Temporal evolution of biochar’s impact on soil nitrogen processes - a 15N tracing study
(2014) In Global Change Biology Bioenergy Epub ahead of print.- Abstract
- Biochar addition to soils has been proposed as a means to increase soil fertility and carbon sequestration. However, its effect on soil nitrogen (N) cycling and N availability is poorly understood. To gain better insight into the temporal variability of the impact of biochar on gross soil N dynamics, two 15N tracing experiments, in combination with numerical data analysis, were conducted with soil from a biochar field trial, 1 day and 1 year after application of a woody biochar type. The results showed accelerated soil N cycling immediately following biochar addition, with increased gross N mineralization (+34%), nitrification (+13%) and ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3?) immobilization rates (+4500% and +511%, respectively). One year... (More)
- Biochar addition to soils has been proposed as a means to increase soil fertility and carbon sequestration. However, its effect on soil nitrogen (N) cycling and N availability is poorly understood. To gain better insight into the temporal variability of the impact of biochar on gross soil N dynamics, two 15N tracing experiments, in combination with numerical data analysis, were conducted with soil from a biochar field trial, 1 day and 1 year after application of a woody biochar type. The results showed accelerated soil N cycling immediately following biochar addition, with increased gross N mineralization (+34%), nitrification (+13%) and ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3?) immobilization rates (+4500% and +511%, respectively). One year after biochar application, the biochar acted as an inert substance with respect to N cycling. In the short term, biochar's labile C fraction and a pH increase can explain stimulated microbial activity, while in the longer term, when the labile C fraction has been mineralized and the pH effect has faded, the accelerating effect of biochar on N cycling ceases. In conclusion, biochar accelerates soil N transformations in the short-term through stimulating soil microbial activity, thereby increasing N bio-availability. This effect is, however, temporary. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/7515628
- author
- Nelissen, Victoria ; Rütting, Tobias ; Huygens, Dries ; Ruysschaert, G and Boeckx, Pascal
- publishing date
- 2014
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- tracing model, nitrogen, mineralization, immobilization, gross transformation, field trial, 15N, stable isotopes, nitrogen cycle, biochar
- in
- Global Change Biology Bioenergy
- volume
- Epub ahead of print
- publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:84931562293
- ISSN
- 1757-1693
- DOI
- 10.1111/gcbb.12156
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- f3e423cb-f8a1-4f30-bfbf-1ba34b897002 (old id 7515628)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 08:36:07
- date last changed
- 2022-03-15 08:24:23
@article{f3e423cb-f8a1-4f30-bfbf-1ba34b897002,
abstract = {{Biochar addition to soils has been proposed as a means to increase soil fertility and carbon sequestration. However, its effect on soil nitrogen (N) cycling and N availability is poorly understood. To gain better insight into the temporal variability of the impact of biochar on gross soil N dynamics, two 15N tracing experiments, in combination with numerical data analysis, were conducted with soil from a biochar field trial, 1 day and 1 year after application of a woody biochar type. The results showed accelerated soil N cycling immediately following biochar addition, with increased gross N mineralization (+34%), nitrification (+13%) and ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3?) immobilization rates (+4500% and +511%, respectively). One year after biochar application, the biochar acted as an inert substance with respect to N cycling. In the short term, biochar's labile C fraction and a pH increase can explain stimulated microbial activity, while in the longer term, when the labile C fraction has been mineralized and the pH effect has faded, the accelerating effect of biochar on N cycling ceases. In conclusion, biochar accelerates soil N transformations in the short-term through stimulating soil microbial activity, thereby increasing N bio-availability. This effect is, however, temporary.}},
author = {{Nelissen, Victoria and Rütting, Tobias and Huygens, Dries and Ruysschaert, G and Boeckx, Pascal}},
issn = {{1757-1693}},
keywords = {{tracing model; nitrogen; mineralization; immobilization; gross transformation; field trial; 15N; stable isotopes; nitrogen cycle; biochar}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
series = {{Global Change Biology Bioenergy}},
title = {{Temporal evolution of biochar’s impact on soil nitrogen processes - a 15N tracing study}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12156}},
doi = {{10.1111/gcbb.12156}},
volume = {{Epub ahead of print}},
year = {{2014}},
}