Cited by 184Soil Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsAgricultural Science and FertilizationSoil Management and Crop Yield

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 97 of the 100 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 32 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Medium-term effects of corn biochar addition on soil biota activities and functions in a temperate soil cropped to corn

Open access

Abstract

Biochar addition to soil has been generally associated with crop yield increases observed in some soils, and increased nutrient availability is one of the mechanisms proposed. Any impact of biochar on soil organisms can potentially translate to changes in nutrient availability and crop productivity, possibly explaining some of the beneficial and detrimental yield effects reported in literature. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to assess the medium-term impact of biochar addition on microbial and faunal activities in a temperate soil cropped to corn and the consequences for their main functions, litter decomposition and mineralization. Biochar was added to a corn field at rates of 0, 3, 12, 30 tons ha � 1 three years prior to this study, in comparison to an annual application of 1 t ha � 1 . Biochar application increased microbial abundance, which nearly doubled at the highest addition rate, while mesofauna activity, and litter decomposition facilitated by mesofauna were not increased signif- icantly but were positively influenced by biochar addition when these responses were modeled, and in the last case directly and positively associated to the higher microbial abundance. In addition, in short- term laboratory experiments after the addition of litter, biochar presence increased NO2 þ NO3 miner- alization, and decreased that of SO4 and Cl. However, those nutrient effects were not shown to be of concern at the field scale, where only some significant increases in SOC, pH, Cl and PO4 were observed. Therefore, no negative impacts in the soil biota activities and functions assessed were observed for the tested alkaline biochar after three years of the application, although this trend needs to be verified for other soil and biochar types.

Overview

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Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

In a temperate sandy loam cropped to corn, corn-stover biochar applied three years earlier had limited medium-term effects on soil biota: microbial biomass was higher at 30 t ha−1, but microbial activity, fauna feeding, litter decomposition, and most mineralization rates did not differ from controls. Modeling suggested possible positive biochar contributions to mesofauna-facilitated decomposition and some nutrient dynamics, but field-scale effects were minor.

Key findings

  • Microbial biomass (MCB) was significantly higher with 30 t ha−1 biochar than in controls (p=0.03) and positively correlated with biochar application rate (r=0.60, p=0.01); basal respiration (BAS), carbon mineralization coefficient (CMC), and qCO2 did not significantly vary. The logMCB model included only moisture, the BAS model only soil texture, and the qCO2 model included moisture and SOC positively and sand negatively.
  • Fauna feeding rates did not differ significantly between biochar-added plots and controls in summer or fall, or by depth; models mostly explained feeding by soil texture, with biochar positive in some fall models but not significant by itself.
  • Litter decomposition did not differ significantly for either 2-mm or 0.16-mm mesh bags. The 2-mm mesh model included positive biochar and pH and negative Cl (72% variance explained), while the 0.16-mm mesh model included logMCB, clay, and SOC but not biochar (74% variance explained).
  • Mineralization showed no significant differences except Cl and SO4, which had negative rates in all biochar addition rates and at 30 t ha−1, respectively; NO2+NO3 mineralization was positively correlated with biochar rate (r=0.52*). Models generally showed a lack of biochar effect.

Methods

  • Field plots were at Cornell University’s Musgrave Research Farm in Aurora, NY, continuously cropped to corn for more than 30 years; plots were 4.5 × 7.5 m with three plots per biochar rate in a completely randomized design. Corn-stover biochar produced by slow pyrolysis (30 min, 600°C) was applied in April 2007 at 0, 3, 12, and 30 t ha−1 once, plus an annual 1 t ha−1 treatment applied in 2007, 2008, and 2010 (cumulative 3 t ha−1 by the study). Sampling occurred in summer and fall 2010.
  • Soil physicochemical properties were measured; microbial biomass was assessed by fumigation-extraction with correction factors for biochar sorption (1.53, 1.55, 1.62, and 1.77 for 0, 3, 12, and 30 t ha−1; 1.55 for annual 1 t ha−1); basal respiration, CMC, and qCO2 were calculated. Fauna feeding was assessed by bait lamina, litter decomposition by 2-mm and 0.16-mm mesh litterbags with corn stover, and mineralization by laboratory incubation after adding ground corn stover at 0.15% (equivalent to 3 t stover ha−1), with destructive sampling at 7, 14, and 28 days.
  • Analyses used R version 2.15.0; plot means were used to avoid pseudoreplication. General linear models, ANOVA, Pearson correlations, and generalized linear models with AICc-based model selection (MuMIn) were used.

Limitations

  • The paper states that small sample size and high within-group variability may cause type II error for CMC, qCO2, fauna feeding, decomposition, and NO2+NO3 and PO4 mineralization; models for CMC, PO4, and NO2+NO3 had low predictability.
  • The paper states that mechanisms for increased N mineralization are unknown and probably transient or restricted to pot/lab conditions, and that field-scale soluble ion effects were not observed. It also states no concern for the tested alkaline biochar in this temperate soil, but this must be verified for other soil and biochar types, and the authors lack direct data on microbial community composition for the fungi-related explanation.
  • Evident from the text: the study covers one biochar type/feedstock/pyrolysis, one soil/climate/crop system, three field replicates per treatment, a three-year medium-term window, and indirect functional assays (bait lamina, litterbags, 28-day lab incubation), which limit generality and mechanistic inference.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.01.035

Cites

97 of 97 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

44 Own result · 21 Not checked yet · 12 Own interpretation · 4 Own method · 2 No basis given

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Show all 39 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 36
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 12
44 of 44
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Most of the nutrients released in the mineralization experiment come from corn stover rather than from native soil organic matter or biochar mineralization.

    “Although mineralization products measured in our study might also come from native organic matter or from biochar mineralization itself (Keith et al. 2011), most of the nutrients released should come from stover.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Water extracts are representative of the most bioavailable fraction for plants and soil biota.

    “Furthermore, we consider water extracts to be representative of the most bioavailable fraction for plants and soil biota.”
2 of 2

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Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

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Metadata

Authors
Domene, X., Mattana, S., Hanley, K., Enders, A., & Lehmann, J.
Affiliations
  • Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES)
  • Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications (ES)
  • Cornell University (US)
Corresponding author
Domene, Xavier
Venue
Soil Biology and Biochemistry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2014-05
Volume
72
Pages
152-162
ISSN
0038-0717 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2034436872
Cited by
184
References
100
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 4
FWCI
31.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Soil Biology and Biochemistry (publishedVersion)
  • Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
  • LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
Funders
  • Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CGL2010-15766)
  • United States Department of Agriculture (NY-125487)
  • New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
  • National Science Foundation's Basic Research for Enabling Agricultural Development (IOS-0965336)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Agricultural Science and Fertilization
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Management and Crop Yield
Keywords
biochar, maize, soil organisms, soil microbial abundance, mesofauna, litter decomposition, nutrient mineralization, soil organic carbon, soil pH, temperate soils, long-term biochar application

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