In Israel, researchers at the Volcani Center Agricultural Research Organization have caught a better glimpse of why biochar can have positive effects on soil and gardens. Biochar has been shown in past studies to help improve plant health and growth when added to soil, but the latest two studies show the why behind it. They discovered biochar was linked to increased microbial diversity in the soil and linked to the metabolic potential of microbes in the roots.
Since biochar improves the microbes in the root areas, it helps improve the plant health. Researchers found that the biochar’s recalcitrant carbon backbone and other components that are part of biochar are what triggers the increased microbe diversity and activity.