Microbially Driven Iron Cycling Facilitates Organic Carbon Accrual in Decadal Biochar-Amended Soil.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is pivotal for both agricultural activities and climate change mitigation, and biochar stands as a promising tool for bolstering SOC and curtailing soil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However, the involvement of biochar in SOC dynamics and the underlying interactions among biochar, soil microbes, iron minerals, and fresh organic matter (FOM, such as plant debris) remain largely unknown, especially in agricultural soils after long-term biochar amendment. We therefore introduced FOM to soils with and without a decade-long history of biochar amendment, performed soil microcosm incubations, and evaluated carbon and iron dynamics as well as microbial properties. Biochar amendment resulted in 2-fold SOC accrual over a decade and attenuated FOM-induced CO2 emissions by approximately 11% during a 56-day incubation through diverse pathways. Notably, biochar facilitated microbially driven iron reduction and subsequent Fenton-like reactions, potentially having enhanced microbial extracellular electron transfer and the carbon use efficiency in the long run. Throughout iron cycling processes, physical protection by minerals could contribute to both microbial carbon accumulation and plant debris preservation, alongside direct adsorption and occlusion of SOC by biochar particles. Furthermore, soil slurry experiments, with sterilization and ferrous iron stimulation controls, confirmed the role of microbes in hydroxyl radical generation and biotic carbon sequestration in biochar-amended soils. Overall, our study sheds light on the intricate biotic and abiotic mechanisms governing carbon dynamics in long-term biochar-amended upland soils.

The contribution of microbial necromass to soil organic carbon and influencing factors along a variation of habitats in alpine ecosystems.

A growing consensus is reached that microbes contributes to regulating the formation and accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC). Nevertheless, less is known about the role of soil microbes (necromass, biomass) in SOC accumulation in different habitat conditions in alpine ecosystems. To address this knowledge gap, the composition and distribution of amino sugars (ASs) and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) as biomarkers of microbial necromass and biomass were investigated in forest, meadow and wetland soil profile (0-40 cm) of Mount Segrila, Tibet, China, as well the contribution of bacterial and fungal necromass to SOC. The results revealed that microbial necromass carbon contributed 45.15 %, 72.51 % and 78.08 % on average to SOC in 0-40 cm forest, meadow and wetland soils, respectively, and decreased with microbial biomass. Fungal necromass contributed more to SOC in these habitats than bacterial necromass. Microbial necromass increased with microbial biomass and both of them decreased with soil depth in all habitats. The necromass accumulation coefficient was significantly correlated with microbial necromass and biomass, affected by habitat and soil moisture. Structural equation model indicated that soil abiotic factors indirectly mediated the accumulation of SOC through microbial necromass and biomass. This study revealed that different habitats and soil depths control considerably soil physicochemical properties and microbial community, finally influencing SOC accumulation in alpine ecosystems, which emphasized the influence of abiotic factors on microbial necromass and biomass for SOC accumulation in alpine ecosystems.

Exploring negative emission potential of biochar to achieve carbon neutrality goal in China.

Limiting global warming to within 1.5 °C might require large-scale deployment of premature negative emission technologies with potentially adverse effects on the key sustainable development goals. Biochar has been proposed as an established technology for carbon sequestration with co-benefits in terms of soil quality and crop yield. However, the considerable uncertainties that exist in the potential, cost, and deployment strategies of biochar systems at national level prevent its deployment in China. Here, we conduct a spatially explicit analysis to investigate the negative emission potential, economics, and priority deployment sites of biochar derived from multiple feedstocks in China. Results show that biochar has negative emission potential of up to 0.92 billion tons of CO2 per year with an average net cost of US$90 per ton of CO2 in a sustainable manner, which could satisfy the negative emission demands in most mitigation scenarios compatible with China's target of carbon neutrality by 2060.

Dynamic changes in soil organic carbon induced by long-term compost application under a wheat-maize double cropping system in North China.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a vital role in improving soil quality and alleviating global warming. Understanding the dynamic changes in SOC is crucial for its accumulation induced by compost application in agroecosystem. In this study, soil samples were collected from three treatments: high-rate bio-compost (BioMh), low-rate bio-compost (BioMl), and control (CK, no fertilization) during 2002-2020 in a wheat-maize double cropping system in North China. The soils were separated into three functional fractions, i.e., coarse particle organic matter (cPOM, >250 µm), microaggregates (µAgg, 53-250 µm) and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM, < 53 µm), and the associated SOC contents were determined. During 1993-2002, SOC contents in bulk soil significantly increased with the duration in the BioMh and BioMl plots. However, there was no significant correlation between SOC content and duration during 2002-2020. These results suggested that compost application positively improved SOC sequestration, while the duration of SOC sequestration (i.e., the longevity of increased SOC with time) under compost inputs maintained only 9 years. Moreover, there was a significant increase in mean annual SOC contents in bulk soil with compost application rate during 2002-2020, indicating that carbon saturation did not occur. Additionally, the SOC contents in the cPOM fraction increased with time (p < 0.01), but the corresponding µAgg and MAOM associated SOC was insignificant (p > 0.05). The MAOM fraction exhibited no additional carbon accumulation with expanding compost application, confirming a hierarchical carbon saturation in these fractions. We concluded that soils under wheat-maize double cropping system in North China have greater potential to sequester C through additional compost inputs, despite showing hierarchical saturation behavior in the non-protected coarse particulate fraction.

Grazing exclusion alters denitrification N2O/(N2O + N2) ratio in alpine meadow of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Grazing exclusion has been implemented worldwide as a nature-based solution for restoring degraded grassland ecosystems that arise from overgrazing. However, the effect of grazing exclusion on soil nitrogen cycle processes, subsequent greenhouse gas emissions and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the effect of four-year grazing exclusion on plant communities, soil properties, and soil nitrogen cycle-related functional gene abundance in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Using an automated continuous-flow incubation system, we performed an incubation experiment and measured soil-borne N2O, N2, and CO2 fluxes to three successive "hot moment" events (precipitation, N deposition, and oxic-to-anoxic transition) between grazing-excluded and grazing soil. Higher soil N contents (total nitrogen, NH4+, NO3-) and extracellular enzyme activities (ß-1,4-glucosidase, ß-1,4-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, cellobiohydrolase) are observed under grazing exclusion. The aboveground and litter biomass of plant community was significantly increased by grazing exclusion, but grazing exclusion decreased the average number of plant species and microbial diversity. The N2O + N2 fluxes observed under grazing exclusion were higher than those observed under free grazing. The N2 emissions and N2O/(N2O + N2) ratios observed under grazing exclusion were higher than those observed under free grazing in oxic conditions. Instead, higher N2O fluxes and lower denitrification functional gene abundances (nirS, nirK, nosZ, and nirK + nirS) under anoxia were found under grazing exclusion than under free grazing. The N2O site-preference value indicates that under grazing exclusion, bacterial denitrification contributes more to higher N2O production compared with under free grazing (81.6 % vs. 59.9 %). We conclude that grazing exclusion could improve soil fertility and plant biomass, nevertheless it may lower plant and microbial diversity and increase potential N2O emission risk via the alteration of the denitrification end-product ratio. This indicates that not all grassland management options result in a mutually beneficial situation among wider environmental goals such as greenhouse gas mitigation, biodiversity, and social welfare.

Mitigation of soil N2O emissions by decomposed straw based on changes in dissolved organic matter and denitrifying bacteria.

The return of decomposed straw represents a less explored potential option for reducing N2O emissions. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of decomposed straw return on soil N2O mitigation are still not fully clear. Therefore, we used a helium atmosphere robotized continuous flow incubation system to compare the soil N2O and N2 emissions from four treatments: CK (control: no straw), WS (wheat straw), IWS (wheat straw decomposed with Irpex lacteus), and PWS (wheat straw decomposed with Phanerochaete chrysosporium). All the treatments have been fertilized with the same amount of KNO3. Furthermore, we also analyzed i) the chemodiversity of soil dissolved organic matter (DOM), ii) the nirS, nirK, and nosZ gene copies and relative abundances of denitrifying bacterial communities (DBCs), and iii) the specific linkages between N2O emissions and DOM and DBC. The results showed that the WS, IWS and PWS treatments increased N2O emissions compared to the CK treatment. However, applying decomposed straw to soil, especially straw treated with P. chrysosporium, effectively decreased the soil N2O and increased N2 emissions compared to WS and IWS. Moreover, the IWS and PWS treatments increased the CHO composition, but they decreased the CHON and CHOS compositions of heteroatomic compounds of DOM compared with the WS and CK treatments. Furthermore, the WS, IWS and PWS treatments all significantly increased the nirS and nosZ gene copies compared with the CK treatment. Additionally, compared with the other treatments, the PWS treatment significantly shaped the DBC and led to a higher relative abundance of Pseudomonas with nirS and nosZ genes. Meanwhile, Network analysis showed that the mitigation of N2O was closely related to particular DOM molecules, and specific DBC taxa. These results highlight the potential for decomposed straw amendments to mitigate of soil N2O emissions not only by changing soil DOM but also mediating the soil DBC.

Formation of soil organic carbon pool is regulated by the structure of dissolved organic matter and microbial carbon pump efficacy: A decadal study comparing different carbon management strategies.

To achieve long-term increases in soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, it is essential to understand the effects of carbon management strategies on SOC formation pathways, particularly through changes in microbial necromass carbon (MNC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Using a 14-year field study, we demonstrate that both biochar and maize straw lifted the SOC ceiling, but through different pathways. Biochar, while raising SOC and DOC content, decreased substrate degradability by increasing carbon aromaticity. This resulted in suppressed microbial abundance and enzyme activity, which lowered soil respiration, weakened in vivo turnover and ex vivo modification for MNC production (i.e., low microbial carbon pump "efficacy"), and led to lower efficiency in decomposing MNC, ultimately resulting in the net accumulation of SOC and MNC. In contrast, straw incorporation increased the content and decreased the aromaticity of SOC and DOC. The enhanced SOC degradability and soil nutrient content, such as total nitrogen and total phosphorous, stimulated the microbial population and activity, thereby boosting soil respiration and enhancing microbial carbon pump "efficacy" for MNC production. The total C added to biochar and straw plots were estimated as 27.3-54.5 and 41.4 Mg C ha-1 , respectively. Our results demonstrated that biochar was more efficient in lifting the SOC stock via exogenous stable carbon input and MNC stabilization, although the latter showed low "efficacy". Meanwhile, straw incorporation significantly promoted net MNC accumulation but also stimulated SOC mineralization, resulting in a smaller increase in SOC content (by 50%) compared to biochar (by 53%-102%). The results address the decadal-scale effects of biochar and straw application on the formation of the stable organic carbon pool in soil, and understanding the causal mechanisms can allow field practices to maximize SOC content.

Effects of white-rot fungal pretreatment of corn straw return on greenhouse gas emissions from the North China Plain soil.

Straw-return with fungal treatment is a potential method for reducing soil greenhouse gas emissions through carbon (C) sequestration and N2O mitigation. However, there is little information on the effects of different fungal treatments of crop straw return on soil CO2 and N2O emissions. To explore to what extent decomposed corn straw and its components controls soil CO2 and N2O emissions, we set up three sequential incubation experiments using soil collected from the North China Plain, an intensive agricultural area. Interactions between the different C contents of corn straw (CS), CS pretreated with Irpex lacteus (ICS), CS pretreated with Phanerochaete chrysosporium (PCS) and different NO3--N concentrations on the effect of soil CO2 and N2O emissions were conducted, and the kinetics of CO2 and N2O as influenced by changes in soil biochemical factors were analyzed. The effects of different lignocellulose components (lignin, cellulose, and xylan) on soil CO2 and N2O emissions were further studied. The results showed that straw pretreatment did not affect CO2 emissions. Both CO2 and N2O emissions increased when the C and N contents increased. However, applying PCS to 70% water-filled pore space soil effectively decreased the soil N2O emissions, by 41.8%-76.3% compared with adding the same level of CS. Moreover, extracellular enzyme activities related to C and N cycling were triggered, and the nosZI and nosZII abundances were significantly stimulated by the PCS application. These effects are closely related to the initial soluble C content of this treatment. Furthermore, adding xylan can significantly reduce N2O emissions. Overall, our data suggest that the environmentally beneficial effects of returning straw can be greatly enhanced by applying the straw-degrading white-rot fungi of P. chrysosporium in the North China Plain soil. Future studies are needed in the field to upscale this technology.

The importance of ammonia volatilization in estimating the efficacy of nitrification inhibitors to reduce N2O emissions: A global meta-analysis.

Nitrification inhibitors (NIs) have been shown to be an effective tool to mitigate direct N2O emissions from soils. However, emerging findings suggest that NIs may increase soil ammonia (NH3) volatilization and, subsequently, indirect N2O emission. A quantitative synthesis is lacking to evaluate how NIs may affect NH3 volatilization and the overall N2O emissions under different environmental conditions. In this meta-analysis, we quantified the responses of NH3 volatilization to NI application with 234 observations from 89 individual studies and analysed the role of experimental method, soil properties, fertilizer/NI type, fertilizer application rate and land use type as explanatory factors. Furthermore, using data sets where soil NH3 emission and N2O emission were measured simultaneously, we re-evaluated the effect of NI on overall N2O emissions including indirect N2O emission from NH3 volatilization. We found that, on average, NIs increased NH3 volatilization by 35.7% (95% CI: 25.7-46.7%) and increased indirect N2O emission from NH3 emission (and subsequent N deposition) by 2.9%-15.2%. Responses of NH3 volatilization mainly varied with experimental method, soil pH, NI type and fertilizer type. The increase of NH3 volatilization following NI application showed a positive correlation with soil pH (R2 = 0.04, n = 234, P < 0.05) and N fertilizer rate (R2 = 0.04, n = 187, P < 0.05). When the indirect N2O emission was considered, NI's N2O mitigation effect decreased from 48.0% to 39.7% (EF = 1%), or 28.2% (EF = 5%). The results indicate that using DMPP with ammonium-based fertilizer in low pH, high SOC soils would have a lower risk for increasing NH3 volatilization than using DCD and nitrapyrin with urea in high pH, lower SOC soil. Furthermore, reducing N application rate may help to improve NIs' overall N2O emission mitigation efficiency and minimize their impact on NH3 volatilization.

Conservation tillage for 17 years alters the molecular composition of organic matter in soil profile.

Conservation tillage is considered as a potential measure to mitigate climate change by sequestering soil organic matter (SOM), however its stabilization mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, we revealed the molecular composition of SOM in soil profile (~50 cm depth) from a 17-yr tillage experiment in North China. The soils were collected from 0-10, 10-20, 20-30 and 30-50 cm layers under conventional tillage (CT), and conservation tillage such as rotary tillage (RT) and no-tillage (NT). The sequential solvent extraction and CuO oxidation methods were used to quantify free lipids and lignin-derived phenols. The results showed that NT (cf. CT) increased labile compounds (i.e., carbohydrates) and plant-derived SOM (i.e., long-chain (≥C20) aliphatic lipids and steroids) in the 0-10 and 30-50 cm layers. The RT (cf. CT) increased the total free lipids by 72-133% in the sublayers (>10 cm). The RT (cf. CT and NT) resulted in higher preservation of plant-derived (≥C20 aliphatic lipids and steroids) and microbial-derived compounds (

Long-term biochar addition alters the characteristics but not the chlorine reactivity of soil-derived dissolved organic matter.

Biochar is widely and increasingly applied to farmlands. However, it remains unclear how long-term biochar addition alters the characteristics and chlorine reactivity of soil-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM), an important terrestrial disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursor in watersheds. Here, we analyzed the spectroscopic and molecular-level characteristics of soil-derived DOM and the formation and toxicity of DBP mixtures from DOM chlorination for two long-term (5 and 11 years) biochar addition experimental farmlands. As indicated by spectroscopic indices and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry analyses, 11 years of biochar addition could increase the humic-like and aromatic and condensed aromatic DOM and decrease the microbial-derived DOM, while 5 years of biochar addition at the other site did not. The response of condensed aromatic dissolved black carbon did not increase with increasing cumulative biochar dose but appeared to be affected by biochar aging time. Despite the possible increase in aromatic DOM, biochar addition neither increased the reactivity of DOM in forming trihalomethanes, haloacetonitriles, chloral hydrates, or haloketones nor significantly increased the microtoxicity or genotoxicity of the DBP mixture. This study indicates that biochar addition in watersheds may not deteriorate the drinking water quality via the export of terrestrial DBP precursors like wildfire events.

[Effects of biochar amendment on cropland soil bulk density, cation exchange capacity, and particulate organic matter content in the North China Plain].

A 3-year field experiment with randomized block design was conducted to study the effects of biochar amendment on the soil bulk density, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and particulate organic matter C (POM-C) and N (POM-N) contents in a high-yielding cropland in the North China Plain. Four treatments were installed, i.e., chemical NPK (CK), chemical NPK plus 2250 kg x hm(-2) of biochar (C1), chemical NPK plus 4500 kg x hm(-2) of biochar (C2), and 750 kg x hm(-2) of biochar-based slow release fertilizer (CN). Comparing with CK, treatments C1 and C2 significantly decreased the bulk density of 0-7.5 cm soil layer by 4.5% and 6.0%, respectively, and the treatments with biochar amendment increased the CEC in 0-15 cm soil layer, with an increment of 24.5% in treatment C2. Biochar amendment also increased the C (POM-C) and N (POM-N) contents in 0-7.5 cm soil layer, e.g., the POM-C and N contents in treatment C1 and C2 were 250% and 85%, and 260% and 120% higher than those of the CK, respectively. After three years of biochar amendment, the soil had obvious improvement in its physical and chemical properties, and played more active roles in soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gases emission reduction.

[Impact of land use change and cultivation measures on soil organic carbon (SOC) and its 13C values].

In Quzhou County, Hebei Province where now intensive farming system is operated, original grassland and farming land under different tillage, crop straw return and fertilization measures were studied using isotope carbon for the analysis of the impact on soil organic carbon (SOC) properties. The research indicated that after change into farmland (34 years), SOC is significantly reduced and for 1 m of soil layer, the scope of reduction is from 13.3%-35% and this decrease happens in 0-40 cm of soil layer. After 8 years of fertilization, SOC can be increased at 0.83 g x kg(-1). No-tillage can significantly increase the SOC especially in 0-10 cm but plough will increase the SOC at 10-15 cm and 15-20 cm. Change of delta13 C of SOC due to land use change mainly happens in 0-20 cm, where input of organic materials from maize stored. In soil layer of 0-5 cm, only maximum 18% of SOC is from crop residues and in 15-20 cm, this percentage is about 5%.