The Mekong Delta currently has many vegetable production areas, but the habit of using a lot of fertilizers to increase the productivity of farmers has led to an excess of fertilizer. While the majority of N₂O emissions in agriculture are derived from fertilizers. This study aims to evaluate the effect of biochar application on soil nitrous oxide emissions. A pot experiment with broccoli (Brassica juncea) was set up to evaluate the effect of melaleuca biochar on N₂O flux under net house conditions. The current study was conducted four treatments with four levels of ground melaleuca biochar that were mixed in soil (0, 2, 10, and 20 tons. ha^-1). N was applied to all treatments in the form of urea at a rate of 70 kg ha^-1. The result shows that biochar significantly reduced N₂O emissions by 60% when compared to the urea treatment. Furthermore, broccolis supplemented with biochar produced more biomass than broccolis fertilized solely with inorganic fertilizers, demonstrating that biochar's effectiveness significantly aids plant growth.