affect soil ecology?
The structure of the charcoal provide a refuge for small beneficial soil organisms from large grazers like earthworms. Charcoal increases activity by mycorhizal fungi. It doesn’t appear that this effect changes with the manufacturing temperature of the charcoal. There is a long tradition in Japan of using charcoal as a soil improver. Nishio (1996) states “the idea that the application of charcoal stimulates indigenous arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi in soil and thus promotes plant growth is relatively well-known in Japan, although the actual application of charcoal is limited due to its high cost”. The relationship between mycorrhizal fungi and charcoal may be important in realising the potential of charcoal to improve fertility. Nishio (1996) reports that charcoal was found to be ineffective at stimulating alfalfa growth when added to sterilised soil, but that alfalfa growth was increased by a factor of 1.7-1.8 when unsterilised soil containing native mycorrizal fungi was also added. Warn
