Browsing by Author "Jeffery, Simon"

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    Biochars in soils: towards the required level of scientific understanding
    (Taylor and Francis, 2016-12-14) Tammeorg, Priit; Bastos, Ana Catarina; Jeffery, Simon; Rees, Frédéric; Kern, Jurgen; Graber, Ellen R.; Ventura, Maurizio; Kibblewhite, Mark G.; Amaro, Antonio; Budai, Alice; Cordovil, Claudia M. D. S.; Domene, Xavier; Gardi, Ciro; Gascó, Gabriel; Horák, Ján; Kammann, Claudia; Kondrlova, Elena; Laird, David; Loureiro, Susana; Martins, Martinho A. S.; Panzacchi, Pietro; Prasad, Munoo; Prodana, Marija; Peregrina Puga, Aline; Ruysschaert, Greet; Sas-Paszt, Lidia; Silva, Flávio C.; Teixeira, Wenceslau Geraldes; Tonon, Giustino; Delle Vedove, Gemini; Zavalloni, Costanza Zavalloni; Glaser, Bruno; Verheijen, Frank G. A.
    Key priorities in biochar research for future guidance of sustainable policy development have been identified by expert assessment within the COST Action TD1107. The current level of scientific understanding (LOSU) regarding the consequences of biochar application to soil were explored. Five broad thematic areas of biochar research were addressed: soil biodiversity and ecotoxicology, soil organic matter and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, soil physical properties, nutrient cycles and crop production, and soil remediation. The highest future research priorities regarding biochar’s effects in soils were: functional redundancy within soil microbial communities, bioavailability of biochar’s contaminants to soil biota, soil organic matter stability, GHG emissions, soil formation, soil hydrology, nutrient cycling due to microbial priming as well as altered rhizosphere ecology, and soil pH buffering capacity. Methodological and other constraints to achieve the required LOSU are discussed and options for efficient progress of biochar research and sustainable application to soil are presented.
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    The microbiology of arable soil surfaces
    (Cranfield University, 2007-10) Jeffery, Simon; Ritz, K.; Harris, Jim A.; Rickson, R. Jane
    Whilst much is known about the physics and erosion of soil surfaces on a millimetre scale, little is known about the associated microbiology, particularly in temperate arable systems. The vast majority of research regarding microbial interactions at soil surfaces has concerned microbiotic crusts. However, such surface crusts take many years to form and then only in relatively undisturbed soil systems. Arable soil surfaces are subject to relatively extreme environmental conditions, potentially undergoing rapid changes in relation to temperature, water status and solar radiation compared to deeper soil zones. These extreme environmental parameters are likely to have a large impact on the biota found at the arable soil surface when compared to that which occurs in deeper soil zones. Phenotypic profiling using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis, microbial biomass, and chlorophyll concentration were used to characterise soil microbial communities with the aim of quantifying differences within the surface layers of arable systems on a millimetre scale. This field work was supported with a series of microcosm-scale studies in which parameters such as length of time between disturbance events and the quality of light reaching the soil surface were controlled. Using microcosms subjected to simulated rainfall and imaged using X-ray computed tomography scanning, the effects of the soil surface microbiota on associated physical properties including structural integrity, porosity, erodibility and hydrological properties were investigated. This research showed that given sufficient time between disturbance events, environmental parameters such as temperature and wet:dry cycling were sufficient to drive the formation of a distinct soil surface phenotype, which appeared to be consistently confined to an order of depth of circa 1 mm. It was notable that the PLFA 16:0 was consistently associated with discrimination between phenotypes between soil surface layers. Calculation of the ratio of fungal to bacterial PLFA biomarkers showed a consistently higher ratio of fungi to bacteria present in the soil surface layer to a depth of circa 1 mm, providing evidence that fungi grow preferentially over the soil surface compared to through the soil matrix. Further investigation demonstrated that light, particularly at photosynthetically active wavelengths, was the main driving factor in the establishment of the distinct soil surface phenotypes. The inocula which drove the formation of such soil-surface community phenotypes, especially the photoautotrophic components, was demonstrated to derive predominantly from aerial sources. Functionally the nature of the soil surface community was found to affect run-off generation and shear strength at the surface. There was no significant impact of the soil surface microbiota on erodibility or water infiltration rates, although whilst distinct surface phenotypes had developed in this experimental circumstance, these were relatively deficient in photoautotrophs compared to other microcosm experiments and field circumstances, and hence extrapolation of this conclusion is not sound. This project has demonstrated that a soil surface ecological niche may exist in other unexplored soil surfaces and highlights the needs to explore this possibility and to examine any associated functional consequence should such niches be found to exist.
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    Representativeness of European biochar research: part II – pot and laboratory studies
    (Taylor & Francis, 2017-06-28) Sakrabani, Ruben; Kern, Jurgen; Mankasingh, Utra; Zavalloni, Costanza; Zanchettin, Giulia; Bastos, Ana Catarina; Tammeorg, Priit; Jeffery, Simon; Glaser, Bruno; Verheijen, Frank G. A.
    Biochar research is extensive and there are many pot and laboratory studies carried out in Europe to investigate the mechanistic understanding that govern its impact on soil processes. A survey was conducted in order to find out how representative these studies under controlled experimental conditions are of actual environmental conditions in Europe and biomass availability and conversion technologies. The survey consisted of various key questions related to types of soil and biochar used, experimental conditions and effects of biochar additions on soil chemical, biological and physical properties. This representativeness study showed that soil texture and soil organic carbon contents used by researchers are well reflected in the current biochar research in Europe (through comparison with published literature), but less so for soil pH and soil type. This study provides scope for future work to complement existing research findings, avoiding unnecessary repetitions and highlighting existing research gaps.
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    Representativeness of European biochar research: Part I–field experiments
    (Taylor & Francis, 2017-06-28) Verheijen, Frank G. A.; Mankasingh, Utra; Penizek, Vit; Panzacchi, Pietro; Glaser, Bruno; Jeffery, Simon; Bastos, Ana Catarina; Tammeorg, Priit; Kern, Jurgen; Zavalloni, Costanza; Zanchettin, Giulia; Sakrabani, Ruben
    A representativeness survey of existing European Biochar field experiments within the Biochar COST Action TD1107 was conducted to gather key information for setting up future experiments and collaborations, and to minimise duplication of efforts amongst European researchers. Woody feedstock biochar, applied without organic or inorganic fertiliser appears over-represented compared to other categories, especially considering the availability of crop residues, manures, and other organic waste streams and the efforts towards achieving a zero waste economy. Fertile arable soils were also over-represented while shallow unfertile soils were under-represented. Many of the latter are likely in agroforestry or forest plantation land use. The most studied theme was crop production. However, other themes that can provide evidence of mechanisms, as well as potential undesired side-effects, were relatively well represented. Biochar use for soil contamination remediation was the least represented theme; further work is needed to identify which specific contaminants, or mixtures of contaminants, have the potential for remediation by different biochars.