Influence of biochar on potential enzyme activities in two calcareous soils of contrasting texture

Abstract

Application of pyrolysed feedstocks or biochar has the potential to affect soil enzyme activity and function. Nevertheless, our detailed understanding of the mechanisms responsible for biochar-enzyme interaction is limited in arid soils. The main aim of this study was to study how the potential activity of several extra- and intra-cellular enzymes involved in C and N cycling, and microbial metabolism would respond to addition of biochar in two calcareous soils with fine and coarse texture. Three corn stalk biochars were prepared at 200, 400 and 600°C and added to sandy and clayey soils at 0.5 and 1% (w/w). Soils with uncharred feedstocks; and without biochar and feedstock additions as the control treatment were also included in the experiment. The potential activities of soil enzymes were assayed. Compared with the control, addition of uncharred and charred feedstocks significantly stimulated the activities of catalase (1.3- to 4.3-fold), dehydrogenase (1.2- to 3.1-fold), cellulase (1.1- to 1.7-fold), invertase (1.3- to 5.8-fold) and protease (1.03- to 2.9-fold), which varied with pyrolysis temperature and addition rate as well as soil texture. The positive effects of biochar addition on soil enzymes were much greater at 1% than 0.5% application rates for all the assayed enzymes and in sandy than clayey soils for catalase, dehydrogenase and invertase. The change in enzyme activity with biochar addition primarily attributed to the change in soil microbial biomass. However, enzyme activities were lower in the soils amended with charred than uncharred biomass, and decreased as pyrolysis temperature increased. Our results showed clearly that uncharred feedstock and lower temperature biochars gave higher benefits to both contrasting textured soils than higher temperature biochars, largely connected to changes in the physiochemical properties of biochars. Nevertheless; long-term field experiments are required to verify whether the beneficial effect of uncharred vs. charred feedstocks would be maintained over long timescales under the conditions of this study. We conclude that although biochar application may improve enzyme activities of calcareous soils with low organic matter content, increasing pyrolysis temperature adversely affects soil enzymatic functions, depending mainly on soil texture and application rate. The study evidently indicates that corn biochar addition to arid-soils may have a high potential for improving the enzyme activities as important indicators of soil quality, and subsequently carbon sequestration and biogeochemical cycles.