Soil nutrient and microbial activity responses to two years after maize straw biochar application in a calcareous soil.

Biochar (BC) addition to soil is a strategy to enhance soil fertility, which may also affect microbial activity. However, little information is available on the responses of soil nutrients and microbial activities to BC in a calcareous soil. This study investigated the changes of soil nutrient contents and microbial activities in a calcareous soil two years after application of biochar at rate of 0, 2.

Short-Term Responses of Soil Respiration and C-Cycle Enzyme Activities to Additions of Biochar and Urea in a Calcareous Soil.

Biochar (BC) addition to soil is a proposed strategy to enhance soil fertility and crop productivity. However, there is limited knowledge regarding responses of soil respiration and C-cycle enzyme activities to BC and nitrogen (N) additions in a calcareous soil. A 56-day incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the combined effects of BC addition rates (0, 0.

Tobacco plants can use nitrogen taken up before mechanical wounding to synthesize nicotine afterwards.

Mechanical wounding stimulates nicotine synthesis in tobacco plants. In the practice of tobacco production, most nitrogen (N) is taken up before removal of the shoot apex, while nicotine is mainly synthesized afterwards. Since N is required for nicotine synthesis, it is interesting to know whether plants can use N taken up before removal of the shoot apex to synthesize nicotine after wounding.