Biochar vs. Farmyard Manure: A Two-Year Field Study on Tomato Yield and Quality

A high-impact two-year field experiment evaluated biochar (30 t ha⁻¹) and farmyard manure (30 t ha⁻¹) as individual soil amendments for tomato production.

Key Findings

Tomato yield increased by 71% with biochar and 47% with manure when compared to the control. These yield gains were sustained across both years (70% in Year 1, 71% in Year 2). Effect of Biochar and Farmyard …
Biochar significantly enhanced fruit quality traits, including:
- Higher Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), positively correlated with total fruit yield – demonstrating that productivity gains did not compromise nutritional quality.
- Increased Total Soluble Solids (TSS) and sugar accumulation, outperforming manure treatments.
- Stronger biochemical immune response, elevated antioxidant enzyme activity, and enriched quinic acid (a key bioactive compound).
- Quinic acid emerged as the most abundant phenolic compound, with notable pharmacological benefits including antioxidative, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic, and antiaging potential.
Other phenolics (chlorogenic acid, quercetin, p-coumaric acid) showed variable and non-significant changes over time, and overall total phenol and antioxidant activity slightly declined under biochar, possibly due to biochar property differences like pyrolysis temperature.
No significant change in color parameters (L, a*, b*, chroma) despite biochemical improvements. Biochar produced the least intense fruit color, supporting earlier literature on possible yield–color trade-offs.
Soil improvements under biochar included:
- Reduced bulk density (1.37 Mg m³), increased soil porosity, water-holding capacity, and nutrient retention
- Improved ion balance regulation, pH buffering, and soil aeration for better nutrient cycling.

Conclusion

Biochar proves to be a structurally stable, slow-reactive, multi-benefit soil amendment, delivering long-term yield and fruit biochemical gains and offering a sustainable alternative to farmyard manure in organic tomato systems.

Reference

Cakmakci, O. Effect of Biochar and Farmyard Manure Amendment on Yield, Quality, and Bioactive Constituents of Tomato: A Two-Year Field Experiment. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-025-02806-0