Microbial Community Characterization of Biochar Amended Soils during Successive Plantings.

Microbial soil communities can impact plant growth over time. Biochar amended soils may supplement soil fertility, provide a potential carbon resource, as well as, increased surface area for microbial growth, and influence plant productivity. Our goals are to study root zone plant-microbe interactions and follow changes in root-associated bacterial communities over time. Semi dwarf wheat (Triticum aestivum cv Apogee) was grown in two chambers fitted with 3D-printed root modules designed for the Advanced Plant Habitat at Kennedy Space Center, FL. Wheat was grown in turface and turface amended with biochar during four sequential plantings in each root module to minimize the use of growth media in spaceflight experiments. The bacterial soil community was determined before and after each of the successive wheat crops. Dynamic changes in soil bacterial communities between the soil types and between each successive planting were compared using metagenomic methods. Identification of bacteria to the lowest taxonomic level possible and analyzing community composition by the 16S rRNA gene will provide correlative information about the success of each harvest with commonly-associated soil bacteria. This study will determine if biochar amendments can mitigate the impact of decaying roots on plant productivity during sequential plantings in a single root module.