Biochar amendments and climate warming affected nitrification associated N2O and NO production in a vegetable field

Xi Zhang; Ying Jiao; Bingxue Wang; Xintong Xu; Yubing Dong; Zhengqin Xiong

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117178

Biochar amendments and climate warming affected nitrification associated N₂O and NO production in a vegetable field

J Environ Manage. 2023 Mar 15:330:117178. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117178. Epub 2023 Jan 6.

Authors

Xi Zhang¹, Ying Jiao², Bingxue Wang², Xintong Xu², Yubing Dong², Zhengqin Xiong³

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Agriculture and GHGs Mitigation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China; Department of Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, Department of Agricultural Soil Science, Georg-August University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
² Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Agriculture and GHGs Mitigation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
³ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Agriculture and GHGs Mitigation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China. Electronic address: zqxiong@njau.edu.cn.

PMID: 36621315
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117178

Abstract

Soil nitrification driven by ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms is the most important source of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and nitric oxide (NO). Biochar amendment has been proposed as the most promising measure for combating climate warming; both have the potential to regulate the soil nitrification process. However, the comprehensive impacts of different aged biochars and warming combinations on soil nitrification-related N₂O and NO production are not well understood. Here, 1-octyne and acetylene were used to investigate the relative contributions of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) to potential nitrification-mediated N₂O and NO production from the fertilized vegetable soil with different aged biochar amendments and soil temperatures in microcosm incubations. Results demonstrated that AOB dominated nitrification-related N₂O and NO production across biochar additions and climate warming. Biochar amendment did not significantly influence the relative contribution of AOB and AOA to N₂O and NO production. Field-aged biochar markedly reduced N₂O and NO production via inhibiting AOB-amoA gene abundance and AOB-dependent N₂O yield while fresh- and lab-aged biochar produced negligible effects on AOB-dependent N₂O yield. Climate warming significantly increased N₂O production and AOB-dependent N₂O yield but less so on NO production. Notably, the relative contribution of AOB to N₂O production was enhanced by climate warming, whereas AOB-derived NO showed the opposite tendency. Overall, the results revealed that field-aged biochar contributed to mitigating warming-induced increases in N₂O and NO production via inhibiting AOB-amoA gene abundance and AOB-dependent N₂O yield. Our findings provided guidance for mitigating nitrogen oxide emissions in intensively managed vegetable production under the context of biochar amendments and climate warming.

Keywords: Ammonia-oxidizing archaea; Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria; Fresh and aged biochar; Nitrification inhibitor; Nitrogen oxide; Temperature sensitivity.

MeSH terms

Ammonia
Archaea
Nitric Oxide*
Nitrification
Nitrous Oxide / analysis
Oxidation-Reduction
Soil
Soil Microbiology
Vegetables*

Substances

Nitric Oxide
biochar
Ammonia
Nitrous Oxide
Soil