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Maize, Switchgrass, And Ponderosa Pine Biochar Added To Soil Increased Herbicide Sorption And Decreased Herbicide Efficacy, Sharon A. Clay, Kaitlynn K. Krack, Stephanie A. Bruggeman, Sharon Papiernik, Thomas E. Schumacher

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Biochar, a by-product of pyrolysis made from a wide array of plant biomass when producing biofuels, is a proposed soil amendment to improve soil health. This study measured herbicide sorption and efficacy when soils were treated with low (1% w/w) or high (10% w/w) amounts of biochar manufactured from different feedstocks [maize (Zea mays) stover, switchgrass (Panicum vigatum), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)], and treated with different post-processing techniques. Twenty-four hour batch equilibration measured sorption of ¹⁴C-labelled atrazine or 2,4-D to two soil types with and without biochar amendments. Herbicide efficacy was measured …