Greater microbial carbon use efficiency and carbon sequestration in soils: Amendment of biochar versus crop straws

Abstract While high soil carbon stability had been well known for biochar‐amended soils, how conversion of crop residues into biochar and subsequent biochar amendment (BA) would favor microbial carbon use and carbon sequestration had not been clearly understood. In this study, topsoil samples were c...

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Main Authors: Zhiwei Liu, Xiulan Wu, Wei Liu, Rongjun Bian, Tida Ge, Wei Zhang, Jufeng Zheng, Marios Drosos, Xiaoyu Liu, Xuhui Zhang, Kun Cheng, Lianqing Li, Genxing Pan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2020-12-01
Series:GCB Bioenergy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12763
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author Zhiwei Liu
Xiulan Wu
Wei Liu
Rongjun Bian
Tida Ge
Wei Zhang
Jufeng Zheng
Marios Drosos
Xiaoyu Liu
Xuhui Zhang
Kun Cheng
Lianqing Li
Genxing Pan
author_facet Zhiwei Liu
Xiulan Wu
Wei Liu
Rongjun Bian
Tida Ge
Wei Zhang
Jufeng Zheng
Marios Drosos
Xiaoyu Liu
Xuhui Zhang
Kun Cheng
Lianqing Li
Genxing Pan
author_sort Zhiwei Liu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract While high soil carbon stability had been well known for biochar‐amended soils, how conversion of crop residues into biochar and subsequent biochar amendment (BA) would favor microbial carbon use and carbon sequestration had not been clearly understood. In this study, topsoil samples were collected from an upland soil and a paddy soil, both previously amended with straw and straw‐derived biochar. These samples were incubated with 13C‐labeled maize residue (LMR) for 140 days to compare carbon mineralization, metabolic quotient (qCO2), and microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) under laboratory incubation. 13C‐phospholipid fatty acid (13C‐PLFA) was used to trace the use of substrate carbon by soil microorganisms. Comparing to straw amendment (SA), BA significantly decreased the native soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization rates by 19.7%–20.1% and 9.2%–12.0% in the upland and paddy soils, respectively. Meanwhile, total carbon mineralization from the newly added LMR was significantly decreased by 12.9% and 11.1% in the biochar‐amended soils, compared with the straw‐amended soils from the upland and paddy sites, respectively. Furthermore, compared to non‐amended soils, the qCO2 value was unchanged in straw‐amended soils, but was notably decreased by 15.2%–18.6% and 8.9%–12.5% in biochar‐amended upland and paddy soils, respectively. Microbial CUE was significantly greater in biochar‐amended soils than in straw‐amended soils due to the increasing dominance of fungi in carbon utilization. Compared to SA, BA increased CUE by 23.0% in the upland soil and 21.2% in the paddy soil. This study suggests that BA could outperform SA in the long term to enhance the biological carbon sequestration potential of both upland and paddy soils. This could be due mainly to biochar input as a special substrate to promote microbial community evolution and increase the fungal utilization of carbon substrates, especially for the soil with lower SOC levels.
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spelling doaj.art-f21a1121471043a28f5cf99e7d5e88dc2022-12-22T00:54:06ZengWileyGCB Bioenergy1757-16931757-17072020-12-0112121092110310.1111/gcbb.12763Greater microbial carbon use efficiency and carbon sequestration in soils: Amendment of biochar versus crop strawsZhiwei Liu0Xiulan Wu1Wei Liu2Rongjun Bian3Tida Ge4Wei Zhang5Jufeng Zheng6Marios Drosos7Xiaoyu Liu8Xuhui Zhang9Kun Cheng10Lianqing Li11Genxing Pan12Institute of Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaInstitute of Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaInstitute of Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaInstitute of Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaKey Laboratory of Agro‐ecological Processes in Subtropical Region & Changsha Research Station for Agricultural and Environmental Monitoring Institute of Subtropical Agriculture Chinese Academy of Sciences Hunan ChinaDepartment of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences Michigan State University East Lansing MI USAInstitute of Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaInstitute of Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaInstitute of Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaInstitute of Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaInstitute of Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaInstitute of Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaInstitute of Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaAbstract While high soil carbon stability had been well known for biochar‐amended soils, how conversion of crop residues into biochar and subsequent biochar amendment (BA) would favor microbial carbon use and carbon sequestration had not been clearly understood. In this study, topsoil samples were collected from an upland soil and a paddy soil, both previously amended with straw and straw‐derived biochar. These samples were incubated with 13C‐labeled maize residue (LMR) for 140 days to compare carbon mineralization, metabolic quotient (qCO2), and microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) under laboratory incubation. 13C‐phospholipid fatty acid (13C‐PLFA) was used to trace the use of substrate carbon by soil microorganisms. Comparing to straw amendment (SA), BA significantly decreased the native soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization rates by 19.7%–20.1% and 9.2%–12.0% in the upland and paddy soils, respectively. Meanwhile, total carbon mineralization from the newly added LMR was significantly decreased by 12.9% and 11.1% in the biochar‐amended soils, compared with the straw‐amended soils from the upland and paddy sites, respectively. Furthermore, compared to non‐amended soils, the qCO2 value was unchanged in straw‐amended soils, but was notably decreased by 15.2%–18.6% and 8.9%–12.5% in biochar‐amended upland and paddy soils, respectively. Microbial CUE was significantly greater in biochar‐amended soils than in straw‐amended soils due to the increasing dominance of fungi in carbon utilization. Compared to SA, BA increased CUE by 23.0% in the upland soil and 21.2% in the paddy soil. This study suggests that BA could outperform SA in the long term to enhance the biological carbon sequestration potential of both upland and paddy soils. This could be due mainly to biochar input as a special substrate to promote microbial community evolution and increase the fungal utilization of carbon substrates, especially for the soil with lower SOC levels.https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.1276313C‐phospholipid fatty acidsbiocharcarbon sequeatrationcrop residuemicrobial carbon use efficiencysoil amendment
spellingShingle Zhiwei Liu
Xiulan Wu
Wei Liu
Rongjun Bian
Tida Ge
Wei Zhang
Jufeng Zheng
Marios Drosos
Xiaoyu Liu
Xuhui Zhang
Kun Cheng
Lianqing Li
Genxing Pan
Greater microbial carbon use efficiency and carbon sequestration in soils: Amendment of biochar versus crop straws
GCB Bioenergy
13C‐phospholipid fatty acids
biochar
carbon sequeatration
crop residue
microbial carbon use efficiency
soil amendment
title Greater microbial carbon use efficiency and carbon sequestration in soils: Amendment of biochar versus crop straws
title_full Greater microbial carbon use efficiency and carbon sequestration in soils: Amendment of biochar versus crop straws
title_fullStr Greater microbial carbon use efficiency and carbon sequestration in soils: Amendment of biochar versus crop straws
title_full_unstemmed Greater microbial carbon use efficiency and carbon sequestration in soils: Amendment of biochar versus crop straws
title_short Greater microbial carbon use efficiency and carbon sequestration in soils: Amendment of biochar versus crop straws
title_sort greater microbial carbon use efficiency and carbon sequestration in soils amendment of biochar versus crop straws
topic 13C‐phospholipid fatty acids
biochar
carbon sequeatration
crop residue
microbial carbon use efficiency
soil amendment
url https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12763
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