Abstract
Biochar is an organic soil amendment that has been shown to improve plant growth and increase resistance to plant diseases and insect damage in certain soils. Organic growers have been known to use compost teas to amend biochar, claiming that this practice adds nutrients and beneficial microorganisms that can improve plant growth and resistance to pathogens and insect pests. However, few data exist to support this hypothesis. This study investigated the effects of a hardwood biochar amended with different types of compost teas and microbial enrichments (prepared from vermicompost) on eggplant (Solanum melongena var. Rosa Bianca) growth, flea beetle (Epitrix fuscula) damage, and soil microbial activity and functional diversity in two temperate soils. No positive short-term effects were observed on eggplant growth or flea beetle damage when biochar amended with compost teas prepared from horse manure, mushroom compost or vermicompost were added to a temperate agricultural soil. However, a second experiment suggested that biochar amended with microbial enrichments from vermicompost tea may improve eggplant growth if matched with the physical and chemical properties of a given soils. Results from Community Level Physiological Profiling (CLPP) revealed that biochar amended with compost teas altered soil microbial activity and functional diversity differently to that of biochar alone, and that these changes corresponded with plant growth and insect damage.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Compost tea amended biochar gave no short-term improvement in eggplant growth.
- Taxon
- eggplant (Solanum melongena var. Rosa Bianca)
Solanum melongenat0 - Treatment
- biochar amended with compost teas prepared from horse manure, mushroom compost or vermicomposte0
- Outcome
- eggplant growthe0
- Direction
- No positive short-term effectse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“eggplant (Solanum melongena var. Rosa Bianca)”
e0“No positive short-term effects were observed on eggplant growth or flea beetle damage when biochar amended with compost teas prepared from horse manure, mushroom compost or vermicompost were added to a temperate agricultural soil”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost tea amended biochar gave no short-term reduction in flea beetle damage.
- Taxon
- eggplant (Solanum melongena var. Rosa Bianca)Solanum melongenat0
- Treatment
- biochar amended with compost teas prepared from horse manure, mushroom compost or vermicomposte0
- Interactor
- Epitrix fusculae1pest
- Outcome
- flea beetle damagee0
- Direction
- No positive short-term effectse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“eggplant (Solanum melongena var. Rosa Bianca)”
e0“No positive short-term effects were observed on eggplant growth or flea beetle damage when biochar amended with compost teas prepared from horse manure, mushroom compost or vermicompost were added to a temperate agricultural soil”
e1“flea beetle (Epitrix fuscula) damage”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar amended with microbial enrichments from vermicompost tea may improve eggplant growth when matched to soil properties.
- Taxon
- eggplant (Solanum melongena var. Rosa Bianca)Solanum melongenat0
- Treatment
- biochar amended with microbial enrichments from vermicompost teae0
- Outcome
- eggplant growthe0
- Direction
- improvee0
- Qualifier
- if matched with the physical and chemical properties of a given soilse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“eggplant (Solanum melongena var. Rosa Bianca)”
e0“biochar amended with microbial enrichments from vermicompost tea may improve eggplant growth if matched with the physical and chemical properties of a given soils”
Claim · model-written summary
Compost tea amended biochar changed soil microbial activity and functional diversity relative to biochar alone.
- Treatment
- biochar amended with compost tease0
- Outcome
- soil microbial activity and functional diversitye0
- Comparator
- biochar alonee0
Not reportedTaxonDirection
Verbatim
t0“eggplant (Solanum melongena var. Rosa Bianca)”
e0“biochar amended with compost teas altered soil microbial activity and functional diversity differently to that of biochar alone”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil microbial changes corresponded with eggplant growth and insect damage.
- Taxon
- eggplant (Solanum melongena var. Rosa Bianca)Solanum melongenat0
- Outcome
- plant growth and insect damagee0
Not reportedTreatmentDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“eggplant (Solanum melongena var. Rosa Bianca)”
e0“these changes corresponded with plant growth and insect damage”
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