Biochar Addition to a Mediterranean Agroecosystem: Short-Term Divergent Priming Effects

Irene Raya-Moreno (), Rosa Cañizares, Xavier Domene, Vicenç Carabassa and Josep Maria Alcañiz
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Irene Raya-Moreno: CREAF, E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Catalonia, Spain
Rosa Cañizares: CREAF, E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Catalonia, Spain
Xavier Domene: CREAF, E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Catalonia, Spain
Vicenç Carabassa: CREAF, E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Catalonia, Spain
Josep Maria Alcañiz: CREAF, E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Catalonia, Spain

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: The goal of this study was to evaluate biochar’s resistance to microbial decomposition and its impact on native soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition. Conducted in a vineyard with a sandy loam Mediterranean soil with neutral pH and low organic carbon content, the experiment involved the application of 6.5 g biochar kg −1 derived from pine (PB) and corn cob (ZB). The monitoring period spanned two years, with soil samples collected at short- and medium-term timepoints (2 and 26 months post-application) and incubated in the lab for an additional 250 days. Soil respiration, the CO 2 -C isotopic signature, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC hw ) were assessed to identify potential priming effects (PE) and evaluate their persistence over two years. In the short term, biochar-induced priming effects were feedstock and pyrolysis temperature dependent, exhibiting negative priming in high-temperature wood biochar and positive priming in low-temperature grass biochar. The mechanism behind short-term positive priming was attributed to the higher labile organic carbon (OC) content in ZB compared to PB. In the medium term, initial strong priming effects shifted to slightly negative priming effects in both biochars, indicating the depletion of labile carbon fractions and the emergence of physical protection processes that mitigated priming.

Keywords: biochar; field study; SOC mineralization; soil incubation; soil respiration; stable carbon isotopes (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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