How can potatoes be smartly cultivated with biochar as a soil nutrient amendment technique in Atlantic Canada?

The question if biochar is a suitable soil nutrient amendment for potato cultivation in the Atlantic Canada is yet to be answered. The objective of this study was to answer this question. Three replicates of twelve lysimeters, each 8000 cm², were packed with an Atlantic Canada representative soil to cultivate potatoes with four treatments of soil amendments (T₁ = control [no added nutrients], T₂ = B [biochar], T₃ = F [synthetic fertilizer @ recommended NPK], and T₄ = B + F [biochar + recommended NPK]) under a completely randomized block design with factorial arrangements. Chemical analyses of soils were conducted for physical, hydrological, and chemical (including concentration of macro- and micro-nutrients) prior to and after the completion experiments to evaluate soil fertility and its resulting effects on crop yield. The biochar amendment improved soil micro- and macro-nutrients. Soil organic matter, pH, and cation exchange capacity (ECE) significantly increased by application of biochar. The maximum potato yield of 30,467.4 kg h⁻¹ was achieved by the combined application of biochar and synthetic fertilizer as this combination resulted in the maximum net benefit ($4433.98 ha⁻¹) in comparison with control treatment that had net loss of $– 2621.49 ha⁻¹. It is therefore concluded that biochar amendment of soils resembling to that of the Atlantic Canada representative soil used in this study, with a mix of recommended NPK for, can formulate a smart precision farming nutrient management technique for this region subject to the field trials and replicate experimental treatments for more than three times.