Soil biochar amendment in a nature restoration area: effects on plant productivity and community composition
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Published source details
Van de Voorde T.F., Bezemer T.M., Van Groenigen J.W., Jeffrey S. & Mommer L. (2014) Soil biochar amendment in a nature restoration area: effects on plant productivity and community composition. Ecological Applications, 24, 1167-1177.
Published source details Van de Voorde T.F., Bezemer T.M., Van Groenigen J.W., Jeffrey S. & Mommer L. (2014) Soil biochar amendment in a nature restoration area: effects on plant productivity and community composition. Ecological Applications, 24, 1167-1177.
Actions
This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
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Add charcoal to soil before seeding/planting Action Link |
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Add charcoal to soil before seeding/planting
A replicated, randomized, paired, controlled study in 2011 in a restored grassland in the Netherlands (Van de Voorde et al. 2014) found that addition of charcoal to soil before sowing seeds increased the cover of legumes, but did not alter the cover of grasses or other forbs or total plant biomass. Plots where charcoal was added to soil before sowing had higher cover of legumes (39%–41%) than those where no charcoal was added before sowing (14%). However, there was no significant effect of charcoal addition on cover of other forbs (charcoal: 86–90%; untreated: 93%), cover of grasses (charcoal: 6%; untreated: 8%), or total plant biomass (charcoal: 486–495 g/m2; untreated: 465 g/m2). In April 2011, six 4 x 4 m plots were treated with charcoal, produced from grass cuttings heated to either 400°C or 600°C, at a rate of 10 Mg/ha. Plots were paired with untreated plots. All plots were then rotovated and sown with a grassland seed mixture. In August 2011, vegetation cover was assessed in four 1 x 1 m quadrats/plot. In October 2011, vegetation was clipped in two 0.5 x 1 m quadrats/plot to determine plant biomass.
(Summarised by: Philip Martin)
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