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Updated: Nov 16, 2025
10:31
Assessment of Waste-Derived Biochars on the Health and Biological Activity of Soil
Published on: October 10, 2025
145
Composted biochar affects structural dynamics, function and co-occurrence network patterns of fungi community.
Ayodeji Bello1, Bo Wang1, Yan Zhao1
1College of Resources and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
The Science of the Total Environment
|February 22, 2021
Summary
Applying biochar and compost mixtures significantly enhances soil fungal diversity and suppresses plant pathogens. These organic amendments improve soil health, fungal ecosystems, and network patterns, aiding climate change mitigation.
Area of Science:
- Soil Science
- Environmental Microbiology
- Agricultural Science
Background:
- Biochar and compost mixtures are explored for improving soil properties and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Limited research exists on the impact of these amendments on soil microbial communities, particularly fungi.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of combined biochar-compost application on soil physicochemical properties, fungal community composition, function, and network patterns in maize cultivation.
- To evaluate different application strategies: control (CNT), compost (CMP), composted biochar (CMB), compost fortified with biochar (CFWB), and biochar (BCH).
Main Methods:
- Field experiment with five distinct soil amendment treatments.
- Analysis of soil physicochemical variables, fungal diversity indices (Shannon, Sobs, Chao), and community composition.
- Utilized Distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA), Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) with effect size (LEfSe), FUNGuild, and network analysis.
Main Results:
- Compost-based amendments (CFWB, CMB, CMP) significantly increased fungal diversity at reproductive and maturity stages compared to biochar (BCH) and control (CNT).
- Soil properties like pH, nitrogen, organic matter, phosphorus, and micronutrients influenced fungal community structure across different growth stages.
- Specific fungal biomarkers (Cystofilobasidiaceae, Guehomyces) were enriched in the CFWB treatment; pathogenic fungi were suppressed by all organic amendments.
- Biochar-compost mixtures (CFWB, CMB) exhibited higher niche overlap and cross-feeding, while compost (CMP) showed more positive links with functional guilds.
Conclusions:
- Biochar and compost, individually or combined, positively influence soil fungal communities and their co-occurrence network patterns within a single cropping season.
- These organic amendments enhance soil fungal ecosystems, contributing to improved soil health and quality.
- Application of biochar and compost mixtures presents a viable strategy for climate change mitigation through soil health improvement.
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