Effects of Two Types of Straw Biochar on the Mineralization of Soil Organic Carbon in Farmland

Lening Hu, Shuangli Li, Ke Li, Haiyan Huang, Wenxin Wan, Qiuhua Huang, Qiuyan Li, Yafen Li, Hua Deng and Tieguang He
Additional contact information
Lening Hu: Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environmental Protection of Rare and Endangered Animals and Plants, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Normal University & College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China
Shuangli Li: Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environmental Protection of Rare and Endangered Animals and Plants, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Normal University & College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China
Ke Li: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China
Haiyan Huang: Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environmental Protection of Rare and Endangered Animals and Plants, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Normal University & College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China
Wenxin Wan: Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environmental Protection of Rare and Endangered Animals and Plants, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Normal University & College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China
Qiuhua Huang: Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environmental Protection of Rare and Endangered Animals and Plants, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Normal University & College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China
Qiuyan Li: Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environmental Protection of Rare and Endangered Animals and Plants, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Normal University & College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China
Yafen Li: Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environmental Protection of Rare and Endangered Animals and Plants, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Normal University & College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China
Hua Deng: Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environmental Protection of Rare and Endangered Animals and Plants, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Normal University & College of Environment and Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China
Tieguang He: Agricultural Resources and Environment Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 24, 1-18

Abstract: To investigate the effects of biochar on soil carbon composition and transformation, the effects of 1%, 2%, and 5% mass ratios of banana and cassava straw biochar on carbon dioxide release, total organic carbon (TOC), soluble organic carbon (SOC), and enzyme activity in soil were studied in incubation experiments at a constant temperature in the laboratory. The results showed that the cumulative CO 2 emissions from cassava straw were 15.82 (1% addition ratio) and 28.14 μg·kg −1 (2%), which were lower than those from banana straw, i.e., 46.77 (1%) and 59.26 μg·kg −1 (2%). After culture, the total organic carbon contents of cassava straw were 8.55 (5%), 5.27 (2%), and 3.98 μg·kg −1 (1%), which were higher than those of banana straw, i.e., 6.31 (5%), 4.23 (2%), and 3.16 μg·kg −1 (1%). The organic carbon mineralization rate in each treatment showed a trend of increasing first, then decreasing, and finally stabilizing. There was a very significant positive correlation between catalase and urease activity in soil with cassava straw biochar and between catalase activity and SOC mineralization with banana straw biochar. It plays an important role in the transformation and decomposition of organic carbon. These results show that the application of biomass carbon can significantly improve the organic carbon content and enzyme activity of farmland soil, increase the cumulative mineralization amount and mineralization rate of SOC, and thus increase the carbon sequestration capacity of soil.

Keywords: biochar; soil enzymes; organic carbon; straw; mineralization; first-order kinetic equation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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