Microbial Responses to Biochar Soil Amendment and Influential Factors: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Biochar is a multifunctional soil conditioner capable of enhancing soil health and crop production while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Understanding how soil microbes respond to biochar amendment is a vital step toward precision biochar application. Here, we quantitatively synthesized 3899 observations of 24 microbial responses from 61 primary studies worldwide. Biochar significantly boosts microbial abundance [microbial biomass carbon (MBC) > colony-forming unit (CFU)] and C- and N-cycling functions (dehydrogenase > cellulase > urease > invertase > nirS) and increases the potential nitrification rate by 40.8% while reducing cumulative N₂O by 12.7%. Biochar derived at lower pyrolysis temperatures can better improve dehydrogenase and acid phosphatase and thus nutrient

SUBMITTER: Kerner P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10702529 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature