Exploring the Potential of Straw and Biochar Application on Soil Quality Indicators and Crop Yield in Semi-arid Regions

Plants being sessile entities are often subjected to varied environmental stresses. In semi-arid regions, abiotic factors like soil erosion, low soil fertility, lack of water-saving strategies, and prolonged drought curtail crop growth and yield by impairing morphological, biological, and physiological functions and cause major threats to dryland agriculture. Adopting improved technologies and suitable agricultural practices are crucial for soil water conservation and soil fertility improvement for sustainable agricultural development in low rainfall areas. Therefore, the present study was preferred to investigate the effect of straw and biochar application on soil quality, water use efficiency (WUE), and crop yield in semi-arid regions. Articles published from 2008 to 2023 were considered to examine the role of organic amendments in improving degraded soils for soil organic carbon (SOC), pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (N/P/K), microorganisms, enzyme activity, better WUE, and higher yields. The present study showed that rice straw and rice straw-derived biochar have more elemental composition and have greater effect when applied to different soil types in different crop cultivation than wheat and maize straw and biochar. Straw-derived biochar is preferred over the sole application of straw. Rice biochar has higher nutrient levels and is advocated for soil fertility and long-term carbon sequestration. Rice biochar is labile for microbial biomass enhancing microbe's physiological efficiency for enzyme activities. Integrating suitable cultivation technology like ridge-furrow rainwater harvesting with rice straw and rice straw-derived biochar can mitigate the issues of land degradation, low fertility, WUE, and crop yield in semi-arid regions. In summary, the present study quantitatively assessed the impact of organic materials on soil quality improvement and higher crop yield, offering a scientific foundation for optimizing these factors under semi-arid conditions.