Biochar built soil carbon over a decade by stabilizing rhizodeposits

Zhe (Han) Weng, Lukas Van Zwieten (), Bhupinder Pal Singh, Ehsan Tavakkoli, Stephen Joseph, Lynne M. Macdonald, Terry J. Rose, Michael T. Rose, Stephen W. L. Kimber, Stephen Morris, Daniel Cozzolino, Joyce R. Araujo, Braulio S. Archanjo and Annette Cowie
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Zhe (Han) Weng: School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England
Lukas Van Zwieten: School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England
Bhupinder Pal Singh: School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England
Ehsan Tavakkoli: Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Charles Sturt University
Stephen Joseph: University of Newcastle
Lynne M. Macdonald: CSIRO Agriculture
Terry J. Rose: Southern Cross University
Michael T. Rose: Wollongbar Primary Industries Institute
Stephen W. L. Kimber: Wollongbar Primary Industries Institute
Stephen Morris: Wollongbar Primary Industries Institute
Daniel Cozzolino: Central Queensland Innovation and Research Precinct, North Rockhampton, Central Queensland University
Joyce R. Araujo: Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia — INMETRO
Braulio S. Archanjo: Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia — INMETRO
Annette Cowie: School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England

Nature Climate Change, 2017, vol. 7, issue 5, 371-376

Abstract: Abstract Biochar can increase the stable C content of soil. However, studies on the longer-term role of plant–soil–biochar interactions and the consequent changes to native soil organic carbon (SOC) are lacking. Periodic 13CO2 pulse labelling of ryegrass was used to monitor belowground C allocation, SOC priming, and stabilization of root-derived C for a 15-month period—commencing 8.2 years after biochar (Eucalyptus saligna, 550 °C) was amended into a subtropical ferralsol. We found that field-aged biochar enhanced the belowground recovery of new root-derived C (13C) by 20%, and facilitated negative rhizosphere priming (it slowed SOC mineralization by 5.5%, that is, 46 g CO2-C m−2 yr−1). Retention of root-derived 13C in the stable organo-mineral fraction (

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/nclimate3276

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