Effect of biochar additions to soil on nitrogen leaching, microbial biomass and bacterial community structure

Previous studies already demonstrated that biochar addition reduces nitrogen (N) leaching in soil, but little information is available about its effects on N leaching and bacterial community structure under the application of organic N. This study investigated the effects of corn-straw biochar under the application of urea (250 kg N ha-1) in layered soil columns. The PCR-amplified partial 16S rRNA genes in soil were sequenced before and after biochar treatment in order to assess the change of bacterial diversity and community structure utilizing the Illumina technology. With the application of 2% (B2), 4% (B4) and 8% (B8) biochar (mass ratio), the cumulative amount of total leached nitrogen was reduced by 18.8%, 19.5% and 20.2%, respectively (P