Impact of perlite and biochar on barley growth and output in clay soil

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in clay-textured soil during the agricultural season 2021-2022 at Al-Muthanna Governorate, Al-Suwayr District - Albugrad region, longitude "5. 16' 36°31, and a latitude '0'. 52' 27 ° 45, to study the effect of biochar and perlite on the growth and yield of barley in clay soil. The experiment used a Randomized Block Design (RCBD) with two factors and three replicates. The biochar factor treatments included four levels of biochar at the level (0% B0, 0.5% B1, 1% B2, 1.5% B3). In comparison, the treatments of the second factor perlite included four levels. They are the addition of agricultural perlite at the level (0% P0, 0.5% P1, 1% P2, 1.5% P3). Mixing biochar with agricultural perlite for all treatments with soil to a depth of 30 cm. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivar Iba 99 was planted on 1/11/2021. Crop service operations were carried out from adding chemical fertilizers, jungle control and irrigation until the end of the experiment and harvest on 9/9/2022. The results showed the superiority of the B3 biochar treatment (1.5% biochar) in improving most of the physical and chemical properties of the soil, plant height, number of branches and total yield, the superiority of the B2 biochar treatment (1% biochar) in recording the highest weight of 1000 grains, the treatment of perlite P1 (0.5% perlite) was superior in recording the highest weight of 1000 grains, the superiority of the B3P3 interaction treatment in recording the highest value of the number of branches in the plant. Keywords: Biochar, perlite, growth, yield, barley, clay soil.