Effects of Post - Treated and Incubated Gliricidia Biochar Samples on the Growth of Maize Seedlings

Biochar (pyrolyzed biomass) has been shown to have potential in increasing crop yield. There is, however, a dearth of information in Nigeria on the effect of post-treated biochar samples on plant growth in different soil types. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of nutrient-enhanced and incubated Gliricidia biochar on the growth of maize plant. A pot experiment was conducted in the screen house of Bowen University, Iwo Nigeria to examine the response of maize seedlings to Gliricidia biochar that was post-treated either with urea/bone ash or 15:15:15 NPK fertilizer at ratio 7:1(biochar : nutrient source, w/w). The post-treated biochar samples were incubated for 0, 14, 28 and 56 days. The treated/incubated biochar samples, untreated biochar sample and poultry manure were applied at the rate of 10 t/ha while urea/bone ash and 15:15:15 NPK inorganic fertilizer were applied at 90 kg N/ha. Maize plants were grown for eight weeks in top soil (30 cm) collected from an Oxisol in the University Teaching and Research Farm. Irrespective of incubation period and post-treatment type, maize seedling height, stem diameter, leaf production and total dry weight increased significantly (p