How Biochar Addition Affects Denitrification and the Microbial Electron Transport System (ETSA): A Meta-Analysis Based on a Global Scale

Xiaolei Zhang, Qiwen Zhou (), Lili Wang (), Bo Wan and Qiannan Yang
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Xiaolei Zhang: Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin 300191, China
Qiwen Zhou: Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chengdu 610041, China
Lili Wang: Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin 300191, China
Bo Wan: College of Surveying and Geo-Informatics, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450046, China
Qiannan Yang: Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin 300191, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-14

Abstract: Biochar has a significant effect on denitrification, especially in agriculture. The effects of biochar and soil properties on denitrification and ETSA have been invested in individual studies but have not yet been summarized on a global scale. We conducted a meta-analysis of the data from 37 studies to examine the effects of biochar properties, soil physicochemical properties, and ecosystem types on denitrification. Biochar can decrease soil NO 3 − and N 2 O emissions by 14.16% and 76.69%, respectively, while denitrification function genes nirK , nirS , and nosZ increased by 10.98%, 34.62%, and 13.19%, respectively. Biochar enhanced ETSA by 8.65%. The results indicate that the effects of biochar on nitrogen cycling and greenhouse gas emissions vary significantly with specific properties, such as feedstock source and pyrolysis temperature, as well as soil characteristics like pH, organic matter, and cation exchange capacity (CEC). In summary, soil-specific biochar applications are necessary to realize optimized agricultural and environmental advantages of biochar, but several limitations have been recognized in this study, including variability across different types of biochar and a lack of longer-term experimental data. Future research should focus on long-term studies that can give a comprehensive understanding of how biochar interacts with microbial communities to create an accurate understanding.

Keywords: biochar; denitrification; meta-analysis; electron transfer; N 2 O emission; nosZ gene (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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