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Updated: Jun 7, 2025

Author Spotlight: On-Site Biochar Production for Woody Debris Incineration in Forestry
Published on: January 5, 2024
Enhanced nitrogen fixation and Cd passivation in rhizosphere soil by biochar-loaded nitrogen-fixing bacteria:
Yuxiao Chang1, Lihong Lin2, Jianlin Shen3
1Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China.
Abstract:
This study developed a biochar-loaded Ac material and clarified its chemical and microbial mechanisms for cadmium (Cd) immobilization and plant growth promotion. Results showed that biochar-loaded nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Azotobacter chroococcum; BAc) enhanced Cd adsorption by forming stable complexes with bacterial secretions and activating biochar functional groups. Compared with BC and Ac, after BAc application, Ac successfully colonized the lettuce rhizosphere, tagged with green fluorescent protein. It improved plant nitrogen by 47.39-72.47 % and increased root and shoot biomass by 50.35-107.32 % through nitrogen fixation and amino acid release. BAc reduced soil Cd bioavailability by 16.67-46.42 % and Cd accumulation in root and shoot by 14.28-69.74 %. This occurred through increasing soil pH and converting exchangeable Cd to carbonate-bound and Fe/Mn oxide-bound fractions. Importantly, BAc improved the rhizosphere nutrient environment and promoted the deterministic assembly of the rhizosphere microbial community. It also increased microbial diversity and attracted taxa like Actinomycetales (7.59 %), Solirubrobacteriales (5.17 %), Rhizobiales (5.17 %), and Sphingomonadales (5.17 %), all associated with nitrogen fixation, plant growth promotion, and Cd immobilization. Structural equation modeling (SEM) confirmed that BAc increased nitrogen utilization efficiency in lettuce and facilitated biotic immobilization of soil Cd by optimizing the microbial structure. This study provides insights into how biochar-loaded Ac improve plant growth and control soil Cd pollution.
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