Hostname: page-component-77f85d65b8-8v9h9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-03-29T04:14:51.076Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Responses of soil–plant C, N, and P concentrations and stoichiometry to contrasting application rates of biochar to subtropical paddy field

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 August 2023

Qiang Jin ,
Weiqi Wang ,
Xu Song ,
Jordi Sardans Open the ORCID record for Jordi Sardans [Opens in a new window] ,
Xuyang Liu ,
Shaoying Lin ,
Akash Tariq ,
Fanjiang Zeng  and
Josep Peñuelas
Qiang Jin
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Humid Sub-tropical Eco-Geographical Process of Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China College of Resources and Environmental Science and Engineering, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China
Weiqi Wang*
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Humid Sub-tropical Eco-Geographical Process of Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
Xu Song
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Humid Sub-tropical Eco-Geographical Process of Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
Jordi Sardans*
Affiliation:
CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, 08913 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain CREAF. 08913 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
Xuyang Liu
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Humid Sub-tropical Eco-Geographical Process of Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
Shaoying Lin
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Humid Sub-tropical Eco-Geographical Process of Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
Akash Tariq
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China Cele National Station of Observation and Research for Desert-Grassland Ecosystems, Cele, China
Fanjiang Zeng
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China Cele National Station of Observation and Research for Desert-Grassland Ecosystems, Cele, China
Josep Peñuelas
Affiliation:
CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, 08913 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain CREAF. 08913 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
*
Corresponding authors: Weiqi Wang; Email: wangweiqi15@163.com; Jordi Sardans; Email: j.sardans@creaf.uab.cat
Corresponding authors: Weiqi Wang; Email: wangweiqi15@163.com; Jordi Sardans; Email: j.sardans@creaf.uab.cat
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Biochar is increasingly used in crop production as a fertilizer; however, its effects on nutrient cycling and stoichiometry in rice paddy soil–plant systems are unclear. We tested for effects of contrasting rates of biochar on soil and rice plant organ carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) concentrations and stoichiometry and soil physicochemical properties in early and late paddies. Overall, biochar reduced soil bulk density by an average of 7.4%, while application at 10, 20, and 40 t ha−1 increased soil C and N concentrations in early paddies by 31.6, 41.3, and 104.2%, respectively, and by 8.0, 5.0, and 21.8%, respectively; in late paddies, there were increases of 23.0, 94.1, and 117.0%, respectively, and 6.7, 15.4, and 18.0%, respectively (P < 0.05). Following biochar application at 10, 20, and 40 t ha−1, soil concentration of P decreased in early paddies by 10.9, 19.0, and 13.9%, respectively, and increased in late paddies by 4.3, 16.4, and 20.1%, respectively. Biochar increased ratios of soil C:N and C:P in early and late paddies (P < 0.05), and there was no effect on concentration and stoichiometry of soil available nutrients. Biochar reduced rice plant organ concentration of N and P in early rice and increased leaf N:P ratios. Despite the biochar application improved nutrient status in plant–soil system, we did not observe a significant increase in yield (P > 0.05). According to the N:P value of leaves between treatments, it was found that biochar alleviated the current situation of N limitation in paddy fields during the mature period and transformed the N limitation of early rice into a joint limitation of N and P. These results show that the addition of biochar to subtropical paddy soils leads to a short-term reduction in soil bulk density and increases in soil C and N concentrations and soil fertility. Thus, biochar applied at optimal rates is likely to improve the sustainability of subtropical paddy rice production.

Keywords

BiocharcarbonnitrogenPaddy fieldphosphorusstoichiometry

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 59 , 2023 , e15
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Footnotes

*

The original version of this article was published with an incorrect funding statement. A notice detailing this has been published and the errors rectified in the online PDF and HTML version.

References

Abiven, S., Hund, A., Martinsen, V. and Cornelissen, G. (2015). Biochar amendment increases maize root surface areas and branching: a shovelomics study in Zambia. Plant and Soil 395, 45–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ågren, G.I. (2004). The C:N:P stoichiometry of autotrophs – theory and observations. Ecology Letters 7, 185–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ågren, G.I. (2008). Stoichiometry and nutrition of plant growth in natural communities. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 39, 153–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aguilar-Chávez, Á., Díaz-Rojas, M., Cárdenas-Aquino, M.d.R., Dendooven, L. and Luna-Guido, M. (2012). Greenhouse gas emissions from a wastewater sludge-amended soil cultivated with wheat (Triticum spp. L.) as affected by different application rates of charcoal. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 52, 90–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bhaduri, D., Saha, A., Desai, D. and Meena, H.N. (2016). Restoration of carbon and microbial activity in salt-induced soil by application of peanut shell biochar during short-term incubation study. Chemosphere 148, 86–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bhogal, A., Nicholson, F.A. and Chambers, B.J. (2009). Organic carbon additions: effects on soil bio-physical and physico-chemical properties. European Journal of Soil Science 60, 276–286.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carter, M.R. and Gregorich, E.G. (2007). Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis, 2nd Edn. Boca Raton: CRC Press, p. 1264. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, L., Liu, M., Ali, A., Zhou, Q., Zhan, S., Chen, Y., Pan, X. and Zeng, Y. (2020). Effects of biochar on paddy soil fertility under different water management modes. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 20, 1810–1818.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chintala, R., Schumacher, T.E., McDonald, L.M., Clay, D.E., Malo, D.D., Papiernik, S.K., Clay, S.A. and Julson, J.L. (2014). Phosphorus sorption and availability from biochars and soil/biochar mixtures. CLEAN – Soil, Air, Water 42, 626–634.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cleveland, C.C. and Liptzin, D. (2007). C:N:P stoichiometry in soil: is there a “Redfield ratio” for the microbial biomass? Biogeochemistry 85, 235–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Das, S., Gwon, H.S., Khan, M.I., Jeong, S.T. and Kim, P.J. (2020). Steel slag amendment impacts on soil microbial communities and activities of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Scientific Reports 10, 6746.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Diatta, A.A., Fike, J.H., Battaglia, M.L., Galbraith, J.M. and Baig, M.B. (2020). Effects of biochar on soil fertility and crop productivity in arid regions: a review. Arabian Journal of Geosciences 13, 595.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dong, W., Zhang, X., Wang, H., Dai, X., Sun, X., Qiu, W. and Yang, F. (2012). Effect of different fertilizer application on the soil fertility of paddy soils in red soil region of Southern China. PLOS ONE 7, e44504.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Du, L., Zhang, X., Zheng, Z., Li, T., Wang, Y., Huang, H., Yu, H., Ye, D. and Liu, T. (2020). Paddy soil nutrients and stoichiometric ratios as affected by anthropogenic activities during long-term tillage process in Chengdu Plain. Journal of Soils and Sediments 20, 3835–3845.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elser, J.J., Bracken, M.E.S., Cleland, E.E., Gruner, D.S., Harpole, W.S., Hillebrand, H., Ngai, J.T., Seabloom, E.W., Shurin, J.B. and Smith, J.E. (2007). Global analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation of primary producers in freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Ecology Letters 10, 1135–1142.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feng, Y., He, H., Xue, L., Liu, Y., Sun, H., Guo, Z., Wang, Y. and Zheng, X. (2021). The inhibiting effects of biochar-derived organic materials on rice production. Journal of Environmental Management 293, 112909.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gul, S. and Whalen, J.K. (2016). Biochemical cycling of nitrogen and phosphorus in biochar-amended soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 103, 1–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guo, X. and Jiang, Y.F. (2019). Spatial characteristics of ecological stoichiometry and their driving factors in farmland soils in Poyang Lake Plain, Southeast China. Journal of Soils and Sediments 19, 263–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Güsewell, S., Koerselman, W. and Jos, T.A.V. (2003). Biomass N:P ratios as indicators of nutrient limitation for plant populations in wetlands. Ecological Applications 13, 372–384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herath, H.M.S.K., Camps-Arbestain, M. and Hedley, M. (2013). Effect of biochar on soil physical properties in two contrasting soils: an Alfisol and an Andisol. Geoderma 209–210, 188–197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herrmann, L., Lesueur, D., Robin, A., Robain, H., Wiriyakitnateekul, W. and Bräu, L. (2019). Impact of biochar application dose on soil microbial communities associated with rubber trees in North East Thailand. Science of the Total Environment 689, 970–979.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hossain, M.Z., Bahar, M.M., Sarkar, B., Donne, S.W., Ok, Y.S., Palansooriya, K.N., Kirkham, M.B., Chowdhury, S. and Bolan, N. (2020). Biochar and its importance on nutrient dynamics in soil and plant. Biochar 2, 379–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hu, C., Li, F., Xie, Y., Deng, Z. and Chen, X. (2018). Soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stoichiometry of three dominant plant communities distributed along a small-scale elevation gradient in the East Dongting Lake. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C 103, 28–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hussain, S., Min, Z., Xiuxiu, Z., Khan, M.H., Lifeng, L. and Hui, C. (2019). Significance of Fe(II) and environmental factors on carbon-fixing bacterial community in two paddy soils. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 182, 109456.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
IRRI (2009). World rice statistics: rough rice production by country and geographical region-FAO1961–2007. https://ricestat.irri.org/wrs/ Google Scholar
Kammann, C.I., Linsel, S., Gößling, J.W. and Koyro, H.-W. (2011). Influence of biochar on drought tolerance of Chenopodium quinoa Willd and on soil–plant relations. Plant and Soil 345, 195–210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knicker, H., González-Vila, F.J. and González-Vázquez, R. (2013). Biodegradability of organic matter in fire-affected mineral soils of Southern Spain. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 56, 31–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lehmann, J. (2007). A handful of carbon. Nature 447, 143–144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, H., Dong, X., da Silva, E.B., de Oliveira, L.M., Chen, Y. and Ma, L.Q. (2017) Mechanisms of metal sorption by biochars: biochar characteristics and modifications. Chemosphere 178, 466–478.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, S., Liang, C. and Shangguan, Z. (2017). Effects of apple branch biochar on soil C mineralization and nutrient cycling under two levels of N. Science of the Total Environment 607–608, 109–119.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Liang, X., Ji, Y., He, M., Su, M., Liu, C. and Tian, G. (2014). Simple N balance assessment for optimizing the biochar amendment level in paddy soils. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 45, 1247–1258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, X., Ma, J., Ma, Z. and Li, L. (2017). Soil nutrient contents and stoichiometry as affected by land-use in an agro-pastoral region of northwest China. CATENA 150, 146–153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lu, R. (1999). Analysis Methods of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry. Beijing: Agriculture Science and Technology Press.Google Scholar
Lü, X., Freschet, G.T., Kazakou, E., Wang, Z., Zhou, L. and Han, X. (2015). Contrasting responses in leaf nutrient-use strategies of two dominant grass species along a 30-yr temperate steppe grazing exclusion chronosequence. Plant and Soil 387, 69–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luo, Y., Durenkamp, M., De Nobili, M., Lin, Q. and Brookes, P.C. (2011). Short term soil priming effects and the mineralisation of biochar following its incorporation to soils of different pH. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 43, 2304–2314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mooshammer, M., Wanek, W., Hämmerle, I., Fuchslueger, L., Hofhansl, F., Knoltsch, A., Schnecker, J., Takriti, M., Watzka, M., Wild, B., Keiblinger, K.M., Zechmeister-Boltenstern, S. and Richter, A. (2014). Adjustment of microbial nitrogen use efficiency to carbon: nitrogen imbalances regulates soil nitrogen cycling. Nature Communications 5, 3694.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mukherjee, A. and Zimmerman, A.R. (2013). Organic carbon and nutrient release from a range of laboratory-produced biochars and biochar–soil mixtures. Geoderma 193–194, 122–130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qian, T., Zhang, X., Hu, J. and Jiang, H. (2013). Effects of environmental conditions on the release of phosphorus from biochar. Chemosphere 93, 2069–2075.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sardans, J., Peñuelas, J. and Estiarte, M. (2006). Warming and drought alter soil phosphatase activity and soil P availability in a Mediterranean shrubland. Plant and Soil 289, 227–238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shen, F., Wu, J., Fan, H., Liu, W., Guo, X., Duan, H., Hu, L., Lei, X. and Wei, X. (2019). Soil N/P and C/P ratio regulate the responses of soil microbial community composition and enzyme activities in a long-term nitrogen loaded Chinese fir forest. Plant and Soil 436, 91–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Su, B., Zhao, G., Dong, C. and Chen, X. (2019). Scale characteristics and effects on spatial variability of soil available nutrients. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 35, 221–230.Google Scholar
Sun, J., He, F., Zhang, Z., Shao, H. and Xu, G. (2016a). Temperature and moisture responses to carbon mineralization in the biochar-amended saline soil. Science of the Total Environment 569–570, 390–394.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sun, X., Yu, K., Shugart, H.H. and Wang, G. (2016b). Species richness loss after nutrient addition as affected by N:C ratios and phytohormone GA3 contents in an alpine meadow community. Journal of Plant Ecology 9, 201–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sun, Z., Qian, X., Shaaban, M., Wu, L., Hu, J. and Hu, R. (2019). Effects of iron(III) reduction on organic carbon decomposition in two paddy soils under flooding conditions. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 26, 12481–12490.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Takaya, C.A., Fletcher, L.A., Singh, S., Anyikude, K.U. and Ross, A.B. (2016). Phosphate and ammonium sorption capacity of biochar and hydrochar from different wastes. Chemosphere 145, 518–527.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tian, D., Reich, P.B., Chen, H.Y.H., Xiang, Y., Luo, Y., Shen, Y., Meng, C., Han, W. and Niu, S. (2019). Global changes alter plant multi-element stoichiometric coupling. New Phytologist 221, 807–817.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wang, C., Liu, J., Shen, J., Chen, D., Li, Y., Jiang, B. and Wu, J. (2018a). Effects of biochar amendment on net greenhouse gas emissions and soil fertility in a double rice cropping system: a 4-year field experiment. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 262, 83–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, S. and Yu, G. (2008). Eco-stoichiometric characteristics of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in ecosystems. Acta EcologicaSinica 8, 3937–3947.Google Scholar
Wang, W., Lai, D.Y., Abid, A.A., Neogi, S., Xu, X. and Wang, C. (2018b). Effects of steel slag and biochar incorporation on active soil organic carbon pools in a subtropical paddy field. Agronomy 8, 135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, W., Min, Q., Sardans, J., Wang, C., Asensio, D., Bartrons, M. and Peñuelas, J. (2016a). Organic cultivation of jasmine and tea increases carbon sequestration by changing plant and soil stoichiometry. Agronomy Journal 108, 1636–1648.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, W., Neogi, S., Lai, D.Y.F., Zeng, C., Wang, C. and Zeng, D. (2017). Effects of industrial and agricultural waste amendment on soil greenhouse gas production in a paddy field in Southeastern China. Atmospheric Environment 164, 239–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, W., Zeng, C., Sardans, J., Wang, C., Zeng, D. and Peñuelas, J. (2016b). Amendment with industrial and agricultural wastes reduces surface-water nutrient loss and storage of dissolved greenhouse gases in a subtropical paddy field. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 231, 296–303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, P., Ata-Ul-Karim, S.T., Singh, B.P., Wang, H., Wu, T., Liu, C., Fang, G., Zhou, D., Wang, Y. and Chen, W. (2019). A scientometric review of biochar research in the past 20 years (1998–2018). Biochar 1, 23–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yu, Z., Wang, M., Huang, Z., Lin, T.-C., Vadeboncoeur, M.A., Searle, E.B. and Chen, H.Y.H. (2018). Temporal changes in soil C-N-P stoichiometry over the past 60 years across subtropical China. Global Change Biology 24, 1308–1320.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zechmeister-Boltenstern, S., Keiblinger, K.M., Mooshammer, M., Peñuelas, J., Richter, A., Sardans, J. and Wanek, W. (2015). The application of ecological stoichiometry to plant–microbial–soil organic matter transformations. Ecological Monographs 85, 133–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, A., Bian, R., Pan, G., Cui, L., Hussain, Q., Li, L., Zheng, J., Zheng, J., Zhang, X., Han, X. and Yu, X. (2012). Effects of biochar amendment on soil quality, crop yield and greenhouse gas emission in a Chinese rice paddy: a field study of 2 consecutive rice growing cycles. Field Crops Research 127, 153–160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, H., Shi, W., Zhou, M. and Ma, X. (2019a). Effect of biochar on nitrogen use efficiency, grain yield and amino acid content of wheat cultivated on saline soil. Plant, Soil and Environment 65, 83–89.Google Scholar
Zhang, R., Zhao, Y., Lin, J., Hu, Y., Hänninen, H. and Wu, J. (2019b). Biochar application alleviates unbalanced nutrient uptake caused by N deposition in Torreya grandis trees and seedlings. Forest Ecology and Management 432, 319–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Z., Song, X., Lu, X. and Xue, Z. (2013). Ecological stoichiometry of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in estuarine wetland soils: influences of vegetation coverage, plant communities, geomorphology, and seawalls. Journal of Soils and Sediments 13, 1043–1051.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhao, Y., Li, Y. and Yang, F. (2021). Critical review on soil phosphorus migration and transformation under freezing-thawing cycles and typical regulatory measurements. Science of the Total Environment 751, 141614.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: File

Jin et al. supplementary material

Tables S1-S4 and Figures S1-S3

Download Jin et al. supplementary material(File)
File 738.9 KB