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Field-aged biochar decreased N2O emissions by reducing autotrophic nitrification in a sandy loam soil

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Abstract

A 15N tracing incubation study was carried out using a sandy loam soil without (control) and with field-aged biochar (biochar) to investigate the mechanisms underlying the effects of field-aged biochar on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. During the incubation, carried out at 40%, 60%, and 80% water-filled pore space (WFPS), cumulative N2O emission decreased from 24.13–26.40 μg N kg−1 in the control soil to 18.27–23.94 μg N kg−1 in the biochar soil, with a reduction of 9.3–24.3%. The contribution of autotrophic nitrification to total N2O production was 81.8–87.6% in the control soil under 40–80% WFPS, which was significantly reduced by field-aged biochar to 67.1–78.6%. Under 60% WFPS, the gross rates of autotrophic nitrification and gross mineralization were reduced from 11.95 and 4.43 μg N g−1 d−1, respectively, in the control soil to 7.32 and 0.60 μg N g−1 d−1, respectively, in the biochar soil. The field-aged biochar increased the NH4+ immobilization rate by 440%, primarily by immobilizing NH4+ into the recalcitrant organic N pool. Both the turnover rate of NH4+ mineralization-immobilization and the ratio of nitrification to NH4+ immobilization were reduced under biochar amendment, consequently lowering the supply of NH4+ for nitrifiers. In addition, compared with the control soil, the gross rate of NH4+ adsorption was significantly higher in the biochar soil. Taken together, our results suggest that field-aged biochar contributes to mitigating N2O emissions, primarily by decreasing the autotrophic nitrification rate through a reduced NH4+ supply due to increased mineral N immobilization and adsorption and lowered organic N mineralization.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this work was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31561143011, 41730753), IAEA Coordinated Research Project (RAS 45083), and the Frontier Project from the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. ISSASIP1607). The study was carried out in collaboration with the German Science Foundation Research Unit DASIM (Denitrification in Agricultural Soils: Integrated Control and Modelling at Various Scales) (DFG FOR 2337).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Xia Liao, Deyan Liu, Zengming Chen, Yuhui Niu & Weixin Ding

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Xia Liao

  3. Institute of Plant Ecology, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, 35392, Germany

    Christoph Müller & Anne Jansen-Willems

  4. School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

    Christoph Müller

  5. AgResearch Limited, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand

    Jiafa Luo & Stuart Lindsey

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  1. Xia Liao
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Liao, X., Müller, C., Jansen-Willems, A. et al. Field-aged biochar decreased N2O emissions by reducing autotrophic nitrification in a sandy loam soil. Biol Fertil Soils 57, 471–483 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-021-01542-8

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