Sustained benefits of long-term biochar application for food security and climate change mitigation
Abstract
Biochar application offers significant potential to enhance food security and mitigate climate change. However, most evidence stems from short-term field experiments (≤3 y), leaving uncertainty about the long-term sustainability of these benefits, especially with annual biochar additions to soils. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed a global dataset from 438 studies (3,229 observations) and found that long-term annual biochar application (≥4 y) not only sustains but often enhances its benefits. These include improved crop yields (+10.8%), reductions in CH 4 (–13.5%) and N 2 O (–21.4%) emissions, and increased soil organic carbon content (+52.5%). In contrast, these benefits tend to diminish over time with single biochar applications due to the aging effect of biochar. Results from 29 global long-term experiments (4 to 12 y) confirm these sustained benefits for crop yield and greenhouse gas mitigation, although the magnitude of effects varies with soil properties, climate, and management practices. To maximize biochar’s long-term benefits for global food security and climate change mitigation, it is essential to develop viable strategies, such as applying biochar at intervals of several years while tailoring practices to local soil, climate, and cropping conditions.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (23)
Jingrui Yang
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Changshu National Agro-Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Longlong Xia
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Changshu National Agro-Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Kees Jan van Groenigen
Department of Geography, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter
Xu Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry
Chaopu Ti
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Changshu National Agro-Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Weilu Wang
Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, The Ministry of Education of China, Institutes of Agricultural Science and Technology Development, Yangzhou University
Zhangliu Du
State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University
Mingsheng Fan
State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University
Minghao Zhuang
State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University
Pete Smith
Rattan Lal
Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Sequestration and Management, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University
Klaus Butterbach-Bahl
Pioneer Center Land-Center for Landscape Research in Sustainable Agricultural Futures, Agroecology, Aarhus University
Xiaori Han
College of Land & Environment, Shenyang Agricultural University
Jun Meng
Key Laboratory of Biochar and Soil Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Jia Liu
Hongguang Cai
Institute of Agricultural Resource and Environment, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Black Soil Conservation and Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Yanhong Cheng
Jiangxi Institute of Red Soil & Germplasm Resources/Key Laboratory of Arable Land Improvement and Quality Improvement of Jiangxi Province
Xingren Liu
Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture People’s Republic of China, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Xiangyang Shu
Key Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Ministry of Education, Sichuan Normal University
Xiaoyan Jiao
College of Resources and Environment, Shanxi Agricultural University
Zhandong Pan
College of Forestry, Gansu Agricultural University
Guangmu Tang
Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Xiaoyuan Yan
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Changshu National Agro-Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences