Cited by 640Soil Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsFire effects on ecosystemsThermochemical Biomass Conversion Processes

Short term soil priming effects and the mineralisation of biochar following its incorporation to soils of different pH

Luo, Y., Durenkamp, M., De Nobili, M., Lin, Q., Brookes, P.C.·2011·Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Abstract

The aim of this work was to determine the magnitude of the priming effect, i.e. short-term changes in the rate (negative or positive) of mineralisation of native soil organic carbon (C), following addition of biochars. The biochars were made from Miscanthus giganteus , a C4 plant , naturally enriched with 13 C. The biochars were produced at 350 °C (biochar350) and 700 °C (biochar700) and applied with and without ryegrass as a substrate to a clay-loam soil at pH 3.7 and 7.6. A secondary aim was to determine the effect of ryegrass addition on the mineralisation of the two biochars. After 87 days, biochar350 addition caused priming effects equivalent to 250 and 319 μg CO 2 –C g −1 soil, in the low and high pH soil, respectively. The largest priming effects occurred at the start of the incubations. The size of the priming effect was decreased at higher biochar pyrolysis temperatures, which may be a way of controlling priming effects following biochar incorporation to soil, if desired. The priming effect was probably induced by the water soluble components of the biochar. At 87 days of incubation, 0.14% and 0.18% of biochar700 and 0.61% and 0.84% of biochar350 were mineralized in the low and high pH soil, respectively. Ryegrass addition gave an increased biochar350 mineralisation of 33% and 40%, and increased biochar700 at 137% and 70%, in the low and high pH soils, respectively. Certainly, on the basis of our results, if biochar is used to sequester carbon a priming effect may occur, increasing CO 2 –C evolved from soil and decreasing soil organic C. However, this will be more than compensated for by the increased soil C caused by biochar incorporation. A similar conclusion holds for accelerated mineralisation of biochar due to incorporation of fresh labile substrates. We consider that our results are the first to unequivocally demonstrate the initiation, progress and termination of a true positive priming effect by biochar on native soil organic C.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.07.020

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  • The increase in SOM turnover may increase with increasing soil pH and decreasing pyrolysis temperature.

    “and this may increase with increasing soil pH and decreasing pyrolysis temperature [77].”

    From A Review of Biochar and Soil Nitrogen Dynamics (2013) · cites this paper as [77]

  • Priming effects are most likely induced by labile components of the biochar.

    “most likely induced by labile components of the biochar”

    From A Review of Biochar and Soil Nitrogen Dynamics (2013) · cites this paper as [77]

  • Increased turnover of SOM can result from the addition of biochar to soil as a result of priming effects.

    “Increased turnover of SOM can result from the addition of biochar to soil as a result of priming effects”

    From A Review of Biochar and Soil Nitrogen Dynamics (2013) · cites this paper as [77]

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Authors
Luo, Y., Durenkamp, M., De Nobili, M., Lin, Q., & Brookes, P. C.
Affiliations
  • Rothamsted Research (GB)
  • China Agricultural University (CN)
Corresponding author
Lin, Q.
Venue
Soil Biology and Biochemistry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-11
Volume
43
Issue
11
Pages
2304-2314
ISSN
0038-0717 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1996660052
Cited by
640
References
53
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 38 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 45 · 2021: 66 · 2020: 52 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 52 · 2017: 49 · 2016: 48 · 2015: 52 · 2014: 51 · 2013: 33 · 2012: 16
FWCI
49.80
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Soil Biology and Biochemistry (publishedVersion)
  • Rothamsted Repository (Rothamsted Repository) (submittedVersion)
  • Institutional Research Information System (University of Udine) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Research Councils UK
  • China Scholarship Council
  • Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBS/E/C/00004959)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Fire effects on ecosystems
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Thermochemical Biomass Conversion Processes
Keywords
biochar, priming effect, soil pH, Miscanthus × giganteus, biochar pyrolysis temperature, ryegrass, carbon sequestration, soil incubation

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