Impact of biochar application on nitrogen nutrition of rice, greenhouse-gas emissions and soil organic carbon dynamics in two paddy soils of China

• Published in: Plant and soil Vol. 370; no. 1/2; pp. 527 - 540
• Main Authors: Xie, Zubin, Xu, Yanping, Liu, Gang, Liu, Qi, Zhu, Jianguo, Tu, Cong, Amonette, James E., Cadisch, Georg, Yong, Jean W. H., Hu, Shuijin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01.09.2013; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acid soils; Agricultural soils; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Bioavailability; Biochar; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Carbon content; Carbon sequestration; Charcoal; Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties; China; Corn; corn stover; Crop production; Ecology; Environmental aspects; Fertilizers; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Geochemistry; greenhouse gas emissions; Greenhouse gases; Inceptisols; labeling techniques; Life Sciences; Methane; Nitrogen; Nitrogen content; Nitrous oxide; Nutrition; Nutritional aspects; Organic carbon; Organic matter; Oryza sativa; paddy soils; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Pollutant emissions; Regular Article; Rice; Rice fields; Rice soils; Sand soils; soil organic carbon; Soil science; Soil Science & Conservation; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; Soils; straw; Triticum aestivum; Ultisols; Urea; urea fertilizers; wheat; Asia; China; Far east; China, People's Rep; Nitrogen use efficiency; Biochar; Greenhouse gases; Carbon sequestration; Rice; Organic carbon; Organic matter; Monocotyledones; Dynamic characteristic; Gas emission; Nutrition; Cultivated soil; Nutrient recovery; Nitrogen; Carbonization; Oryza; Gramineae; Greenhouse gas; Angiospermae; Herbaceous plant; Spermatophyta; Paddy field; Soil plant relation
• ISSN: 0032-079X; 1573-5036
• DOI: 10.1007/s11104-013-1636-x

Aims Two field microcosm experiments and ¹⁵N labeling techniques were used to investigate the effects of biochar addition on rice N nutrition and GHG emissions in an Inceptisol and an Ultisol. Methods Biochar N bioavailability and effect of biochar on fertilizer nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) were studied by ¹⁵N-enriched wheat biochar (7.8803 atom% ¹⁵N) and fertilizer urea (5.0026 atom% ¹⁵N) (Experiment I). Corn biochar and corn stalks were applied at 12 Mgha⁻¹ to study their effects on GHG emissions (Experiment II). Results Biochar had no significant impact on rice production and less than 2 % of the biochar N was available to plants in the first season. Biochar addition increased soil C and N contents and decreased urea NUE. Seasonal cumulative CH₄ emissions with biochar were similar to the controls, but significantly lower than the local practice of straw amendment. N₂O emissions with biochar were similar to the control in the acidic Ultisol, but significantly higher in the slightly alkaline Inceptisol. Carbon-balance calculations found no major losses of biochar-C. Conclusion Low bio-availability of biochar N did not make a significantly impact on rice production or N nutrition during the first year. Replacement of straw amendments with biochar could decrease CH₄ emissions and increase SOC stocks.