JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2016, Vol. 59 ›› Issue (06): 1-8.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-2006.2016.06.001

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Research advances in biochar effects on soil microbial properties

ZHOU Zhidong, BU Xiaoli, WU Yongbo, XUE Jianhui*   

  1. Co-Innovation Center for the Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
  • Online:2016-12-18 Published:2016-12-18

Abstract: Biochar is a carbon-rich product by pyrolysis under low oxygen condition. Biochar occupy a huge advantage in soil improvement due to its effect on regulating soil pH, possessing and holding water/fertility capacity and ameliorating soil microbial property. This paper summarized soil microbial biomass, the behavior of soil microbial community structure and soil enzyme after applying biochar to the soil. The alkaline nature and porous nature of biochar provide suitable microenvironment for microbial growth resulting in increasing soil microbial biomass carbon and microbial biomass nitrogen. The nutrients and porous nature of biochar improve the bacterial and functional bacterial growth, however, heavy metal and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in the biochar can inhibit bacterial growth. The high ratio of C and N and much of recalcitrant compound of biochar improve fungal growth rather than bacteria. Furthermore, a large number of pores provide attachment site for fungal hyphae, so biochar promotes the growth of fungus in the soil. Promotion of biochar to microorganism indirectly improves activity of dehydrogenase enzyme, urease and β-glucosidase and their like. Now study of the effects of biochar on the soil microbial property is scarce and future research should further explore mechanism between biochar and microorganism, to understand the improvement of biochar to soil and recognize soil microbial diversity.

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