Impact of various organic compost and biochar blends on the growth of Vicia faba L.

Abstract

During the 2024–2025 growing season, the Dhi Qar Province's College of Agriculture and Marshes carried out an experiment. Three replicates of each treatment were used in our completely randomized design (CRD). C0B0 (no compost, no biochar), C1B1 (4 t·ha⁻¹ compost + 2.5% biochar), C2B2 (6 t·ha⁻¹ compost + 5% biochar), C3B3 (8 t·ha⁻¹ compost + 10% biochar), and C4B4 (10 t·ha⁻¹ compost + 15% biochar) were the five combinations that were tested. At the time of planting, both amendments were added to the soil. Pots with 4 kg of substrate were filled with seeds of a local landrace of faba beans. To observe how these blends impact growth under container conditions, we counted the number of leaves, branches, flowers, and plant height. Our results show that the combined effects of compost and biochar on growth traits are concentration-dependent. Treatment C4B4 produced the tallest plants (43.00 cm). Treatment C3B3 produced the most branches per plant (9.33) and the greatest leaf count (292.00 leaves per plant). The most flowers (79.00 per plant) were produced by the treatment (C4B4).  Increased application rates, particularly for C3B3 and C4B4, enhanced the vegetative and reproductive development of faba beans when these treatments were combined. These findings lend credence to the notion that, in controlled environments, integrated organic amendments can improve crop performance.