Microspectroscopic visualization of how biochar lifts the soil organic carbon ceiling

TitleMicrospectroscopic visualization of how biochar lifts the soil organic carbon ceiling
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2022
AuthorsWeng Z., Van Zwieten L., Tavakkoli E., Rose M.T, Singh B.P, Joseph S., Macdonald L.M, Kimber S., Morris S., Rose T.J, Archanjo B.S, Tang C.X, Franks A.E, Diao H., Schweizer S., Tobin M.J, Klein A.R, Vongsvivut J., Chang S.LY, Kopittke P.M, Cowie A.
JournalNature Communications
Volume13
Pagination12
Date PublishedSep
Type of ArticleArticle
Accession NumberWOS:000849365000012
Keywordsecosystem, food security, fractions, impacts, long-term, MATTER, mineral protection, productivity, Science & Technology - Other Topics, sequestration, storage
Abstract

A decadal-scale field trial revealed 1.01 Mg of rhizodeposit and necromass C was stored in soil microaggregate and mineral fractions per Mg biochar-C applied. Microspectroscopic analyses visualize mechanisms for this elevated soil C storage ceiling. The soil carbon (C) saturation concept suggests an upper limit to the storage of soil organic carbon (SOC). It is set by the mechanisms that protect soil organic matter from mineralization. Biochar has the capacity to protect new C, including rhizodeposits and microbial necromass. However, the decadal-scale mechanisms by which biochar influences the molecular diversity, spatial heterogeneity, and temporal changes in SOC persistence, remain unresolved. Here we show that the soil C storage ceiling of a Ferralsol under subtropical pasture was raised by a second application of Eucalyptus saligna biochar 8.2 years after the first application-the first application raised the soil C storage ceiling by 9.3 Mg new C ha(-1) and the second application raised this by another 2.3 Mg new C ha(-1). Linking direct visual evidence from one-, two-, and three-dimensional analyses with SOC quantification, we found high spatial heterogeneity of C functional groups that resulted in the retention of rhizodeposits and microbial necromass in microaggregates (53-250 mu m) and the mineral fraction (

Short TitleNat. Commun.Nat. Commun.
Alternate JournalNat. Commun.
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    [biblio_abst_e] => A decadal-scale field trial revealed 1.01 Mg of rhizodeposit and necromass C was stored in soil microaggregate and mineral fractions per Mg biochar-C applied. Microspectroscopic analyses visualize mechanisms for this elevated soil C storage ceiling. The soil carbon (C) saturation concept suggests an upper limit to the storage of soil organic carbon (SOC). It is set by the mechanisms that protect soil organic matter from mineralization. Biochar has the capacity to protect new C, including rhizodeposits and microbial necromass. However, the decadal-scale mechanisms by which biochar influences the molecular diversity, spatial heterogeneity, and temporal changes in SOC persistence, remain unresolved. Here we show that the soil C storage ceiling of a Ferralsol under subtropical pasture was raised by a second application of Eucalyptus saligna biochar 8.2 years after the first application-the first application raised the soil C storage ceiling by 9.3 Mg new C ha(-1) and the second application raised this by another 2.3 Mg new C ha(-1). Linking direct visual evidence from one-, two-, and three-dimensional analyses with SOC quantification, we found high spatial heterogeneity of C functional groups that resulted in the retention of rhizodeposits and microbial necromass in microaggregates (53-250 mu m) and the mineral fraction (<53 mu m). Microbial C-use efficiency was concomitantly increased by lowering specific enzyme activities, contributing to the decreased mineralization of native SOC by 18%. We suggest that the SOC ceiling can be lifted using biochar in (sub)tropical grasslands globally.
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Times Cited: 0
Cited Reference Count: 69
Weng, Zhe Van Zwieten, Lukas Tavakkoli, Ehsan Rose, Michael T. Singh, Bhupinder Pal Joseph, Stephen Macdonald, Lynne M. Kimber, Stephen Morris, Stephen Rose, Terry J. Archanjo, Braulio S. Tang, Caixian Franks, Ashley E. Diao, Hui Schweizer, Steffen Tobin, Mark J. Klein, Annaleise R. Vongsvivut, Jitraporn Chang, Shery L. Y. Kopittke, Peter M. Cowie, Annette
Singh, Bhupinder Pal/D-8670-2017; Archanjo, Braulio/H-9442-2016; Kopittke, Peter/A-6026-2011; Van Zwieten, Lukas/U-8486-2018
Singh, Bhupinder Pal/0000-0003-1952-9070; Archanjo, Braulio/0000-0001-8145-7712; Kopittke, Peter/0000-0003-4948-1880; Weng, Zhe (Han)/0000-0002-9567-095X; Vongsvivut, Jitraporn/0000-0003-0699-3464; Tavakkoli, Ehsan/0000-0002-2676-6018; Franks, Ashley/0000-0003-1664-6060; Van Zwieten, Lukas/0000-0002-8832-360X
Australian Government, Department of Agriculture and Water Resources; La Trobe University's Research Focus Area in Securing Food, Water and the Environment [SFWE RFA 2000004295, SFWE RFA 2000004349]; Universities Australia; DAAD [57600933]
The authors thank the Australian Government, Department of Agriculture and Water Resources for supporting the National Biochar Initiatives (2009-2012, 2012-2014; L.V.Z. and L.M.M.) that co-funded this research. Part of this research was undertaken on the SXR spectroscopy and the IR microspectroscopy beamlines at the Australian Synchrotron, part of ANSTO (Proposal IDs 15754 and 15940, Z.W. and P.M.K.). We thank the beamline scientists, Drs Bruce Cowie and Lars Thomsen, for their technical support on the SXR analysis. Part of the research is funded by La Trobe University's Research Focus Area in Securing Food, Water and the Environment (Grant Ready: SFWE RFA 2000004295; Z.W.; Collaboration Ready: SFWE RFA 2000004349; Z.W.). We appreciate the funding of Universities Australia and DAAD (Application ID: 57600933; Z.W., P.M.K., and S.S.) under the 2021 Australia-Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme for the development of image processing pipeline. We also appreciate the technical support from Mr Scott Petty and Mr Josh Rust for maintaining this field experiment over the past decade, and laboratory support from Ms Nichole Morris. We also thank Dr Carlos Achete from INMETRO(Brazil) and Dr Bin Gong from UNSW (Australia) for performing XPS analysis of biochars and soils, Dr Sarasadat Taherymoosavi from the University of New South Wales, Australia, for technical assistance in LC-OCD analysis. We acknowledge intellectual contributions from Dr Peter Slavich during manuscript preparation and Prof. Johannes Lehmann on the potential mechanisms of biochar-induced retention of rhizodeposits. We thank Mr Anders Claassens for graphics of Fig. 1 and Dr Natalie Betts for professional proofreading.

57
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Van Zwieten, L (corresponding author), Wollongbar Primary Ind Inst, NSW Dept Primary Ind, Wollongbar, NSW 2477, Australia.; Van Zwieten, L (corresponding author), Southern Cross Univ, East Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia.
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