Biochar is the carbon solid produced through the pyrolysis of a biomass from organic sources such as agricultural waste, animal manure, and sludge under limited or anaerobic conditions. Biochar has the effect of reducing greenhouse gases through the carbon sequestration method; additionally, biochar is known to function as a soil amendment. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the application of biochar on the growth characteristics of Chinese cabbage at Chungnam National University in Daejeon, Korea. The Chinese cabbage was grown for 50 days in a glasshouse in pots. A pruning branch was used to produce the bead and pellet forms of biochar through pyrolysis. The biochar was added to the soil at 0, 2, and 5% by weight. The Chinese cabbage with the 2% treatment of the bead form of biochar had the highest fresh weight (149.43 ± 15.92 g plant) which was increased by 10% compared to the control (136.91 ± 31.46 g plant). Moreover, for the 5% treatment of the bead form of biochar (60.9 ± 9.82 g plant), the growth decreased by 57% compared to the control. As the content of the bead form of biochar increased, the shoot dry weight, leaf number, leaf length and lead width that appeared decreased. An increase in the total organic matter (Avail. PO, Ex. cation and EC) was observed when the biochar content was increased. Our results support the application of 2% biochar in the bead form for increased growth of Chinese cabbage.

1. Cao XD, Ma LN, Cao B, Harris W. 2009. Dairy-manure derived biochar effectively sorbs lead and atrazine. Environmental Science and Technology 43:3285-3291.  

2. Chung JS, Han JY, Kim JK, Ju HK, Gong JS, Seo EY, Choi SR, Lim YP, Hammond J, Lim HS. 2016. Nationwide survey of turnip mosaic virus and selection of cabbage lines with resistance against major TuMV isolates. Korean Journal of Agricultural Science 43:567-574.[in Korea]  

3. Han KH, Zhang YS, Jung KH, Cho HR, Son YK. 2014. Evaluating germination of lettuce and soluble organic carbon leachability in upland sandy loam soil applied with rice husk and food waste biochar. Korean Journal of Agricultural Science 41:369-377. [In Korean]  

4. Jang JE, Park JS, Shim JM, Kang CS, Park IT. 2017. Application effects of biochar made from pruned stem of pear tree on soil physico-chemical properties and crop cultivation. In Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil Science and Fertilizer Workshop, Mokpo, Korea, May 18-19, 2017. p. 197. [in Korea]  

5. Jung, SH. 2014. Effects of biochar derived from agricultural and forest residue on carbon sequestration and soil quality. Master dissertation, Kangwon National University. Chuncheon, Korea. [in Korean]  

6. Kang SW, Seo DC, Park JW, Heo JS, Cho JS. 2014. Evaluation of fertilizer characteristics in biochar using agricultural waste. Korea Journal of Environmental Agriculture Conference, Changwon, Korea, July 3-4, 2014. p. 176. [in Korean]  

7. Ku KH, Lee KA, Kim YL and Lee MG. 2006. Effects of pretreatment method on the surface microbes of radish ( L.) leaves. Journal of Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition 35:649-654.  

8. Lee SG, Choi CS, Lee HJ, Jang YA, Do KR. 2014. Influence of covering treatment on the incidence of frost injury in Chinese cabbage during winter season. Korean Journal of Agricultural Science 41:163-167.  

9. Lee JH, Lee HJ, Kim SK, Lee SG, Lee HS, Choi CS. 2017. Development of growth models as affected by cultivation season and transplanting date and estimation of prediction yield in Kimchi cabbage. Protected Horticulture and Plant Factory 26:235-241. [in Korean]  

10. Lehmann J, Joseph S. 2009. Biochar for environmental management: An introduction, in biochar for environmental management: Science and technology. pp. 1-12. Earthscan, London. UK.  

11. Lehmann J, Rondon M. 2006. Bio-char soil management on highly weathered soils in the humid tropics. In Biological approaches to sustainable soil systems. pp. 517-529. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA.  

12. Lim K-T, Park J. 2017. Consumers’awareness and behavior intention on meat consumption according to climate change. Korean Journal of Agricultural Science 44:296-307.  

13. NAAS (National Institute of Agricutural Sciences). 2010. Recommendation of the amount of fertilizer for crops. RDA. Jeonju, Korea. [In Korean]  

14. NAAS (National Institute of Agricutural Sciences). 2012. Research and Analysis Criteria for crops. RDA. Jeonju, Korea. [In Korean]  

15. Novak JM, Busscher WJ, Laird DL, Ahmedna M, Watts DW, Niandou MAS. 2009. Impact of biochar amendment on fertility of a southeastern coastal plain soil. Soil Science 174:105-112.  

16. Oh TK, Choi BS, Shinogi Y, Chikushi J. 2012. Characterization of biochar derived from three types of biomass. Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture Kyushu University 57:61-66.  

17. Oh TK, Lee JH, Kim SH, Lee HC. 2017. Effect of biochar application on growth of Chinese cabbage ( L.). Korean Journal of Agricultural Science 44:359-365. [in Korea]  

18. Werner C, Kiese R, Butterbach-Bahl K. 2007. Soil-atmosphere exchange of NO, CH, and CO and controlling environmental factors for tropical rain forest sites in western Kenya. Journal of Geophysical Research 112:1-15.  

19. Woo SH. 2013. Biochar for soil carbon sequestration. Clean Technology 19:201-211. [in Korean]