Response of Cellulose Decomposition and Nodulation in Soils Amended with Biochar for Peri-Urban Agriculture

Urban Farm DB summary

Incubation and pot experiments under controlled greenhouse conditions used clay and sandy soils collected from peri-urban agricultural areas near El-Minia, Egypt, to test how different biochar application rates affected faba bean growth, cellulose decomposition, nodulation, and carbon-cycling enzyme activities. Biochar at 3 kg/sq·m was the most effective treatment, followed by 2 kg/sq·m; counts of cellulose-decomposing microorganisms rose to a high level in both soil types by 60 days of incubation and then declined by 90 days regardless of biochar rate, while clay soil showed significantly greater fresh and dry weight than sandy soil, and biochar overall improved soil health, microbial communities, and faba bean nodulation and growth.