Physiochemical and Soil Biotic Responses to Biochar in Agricultural Soil.

Biochar has been gaining popularity as a potentially sustainable management method to increase soil health while sequestering carbon and increasing the global soil carbon pool. Research on biochar’s influence on soil health has been increasing, yet there is still a significant lack of published studies focused on the effects of biochar on the diversity of soil biota. Moreover, the majority of documented research was conducted in controlled conditions. As biological activity is a key component of soil quality, it is vital to understand the influences of biochar on soil biota at the field level. The objectives of this study are to 1) characterize changes in physiochemical properties of soils amended with biochar and 2) analyze nematode community indices and the bacteriovores to fungivores ratio changes as a result of biochar application. In this study the key soil nutrient concentrations and other soil physical properties will be analyzed. Nematode species will be identified, counted and maturity, enrichment and structure indices will be calculated for comparison amongst levels of biochar amended field soil. The data obtained from this work will contribute to the understanding of biochar’s influence on soil biota and determine if biochar is a suitable and viable soil amendment for improving soil quality in northeastern agricultural soils.