Improvement of rice farming through use of biomass waste-derived biochar in combination with soil analysis-based fertilization and wetting and drying water

Improvement of rice farming through use of biomass waste-derived biochar in combination with soil analysis-based fertilization (recommended by All-rice1 application) and alternate wetting and drying water management (AWD) is an important and essential approach for Thai agriculture and the utilization of biomass waste, especially in rice production, which is found to be the main occupation and an important economic crop of the country. For the use of 2,000 kg/ha biochar at the rate (All-rice1+AWD+Biochar) and not (All-rice1+AWD) in the farmer's paddy, both management forms were not affected the height of 35- and 65-day-old rice. In addition, the rice yield components of the All-rice1+AWD+Biochar rice cultivation were 100.32 grains/panicle, resulting in a rice yield (6,453.75 kg/ha), which increased by 10.04%. The All-rice1+AWD+Biochar had a higher total cost and variable cost than the rice cultivation according to the All-rice1+AWD, an average of 40,018.81 Thai baht/ha., It was found that All-rice1+AWD+Biochar rice cultivation had an average net loss of 15,121.25 Thai baht/ha. Although using biochar as a production factor in All-rice1+AWD+Biochar rice cultivation resulted in higher yields and total incomes more than All-rice1+AWD cultivation, it was still not worth the higher production costs of All-rice1+AWD+Biochar rice cultivation. For the environmental impact, the CC index of rice cultivation using biochar was 52.71% lower than without biochar. The AP index of the rice cultivation system slightly increased, with ammonia emissions (83.09% AP index) resulting from nitrogen fertilizer application, sulfur dioxide emissions (9.35% AP index), and nitrogen oxides (7.28% AP index).