Biochar amendment reduced microbial necromass carbon accumulation in a paddy soil profile

doi:10.1016/j.jia.2025.10.001

Journal of Integrative Agriculture

2026, Vol. 25

Issue (7): 3005-3016 DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2025.10.001

Agro-ecosystem & Environment

Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search

Biochar amendment reduced microbial necromass carbon accumulation in a paddy soil profile

Ruiling Ma^{1, 2}, Suping Ji^{1, 2}, Shuo Jiang^{1, 2}, Dingyao Lei^{1, 2}, Ying Cai^{1, 2}, Xiulan Wu^{1, 2}, Zhiwei Liu^{1, 2}, Qi Yi^{1, 2}, Shaopan Xia^{1, 2}, Rongjun Bian^{1, 2}, Xuhui Zhang^{1, 2}, Jufeng Zheng^{1, 2#}

¹Institute of Resource, Ecosystem and Environment of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China

²Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing 210095, China

Highlights
● Biochar reduced fungal necromass carbon in the topsoil while decreasing bacterial necromass carbon throughout the paddy soil profile.
● Biochar shifted the microbial community toward K-strategists to decrease microbial necromass carbon production.
● Biochar intensified microbial nitrogen limitation to enhance microbial necromass carbon decomposition.

Abstract
References

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摘要

微生物残体碳 (MNC) 对土壤有机碳 (SOC) 的形成与稳定具有重要作用。尽管生物质炭施用能有效提升SOC固存，但其对稻田土壤剖面内MNC积累的影响仍不明确。本研究依托为期4年的田间试验，结合土壤剖面分层采样、微生物群落动态分析和生物标志物测定，系统探究生物质炭施用对稻田土壤剖面中三个土层 (0–15、15–30和30–45 cm) MNC积累的影响。结果表明，与未施用生物质炭处理相比，生物质炭施用导致各土层MNC含量分别降低10.5% (0–15 cm)、7.5% (15–30 cm)和9.6% (30–45 cm)。在表层土壤 (0–15 cm) 中，生物质炭施用下MNC的下降由真菌和细菌残体碳的减少共同驱动；而在亚表层土壤 (15–45 cm) 中，这一降低则主要归因于细菌残体碳的降低。进一步分析发现，生物质炭施用使土壤微生物生活史策略向K策略转变，并加剧微生物氮限制，进而降低土壤微生物生物量并提高氮获取胞外酶活性，因而导致MNC积累减少。本研究为揭示生物质炭施用下微生物介导的SOC动态提供了新的见解。

Abstract

Microbial necromass carbon (MNC) serves a crucial function in the formation and stabilization of soil organic carbon (SOC). Although biochar amendment is recognized as a promising approach for enhancing SOC sequestration, its impact on MNC accumulation across the paddy soil profile remains uncertain. Through a 4-year field experiment, this study examined the effect of biochar amendment on MNC accumulation across three soil layers (0–15, 15–30, and 30–45 cm) in a paddy soil profile by combining vertical soil profiling, microbial community dynamics, and biomarker analysis. The results showed that biochar amendment reduced MNC by 10.5% (0–15 cm), 7.5% (15–30 cm), and 9.6% (30–45 cm), respectively, compared to the unamended control. In the topsoil (0–15 cm), the reduction in MNC under biochar amendment was attributed to decreases in both fungal and bacterial necromass carbon (C), whereas in the subsoil (15–45 cm), it primarily resulted from the decrease in bacterial necromass C. Biochar amendment reduced MNC content by decreasing microbial biomass and increasing nitrogen (N) acquisition enzyme activities, mainly due to a shift in the microbial community toward K-strategists and intensified microbial N limitation. This study provides novel insights into the microbially-mediated SOC dynamics in response to biochar amendment.

Keywords: biochar microbial necromass carbon microbial life-history strategy paddy soil profile

Received: 12 May 2025 Accepted: 15 September 2025 Online: 01 October 2025

Fund:

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42277330 and 41877097), and the Science and Technology Innovation Special Fund of Jiangsu Province, China (BE2022304 and BE2022423).

About author: Ruiling Ma, E-mail: mrlashore@163.com; #Correspondence Jufeng Zheng, Tel: +86-25-84399852, E-mail: zhengjufeng@njau.edu.cn

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Ruiling Ma, Suping Ji, Shuo Jiang, Dingyao Lei, Ying Cai, Xiulan Wu, Zhiwei Liu, Qi Yi, Shaopan Xia, Rongjun Bian, Xuhui Zhang, Jufeng Zheng. 2026. Biochar amendment reduced microbial necromass carbon accumulation in a paddy soil profile. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(7): 3005-3016.

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