In the context of climate change and the ongoing population growth, current agriculture
inevitably faces many challenges. Long periods of drought are often followed by shorter periods
of heavy precipitation and degraded soil is often unable to retain the rainfall water properly. Apart
from common organic fertilizers, soil amendments are currently considered a promising solution
that might improve soil quality. The most discussed one is biochar, a natural soil conditioner that
might under certain conditions improve soil properties. This study is based on the experiment that
was established in 2017 in order to determine the impact of biochar dosage and it’s effect over
time. Four parcels approximately 15×30 m were designed in Rapotín, Czech Republic. Each of
them was treated with a specific dose of biochar (15, 30, 45, 60 t ha-1
), and selected soil physical
properties such as penetration resistance and reduced bulk density were then measured at the
beginning of the cropping season 2019. In addition, vegetation properties were investigated with
the use of handheld sensors repeatedly during the season on winter wheat. The dataset contained
information about chlorophyll and nitrogen content as well as Normalized Difference Vegetation
Index estimations. Acquired values were later compared with the results obtained from the fifth
variant founded in 2014 with a 15 t ha-1 dose and from the control variant. Although the dosage
levels applied were quite substantial, no significant difference was found when evaluating
selected soil properties. Crop response gave similar results. Any of the examined characteristics
differed among the 2017 variants and control. Nevertheless, when compared to the 2014 variant,
clearly different results were detected. Thus, this study concluded that the effect of biochar dosage
is might not be as significant factor, however, the time effect likely is. Therefore, the study has
to continue and soil/crop properties will be observed in the upcoming season as well