The Interactive Impact of Straw Mulch and Biochar Application Positively Enhanced the Growth Indexes of Maize (Zea mays L.) Crop
, Babar Iqbal 1,†, Asif Ali Khan 3, Inamullah 4, Abdul Rehman 5, Amna Fayyaz 6, Awais Shakoor 7,*, Taimoor Hassan Farooq 8 and Li-xue Wang 2,*
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Introduction:
The introduction does not provide enough essential information for the purpose of this study. The logic and objectives need to be rearranged. English also need to be checked.
1. Line 43-45: There is a big gap between the reduction of agricultural land and unfertile land. Additional info on unfertile land is needed.
2. Line 53-54: 62: There is a big gap between the production of maize and the utilization of biochar. What is the challenge of maize production? What types of soil does maize need to maximize its production? Transitional information is needed here.
3. Line 61: What are the financial benefits of biochar? What is the price of biochar compared to other soil amendments?
4. Line 66-71: What types of biochar are used in those studies? Every biochar is different, please be specific when referencing biochar. Check the whole manuscript.
5. Line 69: What’s the promising results? Be specific.
6. Line 74-76: Please rewrite this sentence.
M&M:
1. Line 104: Biochar or bio-charcoal?
2. Line 121-122: rewrite the sentence. Delete “in texture”
3. Line 123: Check the unit?
4. Line 124: change soil into biochar. Rewrite the sentence.
5. What are other properties of biochar? Such as EC, total porosity, water holding capacity etc?
6. Line 140: decapitalize “Five”
7. Line 169: You have mulch and biochar two factors, why using one-way analysis?
8. Line 183: Biochar? Not biochar level? Please put biochar rate again here. It’s confusing.
Results:
1. Table 1: in the jointing stage 2018: why the significance is different when both B1 and NM had the same numb 111? Why there is no letter in 2019 data (seedling and jointing columns) Please add the standard error.
2. Table 2: 26.47 and 26.48AB in Tasseling stage. I don’t think the table or data was analyzed correctly.
Discussion:
1. Line 280: Did you measured the soil fertility at the end of the experiment?
Author Response
RESPONSE TO COMMENTS
Reviewer 1:
Thank you so much for reading, summarizing and commenting on our manuscript. We feel sorry that we did not provide enough information about the unmet need of writing an additional review in this regard. You and the other reviewers’ comments are all of great importance to our article. A detailed response to all the proposals is listed below one by one.
1. Line 43-45: There is a big gap between the reduction of agricultural land and unfertile land. Additional info on unfertile land is needed
Response: We have revised the manuscript and incorporated additional information regarding the issue you mentioned in your comments and incorporate with a track changes. Thus, the revised manuscript included the information in the introduction part of the manuscript according to your suggestions (Line 43-45).
2. Line 53-54: 62: There is a big gap between the production of maize and the utilization of biochar. What is the challenge of maize production? What types of soil does maize need to maximize its production? Transitional information is needed here.
Response: The relevant information has been incorporated and incorporate with a track change in the revised manuscript according to your valuable suggestions (Line53-54:62).
3. Line 61: What are the financial benefits of biochar? What is the price of biochar compared to other soil amendments?
Response: Biochar soil amendment regarded as the sustainable techniques and their influential impact on the soil physicochemical properties for many years. Biochar application reduced the inputs requirement i.e., fertilizers to the crops and enhanced soil fertility, moisture, and biogeochemical cycle and increase the output (grain yield) of crops, which I have also measure the cost: benefit ratio in my previous article (Khan et al., 2020). Additionally, the price of biochar is 78.75RMB/ton, as seen economic benefits in the previous published article (Khan et al., 2020).
4. Line 66-71: What types of biochar are used in those studies? Every biochar is different, please be specific when referencing biochar. Check the whole manuscript.
Response: Thanks, We really appreciate your deep thinking in reviewing our manuscript, have checked and corrected the type of biochar used in our manuscript. It is regarded as maize straw biochar as mentioned in the manuscript (Line 66-71). It’s also changed in the whole manuscript according to your valuable suggestions.
5. What’s the promising results? Be specific.
Response: Thank you for reviewing our manuscript. We have revised and explain the word “promising results” according to your suggestions and highlighted as red.
6. Line 74-76: Please rewrite this sentence
Response: Line 74-76: Thank you so much for mentioning the errors in our manuscript and also thankful for reviewing our manuscript. We have revised and rewrite the sentence according to your suggestions.
M&M comments:
7. Line 104: Biochar or bio-charcoal?
Response: Thank you so much for your kind suggestions. We have changed bio-charcoal as Biochar throughout the manuscript.
8. Line 121-122: rewrite the sentence. Delete “in texture”
Response: Thank you so much for your valuable suggestions. We have deleted “in texture” as you suggested in Line 121-122
9. Line 123: Check the unit?
Response: Thank you so much for your comments and valuable suggestions. We have revised the whole manuscript and check the unit (Line 123).
10. Line 124: change soil into biochar. Rewrite the sentence.
Response: Thank you so much for your comments. We have changed the sentence and rewrite it according to your suggestions as mentioned in the Line 124 in the manuscript.
11. Table 1 and Table 2 should be combined into a single table.
Response: Thank you so much for your comments. We really appreciate your suggestions but it is not appropriate and looks fine in current form as the table will become too large if merged together.
12. What are other properties of biochar? Such as EC, total porosity, water holding capacity etc?
Response: Thank you so much for your valuable suggestions. We have revised the manuscript and also added the other properties of biochar Such as EC, total porosity, water holding capacity as you suggested
13. Line 140: decapitalize “Five”
Response: Thank you so much for the deep insights in the paper and reviewing our paper. Also, we are thankful to you for your valuable suggestions. We have incorporated your suggestions and changed in the manuscript (Line 140).
14. Line 169: You have mulch and biochar two factors, why using one-way analysis?
Response: Thank you so much for your valuable suggestions. We really appreciate for revising our manuscript. Yes, mulch and biochar two factors and we are using two-way analysis in our present study. It was a mistyping error; corrected in the revised version. (Line 169).
15. Biochar? Not biochar level? Please put biochar rate again here. It’s confusing.
Response: Thank you so much for your deep insights and valuable suggestions. We have changed the above-mentioned comments throughout the manuscript.
Results:
1. Table 1: in the jointing stage 2018: why the significance is different when both B1 and NM had the same numb 111? Why there is no letter in 2019 data (seedling and jointing columns) Please add the standard error.
Response: Thank you so much for your valuable comments. We have revised the manuscript according to your valuable comments and incorporated all the above-mentioned comments. It is the separate significant difference for the main treatment and sub-treatment, First, showed the
variation among the rates of biochar like B0, B1, B2 and B3 and second showed the variation between the no straw mulch and straw mulch.
Secondly, no letters mean that there are no significant differences for biochar rates and straw mulch application.
2. Table 2: 26.47 and 26.48AB in Tasseling stage. I don’t think the table or data was analyzed correctly.
Response: Thank you so much for your valuable suggestions. We have incorporated your comments and revealed that this is correct data and well analyzed. Therefore, this significance differences among the biochar rates such as B0, B1, B2 and B3 as shown with upper case letter, however, the data for no straw mulch and interaction of straw mulch and biochar rates were non-significant and represent as no lettering.
3. Line 280: Did you measured the soil fertility at the end of the experiment.
Response: Thanks, We have already mentioned and measured the soil fertility at the end of the experiment as mentioned in my previous paper (khan et al., 2020).
Reviewer 2 Report
The manuscript entitled “Effects of Straw Mulch and Biochar Soil Amendments on Growth Indexes of Rain-fed Maize Crop” submitted by Khan et al., reveals how straw mulch and biochar application affect the rain-fed maize crop. The present manuscript findings are interesting and good for readers and farmers Overall, there is no deficiency except the following shortcomings that allow may be accepted after its amendment.
Abstract:
#Line No: 32, 33 “rained maize” better to change
#Authors mentioned in abstract “…. the environmental benefits of global warming mitigation”. How? I suggest to write about it in introduction part
Introduction:
#Due to global warming, how the growth and yield of maize are affected? Please write in brief in the introduction section.
# Check it “The objectives of this experimental study the effects 74 of maize straw mulch and rates of biochar application on dry matter and leaf area index 75 of leaves, stem, root growth rate, and crop growth rate, grain filling rate and duration.”
# The present experiment was designed “split-plot design with 3 replications” but One-way ANOVA was used in this study, why, what is the benefit of split-plot design? In my knowledge, factorial data given in the Tables are not possible to be done by One-way ANOVA.
Results
#In results, authors are suggested to add percent increase and decrease for all studied parameters after treatments and interaction
#Authors should add new relevant references in the introduction and discussion sections.
However, the manuscript is suitable for publication in ‘Agronomy’ journal after careful revision.
Author Response
Reviewer 2:
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
The manuscript entitled “Effects of Straw Mulch and Biochar Soil Amendments on Growth Indexes of Rain-fed Maize Crop” submitted by Khan et al., reveals how straw mulch and biochar application affect the rain-fed maize crop. The present manuscript findings are interesting and good for readers and farmers Overall, there is no deficiency except the following shortcomings that allow may be accepted after its amendment.
Thank you so much for your encouragement in the form of positive and valuable comments and suggestions, it brings us closer towards improving the quality of our manuscript.
We have modified manuscript according to your suggestions (track changes file).
1. Abstract:
#Line No: 32, 33 “rained maize” better to change
Response: Thanks for your valuable suggestion and changed as you suggested.
#Authors mentioned in abstract “…. the environmental benefits of global warming mitigation”. How? I suggest to write about it in introduction part
Response: Thanks for your valuable suggestion and incorporate in introduction part as you suggested.
Introduction:
#Due to global warming, how the growth and yield of maize are affected? Please write in brief in the introduction section.
Response: Thanks for your valuable suggestion and incorporate brief discuss that how the global warming growth affected and yield of maize in introduction part as you suggested.
# Check it “The objectives of this experimental study the effects 74 of maize straw mulch and rates of biochar application on dry matter and leaf area index 75 of leaves, stem, root growth rate, and crop growth rate, grain filling rate and duration.”
Response: We have revised the objectives of this experimental study in the manuscript according to your suggestions and highlighted as red
# The present experiment was designed “split-plot design with 3 replications” but One-way ANOVA was used in this study, why, what is the benefit of split-plot design? In my knowledge, factorial data given in the Tables are not possible to be done by One-way ANOVA.
Response: Yes, the present experiment was designed “split-plot design with 3 replications. We were used two-way analysis in our present study. Really sorry, it was a mistyping error; corrected in the revised version.
Results
#In results, authors are suggested to add percent increase and decrease for all studied parameters after treatments and interaction
Response: Thanks for your valuable suggestion and incorporate the percent increase and decrease for all studied parameters after treatments and interaction
#Authors should add new relevant references in the introduction and discussion sections.
Response: Thanks, added new relevant references in the introduction and discussion sections.
However, the manuscript is suitable for publication in ‘Agronomy’ journal after careful revision.
Response: Thank you for your encouragement in the form of positive and valuable comments and suggestions, it brings us closer towards improving the quality of our manuscript.
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Please check English usage thoroughly.
Line 75-76: “Because rainfed agriculture covers 80% of the world’s cultivated land, and contributes about 60% to the total crop production.” This is not a complete sentence.
Line 78-79: “As water is the limiting factor crop yield worldwide, especially in dry land farming [8,9]”. This is not a complete sentence.
Line 69: add the importance of maize for food security to make the transaction smoothly. You can simply move line 81-85 to here.
Line 87: Is that statement true? Can you provide citation? Isn’t the major concern the food security?
Line 98-101: The transactions is rough here. Please rearrange the significance/necessary of this study with maize and biochar.
Line 106: delete therefore.
Line 116-119: please rewrite this sentence, it’s confusing, I don’t know what you meant.
Line 308: You did not provide the types of biochar used in your manuscript.
Author Response
Reviewer 1
Thank you very much for your valuable suggestions. We thoroughly revised the whole manuscript and incorporated all the comments. Also, we revised the whole English editing of the manuscript. We mentioned the suggestions and response to these suggestions as follows:
Line 75-76: “Because rainfed agriculture covers 80% of the world’s cultivated land, and contributes about 60% to the total crop production.” This is not a complete sentence.
Response: Thank you so much for your comments. We appreciate your valuable suggestions and incorporated your comments. Now the sentences are more clear which are as follows : The scientific community faces a major challenge in feeding the world's population, utilization of unfertile agricultural land and bringing such unfertile soil into the agricultural production system by combating salinization, desertification and soil contamination with different kind of environmental pollutants [6]. Thus it is in our best of knowledge that rainfed agriculture covers 80% of the world’s cultivated land, and contributes about 60% to the total crop production throughout the globe [7]. L49-54
Line 78-79: “As water is the limiting factor crop yield worldwide, especially in dry land farming [8,9]”. This is not a complete sentence.
Response: Thank you so much for your suggestions. We incorporated your comments and now the sentence is as follows : “As water is the limiting factor in promoting the crop yield worldwide, especially in dry land farming ecosystem which hinder the growth and productivity of the crops [8,9].” L-56-58
Line 69: add the importance of maize for food security to make the transaction smoothly. You can simply move line 81-85 to here.
Response: Thank you so much for your valuable suggestion. We incorporated your comments and change most of the section in the introduction part and revised it.
Line 87: Is that statement true? Can you provide citation? Isn’t the major concern the food security?
Response: Thank you very much for your comments. We change the introduction part according to your comments and revised it.
Line 98-101: The transactions is rough here. Please rearrange the significance/necessary of this study with maize and biochar.
Response: Thank you very much for your comments. We mostly change this part and revised according to your suggestion.
Line 106: delete therefore.
Response: Thank you very much for your comments. We appreciate your valuable suggestions and incorporated as suggested.
Line 116-119: please rewrite this sentence, it’s confusing, I don’t know what you meant.
Response: Thank you very much for your comments. We revised the manuscript according to your suggestions.
Line 308: You did not provide the types of biochar used in your manuscript
Response: Thank you very much for your comments. We already mentioned that it is maize straw mulch biochar and also, we mentioned the rates here. (L-96-97)
Reviewer 2 Report
The manuscript can be accepted in its present form
Author Response
Many thanks for your kind consideration.
