Optimizing Soil Amendments for Food Barley: Biochar, Wood Ash, and Lime Synergies on Acidic Clay Loam Soil in Northeastern Ethiopia

Optimizing Soil Amendments for Food Barley: Biochar, Wood Ash, and Lime Synergies on Acidic Clay Loam Soil in Northeastern Ethiopia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Optimizing Soil Amendments for Food Barley: Biochar, Wood Ash, and Lime Synergies on Acidic Clay Loam Soil in Northeastern Ethiopia Birhanu Gebeyehu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8877375/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Soil acidity is a major constraint to food barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) production in the Ethiopian highlands, where aluminum toxicity and nutrient fixation significantly limit crop yields. While liming is a common solution, its high cost often makes it impractical for resource-poor smallholder farmers. This study explores Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) by combining traditional lime with organic amendments like Biochar and wood ash to create a more sustainable and cost-effective reclamation strategy. The study aimed to determine the optimal combination of Biochar, wood ash, and lime that maximizes food barley yields while improving the chemical and physical properties of acidic clay loam soils in the Legambo District of Northeastern Ethiopia. A field experiment was conducted using a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The treatments included three rates of Biochar (0, 5, and 10 t ha-1), wood ash (0, 285.5, and 571 kg ha-1), and lime (0, 5, and 10 t ha -1 ). Soil chemical properties and various agronomic parameters, including phenological, growth, and yield data, were collected and analyzed using ANOVA. The application of amendments significantly improved soil fertility, raising the pH from 4.1 to 6.2 and doubling available phosphorus. Biochar emerged as the most effective individual amendment, increasing grain yield by 71%. However, the highest physical grain yield of 4,312.44kg ha -1, a 104% increase over the control, was achieved through the triple interaction of 10t ha -1 Biochar, 751kg ha -1 wood ash, and 10t ha -1 lime. The study concludes that integrating organic and inorganic amendments provides a powerful synergy for reclaiming acidic soils. While the 10-751-10 treatment maximized physical yield, the partial budget analysis revealed that it was economically dominated by the high cost of Biochar. Instead, the treatment combination of 5t ha -1 Biochar, 751kg ha -1 wood ash, and 10t ha -1 lime is recommended as the most efficient strategy, providing the highest net benefit (360,668 ETB/ha) and a marginal rate of return of 200.1%. Agronomy Acidic soil Biochar Food barley Lime Wood ash Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8877375","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":591229996,"identity":"7b3d1b98-0f90-4394-ab25-471f25f288d8","order_by":0,"name":"Birhanu Gebeyehu","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3675-9014","institution":"Mekdela Amba University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Birhanu","middleName":"","lastName":"Gebeyehu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-14 06:10:37","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":true,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8877375/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8877375/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102963272,"identity":"2bb871ca-6046-49ed-948c-9fc4c263d623","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-19 04:15:02","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":680653,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Biochar.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8877375/v1_covered_ed86bcac-5577-492b-a47a-0c115c732862.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eOptimizing Soil Amendments for Food Barley: Biochar, Wood Ash, and Lime Synergies on Acidic Clay Loam Soil in Northeastern Ethiopia\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Mekdela Amba University","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Acidic soil, Biochar, Food barley, Lime, Wood ash","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8877375/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8877375/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSoil acidity is a major constraint to food barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) production in the Ethiopian highlands, where aluminum toxicity and nutrient fixation significantly limit crop yields. While liming is a common solution, its high cost often makes it impractical for resource-poor smallholder farmers. This study explores Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) by combining traditional lime with organic amendments like Biochar and wood ash to create a more sustainable and cost-effective reclamation strategy. The study aimed to determine the optimal combination of Biochar, wood ash, and lime that maximizes food barley yields while improving the chemical and physical properties of acidic clay loam soils in the Legambo District of Northeastern Ethiopia. A field experiment was conducted using a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The treatments included three rates of Biochar (0, 5, and 10 t ha-1), wood ash (0, 285.5, and 571 kg ha-1), and lime (0, 5, and 10 t ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e-1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cem\u003e). Soil chemical properties and various agronomic parameters, including phenological, growth, and yield data, were collected and analyzed using ANOVA. The application of amendments significantly improved soil fertility, raising the pH from 4.1 to 6.2 and doubling available phosphorus. Biochar emerged as the most effective individual amendment, increasing grain yield by 71%. However, the highest physical grain yield of 4,312.44kg ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e-1,\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cem\u003e a 104% increase over the control, was achieved through the triple interaction of 10t ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e-1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cem\u003e Biochar, 751kg ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e-1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cem\u003e wood ash, and 10t ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e-1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cem\u003e lime. The study concludes that integrating organic and inorganic amendments provides a powerful synergy for reclaiming acidic soils. While the 10-751-10 treatment maximized physical yield, the partial budget analysis revealed that it was economically dominated by the high cost of Biochar. Instead, the treatment combination of 5t ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e-1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cem\u003e Biochar, 751kg ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e-1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cem\u003e wood ash, and 10t ha\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e-1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cem\u003e lime is recommended as the most efficient strategy, providing the highest net benefit (360,668 ETB/ha) and a marginal rate of return of 200.1%.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Optimizing Soil Amendments for Food Barley: Biochar, Wood Ash, and Lime Synergies on Acidic Clay Loam Soil in Northeastern Ethiopia","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-17 07:35:53","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8877375/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d3e304cd-af39-465b-b116-8688bf6136d5","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 17th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":63051320,"name":"Agronomy"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-17T07:35:53+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-17 07:35:53","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8877375","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8877375","identity":"rs-8877375","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}