Summary
This study evaluates the biochar hydroinfiltrator—a patented water-infiltration device—as a promoter of beneficial soil microbial communities in drought-stressed soils. Metagenomic profiling demonstrated selective enrichment of plant-growth-promoting genera, whilst controlled in vitro experiments confirmed enhanced growth of inoculated PGP bacterial strains in biochar-amended soil. The combined strategy of biochar hydroinfiltrators with PGP bacterial inoculants offers a nature-based approach to enhance microbial activity and soil resilience under water-limiting conditions.
UK applicability
The findings are potentially relevant to UK agriculture, particularly in regions facing increased drought stress due to climate change. However, the study was conducted in Spanish conditions; validation under UK soil, climate, and agronomic contexts would be necessary to confirm applicability to British farming systems.
Key measures
Metagenomic composition of soil microbial communities; CFU counts of inoculated PGP bacterial strains; relative enrichment of Bacillus and Sphingomonas genera
Outcomes reported
Metagenomic analysis revealed selective enrichment of plant-growth-promoting bacterial genera (Bacillus and Sphingomonas) in soils containing biochar hydroinfiltrators. In vitro experiments demonstrated that two selected PGP bacterial strains achieved higher colony-forming unit counts when grown in biochar-amended soil over 15–30 days.
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