ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Functional Plant Ecology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1571305
A Multi-level Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Model to Optimize Biochar Application Schemes for Potato Cultivation in North China
Provisionally accepted
- 1Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
- 2Yinshanbeilu Grassland Eco-hydrology National Observation and Research Station, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Hohhot, China
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The North China region is a major potato production area in China, but water scarcity and poor soil fertility limit potato growth. Biochar is a promising method to improve soil quality and enhance crop productivity. However, the effects of different biochar pyrolysis temperatures and application rates on potato growth, economic benefits, quality, water and fertilizer use efficiency, and soil nutrient retention in North China remain unclear. A field experiment conducted during 2023-2024 investigated the effects of different biochar pyrolysis temperatures (T1: 300°C, T2: 500°C, T3: 700°C) and application rates (C1: 10 t ha⁻¹, C2: 20 t ha⁻¹, C3: 30 t ha⁻¹) on the comprehensive effects of potato cultivation, and a multi-level fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (PFCE) model was used to determine the optimal biochar application strategy. The results showed that: (1) Potato growth indicators, water and fertilizer use efficiency, starch, and vitamin C content followed a parabolic trend, with the C2T2 combination being the best; the net income from potatoes in 2023 was highest with CK, while in 2024, it was highest with C2T2; reducing sugar content was lower in C2T2; the accumulation of soil nitrate nitrogen was lower in C3T2; the accumulation of soil available phosphorus was lower in C1T3; the accumulation of soil available potassium was lower in CK; (2) PFCE analysis indicated that the C2T2 treatment achieved multi-objective optimization for high yield, quality, efficiency, and environmental sustainability in North China; (3) Based on the PFCE evaluation results and practical production considerations, it is recommended to apply biochar with a pyrolysis temperature of 400-500°C and an application rate of 18-20 t ha⁻¹ in North China to achieve the best comprehensive benefits.
Keywords: biochar, pyrolysis temperature ； Potato, optimization, Soil nutrient residues, Comprehensive model；
Received: 05 Feb 2025; Accepted: 13 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Guo, Zhou, Wang, Jia, Fan, Wang, Liu and Shang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yongqiang Wang, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
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