Biochar accelerates straw decomposition and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by driving microbial community dynamics

作者：Shijing Zhang, Guihua Xu, Xiaolin Quan, Xudong Tan, Rongxuan Zhang, Xin Fu, Hua Peng, Si Luo · 发表于：Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s40538-025-00869-w · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics、Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology、Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Production

The rational utilization of agricultural straw is crucial for improving soil fertility and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). The purpose of this study was to investigate how rice (RB) and maize (MB) straw-derived biochar, produced at varying pyrolysis temperatures and application rates, regulated straw decomposition and GHGs by reshaping soil microbial communities and physicochemical properties. Through 90-day incubation experiments, it was found that biochar produced using low temperature (300 °C) at 2.5–5.0% application rates significantly accelerated straw decomposition by 14.94–36.04% and reduced CH₄ and N₂O emissions by up to 37.84–90.26% and 41.60–91.10%, respectively. Application of biochar produced using low-temperature method enhanced the soil organic matter (9.92–29.26%), pH (1.82–11.32%), and soil enzyme activities (cellulase: 7.84–22.90%, β-glucosidase: 49.92–75.32%), while altering microbial communities, especially increasing copiotrophic bacteria (e.g., Proteobacteria, Ascomycota) in rice grown soils linked to rapid decomposition and reducing Ascomycota dominance in maize soil with altering nutrient dynamics due to higher C/N ratios. Path analysis indicated strong biochar–enzyme–decomposition linkages (normalized coefficient: 0.92), emphasizing microbial community structure as a pivotal mediator. In contrast, biochar produced through high pyrolysis temperatures (mentioning the temperature) diminished effectiveness due to higher structural stability and p...