Research Article Received: 15 November 2014 Revised: 22 December 2014 Accepted article published: 13 January 2015 Published online in Wiley Online Library: (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI 10.1002/jsfa.7082 Fast pyrolysis biochar from sawdust improves the quality of desert soils and enhances plant growth Mahmood Laghari, a,b Zhiquan Hu, a* Muhammad Saffar Mirjat, b Bo Xiao, a Ahmed Ali Tagar b and Mian Hu a Abstract BACKGROUND: Biochar has been mostly used in conventional arable soils for improving soil fertility. This study investigated the effect of biochars of different temperatures on plant growth and desert soil properties. Biochars of different temperatures (i.e. 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 ∘ C) were mixed in the soil with 5% by mass, and the treatments were designated as T-400, T-500, T-600, T-700 and T-800, respectively. Sorghum was used as a test crop, and the effect of biochar on plant height, yield and soil properties was evaluated. RESULTS: Sorghum yield increased by 19% and 32% under T-400 and T-700, respectively, above the control. Biochar reduced depth-wise moisture depletion in soil columns and hence improved soil water-holding capacity by 14% and 57% under T-400 and T-700, respectively. Soil hydraulic conductivity was reduced by 15% and 42%, and moisture-retention capacity was improved by 16% and 59%. Hence, sorghum net water-use efficiency increased by 52% and 74% in T-400 and T-700, respectively. Biochar also improved soil total carbon, cation exchange capacity and plant nutrient content. CONCLUSION: The addition of fast pyrolysis biochar made from pine sawdust improved the quality of Kubuqi Desert soil and enhanced plant growth. Hence, it can be used for desert modification. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry Supporting information may be found in the online version of this article. Keywords: drought; moisture retention; plant nutrients; sorghum yield; water-holding capacity INTRODUCTION Of the land masses on Earth’s surface, approximately 33% are covered by deserts. Deserts are arid areas where rainfall is less than 250 mm per year. Deserts are host to those plants and ani- mals that have adapted to this dry environment, but they are unlivable for humans. However, some deserts may be converted to farming land, as they are extremely rich in basic necessities such as sunlight and warmth. Thus, deserts can be reclaimed with the provision of water, 1 which must be added to the soils to grow plants. 2 Recently, biochar has been added to soils to retain sufficient amounts of moisture for longer periods in order to enhance plant growth. 3 Biochar is a carbon-rich organic material that increases soil carbon, plant nutrient retention, and carbon sequestration. 4,5 Biochar quality and characteristics vary with production conditions and feedstock used. 6 Manure-derived biochar often has a higher ash content, while wood-derived biochar is rich in carbon. 7,8 Higher temperature biochar has a higher carbon and plant nutrient content than lower temperature biochar. 9 Many studies have been conducted to examine the role of biochar amendment in conventional arable soils. 10,11 Some stud- ies have focused on the ability of biochar to improve the poor characteristics and water-retention capacity of expensive red clay soils in China, 10 its ability to improve rapeseed and sweet potato yield and soil organic carbon in clay soils, 11 and its effect on the soil properties of a ultisol in southern China. 12,13 Current under- standing of the agronomic use of biochar in dry lands, particularly in desert soils, is limited. Uzoma et al. 14 used cow-manure biochar on dry, sandy soil in Japan and found a 150% improvement in maize grain yield. Hossain et al. 15 observed a 64% increase in the yield of cherry tomatoes after applying biochar to a chromosol in Australia. Considering the previous research done on biochar as a soil amendment, we hypothesise that (1) the addition of fast pyrol- ysis biochar to the soil of the Kubuqi Desert, Inner Mongo- lia, will improve the fertility status and increase water holding capacity of soil, and (2) a higher temperature biochar will be ∗ Correspondence to: Zhiquan Hu, School of Environmental Science and Engi- neering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430073, P.R. China. E-mail: huzq@hust.edu.cn a School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430073, P.R. China b Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam 70060, Sindh, Pakistan J Sci Food Agric (2015) www.soci.org © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry