Effect of Charcoal on Certain Physical, Chemical, and Biological Properties of Forest Soils

Tryon, E. H.

doi:10.2307/1948629

Cited by 304 publications

(242 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…These findings are in agreement with Tryon (1948). To our best knowledge, this is the first time such an effect was confirmed in a field study.…”

Section: Determining Factors and Potential Effects Of Biochar On Soilsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…In Europe, there are reports on the use of peatcharcoal for agricultural purposes by Davy (1856), and in USA, Tryon (1948) reported on the effect of wood biochar on the properties of forest soils. Recent studies suggest that application of biochar as a soil amendment can potentially increase crop productivity on weathered tropical soils (Glaser et al, 2002;Lehmann et al, 2003;Steiner et al, 2007;Major et al, 2010b;Petter et al, 2012).…”

Section: Research On Biochar and Crop Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biochar: Pyrogenic Carbon for Agricultural Use - A Critical Review

Novotny

Maia

Carvalho

et al. 2015

Rev. Bras. Ciênc. Solo

169

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Biochar (carbonized biomass for agricultural use) has been used worldwide as soil amendment and is a technology of particular interest for Brazil, since its "inspiration" is from the historical Terra Preta de Índios (Amazon Dark Earth), and also because Brazil is the world's largest charcoal producer, generating enormous residue quantities in form of fine charcoal and due to the availability of different residual biomasses, mainly from agroindustry (e.g., sugar-cane bagasse; wood and paper-mill wastes; residues from biofuel industries; sewage sludge etc), that can be used for biochar production, making Brazil a key actor in the international scenario in terms of biochar research and utilization). In the last decade, numerous studies on biochar have been carried out and now a vast literature, and excellent reviews, are available. The objective of this paper is therefore to deliver a critical review with some highlights on biochar research, rather than an exhaustive bibliographic review. To this end, some key points considered critical and relevant were selected and the pertinent literature "condensed", with a view to guide future research, rather than analyze trends of the past.

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“…These findings are in agreement with Tryon (1948). To our best knowledge, this is the first time such an effect was confirmed in a field study.…”

Section: Determining Factors and Potential Effects Of Biochar On Soilsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Research On Biochar and Crop Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biochar: Pyrogenic Carbon for Agricultural Use - A Critical Review

Novotny

Maia

Carvalho

et al. 2015

Rev. Bras. Ciênc. Solo

169

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Tryon (1948), Matsubara et al (2002), DeLuca et al (2006), and Gundale and DeLuca (2006) demonstrated that biochar additions can change soil nutrient availability by affecting soil physico-chemical properties. Increases in soil nutrient availability may result in enhanced host plant performance and elevated tissue nutrient concentrations in addition to higher colonization rates of the host plant roots by AMF (Ishii and Kadoya 1994).…”

Section: Evidence For Biochar Effects On Mycorrhizal Fungimentioning

confidence: 99%

Mycorrhizal responses to biochar in soil – concepts and mechanisms

et al. 2007

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Experiments suggest that biomass-derived black carbon (biochar) affects microbial populations and soil biogeochemistry. Both biochar and mycorrhizal associations, ubiquitous symbioses in terrestrial ecosystems, are potentially important in various ecosystem services provided by soils, contributing to sustainable plant production, ecosystem restoration, and soil carbon sequestration and hence mitigation of global climate change. As both biochar and mycorrhizal associations are subject to management, understanding and exploiting interactions between them could be advantageous. Here we focus on biochar effects on mycorrhizal associations. After reviewing the experimental evidence for such effects, we critically examine hypotheses pertaining to four mechanisms by which biochar could influence mycorrhizal abundance and/or functioning. These mechanisms are (in decreasing order of currently available evidence supporting them): (a) alteration of soil physico-chemical properties; (b) indirect effects on mycorrhizae through effects on other soil microbes; (c) plant-fungus signaling interference and detoxification of allelochemicals on biochar; and (d) provision of refugia from fungal grazers. We provide a roadmap for research aimed at testing these mechanistic hypotheses.

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“…For example, in 1860, Walden [44] reported that the addition of charcoal (i.e., biochar) can improve soil water holding capacities by retaining a "good balance" of moisture around plant roots. Almost 100 years later, Tryon [45] was the first to demonstrate that soil texture was a critical factor controlling the impact of biochar on hydraulic properties. More recently, considerable attention has been given to using biochar to modify soil water hydraulics including water holding capacity and available water content [46][47][48][49][50], as well as soil hydraulic conductivity [51][52][53][54].…”

Section: Biochar Influence On Soil Water Hydraulicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Health, Crop Productivity, Microbial Transport, and Mine Spoil Response to Biochars

et al. 2016

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Biochars vary widely in pH, surface area, nutrient concentration, porosity, and metal binding capacity due to the assortment of feedstock materials and thermal conversion conditions under which it is formed. The wide variety of chemical and physical characteristics have resulted in biochar being used as an amendment to rebuild soil health, improve crop yields, increase soil water storage, and restore soils/spoils impacted by mining. Meta-analysis of the biochar literature has shown mixed results when using biochar as a soil amendment to improve crop productivity. For example, in one meta-analysis, biochar increased crop yield by approximately 10 %, while in another, approximately 50 % of the studies reported minimal to no crop yield increases. In spite of the mixed crop yield reports, biochars have properties that can improve soil health characteristics, by increasing carbon (C) sequestration and nutrient and water retention. Biochars also have the ability to bind enteric microbes and enhance metal binding in soils impacted by mining. In this review, we present examples of both effective and ineffective uses of biochar to improve soil health for agricultural functions and reclamation of degraded mine spoils. Biochars are expensive to manufacture and cannot be purged from soil after application, so for efficient use, they should be targeted for specific uses in agricultural and environmental sectors. Thus, we introduce the designer biochar concept as an alternate paradigm stating that biochars should be designed with properties that are tailored to specific soil deficiencies or problems. We then demonstrate how careful selection of biochars can increase their effectiveness as a soil amendment.

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Effect of Charcoal on Certain Physical, Chemical, and Biological Properties of Forest Soils

Cited by 304 publications

References 34 publications

Biochar: Pyrogenic Carbon for Agricultural Use - A Critical Review

Biochar: Pyrogenic Carbon for Agricultural Use - A Critical Review

Mycorrhizal responses to biochar in soil – concepts and mechanisms

Soil Health, Crop Productivity, Microbial Transport, and Mine Spoil Response to Biochars

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