Korean Journal of Agricultural Science ISSN:2466-2402(Print) 2466-2410(Online) 농업과학연구

Soil acidification challenges global food security by adversely influences soil fertility and agricultural productivity. Carbonized agricultural residues present a sustainable and ecofriendly way to recycle agricultural waste and mitigate soil acidification. We evaluated the effects of organic amendments on lettuce growth and soil chemical properties in two soils with different pH levels. Carbonized rice husk was produced at 600℃ for 30 min and rice husk was treated at 1% (w·w-1). Carbonized rice husk increased soil pH, electrical conductivity, total carbon content, and nitrogen content compared with untreated and rice husk treatments. Furthermore, this study found that lettuce growth positively correlated with soil pH, with increasing soil pH up to pH 6.34 resulting in improved lettuce growth parameters. Statistical correlation analysis also supported the relationship between soil pH and lettuce growth parameters. The study findings showed that the use of carbonized rice husk increased the constituent elements of lettuce, such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphate content. The potassium content of lettuce followed a similar trend; however, was higher in acidic soil than that in non-acidic soil. Therefore, improving the pH of acidic soil is essential to enhance agricultural productivity. It is considered advantageous to use agricultural residues following pyrolysis to improve soil pH and agricultural productivity.