Use of Biochar to Increase Microbial Growth from Compost Tea Inoculation.

Compost teas are known as plant disease suppressants and a source of microbes potentially beneficial to plants. Compost teas have gained interest in fields like agriculture, silviculture, and gardening in recent years. Despite their popularity, the mechanisms behind compost tea and its benefits have not been identified in the literature. Studies suggest the tea increases nutrients for plant growth and acts as an inoculate, spreading microbes to the soil which lead to more available carbon and other nutrients. Identifying the effects of compost teas is important for future applications in science and in practice. Our experiment ran 4 treatments using a sanitized sand and potting mix substrate with 2 treatments amended to be 10% biochar by volume. 1 treatment of each substrate was inoculated with a compost tea sample, creating the four separate treatments. Wisconsin Fast Plants were analyzed for microbial respiration, microbial biomass, and plant biomass after 40 days of growth.