Data for: Biochar co-compost improves nitrogen retention and reduces carbon emissions in a winter wheat cropping system

Organic amendments, such as compost and biochar, mitigate the
environmental burdens associated with wasting organic resources and close
nutrient loops by capturing, transforming, and resupplying nutrients to
soils. While compost or biochar application to soil can enhance an
agroecosystem’s capacity to store carbon and produce food, there have been
few field studies investigating the agroecological impacts of amending
soil with biochar co-compost, produced through the composting of
nitrogen-rich organic material, such as manure, with carbon-rich biochar.
Here, we examine the impact of biochar co-compost on soil properties and
processes by conducting a field study in which we compare the
environmental and agronomic impacts associated with the amendment of
either dairy manure co-composted with biochar, dairy manure compost, or
biochar to soils in a winter wheat cropping system. Organic amendments
were applied at equivalent C rates (8 Mg C ha-1). We found that all three
treatments significantly increased soil water holding capacity and total
plant biomass relative to the no-amendment control. Soils amended with
biochar or biochar co-compost resulted in significantly less greenhouse
gas emissions than the compost or control soils. Biochar co-compost also
resulted in a significant reduction in nutrient leaching relative to the
application of biochar alone or compost alone. Our results suggest that
biochar co-composting could optimize organic resource recycling for
climate change mitigation and agricultural productivity while minimizing
nutrient losses from agroecosystems.