Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(08): 713-727 713 Review Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2021.1008.080 Biochar: A Tool for Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change Mitigation Vikas Abrol 1* , Peeyush Sharma 1 , Shrdha Anand 2 , Ravinder Chary 3 , T. N. V. K. V. Prasad 4 , R. K. Samnotra 1 and Stanzin Khenrab 1 1 SKUAST-Jammu, India 2 GGM Science College, Jammu, India 3 ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad, India 4 Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, Tirupati, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction In India, about 93 million tonnes of crop residues are burned each year primarily to clear the fields in the form of straw and stubble after the harvest of preceding crop. The problem is severe in irrigated agriculture, particularly in the mechanized rice-wheat system in the Northern India due to unavailability of labour, high cost in removing the residues, use of combine-harvester in rice- wheat cropping system and less time for sowing of wheat after harvesting rice. Besides atmospheric pollution, burning of residues lead to loss of entire amount of C, 80% of N, 25% of P, 50% of S and 20% of K present in straw, adversely affecting soil fertility (Mandal et al., 2004). In addition, burning of agricultural residues releases ozone depleting gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide and very small particles in the air which adversely International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 10 Number 08 (2021) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Biochar widely known as black carbon, promotes plant growth and soil fertility and limits the necessity for fertilizer and decreases soil loss through erosion. Biochar is a carbon-rich solid material produced by heating from a wide range of organic feedstocks in the absence or limited oxygen supply (pyrolysis). Biochar serves as a sink for atmospheric CO 2 in soil and retains water and nutrients in surface soil due to its highly porous nature. Biochar not only offers a lot of environmental solutions, it can also improve soil quality and crop productivity. By converting agricultural waste into a powerful soil enhancer that holds carbon and makes soils more fertile, we can boost food security, discourage deforestation and reduce fertilizer requirements. Keywords Labour, carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide Accepted: 25 July 2021 Available Online: 10 August 2021 Article Info