Abstract
Biochar, a soil amendment with diverse regulatory functions, has been widely applied to enhance soil conditions. However, its underlying mechanism for alleviating continuous cropping obstacles, from the perspective of rhizosphere microbe-metabolite-plant coupling, remains to be further elucidated. Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop, this study explored the rhizosphere-mediated effects of biochar application under continuous cropping conditions via the analytical methods of metagenomics and metabolomics. Six biochar application rates (0, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 t ha - ¹) were tested. All biochar treatments significantly improved cucumber yield by 20%-50%, with the C30 and C40 treatments producing the most pronounced yield enhancement. C10, C20, C30 and C40 treatments had a positive effect on cucumber quality, soil physicochemical properties and enzymatic activities. Vitamin C and soluble protein peaked in C20, whereas some sugar indicators decreased across all biochar treatments. Urease activity was significantly elevated under C20, C30, and C40 treatments. Notably, the C40 treatment led to marked increases in total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and sucrase activity. Biochar amendments also enriched key bacterial phyla involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling, including Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Bacillota. Medium to high application rates (C20, C30, C40) upregulated various secondary metabolic pathways associated with biotic stress resistance, including the biosynthesis pathways of phenylpropanoids, various alkaloids, and the metabolic pathway of phenylalanine. High biochar application rate (C40) characterized lipid metabolism as the core responsive pathway and significantly downregulated galactose metabolism. This study reveals that biochar application represents a promising strategy to mitigate continuous cropping obstacles of cucumber by enhancing nutrient cycling, enzyme activities, soil metabolite composition, and the rhizosphere microbial community in facility systems of the cold and arid northern regions of China.
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Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
All biochar treatments significantly improved cucumber yield by 20%-50%.
- Taxon
- cucumber
Cucumis sativuse0 - Treatment
- biochar treatmentse1
- Outcome
- cucumber yielde1
- Direction
- improvede1
- Value
- 20%-50%e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e1“All biochar treatments significantly improved cucumber yield by 20%-50%, with the C30 and C40 treatments producing the most pronounced yield enhancement”
Claim · model-written summary
C30 and C40 treatments gave the most pronounced yield enhancement.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- C30 and C40 treatmentse1
- Outcome
- yield enhancemente1
- Direction
- most pronouncede1
- Comparator
- All biochar treatmentse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e1“All biochar treatments significantly improved cucumber yield by 20%-50%, with the C30 and C40 treatments producing the most pronounced yield enhancement”
Claim · model-written summary
C10, C20, C30 and C40 treatments had a positive effect on cucumber quality.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- C10, C20, C30 and C40 treatmentse2
- Outcome
- cucumber qualitye2
- Direction
- positive effecte2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e2“C10, C20, C30 and C40 treatments had a positive effect on cucumber quality, soil physicochemical properties and enzymatic activities”
Claim · model-written summary
C10, C20, C30 and C40 treatments had a positive effect on soil physicochemical properties and enzymatic activities.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- C10, C20, C30 and C40 treatmentse2
- Outcome
- soil physicochemical properties and enzymatic activitiese2
- Direction
- positive effecte2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e2“C10, C20, C30 and C40 treatments had a positive effect on cucumber quality, soil physicochemical properties and enzymatic activities”
Claim · model-written summary
Vitamin C and soluble protein peaked in the C20 treatment.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- C20e3
- Outcome
- Vitamin C and soluble proteine3
- Direction
- peakede3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e3“Vitamin C and soluble protein peaked in C20, whereas some sugar indicators decreased across all biochar treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Some sugar indicators decreased across all biochar treatments.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- all biochar treatmentse3
- Outcome
- some sugar indicatorse3
- Direction
- decreasede3
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e3“Vitamin C and soluble protein peaked in C20, whereas some sugar indicators decreased across all biochar treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Urease activity was significantly elevated under C20, C30 and C40 treatments.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- C20, C30, and C40 treatmentse4
- Outcome
- Urease activitye4
- Direction
- elevatede4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e4“Urease activity was significantly elevated under C20, C30, and C40 treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
The C40 treatment increased total nitrogen, available phosphorus and sucrase activity.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- C40 treatmente5
- Outcome
- total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and sucrase activitye5
- Direction
- increasese5
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e5“Notably, the C40 treatment led to marked increases in total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and sucrase activity”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar enriched Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Chloroflexi in the rhizosphere.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- Biochar amendmentse6
- Interactor
- key bacterial phylae6other
- Outcome
- Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexie6
- Direction
- enrichede6
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e6“Biochar amendments also enriched key bacterial phyla involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling, including Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Bacillota”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar enriched Bacillota in the rhizosphere.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- Biochar amendmentse6
- Outcome
- Bacillotae6
- Direction
- enrichede6
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e6“Biochar amendments also enriched key bacterial phyla involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling, including Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Bacillota”
Claim · model-written summary
Medium to high biochar rates upregulated secondary metabolic pathways associated with biotic stress resistance.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- Medium to high application rates (C20, C30, C40)e7
- Outcome
- various secondary metabolic pathwayse7
- Direction
- upregulatede7
- Qualifier
- associated with biotic stress resistancee7
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e7“Medium to high application rates (C20, C30, C40) upregulated various secondary metabolic pathways associated with biotic stress resistance”
Claim · model-written summary
The C40 treatment characterized lipid metabolism as the core responsive pathway.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- High biochar application rate (C40)e1
- Outcome
- lipid metabolisme1
- Qualifier
- the core responsive pathwaye1
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e1“High biochar application rate (C40) characterized lipid metabolism as the core responsive pathway and significantly downregulated galactose metabolism”
Claim · model-written summary
The C40 treatment significantly downregulated galactose metabolism.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- High biochar application rate (C40)e1
- Outcome
- galactose metabolisme1
- Direction
- downregulatede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e1“High biochar application rate (C40) characterized lipid metabolism as the core responsive pathway and significantly downregulated galactose metabolism”
Claim · model-written summary
Biochar application is a promising strategy to mitigate continuous cropping obstacles in cucumber.
- Taxon
- cucumberCucumis sativuse0
- Treatment
- biochar applicatione1
- Outcome
- mitigate continuous cropping obstaclese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Using cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) as the model crop”
e1“biochar application represents a promising strategy to mitigate continuous cropping obstacles”
The same questions in other papers
biochar · yield · Cucumis sativus (cucumber)Positive and negative results
13 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- positive
11 papers more in this group
See all 15 papers →biochar · soil: biology · Cucumis sativus (cucumber)Results agree
2 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.