We assessed substrate‐induced respiration and soil chemical properties in order to study the influence of charcoal, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilisation on two different perennial crops in a confounded factorial design on a highly weathered Amazonian upland soil. Each plantation tested three different factors in three different levels making up 27 (3 3 ) treatment combinations. Whereas the banana plantation received mineral fertilisation in addition to charcoal applications (3 rd factor), the guarana (Paullinia cupana) plantation was fertilised organically using chicken manure and bone meal as the corresponding factors. Charcoal increased pH, total nitrogen, availability of sodium, zinc, manganese, copper and soil humidity, and decreased aluminium availability and acidity in the mineral‐fertilised plantation only. This caused a significant increase in basal respiration and microbial efficiency in terms of carbon dioxide release per microbial carbon in the soil. The microbial biomass, efficiency and population growth after substrate addition was significantly increased with increasing levels of organic fertiliser amendments. We conclude that charcoal is a valuable component especially in inorganic‐fertilised agricultural systems.
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Steiner et al. (2007) studied this question.