Enhanced Growth of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) in Soil Amended with Biochar and Fulvic acid

¹ Institute of Coastal Environmental Pollution Control, Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China
² College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China

^* Corresponding author: maxiaohan@stu.ouc.edu.cn

Abstract

Biochar (BC) and fulvic acid (FA) have raised wide interest because of their multiple benefits in soil improvement. However, the difference between individual and co-application of biochar and fulvic acid on okra growth in salt-affected soils is unknown. In this study, a woody waste derived BC and a commercial FA were applied into a coastal salt-affected soil collected from the Yellow River Delta to investigate their effects on a commercial crop, okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) seedling growth following the individual and combined applications using a pot experiment. The results showed the individual and co-application of BC and FA increased the plant height, stem diameter and fresh biomass by 9.4–11.5%, 10.3–41.7% and 31.6– 40.0%, respectively, and individual application posed a better performance than co-application. Moreover, BC and FA individual and combined application could effectively improve the root growth of okra, whereas the individual application posed a greater effect. These findings would provide theoretical basis and technical support for developing green technologies for remediating degraded coastal wetland soils, thus ensuring sustainable agricultural development.