A study on the effects of sugarcane bagasse hydrochar as an environmentally friendly fertilizer on bean plant and sandy loam soil characteristics

The present study investigated the effects of engineered sugarcane bagasse hydrochar on the soil properties of sandy loam and the growth parameters of bean plants. After preparing the optimal hydrochar, its physicochemical properties were determined through various analyses. The effects of different rates of hydrochar (0%, 1%, 2%, and 5% w/w) were then investigated on the bulk density, porosity, pH, organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content of the soil, as well as on plant height, lateral branch number, leaf number, and dry weight of aerial parts and roots. The results show that the addition of engineered sugarcane bagasse hydrochar at all levels improved the soil properties of sandy loam. However, an inverse effect was observed for the electrical conductivity (EC) parameter. The 5% hydrochar treatment resulted in a significant increase of 78.4% in organic carbon, while a minimal decrease of 0.4% was observed in pH. Regarding the growth parameters of bean plants, only the 1% engineered hydrochar treatment showed a positive effect on growth parameters.