Biochar dispersion in a tropical soil and its effects on native soil organic carbon

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dc.contributor.authorObia, Alfred
dc.contributor.authorLyu, Jing
dc.contributor.authorMulder, Jan
dc.contributor.authorMartinsen, Vegard
dc.contributor.authorCornelissen, Gerard
dc.contributor.authorSmebye, Andreas Botnen
dc.contributor.authorZimmerman, Andrew R
dc.date.accessioned2024-04-23T11:35:14Z
dc.date.available2024-04-23T11:35:14Z
dc.date.issued2024-04
dc.description.abstractAlthough biochar application to soils has been found to increase soil quality and crop yield, the biochar dispersion extent and its impacts on native soil organic carbon (SOC) has received relatively little attention. Here, the vertical and lateral migration of fine, intermediate and coarse-sized biochar (<0.5, 0.5–1 and 1–5 mm, respectively), applied at low and high doses (1.5–2 and 3–4% w/w, respectively), was tracked using stable isotope methods, along with its impact on native SOC stocks. Biochar was homogeneously mixed into the surface layer (0–7 cm depth) of a loamy sandy Acrisol in Zambia. After 4.5 y, 38–75% of the biochar carbon (BC) was lost from the applied layer and 4–25% was detected in lower soil layers (7–30 cm). Estimating BC mineralization to be no more than 8%, 25–60% was likely transported laterally out of the experimental plots. This conclusion was supported by observations of BC in the control plot and in soils up to 2 m outside of the experimental plots. These processes were likely progressive as recovery of BC in similar plots 1 year after application was greater in both surface and lower soil layers than after 4.5 y. Fine and intermediate-sized BC displayed the greatest downward migration (25.3 and 17.9%, respectively), particularly when applied at lower doses, suggesting its movement through soil inter-particle spaces. At higher dosages, fine and intermediate-sized particles may have clogged pore, so coarse biochar displayed the greatest downward migration when biochar was applied at higher doses. In the BC treatment plot soil profiles, native SOC stocks were reduced by 2.8 to 24.5% (18.4% on average), i.e. positive priming. However, some evidence suggested that the soils may switch to negative priming over time. The dispersion of biochar in soil should be considered when evaluating biochar’s agronomic benefits and environmental effects.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was funded by Department for International Development (DFID), UK through Climate Smart Agriculture in Zambia (CSAZ) project, and Norwegian Research Council under the project FriPro number 217918. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.en_US
dc.identifier.citationObia, Alfred, Jing Lyu, Jan Mulder, et al. 'Biochar Dispersion in a Tropical Soil and its Effects on Native Soil Organic Carbon', PloS One, vol. 19/no. 4, (2024), pp. e0300387en_US
dc.identifier.issnISSN 1932-6203
dc.identifier.issnEISSN 1932-6203
dc.identifier.urihttps://nru.uncst.go.ug/handle/123456789/9484
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherPublic Library of Scienceen_US
dc.subjectAgricultural soil science ; Biological transport ; Erosion; Soil mineralization ; Carbon sequestration; Edaphology Isotopes; Maizeen_US
dc.titleBiochar dispersion in a tropical soil and its effects on native soil organic carbonen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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