Data from: Biochar application on paddy and purple soils in southern China: soil carbon and biotic activity

Soil carbon reserves are the largest terrestrial carbon pools. Common
agricultural practices, such as high fertilization rates and intensive
crop rotation, have led to global-scale environmental changes, including
decreased soil organic matter, lower carbon/nitrogen ratios, and
disruption of soil carbon pools. These changes have resulted in a decrease
in soil microbial activity, severe reduction in soil fertility, and
transformation of soil nutrients, thereby causing soil nutrient imbalance,
which seriously affects crop production. In this study, 16S rDNA-based
analysis and static chamber-gas chromatography were used to elucidate the
effects of continuous application of straw biochar on soil carbon pools
and the soil microbial environments of two typical soil types (purple and
paddy soils) in southern China. Application of biochar (1) improved the
soil carbon pool and its activity, (2) significantly promoted the release
of soil CO2, and (3) improved the soil carbon environment. Soil carbon
content was closely correlated with the abundance of organisms belonging
to two orders, Lactobacillales and Bacteroidales, and, more specifically,
to the genus Lactococcus. These results suggest that biochar affects the
soil carbon environment and soil microorganism abundance, which in turn
may improve the soil carbon pool.