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The chemical composition of native organic matter influences the response of bacterial community to input of biochar and fresh plant material

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Abstract

Aim

To investigate how the chemical composition of native organic matter of two contrasting soils varies with inputs of biochar and fresh material (including plant roots) and how these underlying changes influence microbial community structure.

Methods

Corn stover (CS) and CS-derived biochars produced at 350 °C and 550 °C were applied at a dose of 7.2 t C ha−1 to two contrasting soils—an Alfisol and an Andisol. After 295 days of incubation, two undisturbed subsamples from each pot were taken: (i) in one, lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) was seeded (plant study, P) and (ii) in the other, the incubation was continued without the plants (respiration study, R); all subsamples were incubated for an additional 215 days. Soils without amendments were used as controls. At the end of the incubation (510 days), their bacterial community profiles were characterised using ARISA and the molecular composition of soil organic matter (SOM) was investigated by pyrolysis-GC/MS.

Results

There were significant interactions between soil type, study type (P or R) and organic amendment. Organic amendments influenced overall SOM composition with microbial community response being mainly influenced by soil type but also strongly affected by the presence or absence of plants. For a specific soil type, ≥ 40 % of total variation in bacterial community ordination could be explained by the molecular composition of SOM.

Conclusions

The molecular composition of SOM is proposed as an important factor influencing the microbial response to organic amendments, including biochar.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the technical assistance of Ms. Jinping Du and Ms. Natile Burr (IMBS Massey University). The authors also acknowledge Professor Bernd H. A. Rehm (IMBS Massey University) for providing lab space, Dr Joeri Kaal for technical support and advice in pyrolysis-GC/MS, and Esther Meenken from Plant and Food Research and Prof. Antonio Martinez Cortizas from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) for their advice in the statistical analysis. Congying Wang was funded by the National Natural Foundation of China. Financial support for the research was covered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, New Zealand. Last but not least, we are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New Zealand Biochar Research Centre, Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Private Bag 11222, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand

    Congying Wang, Tao Wang, Marta Camps-Arbestain, Riaz Ahmad & H. M. S. K. Herath

  2. School of Environmental Science and Resources, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China

    Congying Wang

  3. The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research, Private Bag 4704, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand

    Craig Anderson

  4. Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Manuel Suárez-Abelenda

  5. Department of Soil Science & Soil Water Conservation, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

    Riaz Ahmad

  6. Department of Export Agriculture, Faculty of Animal Science and Export Agriculture, Uva Wellassa University, Badulla, 9000, Sri Lanka

    H. M. S. K. Herath

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  1. Congying Wang
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  2. Craig Anderson
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  3. Manuel Suárez-Abelenda
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  4. Tao Wang
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  7. H. M. S. K. Herath
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Correspondence to Marta Camps-Arbestain.

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Wang, C., Anderson, C., Suárez-Abelenda, M. et al. The chemical composition of native organic matter influences the response of bacterial community to input of biochar and fresh plant material. Plant Soil 395, 87–104 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2621-3

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