Increasing yields in aerobic rice systems (ARS) is a challenge in the Brazilian savanna (BS), where rice is grown under unfavourable conditions characterised by well drained and low fertile soils.Management options that could increase soil water holding capacity and N use efficiency would probably lead to higher grain yields in ARS.One promising option under consideration is the use of biochar, a by-product of charcoal made of hardwood in BS, as a soil amendment.Biochar is high in resistant (pyrogenic) carbon (70-80% of the material), which influences some processes in soil, depending on the amount amended and its interaction with water and the soil source of N.Yet there are no conclusive field studies that quantify the effect of hardwood biochar application on grain yield of ARS in BS.Here, we reported single season effects of biochar amendment coupled with N fertilisation on aerobic rice growth and grain yield in a clayey Rhodic Ferralsol in BS.We found that biochar did show no influence on grain yield.The effect of N fertilisation on yield followed a quadratic pattern, meaning that, regardless biochar doses, optimal dose of N would be around 46 kg hm-2 to achieve a grain yield above 3 t hm-2.Leaf Area Index was negatively related to biochar doses above 16 t hm-2, which might be related to increased N denitrification caused by changes in soil properties due biochar amendment.Trends will guide future research.