Seedling Growth and Phosphorus Cycling in Northern Forest Soils Amended With Biochar and Wood Ash

Abstract:

Biochar may be a powerful soil amendment to reduce nutrient depletion in North American forests where long-term nitrogen deposition has led to phosphorus (P) limitation, but many effects of biochar in these ecosystems are still unknown. We performed a 12-week growth chamber experiment in which red pine (Pinus resinosa) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum) seedlings were grown in pots with soil from three Ontario forests and varying amounts of sugar maple biochar. Additionally, biochar effects were compared with the effects of wood ash, a forest biomass bioenergy by-product that may also be a beneficial soil amendment in these ecosystems. We assessed plant biomass, soil microbial biomass and phosphatase activity; additional chemical analyses of plant tissue and soils are ongoing. Biochar effects on seedling growth were not consistent across tree species, soil type, and addition rate. For sugar maple seedlings grown in sand and sandy-loam textured soils, biochar additions of 20 t ha^-1 significantly (p = 0.03) decreased root biomass by 25 %, and the root-to-shoot ratio correspondingly declined, but this effect was not observed in a silty soil. For red pine seedlings, the same biochar addition rate slightly increased root biomass. Wood ash effects on biomass were similarly variable. For example, in the sandy soil, sugar maple root biomass was significantly lower after application of 16 t ash ha^-1, but unchanged by rates of 4 or 40 t ash ha^-1. Microbial biomass and soil phosphatase activity also varied by soil type. Phosphatase activity was significantly lower (p = 0.02) in soils with sugar maple compared to red pine, but there were no consistent biochar or ash effects across all soils and species. However, for red pine seedlings grown in silt, biochar significantly (p = 0.04) reduced the phosphatase activity compared to the control and ash soils. Overall, biochar may lessen P-limitation in forested ecosystems, but the suitability of biochar, and wood ash, for increasing P uptake and consequently growth of tree seedlings is highly dependent on the species, soil, and application rate.