Summary
This field study applied micro- and nano-scale bone char derived from pork bones at 25 g/kg to paddy soil contaminated with 75 mg/kg arsenic. The amendment significantly enhanced soil enzyme activities and organic carbon whilst shifting the rhizosphere microbial community away from arsenic reduction pathways towards methylation, improved soil quality and microbial resilience, although tissue arsenic accumulation in rice was not reduced. The findings suggest potential for bone char in holistic restoration of arsenic-stressed paddy ecosystems despite not directly lowering crop arsenic uptake.
UK applicability
Arsenic contamination is primarily a concern in paddy rice systems of South Asia and China rather than UK agricultural soils. However, the mechanistic findings on bone char-mediated shifts in microbial arsenic metabolism may inform broader applications of biochar amendments for contaminated land remediation or soil health improvement in UK settings.
Key measures
Urease activity (% change), catalase activity (% change), organic carbon content (% change), arsC and arsR gene abundance (% decline), arsM gene abundance (% increase), available arsenic (% increase), acid-soluble arsenic (% increase), residual arsenic (% decrease), tissue arsenic concentration in rice
Outcomes reported
The study measured changes in soil biochemical functions (urease and catalase activity, organic carbon), microbial arsenic-cycling gene expression (arsC, arsR, arsM), arsenic speciation, and rice tissue arsenic accumulation following micro- and nano-scale bone char amendment to arsenic-contaminated paddy soil.
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