MICROBIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BIOCHAR AMENDED ALLUVIAL MEADOW SOIL

Angelina Mikova, Galina Petkova, Irena Atanassova, Kostadinka Nedyalkova

Abstract: Biochar (BC), produced by the pyrolysis of biomass under limited oxygen is highly stable and resistant to microbial decay and can serve as a long-term sink of carbon. During the last years biochar from different origin is studied as a soil amendment in many countries. The ecological importance of biochar addition is connected with decreasing of greenhouse gasses emissions and associated with them climate changes, and improvement of soil structure and fertility. The effect of biochar amendment on microbial amount and activity of Alluvial meadow soil was studied in field experiments with wheat and maize cultivated in crop rotation. The number of the main groups of soil microorganisms, CO2-production and microbial biomass were determined. A stimulating effect of biochar amendment on the soil microflora was established in the study. The CO2-production and the bacterial amounts werе positively affected to the greatest extent. The results obtained confirm the importance of biochar addition as а promising method for soil fertility conservation.

Keywords: Alluvial-meadow soil; biochar; CO2-production; microbial biomass; soil microorganism

Date published: 2018-06-01