Marina Pedroso Carneiro c d , Fernanda Palmeira Gabetto a b , Francielle Medeiros Costa a , Viviana Meneghini a , Juliet Emilia Santos de Sousa a d , Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães Pereira d , Maurício Roberto Cherubin a
aDepartment of Soil Science, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP), Pádua Dias Avenue, 11, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil
- bBrazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (LNBR/CNPEM), Giuseppe Máximo Scolfaro street, 10000, Campinas, SP, 13083-100, Brazil
- cSchool of Food Engineering (FEA), Department of Bioenergy, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Monteiro Lobato Street, 80, Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas, 13083-862, São Paulo, Brazil
- dInterinstitutional Graduate Program in Bioenergy (USP/UNICAMP/UNESP) – 330 Cora Coralina Street, Cidade Universitária, Campinas/SP, CEP 13.083-896, Brazil
Highlights
- Bibliometric review identifies biochar research trends in dryland soils.
- Soil pH, SOC, P, and bulk density are key indicators in biochar studies.
- Biochar improves nutrient supply, water retention, and carbon storage.
- China leads in publications; research gaps persist in Africa and Latin America.
- Biochar supports soil health and resilience in dryland agroecosystems.
Abstract
Climate change has increased the vulnerability in dryland regions, which are more often facing challenges associated with water scarcity and low crop yields. In this context, sustainable soil management practices are a valuable tool to enhance the resilience of these areas as they can provide environmental benefits while ensuring fiber and food production. Among these practices, biochar use has gained recent attention due to its potential to enhance soil health; however, there is a lack of studies that synthesize the existing published data to guide future research. Therefore, we performed a bibliometric review to assess the current research status of soil health studies on biochar use in dryland soils. A total of 38 documents published between 2013 and 2024 were selected from the Web of Science and Scopus databases to be included in our analysis. Our results show that China leads in the number of publications, followed by Pakistan and Iran, which highlights the existence of research gaps in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and parts of the Middle East and Europe. The most commonly evaluated properties in these studies to assess soil health were pH and phosphorus for chemical-associated parameters, and soil organic carbon and bulk density for biological and physical attributes, respectively. Physical parameters were the least commonly evaluated by the soil health studies with biochar application in drylands, despite their relevance. Research in the area highlights the overall potential of biochar to increase key parameters associated with land conservation in dry areas, such as nutrient availability, water retention, carbon sequestration, and crop productivity. However, research conducted on this matter remains limited and unevenly distributed. We recommend that future studies should address regional gaps and explore long-term effects under field conditions to enhance the current understanding of the benefits associated with biochar use in drylands.
