Liquid biochar fertilizer could help farmers grow more with fewer nutrient losses

A new field study published in Biochar shows that liquid biochar mineral complex fertilizers can substantially improve pasture yield, nutrient balance and farm-level economic returns, offering a promising pathway toward more efficient and sustainable fertilizer use.

As climate change, soil degradation and rising fertilizer demand place increasing pressure on global agriculture, researchers are searching for ways to help crops make better use of nutrients already applied to the land. Conventional fertilizers often suffer from low use efficiency, meaning that significant amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus can be lost through leaching or runoff instead of being taken up by plants.

In the new study, researchers tested four novel liquefied biochar mineral complex fertilizers, known as BMCs, in a pasture cropping system in New South Wales, Australia. These liquid products were designed to combine the soil-improving properties of biochar with mineral nutrients in a form suitable for broadacre agricultural application.

The team compared two non-enriched micronized BMCs, one phosphorus-enriched BMC and one nitrogen-enriched BMC. Each was applied with and without conventional co-fertilization, and the researchers measured soil chemistry, plant nitrogen and phosphorus uptake, nutrient balances, pasture yield, microbial responses and economic returns.

The nitrogen-enriched formulation, BMC4, delivered the strongest performance. Pasture yield under BMC4 reached 42.20 t ha⁻¹, compared with 18.75 t ha⁻¹ in the fertilized control and 11.53 t ha⁻¹ in the non-fertilized control. This result suggests that carefully designed liquid biochar-based fertilizers can do more than simply add nutrients. They may help plants access and use those nutrients more effectively.

“Our findings show that the form and nutrient enrichment of liquid biochar fertilizers matter greatly,” said corresponding author Prof. Shahla Hosseini Bai. “The nitrogen-enriched BMC not only increased pasture production, but also improved nutrient balance, which is critical for both farm profitability and environmental protection.”

A key finding was that BMC4 was the only treatment to show positive nitrogen and phosphorus balances. This suggests that the pasture did not need to draw down existing soil nutrient reserves to support its growth. In other words, the most effective liquid BMC helped increase production while reducing the risk of nutrient mining from the soil.

Other formulations also showed benefits. BMC1 and BMC3 produced higher pasture yields when combined with conventional fertilization, likely because of improved phosphorus availability. These results indicate that different liquid BMC formulations may be suited to different soil nutrient conditions and crop management goals.

Importantly, the study found that soil microbial composition and abundance were not significantly affected by the BMC treatments in the short term. This suggests that the yield gains observed in the study were not accompanied by immediate disruption of soil microbial communities.

The economic analysis also pointed to practical promise. The benefit-cost ratio ranged from 1.94 to 2.54, indicating that the benefits outweighed the costs for the tested BMC products. The highest net income was achieved with BMC4, followed by co-fertilized BMC4 and co-fertilized BMC3.

“For farmers, a fertilizer technology must work in the field and make economic sense,” said Prof. Bai. “The strong yield response and positive cost-benefit results suggest that liquid biochar mineral complex fertilizers could become a practical tool for improving nutrient efficiency in pasture systems and potentially other crops.”

The authors note that longer-term studies across more crop types, climates and soil conditions are needed. Still, the findings highlight liquid biochar-based fertilizers as a promising next-generation approach for increasing crop productivity, improving nutrient use and supporting more sustainable agriculture.

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Journal Reference: Omidvar, N., Joseph, S., Dissanayake, L. et al. Distinct forms of liquid biochar mineral complex fertilisers differently increase crop yield, nutrient balance and economic return. Biochar 8, 94 (2026).   

https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-026-00600-4   

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About Biochar

Biochar (e-ISSN: 2524-7867) is the first journal dedicated exclusively to biochar research, spanning agronomy, environmental science, and materials science. It publishes original studies on biochar production, processing, and applications—such as bioenergy, environmental remediation, soil enhancement, climate mitigation, water treatment, and sustainability analysis. The journal serves as an innovative and professional platform for global researchers to share advances in this rapidly expanding field. 

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