Report on the effect of fresh and weathered biochar on the architecture of crop roots and soil mineral nitrogen in the rhizosphere A publication of the Interreg IVB project Biochar: climate saving soils www.biochar-interreg4b.eu

This report has been put together for the Interreg IVB project: Biochar: climate saving soils The objectives for this report were: Objective 4.2.1: Systems to screen biochar–plant interactions-The effect of biochar on root architecture and the localisation of soil mineral nitrogen in the rhizosphere, characterized using mesocosms. Objective 4.2.2: Testing the simulation of physical ageing of biochar in the field-The effect of time on the effects of biochar on the rhizosphere, assessed by simulated (physical) ageing. Introduction The potential for biochar to positively affect crop growth are various, through effects on a range of chemical and physical phenomena in soil, that in turn impact on biological processes in the plant, soil and rhizosphere (root zone).