Tender Coconut Husk Derived Biochar Impact on Soil Properties, Yield and Fruit Quality of Banana

摘要

Coconut is an important and useful perennial agricultural product grown throughout the year compared to other fruits, and is found in over 70 countries worldwide (Sanganamoni et al. 2017). However, the spent tender coconut husks which form a biowasteare discarded along waysides. Hence, the viable technological option for the safe disposal of this biomass waste is to convert it to biochar and utilizing it for improving soil health and crop production. Biochar, a by-product of thermo-chemical conversion of plant biomass at high temperatures in the presence of negligible amount of oxygen. Owing to the highly porous nature of biochar, soil application of biochar would ultimately lead to an enhancement of a wide range of soil physical properties like total porosity, soil density, and water holding capacity (WHC) (Masulili et al. 2010).