Key Takeaways
- Combining organic coffee husk biocharBiochar is a carbon-rich material created from biomass decomposition in low-oxygen conditions. It has important applications in environmental remediation, soil improvement, agriculture, carbon sequestration, energy storage, and sustainable materials, promoting efficiency and reducing waste in various contexts while addressing climate change challenges. More with blended mineral fertilizer significantly increases bread wheat grain yield in acidic soils.
- Adding agricultural lime to correct soil acidity substantially improves the overall effectiveness of the soil amendments.
- Applying five tonnes of biochar and one hundred kilograms of blended fertilizer per hectare achieves the highest grain productivity.
- This optimal nutrient combination delivers exceptional economic returns and robust financial net benefits for agricultural producers.
- The integrated management strategy offers a sustainable approach for utilizing agricultural waste while enhancing crop yields.
Acidic soils and nutrient deficiencies heavily constrain cereal crop productivity in many high-rainfall regions by limiting essential nutrient availability and causing toxic soil conditions. Traditional farming approaches often rely exclusively on standard mineral fertilizers without adequately addressing soil acidity or utilizing locally accessible organic soil amendments. Consequently, closing local yield gaps requires integrated soil fertility management systems that blend organic residues, balanced nutrient inputs, and appropriate soil amendments.
To evaluate these interventions, researchers tested various application rates of coffee husk biochar and NPSB blended fertilizer under both limed and unlimed field conditions in Southwestern Ethiopia. The field experiments measured key agronomic traits, growth parameters, yield components, and economic returns to determine the most effective combination for smallholder farmers.
The findings reveal that the integrated application of five tonnes of coffee husk biochar combined with one hundred kilograms of NPSB fertilizer per hectare under limed conditions produced a maximum grain yield of 3.99 tonnes per hectare. This performance represents a 149 percent increase over the unfertilized control treatment. Furthermore, this optimal treatment generated the highest net economic benefit of 276,280 Birr per hectare alongside a marginal rate of return of 22,076 percent.
Source: Bekele, K., Zewide, I., & Wato, T. (2026). Integrated coffee husk biochar and NPSB fertilizer improve bread wheat productivity in acidic soils. Scientific Reports.
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