Biochar: A Sustainable Way to Enhance Soil Fertility, Crop Yield and to Mitigate Global Warming

Increasing food demand for the increasing population is taking a toll on the soil health. Soil pollution is one of the largest problems of current times as soil pollution is a global phenomenon. To counter such harmful effects on soil and to enrich the soil with necessary beneficial elements various traditional methods have been used over a very long period and biochar is one of them. Biochar plays a very crucial role in enhancing soil health. Biochar improves soil carbon and enhances physical structure of the soil creating a more beneficial environment for the microbiota in the soil for better propagation. Biochar also improves the chemical properties of the soil and pH. Biochar addition in the soil increases the surface area of the soil and hence increases the water-holding capacity of soil as biochar has a porous physical structure but the quantity of biochar that has been added into the soil to increase its porosity and water-holding capacity depends upon rate of applications of biochar into the soil so there is need to establish rates of biochar addition for various crops on a global level. The future prospects of biochar application that are needed to be explored include its application in desert soil to study the changes that it brings in the soil. Further studies are needed to be done to know the importance and practical aspects of biochar.