Application of biochar to soils has been proposed as a novel approach to managing wood residuals, enhancing soil carbon (C) storage and improving soil fertility; however, the majority of biochar studies have been conducted in agricultural systems that rely on tillage and nutrient inputs associated with annual cropping schemes. Few studies have evaluated the influence of biochar on soil processes in semi-natural rangeland ecosystems that feature more complex plant communities, lack deep soil disturbance, and have relatively few external nutrient inputs. In August 2018, biochar produced using wood waste from a lumber mill in Columbia Falls, MT, USA was applied to surface soils in replicated plots at an experimental ranch in western Montana to test the impact of biochar on soil C storage and nutrient management. A series of soil biochemical properties including total soil C and nitrogen (N), microbial N functional genes, available phosphorus (P) and the net accumulation of nutrients below surface soil layer were evaluated over a one-year period following biochar addition with or without a poultry litter based organic fertilizer. Biochar used alone slightly reduced soil NH₄⁺, significantly increased soil nitrification potential, increased the relative abundance of the bacterial amoA gene, and increased the soil nitrate (NO₃⁻) pool size, while having no net effect on soil inorganic N accumulation below surface soil. By contrast, biochar charged with poultry litter (termed “charged biochar”) had no effect on NH₄⁺ availability, but had a positive effect on amoA abundance. Charged biochar significantly reduced NH₄⁺ accumulation below 25 cm depth compared to poultry litter alone. Biochar additions led to a shift towards a more fungal dominated community and a general increase in P availability. However, biochar alone also contributed to a greater amount of soluble P collected below surface soil, an effect slightly attenuated when biochar was applied with poultry litter. Soil pH increased from 5.7 to 6.9 in response to biochar addition and was one of the dominant factors governing the observed changes in soil processes. Charged biochar helped retain soil nutrients and promoted soil C storage in this semi-natural rangeland system over one growing season. Changes in these soil pools and fluxes may influence various trophic groups affecting ecosystem functioning over time.

已经提出了将生物炭应用于土壤的新方法，以管理木材残留物，增强土壤碳（C）的储存和提高土壤肥力。但是，大多数生物炭研究都是在农业系统中进行的，该系统依赖于与年度种植计划相关的耕作和养分投入。很少有研究评估生物炭对半自然牧场生态系统中土壤过程的影响，这些生态系统具有更复杂的植物群落，缺乏深层的土壤扰动以及较少的外部养分输入。2018年8月，在美国蒙大拿州西部的一个试验牧场上，将使用美国蒙大拿州哥伦比亚瀑布市一家木材厂的木材废料生产的生物炭应用于复制土地的表层土壤，以测试生物炭对土壤C储存和养分管理的影响。在添加或不添加生物炭后的一年内，评估了一系列土壤生化特性，包括土壤总碳和氮（N），微生物氮功能基因，有效磷（P）和表层土壤以下养分的净积累一种基于家禽垃圾的有机肥料。单独使用生物炭可略微减少土壤NH₄ ⁺，显著增加了土壤硝化势，增加了细菌的相对丰度AMOA基因，而且增加了土壤的硝酸盐（NO ₃ ^- ）池的大小，而对下面表面土壤土壤无机N累积没有净影响。相比之下，充有家禽垃圾的生物炭（称为“带电生物炭”）对NH ₄ ^+的利用率无影响，但对amoA的丰度有积极的影响。带电的生物炭可显着减少NH ₄ ⁺与单独的家禽垫料相比，在25厘米以下的深度积聚。添加生物炭导致了向以真菌为主的社区的转变，并且磷的利用率普遍增加。但是，仅生物炭也有助于在表层土壤以下收集更多的可溶性磷，当将生物炭与家禽垫料一起施用时，这种效果会有所减弱。响应于添加生物炭，土壤pH从5.7增加到6.9，这是支配观察到的土壤过程变化的主要因素之一。在一个生长季节中，带电生物炭有助于保留这种土壤中的养分并促进土壤碳的储存。这些土壤库和通量的变化可能会影响各种营养类，从而影响生态系统的功能。