<![CDATA[In intensive tropical sugarcane production, open-field residue burning and continuous mono-cropping on coarse-textured soils induce severe land degradation. This study evaluated the effects of sugarcane trash biochar applied at rates of 0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% by dry weight to a degraded loamy sand soil during a six-month laboratory incubation. Soil physical constants, monthly chemical parameters, and functional microbial populations were systematically monitored. Results demonstrated that biochar incorporation immediately enhanced soil hydro-physical properties. Plant-available water capacity progressively increased from 11.59% in the unamended control to 13.71% under the 3% treatment, effectively retarding evaporative water loss during drying cycles. Chemically, biochar significantly elevated soil pH from sub-optimal acidity (5.31–5.77) to favorable levels (5.87–6.90), enhanced cation exchange capacity up to 15.82–19.43 cmolc/kg, and increased available phosphorus and exchangeable potassium. Biologically, the 2% application rate established an optimal ecological threshold, maximizing total culturable bacteria (2.35x105 CFU/g) and free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria (1.53x105 CFU/g). Conversely, higher application rates suppressed cellulolytic microorganisms due to extracellular enzyme immobilization. Overall, while sugarcane trash biochar provides substantial hydro-chemical and biological rejuvenation to degraded coarse soils, its application rate should be optimized between 1% and 2% to avoid excessive nutrient accumulation and microbial inhibition.]]>
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