Abstract
Biochar improves soil physical, chemical and biological properties. However, there is a very limited number of studies comparing the effect of various doses of biochar and wheat straw with nutrients on microbiocenotic composition of soil and their connection with selected biochemical and chemical parameters of soil. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the addition to the soil of wheat straw (WS) and wheat straw biochar (WSB) (300 °C) at 0.2%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2% doses and the addition of nutrients (MF) on microbial community composition (bacteria, fungi, actinobacteria, Azotobacter spp., ammonifiers, nitrifiers, denitrifiers, C. pasteurianum), dehydrogenase activity index, carbon and nitrogen fractions contents and the content of water soluble Cu, Cd, Zn, and Pb. It was demonstrated that coapplication of WS and WSB with MF at 1% and 2% doses increased carbon and nitrogen contents in soil and, in particular, their water soluble fractions (DOC and DON). The synergistic effect of biochar and MF contributed to the increase in the population of soil microorganisms. Dehydrogenase activity index in treatments with the addition of WS, WSB and MF was 1.6–4 times higher compared to the control. The content of heavy metals significantly (p ≤ 0.05) affected dehydrogenase activity and the number of nitrifiers and ammonifiers. It was demonstrated that the content of C and N measured for soil microbial biomass in treatments amended with biochar and MF was much greater than in control treatment and MF. However, our studies suggest that the microorganisms’ response to the addition of biochar with nutrients increased the number and intensified the activity of soil microorganisms.Graphic
Highlights
Quantitative and qualitative changes in microbial populations have a significant impact on soil functional integrity, and soil microbial diversity is of fundamental importance for sustainable environmental management
Biochar used in the experiment (WSB) had higher pH and electric conductivity (EC) values that wheat straw (WS) from which it was produced (Table 1)
Before it was amended with organic materials, the soil used in the experiment had slightly acidic reaction, EC = 32.2 μS cm−1 and natural content of trace elements (0.19 mg, 1.85 mg, 16.5 mg and 37.9 mg kg−1 D.M. for Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb, respectively)
Summary
Quantitative and qualitative changes in microbial populations have a significant impact on soil functional integrity, and soil microbial diversity is of fundamental importance for sustainable environmental management. Due to its structure and high porosity, it improves the physical properties of soil, which can increase the number of microorganisms [8] Another factor by which biochar effectively influences microbial activity is soil pH [6, 9, 10]. Hale et al [11] demonstrated a positive relationship between the population of microorganisms and pH of soil (in the range from 3.7 to 8.3) with the addition of biochar This relationship was not confirmed by the studies of Ippolito et al [12] and Khadem and Raiesi [13], who showed that the increase of the pH value to 7 results in a drastic reduction in the population of bacteria and fungi. Determination of dehydrogenase activity is of interest for assessing the stability of organic matter in soils amended with biochar [21]
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