Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Bamboo charcoal affects soil properties and bacterial community in tea plantations

Researchers found that bamboo charcoal application improved soil physicochemical properties and shifted bacterial community structure in tea plantations, with optimal effects observed at specific application rates that enhanced enzyme activity.

2023 Open Life Sciences 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of biochar and soil amendment on bacterial community composition in the root soil and fruit of tomato under greenhouse conditions

Researchers investigated the effects of biochar and soil amendment applications on bacterial community composition in the root soil and fruit of greenhouse-grown tomatoes using Illumina sequencing. They found that these amendments altered microbial community structure and influenced fruit quality parameters, with implications for sustainable agricultural soil management.

2025 Open Chemistry
Article Tier 2

The application of biochar and organic fertilizer substitution regulates the diversities of habitat specialist bacterial communities within soil aggregates in proso millet farmland

Researchers conducted a field experiment on millet farmland to study how biochar and organic fertilizer combinations affect soil bacterial communities, finding that combining both improved soil nutrients and bacterial diversity more than either treatment alone — supporting healthier, more resilient farming soils.

2025 Biochar 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of Organic Fertilizer Changes the Rhizosphere Microbial Communities of a Gramineous Grass on Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Researchers examined how organic fertilizer application altered rhizosphere microbial communities in a gramineous grass, finding significant shifts in bacterial diversity and composition that may influence nutrient cycling and soil health in grassland ecosystems.

2022 Microorganisms 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Machine learning models reveal how biochar amendment affects soil microbial communities

Researchers used machine learning to reanalyze 1,813 soil microbiome sequencing datasets and found that biochar — a charcoal-like material made from burned organic matter — consistently shifts soil bacterial and fungal communities toward species that promote plant growth and nutrient cycling while increasing microbial diversity. The study provides the most comprehensive picture yet of how biochar amendments reshape soil ecosystems, offering guidance for its use in sustainable agriculture.

2023 Biochar 45 citations
Article Tier 2

How Organic Mulching Influences the Soil Bacterial Community Structure and Function in Urban Forests

Researchers tested how different types of organic mulch affect the bacterial communities in urban forest soils. They found that wood chips and compost changed the soil's chemical properties and shifted the types of bacteria present, particularly those involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling. The study suggests that organic mulching could be a practical tool for improving the microbial health of urban soils.

2024 Microorganisms 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Biochar and its Reapplication on Soil pH and Sorption Properties of Silt Loam Haplic Luvisol

Biochar was tested on agricultural soil to assess its effects on pH and nutrient sorption, finding modest improvements that persisted with reapplication. While focused on soil management, biochar is also studied as a potential tool for improving soil health in contaminated environments.

2019 Acta horticulturae et regiotecturae 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Different Distribution of Core Microbiota in Upper Soil Layer in Two Places of North China Plain

Researchers compared the composition and distribution of core soil microbiota in upper soil layers at two locations on the North China Plain, examining how habitat and dominant plant species shape bacterial community structure relevant to nutrient cycling and carbon storage. The study found meaningful differences in microbial community composition between the two sites, reflecting local environmental influences.

2022 The Open Microbiology Journal 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of biochar amendment and organic fertilizer on microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil of wheat in Yellow River Delta saline-alkaline soil

Researchers studied how adding biochar and organic fertilizer to salty alkaline soil in China's Yellow River Delta affected the microbial communities around wheat roots. Both amendments increased beneficial soil bacteria and improved soil fertility indicators like organic matter and available nutrients. The findings suggest that biochar and organic fertilizer together can help rehabilitate degraded saline soils by promoting healthier microbial ecosystems.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Variations in the quantity and chemical composition of soil dissolved organic matter along a chronosequence of wolfberry plantations in an arid area of Northwest China

Researchers studied how planting wolfberry bushes over 13 years changes the chemistry of soil organic matter in an arid region of China and found that longer-growing plantations build up richer, more complex soil carbon compounds — which helps store carbon and improve soil health in dryland farming systems.

2024 Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Succession of biochar addition for soil amendment and contaminants remediation during co-composting: A state of art review

Researchers reviewed how adding biochar during composting improves soil health and reduces contaminants, finding that co-composting with biochar can remediate heavy metals by 66–95% and also adsorb emerging organic pollutants like microplastics and pesticides, though some changes to soil microbial communities may inadvertently favor pathogens.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar contributes to resistance against root rot disease by stimulating soil polyphenol oxidase

Researchers found that adding biochar (a charcoal-like soil amendment made from burning organic matter) to continuously cropped tobacco fields boosted a soil enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, which suppressed fungal root-rot pathogens — demonstrating that biochar can reduce plant disease by improving soil chemistry.

2023 Biochar 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial responses towards biochar application in potentially toxic element (PTE) contaminated soil: a critical review on effects and potential mechanisms

Researchers reviewed how biochar — a charcoal-like material made from organic waste — can protect soil microorganisms from toxic heavy metal contamination by reducing metal availability and improving soil conditions. The review found that biochar addition consistently shifted microbial communities toward healthier, more diverse compositions, offering a practical soil remediation strategy aligned with sustainability goals.

2023 Biochar 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of Biochar Pyrolysis Temperature, Particle Size, and Application Rate on Water Retention of Loess in the Semiarid Region

Researchers studied how corn straw biochar properties and application rates affect water retention in semiarid loess soil. They found that while pyrolysis temperature had no significant effect, larger biochar particle sizes improved water absorption, and all biochar treatments increased soil porosity and field water capacity while reducing bulk density. The study demonstrates that biochar amendments can meaningfully improve soil water retention in drought-prone agricultural regions.

2024 Water 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Testing Biochar’s Ability to Moderate Extremely Acidic Soils in Tea-Growing Areas

Researchers tested rice husk biochar as an alternative to traditional lime for correcting severely acidic soils in tea-growing areas. The biochar outperformed calcium carbonate at raising soil pH and improving key soil properties like organic matter content and nutrient-holding capacity. The findings suggest that biochar could be a more effective and sustainable option for managing acidic agricultural soils.

2024 Agronomy 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of Rhizosphere Microbiome, Soil Chemical Properties, and Plant Biomass and Nutrients in Citrus reticulata cv. Shatangju Exposed to Increasing Soil Cu Levels

This study characterized rhizosphere microbiome composition, soil chemical properties, and plant biochemistry in relation to soil management practices, finding that treatment type drives distinct rhizosphere microbial communities with functional consequences for plant health.

2024 Plants
Article Tier 2

Biochar and organic fertilizer applications enhance soil functional microbial abundance and agroecosystem multifunctionality

A long-term field study found that adding biochar (a charcoal-like material) and organic fertilizer to farm soil significantly boosted beneficial soil microbes involved in nutrient cycling and improved overall ecosystem health by up to 30%. While not directly about microplastics, biochar has been shown in other studies to bind microplastics and reduce their movement through soil, making this approach potentially beneficial for both soil productivity and microplastic mitigation on farms.

2024 Biochar 143 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar Aged for Five Years Altered Carbon Fractions and Enzyme Activities of Sandy Soil

This paper is not about microplastics; it reports a five-year field trial showing that biochar amendments significantly increase soil organic carbon, labile carbon fractions, and urease and invertase enzyme activities in sandy agricultural soil in northern China.

2023 Land 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effect of biochar and soil moisture on soil chemical properties and microbial community composition in microplastic‐contaminated agricultural soil

Biochar was applied to microplastic-contaminated agricultural soil under different moisture conditions, with results showing that biochar improved soil chemical properties and shifted microbial communities in ways that partially offset microplastic-induced degradation. The study suggests biochar as a practical soil amendment to mitigate microplastic impacts in farming systems.

2022 Soil Use and Management 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Intercropping Improves Tea Quantity and Quality with Enhanced Soil Nutrients, Soil Enzyme Activity, and Bacterial Community Structure

Researchers compared tea quantity and quality, soil nutrient levels, enzyme activity, and bacterial community structure across different intercropping systems (clover or peanut intercropped with tea), finding that intercropping improves both soil health parameters and tea yield and quality relative to monoculture tea cultivation.

2024 Research Square (Research Square)