Belowground biota responses to maize biochar addition to the soil of a Mediterranean vineyard

Abstract

Biochar is a high carbon material resulting from biomass pyrolysis that, when applied to croplands, can increase soil carbon and soil water retention. Both effects are of critical importance in semi-arid regions, where carbon decline and desertification are the main drivers of soil degradation. Since most environmental services provided by soil are mediated by belowground biota, effects of biochar on soil microbial and invertebrate communities must be evaluated under field conditions before its agricultural application can be recommended. We tested maize biochar for its mid-term effect on soil microbes and micro-arthropods of a Mediterranean vineyard. We applied biochar to three field plots with neutral sandy loam soils at a dose of 5 Mg ha -1 . During two years, we monitored the abundance of functional groups of soil micro-arthropods and estimated the biomass of soil microbial groups. We also analyzed the δ 13 C value of microbial PLFA biomarkers to determine biochar-C utilization by each microbial group taking advantage of the δ 13 C natural abundance differences between the applied biochar and the soil. Biochar addition significantly reduced soil microbial biomass but did not alter the functional microbial diversity nor the abundance or biodiversity of soil micro-arthropods. The contribution of biochar-C to the diet of most microbial groups was very low through the monitoring period. However, two gram-negative bacterial groups increased their biochar-derived carbon uptake under extreme soil dryness, which suggests that biochar-C might help soil microbes to overcome the food shortage caused by drought. The decrease in microbial biomass observed in our experiment and the concomitant decrease of SOM mineralization could contribute to the carbon sequestration potential of Mediterranean soils after biochar addition.

Sustainable soil use and management: An interdisciplinary and systematic approach

“…It typically possess a stable fixed carbon structure with high porosity, a high specific surface area and a high alkalinity. These characteristics enable biochar to enhance soil moisture content, sorb polluting substances and increase soil pH (Andrés et al, 2019). Moreover, biochar is considered carbon negative because the carbon within its structure, which is captured from the atmosphere during biomass formation, is more recalcitrant in the natural environment than carbon in biomass that has not been pyrolized.…”

“…Certain soil amendments are associated with increased soil biodiversity. For example, biochar amendment of a Mediterranean vineyard soil decreased the mineralization of both SOC and microbial biomass, while the functional microbial diversity and biodiversity of soil micro-arthropods were maintained (Andrés et al, 2019). Soil properties and biodiversity are also affected by plant root systems within the rhizosphere (Dey et al, 2012).…”

Análise Do Desempenho Do Tratamento De Águas Residuais Industriais Em Lagoas De Estabilização – Estudo De Caso De Uma Agroindústria

“…Esta morfologia em folhas já é bem conhecida destes materiais obtidos de reagentes comerciais (Figueira et. al, 2008;Zhang et al, 2014;CUI et al, 2009 O biocarvão produzido a partir de resíduos de culturas agrícolas vem sendo utilizado em larga escala para melhoria da qualidade física e química dos solos (LEHMANN et al, 2011) e diversos estudos tem avaliado as contribuições deste material para biota edáfi ca (CHINTALA et al, 2016;ANDRÉS et al, 2019;HARDY et al, 2019;HERRMANN et al, 2019;PALANSOORIYA et al, 2019).…”

Biochar - A Panacea for Agriculture or Just Carbon?

“…reported with Malus pumila woodchip BC (500°C), Eucalyptus saligna hardwood BC (550°C), and sugar maple wood BC (400°C) soil amendment, respectively. Additional studies found only modest or no differences[136,155,164,165]. The change in the composition of bacterial communities after incorporation of BC in soil is highly dependent on the preexisting bacterial community, soil type, and overall BC characteristics.Generally, the gram-negative bacterial community are favored in the nutrient-enriched BCamended soils and initially predominate the soil environment since they perform specific and narrow functions.…”