Biochar type shapes how water moves through phosphorus rich vegetable soils
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Contrasting effects of rice husk and palm silk biochars on water infiltration and leakage in a phosphorus-enriched sandy-loam vegetable soil
view moreCredit: Xiongsheng Yu, Rongping Wang, Ying Guo, Yong Liu, Tingjin Ye, Wangxing Luo, Qihao Yang, Songshui Hu, Jiyi Zhu, Mu Zhang, Hongtao Qiao, Nanthi Bolan & Hailong Wang
Scientists have uncovered how different types of biochar influence the movement of water in agricultural soils that contain excessive phosphorus, offering new insights into how farmers can reduce nutrient loss and protect surrounding water bodies.
In a new study, researchers investigated how two widely available agricultural biochars affect water infiltration and leakage in phosphorus enriched vegetable soils. The findings suggest that biochar made from rice husks can significantly slow water movement through soil, potentially reducing the risk of phosphorus leaching and improving water retention for crops.
Vegetable production systems often rely on heavy irrigation and frequent fertilization. Over time, these practices can lead to large accumulations of nutrients in the soil, particularly phosphorus. When rainfall or irrigation water moves quickly through such soils, dissolved nutrients can be carried downward or washed away, contributing to water pollution in nearby ecosystems.
“Excess phosphorus in vegetable soils has become a widespread environmental concern,” said one of the study’s authors. “Understanding how soil amendments influence water movement is critical for preventing nutrient losses and improving the sustainability of vegetable production.”
Biochar is a carbon rich material produced by heating biomass such as crop residues or agricultural waste in low oxygen conditions. Because of its porous structure and chemical properties, biochar is increasingly used to improve soil fertility, retain nutrients, and enhance water holding capacity.
In this study, the research team compared two types of biochar derived from agricultural residues that are common in southern China: rice husk biochar and palm silk biochar. The scientists incorporated these materials into sandy loam vegetable soil at two application rates and then conducted controlled soil column experiments to track how water infiltrated and moved through the soil profile.
The experiments revealed clear differences between the two biochar types. Rice husk biochar was more effective at slowing water infiltration through the soil surface layer. At higher application rates, it increased the soil’s saturated water content while reducing hydraulic conductivity, meaning that water was retained longer in the soil instead of moving quickly downward.
Palm silk biochar behaved somewhat differently. Its pore structure helped delay water release and enhance water retention, but it did not suppress infiltration as strongly as rice husk biochar.
Despite these differences, both biochar types significantly reduced water leakage from the soil. The researchers found that biochar amendments decreased cumulative water leakage by roughly twenty to forty percent compared with untreated soil.
The team also identified key soil properties that control these hydrological processes. Structural equation modeling showed that total organic carbon played an important role by increasing the soil’s ability to hold water, while changes in soil pH helped reduce the speed at which water moves through the soil.
“Biochar does not simply act as a physical sponge,” the researchers explained. “It changes the chemical and structural properties of soil in ways that collectively regulate water movement.”
While a higher application rate of biochar produced the strongest hydrological effects, the researchers suggest that a moderate rate may offer a better balance between environmental benefits and practical costs for farmers.
Overall, the study highlights how selecting the appropriate biochar feedstock can help manage water and nutrient dynamics in intensive vegetable production systems. By slowing water movement and reducing phosphorus losses, biochar amendments may contribute to more sustainable agriculture while protecting surrounding water resources.
The findings provide new mechanistic insights into how biochar properties interact with soil characteristics to shape hydrological processes, helping guide future strategies for managing nutrient rich agricultural soils.
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Journal Reference: Yu, X., Wang, R., Guo, Y. et al. Contrasting effects of rice husk and palm silk biochars on water infiltration and leakage in a phosphorus-enriched sandy-loam vegetable soil. Biochar 8, 26 (2026).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-025-00543-2
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About Biochar
Biochar (e-ISSN: 2524-7867) is the first journal dedicated exclusively to biochar research, spanning agronomy, environmental science, and materials science. It publishes original studies on biochar production, processing, and applications—such as bioenergy, environmental remediation, soil enhancement, climate mitigation, water treatment, and sustainability analysis. The journal serves as an innovative and professional platform for global researchers to share advances in this rapidly expanding field.
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Journal
Biochar
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Contrasting effects of rice husk and palm silk biochars on water infiltration and leakage in a phosphorus-enriched sandy-loam vegetable soil
New review highlights overlooked role of soil erosion in the global nitrogen cycle
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Role of soil erosion in biogeochemical nitrogen cycles: a mini review
view moreCredit: Baojun Zhang, Minghua Zhou
Soil erosion is widely known for degrading land and reducing agricultural productivity. But new research shows it may also play a far more complex and important role in regulating the global nitrogen cycle, a fundamental process that supports plant growth and ecosystem health.
In a new review published in Nitrogen Cycling, researchers synthesized current scientific knowledge on how soil erosion affects nitrogen transport, storage, and transformation in terrestrial ecosystems. The study reveals that erosion can significantly reshape how nitrogen moves through landscapes, with important implications for soil fertility, environmental pollution, and climate change.
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient that supports plant growth and forms a critical component of global biogeochemical cycles. Soils serve as the largest terrestrial reservoir of nitrogen, storing and recycling this nutrient through complex biological and chemical processes. However, soil erosion redistributes vast quantities of soil each year, carrying nitrogen along with it and altering these cycles.
“Most previous research on soil erosion has focused on carbon cycling, while the effects on nitrogen cycling have received much less attention,” said study author Minghua Zhou, a researcher at the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences. “Our review highlights that erosion is a powerful driver of nitrogen redistribution and transformation in soils.”
Each year, billions of tons of soil are transported across landscapes by rainfall and runoff. Because most soil nitrogen is concentrated in the topsoil and bound to soil particles, erosion often removes nitrogen-rich material from slopes and deposits it in lower areas. This process can deplete nutrients in eroding zones while creating localized nitrogen accumulation in depositional areas.
The researchers found that erosion influences nitrogen cycling in several major ways. First, it alters nitrogen stocks by moving nitrogen-rich soil from one location to another. Second, it changes how nitrogen travels through soil systems, including transport through surface runoff and subsurface water flow. Third, erosion modifies soil properties and microbial communities that regulate nitrogen transformations such as mineralization, nitrification, and denitrification.
“These changes can reshape the entire nitrogen cycle within a landscape,” Zhou explained. “Erosion affects soil structure, nutrient availability, and microbial activity, all of which determine how nitrogen is stored and transformed.”
Microorganisms play a key role in these processes. Soil microbes control many nitrogen transformations that determine whether nitrogen becomes available to plants or lost to the atmosphere and water systems. However, erosion can disrupt soil aggregates and degrade soil structure, which in turn alters microbial communities and their ecological functions.
Despite these insights, the researchers emphasize that many aspects of erosion driven nitrogen cycling remain poorly understood. In particular, scientists still lack detailed knowledge about how microbial mechanisms respond to erosion and how these effects scale from small hillslopes to entire watersheds.
“Future studies should integrate soil erosion monitoring, ecosystem modeling, and microbial analyses to better understand nitrogen cycling across different spatial scales,” Zhou said. “This knowledge will be essential for predicting how environmental changes such as climate change and land use shifts influence soil nutrient dynamics.”
Understanding the connection between soil erosion and nitrogen cycling is critical for sustainable land management. Improved knowledge could help scientists and policymakers develop strategies to reduce nutrient loss, maintain soil fertility, and mitigate environmental impacts such as water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
The researchers conclude that soil erosion is not only a physical process reshaping landscapes but also a powerful force influencing the movement and transformation of nutrients across ecosystems.
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Journal Reference: Zhang B, Zhou M. 2026. Role of soil erosion in biogeochemical nitrogen cycles: a mini review. Nitrogen Cycling 2: e012 doi: 10.48130/nc-0025-0024
https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/nc-0025-0024
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About Nitrogen Cycling:
Nitrogen Cycling (e-ISSN 3069-8111) is a multidisciplinary platform for communicating advances in fundamental and applied research on the nitrogen cycle. It is dedicated to serving as an innovative, efficient, and professional platform for researchers in the field of nitrogen cycling worldwide to deliver findings from this rapidly expanding field of science.
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Method of Research
Literature review
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Role of soil erosion in biogeochemical nitrogen cycles: a mini review
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