Effects of Wheat Straw-Derived Biochar on Soil Microbial Communities Under Phenanthrene Stress

Zhongyi Wang, Jiawang Li, Yuke Kang, Jie Ran, Jichao Song, Muqin Jiang, Wei Li and Meng Zhang ()
Additional contact information
Zhongyi Wang: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Jiawang Li: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Yuke Kang: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Jie Ran: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Jichao Song: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Muqin Jiang: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Wei Li: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Meng Zhang: Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-20

Abstract: The potential of biochar to mediate shifts in soil microbial communities caused by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) stress in farmland, thus assisting in the bioremediation of contaminated soil, remains uncertain. This study introduced wheat straw biochars generated at 300 °C (W300) and 500 °C (W500) at varying levels (1% and 2% w / w ) into agricultural soil contaminated with phenanthrene at 2.5 and 25 mg/kg. The aim was to investigate their effects on microbial community structure and phenanthrene degradation by indigenous microbes. Biochar application in both slightly (PLS) and heavily (PHS) contaminated soils increased overall microbial/bacterial biomass, preserved bacterial diversity, and selectively enriched certain bacterial genera, which were suppressed by phenanthrene stress, through sorption enhancement and biotoxicity alleviation. The abundances of PAH-degrading genera and nid A degradation gene were promoted by biochar, especially W300, in PHS due to soil nutrient improvement, enhancing phenanthrene biodegradation. However, in PLS, biochar, particularly W500, inhibited their abundance due to a reduction in phenanthrene bioavailability to specific degraders, thus hindering phenanthrene biodegradation. These findings suggest that applying wheat straw biochar produced at appropriate temperatures can benefit soil microbial ecology and facilitate PAH elimination, offering a sustainable strategy for utilizing straw resources and safeguarding soil health and agricultural product quality.

Keywords: wheat straw biochar; PAH toxicity stress; microbial community structure; soil improvement; soil bioremediation (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: 2025
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/1/77/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/1/77/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:1:p:77-:d:1558166

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().