• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.452-461
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• 2017

This study was conducted to select an optimal approach to corn waste biochar (BC) application, and to evaluate the effects of combined application of BC and inorganic fertilizer (IF) on corn growth and soil chemical properties in a pot experiment. Corn growth differed with BC application timing and BC application levels. Based on the characteristics of corn growth in pot-based experiments, the selected optimal application conditions of BC were application of $500kg\;10a^{-1}$ at 20 days before sowing. Also, the chemical properties of the tested soil with BC after corn harvesting were significantly improved than those in the other treatments. In particular, soil pH and CEC regardless of application conditions were markedly increased by 0.04~0.19 units and $0.08{\sim}2.58coml_c\;kg^{-1}$ in BC treatments than without BC treatments. Additionally, combined application of BC and IF had greater effects on corn growth than single application of BC. Therefore, the results suggest using properly BC application conditions and a combination of BC and IF for effective corn cultivation in an upland field.