Effects of co-applied biochar and plant growth-promoting bacteria on soil carbon mineralization and nutrient availability under two nitrogen addition rates

In the background of climate warming, the demand for improving soil quality and carbon (C) sequestration is increasing. The application of biochar to soil has been considered as a method for mitigating climate change and enhancing soil fertility. However, it is uncertain whether the effects of biochar application on C-mineralization and N transformation are influenced by the presence or absence of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) and soil nitrogen (N) level. An incubation study was conducted to investigate whether the effects of biochar application (0 %, 1 %, 2 % and 4 % of soil mass) on soil respiration, N status, and microbial attributes were altered by the presence or absence of PGPB (i.e., Sphingobium yanoikuyae BJ1) under two soil N levels (N0 and N1 soils as created by the addition of 0 and 0.2 g kg⁻¹ urea- N, respectively). The results showed that biochar, BJ1 strain and their interactive effects on cumulative CO₂ emissions were not significant in N0 soils, while the effects of biochar on the cumulative CO₂ emissions were dependent on the presence or absence of BJ1 in N1 soils. In N1 soils, applying biochar at 2 % and 4 % increased the cumulative CO₂ emissions by 141.0 % and 166.9 %, respectively, when BJ1 was absent. However, applying biochar did not affect CO₂ emissions when BJ1 was present. In addition, the presence of BJ1 generally increased ammonium contents in N0 soils, but decreased nitrate contents in N1 soils relative to the absence of BJ1, which indicates that the combination of biochar and BJ1 is beneficial to play the N fixation function of BJ1 in N0 soils. Our results highlight that biochar addition influences not only soil C mineralization but also soil available N, and the direction and magnitude of these effects are highly dependent on the presence of PGPB and the soil N level.