Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Combined biochar and nitrogen fertilizer reduces soil acidity and promotes nutrient use efficiency by soybean crop

  • Biochar for a Sustainable Environment
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Soil acidification is universal in soybean-growing fields. The aim of our research was to evaluate the effects of soil additives (N fertilizers and biochar) on crop performance and soil quality with specific emphasis on ameliorating soil acidity.

Materials and methods

Four nitrogen treatments were applied as follows: no nitrogen (N0), urea (N1), potassium nitrate (N2), and ammonium sulfate (N3), each providing 30 kg N ha−1. Half plot area of the N1, N2, and N3 treatments was also treated with biochar (19.5 t ha−1) to form N-biochar treatments (N1C, N2C, N3C). Both bulk and rhizosphere soils were sampled separately for the following analyses: pH, exchangeable base cations (EBC), exchangeable acidity (EA), total inorganic N (IN), total N (TN), and microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs). Soybean biomass and nutrient contents were also determined. Correlation analysis was applied to analyze the relationships between soil chemical properties and soybean plant parameters.

Results and discussion

With N-biochar additions (N1C, N2C, N3C), soil chemical properties changed as follows: pH increased by 0.6–1.2 units, EBC, IN, and TN increased by 175–419, 38.5–54.7, and 136–452 mg kg−1, respectively, and PLFAs increased by 23.6–40.9 nmol g−1 compared to the N0 in the rhizosphere. Microbial PLFAs had positive correlations with soil pH; EBC; exchangeable K, Ca, Na, and Mg; TN; IN; NH4 +; and NO3 − (r = 0.66–0.84, p < 0.01). There were negative correlations between PLFAs and EA or exchangeable Al (r = −0.64, −0.66, p < 0.01), which indicated that the additives increased microbial biomass by providing a suitable environment with less acid stress and more nutrients. The additives increased soil NH4 + and NO3 − by promoting soil organic N mineralization and reducing NH4 + and NO3 − leaching. Moreover, the soybean seed biomass and the nutrient contents in seeds increased with N-biochar additions, especially in the N3C treatment.

Conclusions

N-biochar additions were effective in ameliorating soil acidity, which improved the microenvironment for more microbial survival. N-biochars influenced N transformations at the plant–soil interface by increasing organic N mineralization, reducing N leaching, and promoting N uptake by soybeans. The soil additive ammonium and biochar (N3C) were best in promoting soybean growth.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abiven S, Schmidt MWI, Lehmann J (2014) Biochar by design. Nat Geosci 7:326–327

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ahmad M, Rajapaksha AU, Lim JE, Zhang M, Bolan N, Mohan D, Vithanage M, Lee SS, Ok YS (2014) Biochar as a sorbent for contaminant management in soil and water: a review. Chemosphere 99:19–33

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bååth E, Frostegård Å, Fritze H (1992) Soil bacterial biomass, activity, phospholipid fatty acid pattern, and pH tolerance in an area polluted with alkaline dust deposition. Appl Environ Microb 58:4026–4031

    Google Scholar 

  • Besserer A, Bécard G, Jauneau A, Roux C, Séjalon-Delmas N (2008) GR24, a synthetic analog of strigolactones, stimulates the mitosis and growth of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Gigaspora rosea by boosting its energy metabolism. Plant Physiol 148:402–413

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bolan NS, Hedley MJ, White RE (1991) Processes of soil acidification during nitrogen cycling with emphasis on legume based pastures. Plant Soil 134:53–63

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cao XD, Harris W (2010) Properties of dairy-manure-derived biochar pertinent to its potential use in remediation. Bioresource Technol 101:5222–5228

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chan KY, Van Zwieten L, Meszaros I, Downie A, Joseph S (2008) Agronomic values of greenwaste biochar as a soil amendment. Soil Res 45:629–634

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clough TJ, Condron LM (2010) Biochar and the nitrogen cycle: introduction. J Environ Qual 39:1218–1223

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dai Z, Meng J, Muhammad N, Liu X, Wang H, He Y, Brookes PC, Xu J (2013) The potential feasibility for soil improvement, based on the properties of biochars pyrolyzed from different feedstocks. J Soils Sediments 13:989–1000

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dai Z, Wang Y, Muhammad N, Yu X, Xiao K, Meng J, Liu X, Xu J, Brookes PC (2014) The effects and mechanisms of soil acidity changes, following incorporation of biochars in three soils differing in initial pH. Soil Sci Soc Am J 78:1606–1614

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeLuca TH, MacKenzie MD, Gundale MJ, Holben WE (2006) Wildfire-produced charcoal directly influences nitrogen cycling in ponderosa pine forests. Soil Sci Soc Am J 70:448–453

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ding Y, Liu Y, Wu W, Shi D, Yang M, Zhong Z (2010) Evaluation of biochar effects on nitrogen retention and leaching in multi-layered soil columns. Water Air Soil Pollut 213:47–55

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gaskin JW, Steiner C, Harris K, Das KC, Bibens B (2008) Effect of low-temperature pyrolysis conditions on biochar for agricultural use. Trans ASABE 51:2061–2069

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gathorne-Hardy A, Knight J, Woods J (2009) Biochar as a soil amendment positively interacts with nitrogen fertiliser to improve barley yields in the UK. IOP Conference Series: Earth & Environmental Science. http://iopscience.iop.org/1755-1315/6/37/372052

  • Glaser B, Lehmann J, Zech W (2002) Ameliorating physical and chemical properties of highly weathered soils in the tropics with charcoal—a review. Biol Fert Soils 35:219–230

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Graber ER, Harel YM, Kolton M, Cytryn E, Silber A, David DR, Tsechansky L, Borenshtein M, Elad Y (2010) Biochar impact on development and productivity of pepper and tomato grown in fertigated soilless media. Plant Soil 337:481–496

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guo JH, Liu XJ, Zhang Y, Shen JL, Han WX, Zhang WF, Christie P, Goulding KWT, Vitousek PM, Zhang FS (2010) Significant acidification in major Chinese croplands. Science 327:1008–1010

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hardarson G, Zapata F, Danso SKA (1984) Effect of plant genotype and nitrogen fertilizer on symbiotic nitrogen fixation by soybean cultivars. Plant Soil 82:397–405

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hass A, Gonzalez JM, Lima IM, Godwin HW, Halvorson JJ, Boyer DG (2012) Chicken manure biochar as liming and nutrient source for acid Appalachian soil. J Environ Qual 41:1096–1106

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hassink J (1994) Effects of soil texture and grassland management on soil organic C and N and rates of C and N mineralization. Soil Biol Biochem 26:1221–1231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haynes RJ (1983) Soil acidification induced by leguminous crops. Grass Forage Sci 38:1–11

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He Y, Xu J, Ma Z, Wang H, Wu Y (2007) Profiling of PLFA: implications for nonlinear spatial gradient of PCP degradation in the vicinity of Lolium perenne L. roots. Soil Biol Biochem 39:1121–1129

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He Y, Ding N, Shi J, Wu M, Liao H, Xu J (2013) Profiling of microbial PLFAs: implications for interspecific interactions due to intercropping which increase phosphorus uptake in phosphorus limited acidic soils. Soil Biol Biochem 57:625–634

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hussain M, Farooq M, Nawaz A, Al-Sadi AM, Solaiman ZM, Alghamdi SS, Ammara U, Ok YS, Siddique KHM (2016) Biochar for crop production: potential benefits and risks. J Soils Sediments. doi:10.1007/s11368-016-1360-2

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarvis SC, Robson AD (1983) The effects of nitrogen nutrition of plants on the development of acidity in Western Australian soils. I. Effects with subterranean clover grown under leaching conditions. Crop and Pasture Science 34:341–353

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffery S, Verheijen FGA, Velde MVD, Bastos AC (2011) A quantitative review of the effects of biochar application to soils on crop productivity using meta-analysis. Agr Ecosyst Environ 144:175–187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen LS, Mueller T, Magid J, Nielsen NE (1997) Temporal variation of C and N mineralization, microbial biomass and extractable organic pools in soil after oilseed rape straw incorporation in the field. Soil Biol Biochem 29:1043–1055

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jones DL, Murphy DV, Ahmad W, Deluca TH, Khalid M, Edwards-Jones G (2011) Short-term biochar-induced increase in soil CO2 release is both biotically and abiotically mediated. Soil Biol Biochem 43:1723–1731

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jones DL, Rousk J, Edwards-Jones G, DeLuca TH, Murphy DV (2012) Biochar-mediated changes in soil quality and plant growth in a three year field trial. Soil Biol Biochem 45:113–124

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kochian LV, Piñeros MA, Liu J, Magalhaes JV (2015) Plant adaptation to acid soils: the molecular basis for crop aluminum resistance. Annu Rev Plant Biol 66:571–598

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann J (2007) A handful of carbon. Nature 447:143–144

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann J, Silva JPD, Steiner C, Nehls T, Zech W, Glaser B (2003) Nutrient availability and leaching in an archaeological Anthrosol and a Ferralsol of the Central Amazon basin: fertilizer, manure and charcoal amendments. Plant Soil 249:343–357

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann J, Rillig MC, Thies J, Masiello CA, Hockaday WC, Crowley D (2011) Biochar effects on soil biota—a review. Soil Biol Biochem 43:1812–1836

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann J, Kuzyakov Y, Pan G, Ok YS (2015a) Biochars and the plant-soil interface. Plant Soil 395:1–5

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann J, Abiven S, Kleber M, Pan G, Singh BP, Sohi SP, Zimmerman AR (2015b) Persistence of biochar in soil. Biochar for Environmental Management: Science, Technology and Implementation, pp 233–280

  • Li J, Wang N, Xu R, Tiwari D (2010) Potential of industrial byproducts in ameliorating acidity and aluminum toxicity of soils under tea plantation. Pedosphere 20:645–654

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liang B, Lehmann J, Solomon D, Kinyangi J, Grossman J, O’Neill B, Skjemstad JO, Thies J, Luizão FJ, Petersen J, Neves EG (2006) Black carbon increases cation exchange capacity in soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 70:1719–1730

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu W, Lund LJ, Page AL (1989) Acidity produced by leguminous plants through symbiotic dinitrogen fixation. J Environ Qual 18:529–534

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Zhou G, Zhang D (2007) Effects of acidic solutions on element dynamics in the monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest at Dinghushan, China—part 2: dynamics of Fe, Cu, Mn and Al. Environ Sci Pollut R 14:215–218

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luo Y, Durenkamp M, Nobili MD, Lin Q, Brookes PC (2011) Short term soil priming effects and the mineralisation of biochar following its incorporation to soils of different pH. Soil Biol Biochem 43:2304–2314

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luo Y, Durenkamp M, Nobili MD, Lin Q, Devonshire BJ, Brookes PC (2013) Microbial biomass growth, following incorporation of biochars produced at 350°C or 700°C, in a silty-clay loam soil of high and low pH. Soil Biol Biochem 57:513–523

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Major J, Rondon M, Molina D, Riha SJ, Lehmann J (2012) Nutrient leaching in a Colombian savanna oxisol amended with biochar. J Environ Qual 41:1076–1086

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mandal S, Thangarajan R, Bolan NS, Sarkar B, Khan N, Ok YS, Naidu R (2016) Biochar-induced concomitant decrease in ammonia volatilization and increase in nitrogen use efficiency by wheat. Chemosphere 142:120–127

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mathews JA (2008) Carbon-negative biofuels. Energ Policy 36:940–945

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohan D, Sarswat A, Ok YS, Pittman CU Jr (2014) Organic and inorganic contaminants removal from water with biochar, a renewable, low cost and sustainable adsorbent—a critical review. Bioresour Technol 160:191–202

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno-Castilla C (2004) Adsorption of organic molecules from aqueous solutions on carbon materials. Carbon 42:83–94

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nannipieri P, Ascher J, Ceccherini MT, Landi L, Pietramellara G, Renella G, Valori F (2008) Effects of root exudates in microbial diversity and activity in rhizosphere soils. In: Nautiyal CS, Dion P (eds) Molecular mechanisms of plant and microbe coexistence. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg, pp 339–365

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Nardi S, Concheri G, Pizzeghello D, Sturaro A, Rella R, Parvoli G (2000) Soil organic matter mobilization by root exudates. Chemosphere 41:653–658

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ok YS, Chang SX, Gao B, Chung HJ (2015) SMART biochar technology—a shifting paradigm towards advanced materials and healthcare research. Environ Technol Innov 4:206–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters NK, Long SR (1988) Alfalfa root exudates and compounds which promote or inhibit induction of rhizobium meliloti nodulation genes. Plant Physiol 88:396–400

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Prendergast-Miller MT, Duvall M, Sohi SP (2011) Localisation of nitrate in the rhizosphere of biochar-amended soils. Soil Biol Biochem 43:2243–2246

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rajapaksha AU, Chen SS, Tsang DCW, Zhang M, Vithanage M, Mandal S, Gao B, Bolan NS, Ok YS (2016) Engineered/designer biochar for contaminant removal/immobilization from soil and water: potential and implication of biochar modification. Chemosphere 148:276–291

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson AE, Barea JM, McNeill AM, Prigent-Combaret C (2009) Acquisition of phosphorus and nitrogen in the rhizosphere and plant growth promotion by microorganisms. Plant Soil 321:305–339

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salvagiotti F, Cassman KG, Specht JE, Walters DT, Weiss A, Doberman A (2008) Nitrogen uptake, fixation and response to fertilizer N in soybeans: a review. Field Crop Res 108:1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh B, Singh BP, Cowie AL (2010) Characterisation and evaluation of biochars for their application as a soil amendment. Soil Res 48:516–525

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith JL, Collins HP, Bailey VL (2010) The effect of young biochar on soil respiration. Soil Biol Biochem 42:2345–2347

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spokas KA (2010) Review of the stability of biochar in soils: predictability of O:C molar ratios. Carbon Manag 1:289–303

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Taghizadeh-Toosi A, Clough TJ, Condron LM, Sherlock RR, Anderson CR, Craigie RA (2011) Biochar incorporation into pasture soil suppresses in situ nitrous oxide emissions from ruminant urine patches. J Environ Qual 40:468–476

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tan X, Liu Y, Zeng G, Wang X, Hu X, Gu Y, Yang Z (2015) Application of biochar for the removal of pollutants from aqueous solutions. Chemosphere 125:70–85

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tang C, Weligama C, Sale P (2013) Subsurface soil acidification in farming systems: its possible causes and management options. In: Sparks DL, Xu JM (eds) Molecular environmental soil science. Springer, Netherlands, pp 389–412

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Tsai WT, Liu SC, Chen HR, Chang YM, Tsai YL (2012) Textural and chemical properties of swine-manure-derived biochar pertinent to its potential use as a soil amendment. Chemosphere 89:198–203

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vaccari FP, Maienza A, Miglietta F, Baronti S, Lonardo SD, Giagnoni L, Lagomarsino A, Pozzi A, Pusceddu E, Ranieri R (2015) Biochar stimulates plant growth but not fruit yield of processing tomato in a fertile soil. Agr Ecosyst Environ 207:163–170

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van Zwieten L, Rose T, Herridge D, Kimber S, Rust J, Cowie A, Morris S (2015) Enhanced biological N2 fixation and yield of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) in an acid soil following biochar addition: dissection of casual mechanisms. Plant Soil 395:7–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vanek S, Lehmann J (2015) Phosphorus availability to beans via interactions between mycorrhizas and biochar. Plant Soil 395:105–123

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vanlauwe B, Nwoke OC, Sanginga N, Merckx R (1996) Impact of residue quality on the C and N mineralization of leaf and root residues of three agroforestry species. Plant Soil 183:221–231

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weinberger P, Yee D (1984) The influence of nitrogen sources on root-mediated changes in substrate pH. Can J Botany 62:161–162

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao K, Xu J, Tang C, Zhang J, Brookes PC (2013) Differences in carbon and nitrogen mineralization in soils of differing initial pH induced by electrokinesis and receiving crop residue amendments. Soil Biol Biochem 67:70–84

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu J, Tang C, Chen Z (2006) The role of plant residues in pH change of acid soils differing in initial pH. Soil Biol Biochem 38:709–719

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan J, Xu R (2011) The amelioration effects of low temperature biochar generated from nine crop residues on an acidic Ultisol. Soil Use Manage 27:110–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan J, Xu R, Qian W, Wang R (2011a) Comparison of the ameliorating effects on an acidic ultisol between four crop straws and their biochars. J Soils Sediments 11:741–750

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan J, Xu R, Zhang H (2011b) The forms of alkalis in the biochar produced from crop residues at different temperatures. Bioresource Technol 102:3488–3497

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zelles L, Bai QY, Ma RX, Rackwitz R, Winter K, Beese F (1994) Microbial biomass, metabolic activity and nutritional status determined from fatty acid patterns and poly-hydroxybutyrate in agriculturally-managed soils. Soil Biol Biochem 26:439–446

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zelles L, Palojärvi A, Kandeler E, Lützow MV, Winter K, Bai QY (1997) Changes in soil microbial properties and phospholipid fatty acid fractions after chloroform fumigation. Soil Biol Biochem 29:1325–1336

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman AR (2010) Abiotic and microbial oxidation of laboratory-produced black carbon (biochar). Environ Sci Technol 44:1295–1301

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2014CB441003), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41520104001), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Lu Yu, Yan He, Philip C. Brookes & Jianming Xu

  2. Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Lu Yu, Yan He, Philip C. Brookes & Jianming Xu

  3. Root Biology Center, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China

    Xing Lu

  4. Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Root Biology Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China

    Hong Liao

Authors
  1. Lu Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xing Lu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yan He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Philip C. Brookes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Hong Liao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jianming Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Hong Liao or Jianming Xu.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Yong Sik Ok

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yu, L., Lu, X., He, Y. et al. Combined biochar and nitrogen fertilizer reduces soil acidity and promotes nutrient use efficiency by soybean crop. J Soils Sediments 17, 599–610 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-016-1447-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-016-1447-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation