Articles | Volume 11, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-141-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-141-2025
Short communication
 | 
04 Feb 2025
Short communication |  | 04 Feb 2025

Biochar reduces early-stage mineralization rates of plant residues more in coarse-textured soils than in fine-textured soils – an artificial-soil approach

Thiago M. Inagaki, Simon Weldon, Franziska B. Bucka, Eva Farkas, and Daniel P. Rasse

Cited articles

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Appelo, C. and Postma, D.: Geochemistry, Groundwater and Pollution, 2nd ed., CRC Press, 683 pp., https://doi.org/10.1201/9781439833544, 2005. 
Barrow, N. J. and Hartemink, A. E.: The effects of pH on nutrient availability depend on both soils and plants, Plant Soil, 487, 21–37, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-05960-5, 2023. 
Bolan, N., Sarmah, A. K., Bordoloi, S., Bolan, S., Padhye, L. P., Van Zwieten, L., Sooriyakumar, P., Khan, B. A., Ahmad, M., and Solaiman, Z. M.: Soil acidification and the liming potential of biochar, Environ. Pollut., 317, 120632, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120632, 2023. 
Buchkina, N., Balashov, E., Šimanský, V., Igaz, D., and Horák, J.: Changes in biological and physical parameters of soils with different texture after biochar application, Selskokhozyaistvennaya Biologiya (Agricultural Biology), 52, 471–477, 2017. 
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Short summary
Here, we investigated how biochar, a potential C sequestration tool, affects early carbon storage in different soils. We created artificial soils to isolate the impact of soil texture. We found that biochar significantly reduces plant residue’s breakdown in all soil textures but mainly in sandy soils, which naturally hold less carbon. This suggests that biochar could be a valuable tool for improving soil health, especially in sandy soils.
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