Biochar is known to enhance soil fertility and C sequestration, but relatively little information
is currently available about its effect on soil microbial community, a component of terrestrial
ecosystems that plays a key role in nutrient cycling. This study tested the effects of soil
amendment with two loads of wood-derived biochar (30 and 60 t ha− 1) in a wheat crop in
Tuscany (Italy). Soil samples were collected 3 and 14 months after treatments over two
successive growing seasons, and analysed for pH, total organic C (C org), extractable C (C …