Biochar And Manure Levels: Impact On Selected Soil Hydro-Physical Parameters And Sorghum Canopy Temperature

Author

Catana Faison, Prairie View A&M University

Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

Abstract

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) enhances crop yields and maintains healthy soils while also contributing to strategies that mitigate climate change. One of the main aspects of CSA is its impact on soil and environmental conditions, such as structural stability, moisture retention, temperature regulation, and canopy development, which are fundamental to sustainable crop production and land management. Soil organic amendments, e.g., biochar, and chicken and dairy manure applications, substantially improve soil hydrological properties and structure. This thesis reports on the impact of three organic amendment types and rates on selected soil hydrological and physical properties, including water holding capacity, heat capacity, aggregate stability, compaction, and crop canopy temperature. The following objectives are used to achieve the goal of the study, including quantifying the response of soil aggregate stability, moisture, heat capacity, and crop canopy temperature to two biochar levels (low and high) and chicken and dairy manures applied at three rates (none, recommended, and double the recommended rates). The 13 treatments were replicated three times to account for the effect of the spatial variability.

The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed that among the amendments tested, only biochar significantly influenced soil aggregate stability, highlighting its positive effect on improving the soil structure and lowering its erosion. However, manure types and rates and their interaction did not significantly affect soil aggregate stability. Similarly, the same factors did not have any statistically significant effect on the measured soil health indicators and sorghum canopy temperature. Multiple seasonal analyses are necessary to confirm these results under different rainfall and weather conditions. Simulating the experiment using a numerical model that simulates the soil-plant-air continuum will help understand the long-term effects of soil amendments on soil health, hydro-physical properties, subject to varying environmental conditions, and can also enhance the generalizability of the findings of the study.

Keywords: Soil aggregate stability, soil moisture, soil temperature, soil compaction, canopy temperature

Committee Chair/Advisor

Ripendra Awal

Committee Co-Chair

Ali Fares

Committee Member

Richard W. Griffin

Committee Member

Anoop V. Veettil

Publisher

Prairie View A&M University

Rights

Date of Digitization

01/05/2026

Contributing Institution

J. B . Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Faison, C. (2025). Biochar And Manure Levels: Impact On Selected Soil Hydro-Physical Parameters And Sorghum Canopy Temperature. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/1661