Evaluating the application of biochar on sweet corn production, soil health, and its role in regenerative agriculture

Evaluating the application of biochar on sweet corn production, soil health, and its role in regenerative agriculture | 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 Evaluating the application of biochar on sweet corn production, soil health, and its role in regenerative agriculture Guadalupe Rodriguez, Amjad Ahmad, Theodore Radovich, Koon-Hui Wang, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9290933/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Biochar, which is a carbon-based organic material that can be used as a soil amendment, has been found to improve many aspects of crop production and soil health. Studies have been conducted to see the effect biochar has on weathered tropical soils, but not many have focused on biochar’s effect on overall crop production locally. This study was conducted to determine the effect biochar has on plant growth, yield, quality, and soil health in Hawaiʻi’s conditions using sweet corn ( Zea mays ) as a test crop. For this study, biochar was applied at the rate of 12.3 t/ha in an Oxisol and Mollisol soils. The biochar application in the Oxisol resulted in significant (p < 0.05) differences with a 18.8% increase in vegetative growth, a 19.1% increase in yield, and 1.7% increase in sugar content compared to the no biochar application. The biochar application in the Mollisol resulted in significant (p < 0.05) differences with a 33% increase of vegetative growth, 8.3% increase in yield, 10.1% increase in sugar content, 53.1% increase in TEC, 40.1% increase in carbon, 41.8% increase in nitrogen, 8% increase in pH, 34.5% increase in CO 2 soil respiration rate, and a 33.3% increase in infiltration rate compared to the control. These results show that the application of biochar improves the overall crop production of sweet corn and soil health in Hawaiʻi and would be a beneficial amendment for regenerative agricultural practices. Regenerative agriculture Crop yield Nutrient management Tropical soils Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 04 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 28 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 27 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 20 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 19 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 17 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 17 Apr, 2026 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. 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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-9290933","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":631262070,"identity":"f91ac531-607e-4a0f-ba47-15738565082c","order_by":0,"name":"Guadalupe 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