Abstract
AbstractApplying biochar to agricultural soils has been proposed as a means of sequestering carbon (C) while simultaneously enhancing soil health and agricultural sustainability. However, our understanding of the long‐term effects of biochar and annual versus perennial cropping systems and their interactions on soil properties under field conditions is limited. We quantified changes in soil C concentration and stocks, and other soil properties 6 years after biochar applications to corn (Zea mays L.) and dedicated bioenergy crops on a Midwestern US soil. Treatments were as follows: no‐till continuous corn, Liberty switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), and low‐diversity prairie grasses, 45% big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), 45% Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), and 10% sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), as main plots, and wood biochar (9.3 Mg/ha with 63% total C) and no biochar applications as subplots. Biochar‐amended plots accumulated more C (14.07 Mg soil C/ha vs. 2.25 Mg soil C/ha) than non‐biochar‐amended plots in the 0–30 cm soil depth but other soil properties were not significantly affected by the biochar amendments. The total increase in C stocks in the biochar‐amended plots was nearly twice (14.07 Mg soil C/ha) the amount of C added with biochar 6 years earlier (7.25 Mg biochar C/ha), suggesting a negative priming effect of biochar on formation and/or mineralization of native soil organic C. Dedicated bioenergy crops increased soil C concentration by 79% and improved both aggregation and plant available water in the 0–5 cm soil depth. Biochar did not interact with the cropping systems. Overall, biochar has the potential to increase soil C stocks both directly and through negative priming, but, in this study, it had limited effects on other soil properties after 6 years.
Highlights
Amending soil with C-enriched materials such as biochar is one strategy to enhance the numerous ecosystem services that soils provide
The direct effect is the amount of stable biochar C added, while the indirect effect is the potential reduction in mineralization of native soil organic matter and/or fresh crop residues, a process known as negative priming (Ding et al, 2018; Wang, Xiong, & Kuzyakov, 2016)
We hypothesized that: (a) application of biochar would increase soil C stocks and improve soil properties, thereby enhancing the sustainability of corn production and dedicated perennial bioenergy crops; (b) perennial biomass cropping systems would improve soil properties compared with no-till continuous corn; and (c) biochar would interact with the cropping systems
Summary
Amending soil with C-enriched materials such as biochar is one strategy to enhance the numerous ecosystem services that soils provide. Adding biochar to corn fields is a potential strategy to mitigate the negative effects of residue harvesting on soil quality and C stocks (Backer, Schwinghamer, Whalen, Seguin, & Smith, 2016; Laird & Chang, 2013; Ventura et al, 2019). Long-term field experiments of biochar and cropping systems can be ideal laboratories to study potential biochar priming effects and crop–biochar interactions The objectives of this field study were to: (a) quantify the impacts of biochar application to corn and perennial bioenergy crops on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties as indicators of soil quality after 6 years of. We hypothesized that: (a) application of biochar would increase soil C stocks and improve soil properties, thereby enhancing the sustainability of corn production and dedicated perennial bioenergy crops; (b) perennial biomass cropping systems would improve soil properties compared with no-till continuous corn; and (c) biochar would interact with the cropping systems
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