Charcoal and Smoke Extract Stimulate the Soil Microbial Community in a Highly Weathered Xanthic Ferralsol

Pedobiologia 51 (2008) 359—366 Charcoal and smoke extract stimulate the soil microbial community in a highly weathered xanthic Ferralsol$ Christoph Steinera,Ã,1 , Keshav C. Dasb , Marcos Garciac , Bernhard Fo¨rsterd , Wolfgang Zecha a Institute of Soil... More

Pedobiologia 51 (2008) 359—366 Charcoal and smoke extract stimulate the soil microbial community in a highly weathered xanthic Ferralsol$ Christoph Steinera,Ã,1 , Keshav C. Dasb , Marcos Garciac , Bernhard Fo¨rsterd , Wolfgang Zecha a Institute of Soil Science and Soil Geography, University of Bayreuth, Postfach 10 1251, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany b Biorefining and Carbon Cycling Program, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30606, USA c Embrapa Amazonia Ocidental, CP 319-69011-970 Manaus, Brazil d ECT Oekotoxikologie GmbH, 65439 Flo¨rsheim/Main, Germany Received 1 December 2006; received in revised form 16 August 2007; accepted 16 August 2007 KEYWORDS Bio-oil; Brazil; Microbial activity; Slash and char; Terra Preta; Wood vinegar Summary The influence of charcoal and smoke condensates (pyroligneous acid, PA) on microbial activity in a highly weathered Amazonian upland soil was assessed via measurements of basal respiration (BR), substrate-induced respiration (SIR), Less