J Environ Qual. 2014 Mar;43(2):681-9. doi: 10.2134/jeq2013.08.0324.
Hardwood biochar influences calcareous soil physicochemical and microbiological status.
Journal of environmental quality
J A Ippolito, M E Stromberger, R D Lentz, R S Dungan
PMID: 25602669
DOI: 10.2134/jeq2013.08.0324
Abstract
The effects of biochar application to calcareous soils are not well documented. In a laboratory incubation study, a hardwood-based, fast pyrolysis biochar was applied (0, 1, 2, and 10% by weight) to a calcareous soil. Changes in soil chemistry, water content, microbial respiration, and microbial community structure were monitored over a 12-mo period. Increasing the biochar application rate increased the water-holding capacity of the soil-biochar blend, a trait that could be beneficial under water-limited situations. Biochar application also caused an increase in plant-available Fe and Mn, soil C content, soil respiration rates, and bacterial populations and a decrease in soil NO-N concentration. Biochar rates of 2 and 10% altered the relative proportions of bacterial and fungal fatty acids and shifted the microbial community toward greater relative amounts of bacteria and fewer fungi. The ratio of fatty acid 19:0 cy to its precursor, 18:1ω7c, was higher in the 10% biochar rate soil than in all other soils, potentially indicating an environmental stress response. The 10% application rate of this particular biochar was extreme, causing the greatest change in microbial community structure, a physiological response to stress in Gram-negative bacteria, and a drastic reduction in soil NO-N (85-97% reduction compared with the control), all of which were sustained over time.
Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.
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