Presentation by Dr Melanie Weckert to the Riverina branch of the Australian Society of Soil Science at a meeting on 14 March 2014 at Charles Sturt University, Wagga

1. Dr. Melanie Weckert & Dr. Loothfar Rahman
National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, 14th March 2014.
Effects of poultry litter biochar on
vineyard soil and root biology
www.csu.edu.au/nwgic
The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
"This work was supported by the Winegrowing Futures Program, a joint initiative of the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation and the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre"

2. Field trial
The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
Poultry litter biochar
(continuous slow pyrolysis pilot unit at 550ºC maximum
temperature)
Compared with three other organic amendments:
• rice hulls
•composted cow manure
• composted green waste

3. Yenda vineyard
The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
Warm climate NSW vineyard
(mean January temperature 32.4º C)
Soil: Sandy clay
pH (CaCl2) = 6.3
OC = 1.0%
P avail (Colwell) = 156 mg/kg
Nitrate N = 17 mg/kg
Dispersion index = 8.2 (flood irrigation, cultivation)

4. Yenda vineyard
The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
Grapevines:
Five year old Vitis vinifera cv. Chardonnay on
Ramsey rootstock
Some healthy, some diseased
(Young Vine Decline: caused by root fungi
(Ilyonectria) and trunk fungi (Botryosphaeriacea) in
rootstock planting material from vine nursery).

5. Whitelaw-Weckert MA, Rahman L, Appleby LM, Hall A, Clark AC, Hardie WJ, Waite HL, 2013. Co-infection by
Botryosphaeriaceae and Ilyonectria spp. Fungi During Propagation Causes Decline of Young Grafted
Grapevines. Plant Pathology 62, 1226-1237
www.nwgic.org
The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
"This work was supported by the Winegrowing Futures Program, a joint initiative of the Grape and Wine Research and
Development Corporation and the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre"

6. The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
*
Ilyonectria spp. (formerly Cylindrocarpon) causes grapevine
root disease ‘black-foot’

7. Methods
The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
Added volumes of each soil amendment (1.2 kg C) into
soil around grapevines at budburst.
Fertiliser N was applied to the soil as a drench to produce
a C/N ratio of 10 for each amendment
Monitored for two seasons only.

8. Biochar increased grapevine root mass
The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Grapevine root mass
Control
Biochar
Composted cow
manure
Composted green
waste
Rice husks
l.s.d.

9. Biochar increased soil C (%)
The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
0.85
0.9
0.95
1
1.05
1.1
1.15
1
Control
Biochar
Composted cow manure
Composted green waste
Rice husks
a
b
b
b
(Bars with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% l.s.d.)

10. Biochar & rice increased soil moisture
The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
(Bars with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% l.s.d.)
10
10.5
11
11.5
12
12.5
13
13.5
1
Control
Biochar
Composted cow manure
Composted green waste
Rice husks
a
ab
b
c
bc

11. Soil fungi and bacteria
(by traditional dilution plating )
Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) by Ion Torrent (PGM) Platform to follow

12. Decrease in suppressive microbes
The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
Fungal
pathogen
Soil bacteria
suppresses
Bot canker
fungus

13. 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Cellulolytic fungi
Soilpopulations(104
CFU/gdrysoil)
Control
Biochar
Composted cow
manure
Composted green
waste
Rice husks
Biochar increased soil cellulolytic fungi
*

14. Biochar did not increase soil total bacteria
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Total bacteria
Soilpopulation(104
CFU/gdrysoil)
Control
Biochar
Composted cow
manure
Composted green
waste
Rice husks
L.S.D.
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Total bacteria
Soilpopulation(104
CFU/gdrysoil)
Control
Biochar
Composted cow
manure
Composted green
waste
Rice husks
L.S.D.
a
a
a
b
b

15. Predatory Bacteria feeder Parasitic
Nematodes – by microscopy

16. Ln parasitic nematodes per kg soil (healthy vines)
(Bars with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% l.s.d.)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
Control
Biochar
Composted cow manure
Composted green waste
Rice husks
e
ab ab
bcd
cde
Biochar & composts decreased parasitic
nematodes

17. 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
Control
Biochar
Composted cow manure
Composted green waste
Rice husks
de
a
de
f
abc
Ln parasitic nematodes per kg soil (diseased vines)
(Bars with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% l.s.d.)
But with diseased vines, composts did not
decrease parasitic nematodes

18. Ratio ln beneficial nematodes to ln parasitic nematodes (healthy vines)
(Bars with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% l.s.d.)
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
1
Control
Biochar
Composted cow manure
Composted green waste
Rice husksa
b
b
b b
Biochar & composts increased ratio of
beneficial to parasitic nematodes

19. Ratio ln beneficial nematodes to ln parasitic nematodes (diseased vines)
(Bars with the same letter are not significantly different at 5% l.s.d.)
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
1
Control
Biochar
Composted cow manure
Composted green waste
Rice husks
a
b
a
a
b
But with diseased vines, composts did not increase
ratio of beneficial to parasitic nematodes

20. Interesting?
The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
Some effects of the soil amendments were not
observed when they were applied to soil under
grapevines with root disease.
This indicates the importance of knowing the initial
disease status of experimental plants before making
conclusions regarding the effectiveness of soil
amendments, including biochars.

21. Conclusion
The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
The organic soil amendments improved vineyard
soil health by generally increasing numbers of fungi,
bacteria and beneficial nematodes.
Biochar had the greatest effect on soil fungi and
nematodes.

22. Acknowledgements
The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre is a research centre within Charles Sturt University in alliance with the Department of Primary Industries NSW and the
NSW Wine Industry Association
Grape & Wine Research & Development Corporation of Australia -
funding.
•Lucas van Zwieten, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries
(NSW DPI) for donating the PL biochar.
• Lynne Appleby; Rob Lamont for technical assistance.
• Bev Orchard (stats).
• Mark Conyers, Lorraine Spohr (NSW DPI) and Heidi Parkes Queensland
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) - critically review of the
nematode part of this work.