Short-term effects of biochar produced from date palm's leaves on moisture retention in sandy loam soil

Biochar is a durable organic compound obtained by thermal decomposition of biomass under oxygen-limited conditions (called pyrolysis). It is used for improving chemical and physical properties of soil in agriculture. The main objective of this paper was to evaluate the effects of biochar, produced from date palm’s leaves, on the physical properties and hydrological behavior of a sandy loam soil by carrying out a pot experiment. Pyrolyzed at different temperatures (300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 degree of centigrade) in an electric furnace five biochars were obtained. Biochars were in powdered form and evenly added to soil (air-dried and passed through a 2 mm sieve) at the rate of 3% (w/w) and incubated for 2 months. Water retention curves (WRCs) based on Van Genuchten model determined. By measuring gravimetric water content at field capacity (FC) and permanent wilting point (PWP), plant available water content (PAWC) calculated. Also, water holding capacity (WHC) and saturation percentage ( ) determined. The results showed that by increasing pyrolysis temperature from 300 to 500 degree of centigrade, physical properties and hydrological behavior of the soil had not significant changes. Generally, soil bulk density (BD) significantly (P