The reduction of nitrogen loss using biochar for soil fertility reservation

Excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers on farmland widely occurs in China, which has been recognized as one of the main sources of non-point pollution. To reduce the nitrogen loss in agricultural soils, some specific biochar can be introduced to increase the water-holding capacity of soils and to reserve soil nutrition. The effects and mechanisms of biochar application on decreasing nutrient losses after fertilization were systematically evaluated and understood through both pot and field experiments. This study was objected to investigate the effects of neutral biochar (NBC, pH 6.6–7.1) and its combination with urease inhibitor (UI) on nitrogen mitigation and reservation in farmland soil, and the interactions among the mixed soils (biochar, nitrogen fertilizer, and soil) under both pot and field experiments. The application of straw biochar could reduce the amount of ammonia volatilization in soil. The maximum inhibition of ammonia volatilization loss accounted for 27.67