Abstract
Purpose
Previous studies have found biochar-induced effects on native soil organic carbon (NSOC) decomposition, with a range of positive, negative and no priming reported. However, many uncertainties still exist regarding which parameters drive the amplitude and the direction of the biochar priming.
Materials and methods
We conducted a quantitative analysis of 1170 groups of data from 27 incubation studies using boosted regression trees (BRTs). BRT is a machine learning method combining regression trees and a boosting algorithm, which can effectively partition independent influences of various factors on the target variable in the complex ecological processes.
Results and discussion
The BRT model explained a total of 72.4% of the variation in soil carbon (C) priming following biochar amendment, in which incubation conditions (36.5%) and biochar properties (33.7%) explained a larger proportion than soil properties (29.8%). The predictors that substantially accounted for the explained variation included incubation time (27.1%) and soil moisture (5.0%), biochar C/N ratio (6.2%), nitrogen content (5.5%), pyrolysis time during biochar production (5.1%), biochar pH (4.5%), soil C content (5.2%), sand (4.7%) and clay content (4.1%). In contrast, other incubation conditions (temperature, biochar dose, whether nutrient was added), biochar properties (biochar C, feedstock type, ash content, pyrolysis temperature, whether biochar was activated) and soil properties (nitrogen content, silt content, C/N ratio, pH, land use type) had small contribution (each < 4%). Positive priming occurred within the first 2 years of incubations, with a change to negative priming afterwards. The priming was negative for low N biochar or in high-moisture soils but positive on their reverse sides. The size of negative priming increased with rising biochar C/N ratio, pyrolysis time and soil clay content, but deceased with soil C/N ratio.
Conclusions
We determine the critical drivers for biochar effect on native soil organic C cycling, which can help us to better predict soil C sequestration following biochar amendment.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brodowski S, John B, Flessa H, Amelung W (2006) Aggregate-occluded black carbon in soil. Eur J Soil Sci 57(4):539–546. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.2006.00807.x
Bruun S, El-Zehery T (2012) Biochar effect on the mineralization of soil organic matter. Pesq Agrop Brasileira 47(5):665–671. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-204X2012000500005
Carslaw DC, Taylor PJ (2009) Analysis of air pollution data at a mixed source location using boosted regression trees. Atmos Environ 43(22-23):3563–3570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2009.04.001
Chen B, Zhou D, Zhu L (2008) Transitional adsorption and partition of nonpolar and polar aromatic contaminants by biochars of pine needles with different pyrolytic temperatures. Environ Sci Technol 42(14):5137–5143. https://doi.org/10.1021/es8002684
Ciais P, Sabine C, Bala G, Bopp L, Brovkin V, Canadell J, Chhabra A, DeFries R, Galloway J, Heimann M, Jones C, Quéré CL, Myneni RB, Piao S, Thornton P (2013) Carbon and other biogeochemical cycles. In: Stocker TF et al (eds) The physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 465–570
Cross A, Sohi SP (2011) The priming potential of biochar products in relation to labile carbon contents and soil organic matter status. Soil Biol Biochem 43(10):2127–2134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.06.016
Cui J, Ge TD, Kuzyakov Y, Nie M, Fang CM, Tang BP, Zhou CL (2017) Interactions between biochar and litter priming: a three-source C-14 and delta C-13 partitioning study. Soil Biol Biochem 104:49–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.10.014
De'Ath G (2007) Boosted trees for ecological modeling and prediction. Ecology 88(1):243–251. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2007)88[243:BTFEMA]2.0.CO;2
Dharmakeerthi RS, Hanley K, Whitman T, Woolf D, Lehmann J (2015) Organic carbon dynamics in soils with pyrogenic organic matter that received plant residue additions over seven years. Soil Biol Biochem 88:268–274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.06.003
Elith J, Leathwick JR, Hastie T (2008) A working guide to boosted regression trees. J Anim Ecol 77(4):802–813. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2008.01390.x
Fang Y, Singh BP, Singh B (2014) Temperature sensitivity of biochar and native carbon mineralisation in biochar-amended soils. Agric Ecosyst Environ 191:158–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2014.02.018
Fang Y, Singh B, Singh BP (2015) Effect of temperature on biochar priming effects and its stability in soils. Soil Biol Biochem 80:136–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.10.006
Farrell M, Kuhn TK, Macdonald LM, Maddern TM, Murphy DV, Hall PA, Singh BP, Baumann K, Krull ES, Baldock JA (2013) Microbial utilisation of biochar-derived carbon. Sci Total Environ 465:288–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.03.090
Golchin A, Oades J, Skjemstad J, Clarke P (1994) Study of free and occluded particulate organic matter in soils by solid state 13C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Soil Res 32(2):285–309. https://doi.org/10.1071/SR9940285
Herath H, Camps-Arbestain M, Hedley MJ, Kirschbaum MUF, Wang T, van Hale R (2015) Experimental evidence for sequestering C with biochar by avoidance of CO2 emissions from original feedstock and protection of native soil organic matter. GCB Bioenergy 7(3):512–526. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12183
Hilscher A, Heister K, Siewert C, Knicker H (2009) Mineralisation and structural changes during the initial phase of microbial degradation of pyrogenic plant residues in soil. Org Geochem 40(3):332–342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2008.12.004
Jones D, Murphy D, Khalid M, Ahmad W, Edwards-Jones G, DeLuca T (2011) Short-term biochar-induced increase in soil CO2 release is both biotically and abiotically mediated. Soil Biol Biochem 43(8):1723–1731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.04.018
Joseph S, Camps-Arbestain M, Lin Y, Munroe P, Chia C, Hook J, Van Zwieten L, Kimber S, Cowie A, Singh B (2010) An investigation into the reactions of biochar in soil. Aust J Soil Res 48(7):501–515. https://doi.org/10.1071/SR10009
Kasozi GN, Zimmerman AR, Nkedi-Kizza P, Gao B (2010) Catechol and humic acid sorption onto a range of laboratory-produced black carbons (biochars). Environ Sci Technol 44(16):6189–6195. https://doi.org/10.1021/es1014423
Keith A, Singh B, Singh BP (2011) Interactive priming of biochar and labile organic matter mineralization in a smectite-rich soil. Environ Sci Technol 45(22):9611–9618. https://doi.org/10.1021/es202186j
Kerré B, Hernandez-Soriano MC, Smolders E (2016) Partitioning of carbon sources among functional pools to investigate short-term priming effects of biochar in soil: a C-13 study. Sci Total Environ 547:30–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.12.107
Knicker H, Skjemstad JO (2000) Nature of organic carbon and nitrogen in physically protected organic matter of some Australian soils as revealed by solid-state 13C and 15N NMR spectroscopy. Soil Res 38(1):113–128. https://doi.org/10.1071/SR99024
Kuzyakov Y, Subbotina I, Chen H, Bogomolova I, Xu X (2009) Black carbon decomposition and incorporation into soil microbial biomass estimated by 14C labeling. Soil Biol Biochem 41(2):210–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2008.10.016
Lehmann J (2007) A handful of carbon. Nature 447(7141):143–144. https://doi.org/10.1038/447143a
Lehmann J, Joseph S (2009) Biochar for environmental management: science and technology. Earthscan, London
Lehmann J, Gaunt J, Rondon M (2006) Bio-char sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems—a review. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob 11:395–419
Lehmann J, Rillig MC, Thies J, Masiello CA, Hockaday WC, Crowley D (2011) Biochar effects on soil biota—a review. Soil Biol Biochem 43(9):1812–1836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.04.022
Lu N, Liu X-R, Du Z-L, Wang Y-D, Zhang Q-Z (2014a) Effect of biochar on soil respiration in the maize growing season after 5 years of consecutive application. Soil Res 52(5):505–512. https://doi.org/10.1071/SR13239
Lu WW, Ding WX, Zhang JH, Li Y, Luo JF, Bolan N, Xie ZB (2014b) Biochar suppressed the decomposition of organic carbon in a cultivated sandy loam soil: a negative priming effect. Soil Biol Biochem 76:12–21
Luo Y, Durenkamp M, De Nobili M, Lin Q, Brookes PC (2011) Short term soil priming effects and the mineralisation of biochar following its incorporation to soils of different pH. Soil Biol Biochem 43(11):2304–2314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.07.020
Luo Y, Durenkamp M, De Nobili M, Lin Q, Devonshire BJ, Brookes PC (2013) Microbial biomass growth, following incorporation of biochars produced at 350 °C or 700 °C, in a silty-clay loam soil of high and low pH. Soil Biol Biochem 57:513–523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2012.10.033
Luo Z, Wang E, Sun OJ (2016) A meta-analysis of the temporal dynamics of priming soil carbon decomposition by fresh carbon inputs across ecosystems. Soil Biol Biochem 101:96–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.07.011
Luo Y, Lin Q, Durenkamp M, Kuzyakov Y (2017) Does repeated biochar incorporation induce further soil priming effect? J Soils Sediments. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1705-5
Maestrini B, Nannipieri P, Abiven S (2014a) A meta-analysis on pyrogenic organic matter induced priming effect. GCB Bioenergy 7:577–590
Maestrini B, Herrmann AM, Nannipieri P, Schmidt MWI, Abiven S (2014b) Ryegrass-derived pyrogenic organic matter changes organic carbon and nitrogen mineralization in a temperate forest soil. Soil Biol Biochem 69:291–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.11.013
Malghani S, Juschke E, Baumert J, Thuille A, Antonietti M, Trumbore S, Gleixner G (2015) Carbon sequestration potential of hydrothermal carbonization char (hydrochar) in two contrasting soils; results of a 1-year field study. Biol Fertil Soils 51(1):123–134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-014-0980-1
McBeath AV, Smernik RJ (2009) Variation in the degree of aromatic condensation of chars. Org Geochem 40(12):1161–1168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2009.09.006
Murray J, Keith A, Singh B (2015) The stability of low- and high-ash biochars in acidic soils of contrasting mineralogy. Soil Biol Biochem 89:217–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.07.014
Naisse C, Girardin C, Davasse B, Chabbi A, Rumpel C (2015a) Effect of biochar addition on C mineralisation and soil organic matter priming in two subsoil horizons. J Soils Sediments 15(4):825–832. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-014-1002-5
Naisse C, Girardin C, Lefevre R, Pozzi A, Maas R, Stark A, Rumpel C (2015b) Effect of physical weathering on the carbon sequestration potential of biochars and hydrochars in soil. GCB Bioenergy 7(3):488–496. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12158
Nguyen BT, Koide RT, Dell C, Drohan P, Skinner H, Adler PR, Nord A (2014) Turnover of soil carbon following addition of switchgrass-derived biochar to four soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 78(2):531–537. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2013.07.0258
Nguyen DB, Rose MT, Rose TJ, Morris SG, Van Zwieten L (2016) Impact of glyphosate on soil microbial biomass and respiration: a meta-analysis. Soil Biol Biochem 92:50–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.09.014
R Development Core Team (2012) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna. http://www.R-project.org
Rittl T, Novotny E, Balieiro F, Hoffland E, Alves B, Kuyper T (2015) Negative priming of native soil organic carbon mineralization by oilseed biochars of contrasting quality. Eur J Soil Sci 66(4):714–721. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12257
Robinson JW (2008) Regression tree boosting to adjust health care cost predictions for diagnostic mix. Health Serv Res 43(2):755–772. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6773.2007.00761.x
Rosa J, Knicker H (2011) Bioavailability of N released from N-rich pyrogenic organic matter: an incubation study. Soil Biol Biochem 43(12):2368–2373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.08.008
Sagrilo E, Jeffery S, Hoffland E, Kuyper TW (2014) Emission of CO2 from biochar-amended soils and implications for soil organic carbon. GCB Bioenergy 7:1294–1304
Santos F, Torn MS, Bird JA (2012) Biological degradation of pyrogenic organic matter in temperate forest soils. Soil Biol Biochem 51:115–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2012.04.005
Schmidt MWI, Skjemstad JO, Jäger C (2002) Carbon isotope geochemistry and nanomorphology of soil black carbon: black chernozemic soils in central Europe originate from ancient biomass burning. Glob Biogeochem Cycles 16:1123
Schouten S, van Groenigen JW, Oenema O, Cayuela ML (2012) Bioenergy from cattle manure? Implications of anaerobic digestion and subsequent pyrolysis for carbon and nitrogen dynamics in soil. GCB Bioenergy 4(6):751–760. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1757-1707.2012.01163.x
Sheng Y, Zhan Y, Zhu L (2016) Reduced carbon sequestration potential of biochar in acidic soil. Sci Total Environ 572:129–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.140
Singh BP, Cowie AL (2014) Long-term influence of biochar on native organic carbon mineralisation in a low-carbon clayey soil. Sci Rep 4:3687
Singh BP, Cowie AL, Smernik RJ (2012) Biochar carbon stability in a clayey soil as a function of feedstock and pyrolysis temperature. Environ Sci Technol 46(21):11770–11778. https://doi.org/10.1021/es302545b
Stewart CE, Zheng JY, Botte J, Cotrufo MF (2013) Co-generated fast pyrolysis biochar mitigates green-house gas emissions and increases carbon sequestration in temperate soils. GCB Bioenergy 5(2):153–164. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12001
Van Zwieten L, Kimber S, Morris S, Chan K, Downie A, Rust J, Joseph S, Cowie A (2010) Effects of biochar from slow pyrolysis of papermill waste on agronomic performance and soil fertility. Plant Soil 327(1-2):235–246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-0050-x
Ventura M, Alberti G, Viger M, Jenkins JR, Girardin C, Baronti S, Zaldei A, Taylor G, Rumpel C, Miglietta F (2015) Biochar mineralization and priming effect on SOM decomposition in two European short rotation coppices. GCB Bioenergy 7(5):1150–1160. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12219
Wagner S, Cattle SR, Scholten T (2007) Soil-aggregate formation as influenced by clay content and organic-matter amendment. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 170(1):173–180. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.200521732
Wang J, Xiong Z, Kuzyakov Y (2015) Biochar stability in soil: meta-analysis of decomposition and priming effects. GCB Bioenergy 8:512–523
Wardle DA, Nilsson M-C, Zackrisson O (2008) Fire-derived charcoal causes loss of forest humus. Science 320(5876):629–629. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1154960
Weng ZH, Van Zwieten L, Singh B, Kimber S, Morris S, Cowie A, Macdonald LM (2015) Plant-biochar interactions drive the negative priming of soil organic carbon in an annual ryegrass field system. Soil Biol Biochem 90:111–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.08.005
Weng ZH, Van Zwieten L, Singh BP, Tavakkoli E, Joseph S, Macdonald LM, Rose TJ, Rose MT, Kimber SW, Morris S (2017) Biochar built soil carbon over a decade by stabilizing rhizodeposits. Nat Clim Chang 7(5):371–376. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3276
Whitman T, Enders A, Lehmann J (2014) Pyrogenic carbon additions to soil counteract positive priming of soil carbon mineralization by plants. Soil Biol Biochem 73:33–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.02.009
Woolf D, Lehmann J (2012) Modelling the long-term response to positive and negative priming of soil organic carbon by black carbon. Biogeochemistry 111(1-3):83–95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-012-9764-6
Woolf D, Amonette JE, Street-Perrott FA, Lehmann J, Joseph S (2010) Sustainable biochar to mitigate global climate change. Nat Commun 1:56
Yousaf B, Liu G, Wang R, Abbas Q, Imtiaz M, Liu R (2017) Investigating the biochar effects on C-mineralization and sequestration of carbon in soil compared with conventional amendments using the stable isotope (δ13C) approach. GCB Bioenergy 9(6):1085–1099. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12401
Yu L, Tang J, Zhang R, Wu Q, Gong M (2013) Effects of biochar application on soil methane emission at different soil moisture levels. Biol Fertil Soils 49(2):119–128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-012-0703-4
Yuan H, Lu T, Wang Y, Huang H, Chen Y (2014) Influence of pyrolysis temperature and holding time on properties of biochar derived from medicinal herb (radix isatidis) residue and its effect on soil CO2 emission. J Anal Appl Pyrol 110:277–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaap.2014.09.016
Zhang Y, Chen HY, Reich PB (2012) Forest productivity increases with evenness, species richness and trait variation: a global meta-analysis. J Ecol 100(3):742–749. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2011.01944.x
Zhang W, Wang X, Wang S (2013) Addition of external organic carbon and native soil organic carbon decomposition: a meta-analysis. PLoS One 8(2):e54779. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0054779
Zhang J, Liu J, Rongle L (2015) Effects of pyrolysis temperature and heating time on biochar obtained from the pyrolysis of straw and lignosulfonate. Bioresour Technol 176:288–291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2014.11.011
Zhang W, Yuan S, Hu N, Lou Y, Wang S (2015) Predicting soil fauna effect on plant litter decomposition by using boosted regression trees. Soil Biol Biochem 82:81–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.12.016
Zimmerman AR (2010) Abiotic and microbial oxidation of laboratory-produced black carbon (biochar). Environ Sci Technol 44(4):1295–1301. https://doi.org/10.1021/es903140c
Zimmerman AR, Gao B, Ahn MY (2011) Positive and negative carbon mineralization priming effects among a variety of biochar-amended soils. Soil Biol Biochem 43(6):1169–1179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.02.005
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their insightful advice on an earlier version of this manuscript. We thank all the researchers whose data were included in this meta-analysis. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 41601307, 31330011, 41630755), State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology (grant number LFSE2015-06) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (grant number 2016YFD0200304).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Additional information
Responsible editor: Hailong Wang
Electronic supplementary material
Online Resource 1
The collected data and supporting studies in our analysis. (XLSX 251 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ding, F., Van Zwieten, L., Zhang, W. et al. A meta-analysis and critical evaluation of influencing factors on soil carbon priming following biochar amendment. J Soils Sediments 18, 1507–1517 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1899-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1899-6