[Terrapreta] Re Charcoal and-----Bokashi

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi AD,

Limestone is calcium carbonate (CaCO3).  It is also the principal cause of hard water (i.e. it is the mineral in water which is laden with heavy mineral content).  Calcium is a direct plant nutrient.  It raises pH in soil and provides necessary calcium to plants. It is an essential component of cell walls and cell membranes.

SKB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: adkarve<mailto:adkarve at pn2.vsnl.net.in> 
  To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
  Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 4:23 AM
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Re Charcoal and-----Bokashi


  Dear readers of terrapreta list,
  I had already written about my hunch, that the micro-organisms in the soil disintegrated soil minerals into their component ions, because these mineral ions were needed by the soil micro-organisms themselves for their own metabolism. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any author verifying the phenomenon that the soil micro-organisms actually disintegrated soil minerals. The fact that grasses accumulate silica is only indirect evidence. Silica or SiO2 is highly insoluble in water. Therefore the plants must be taking up silicate ions. Most soil minerals are in the form of silicate. This indicates that somebody must be converting the generally non-soluble minerals into water soluble ions, and that somebody can only be the soil micro-organisms. 

  There are large areas in India, where farmers grow crops without irrigation. They apply neither chemical fertilizers nor organic manures. Not applying fertilizers or manures is their way of reducing the risk of total loss, if monsoon rains were to fail. The most common rainfed crops in our area are sorghum and safflower (Carthamus tinctorius). The water of guttation of both the crops contains sugar. That means, even when the farmers do not apply organic matter to the soil, the plants themselves feed the micro-organisms below their canopy with sugar. The yield from such fields is fairly high, if the rainfall is adequate. Analysis of these soils generally shows deficiencies of N and P, but that does not seem to affect the yield.

  It is generally accepted by the science establishment that soil micro-organisms have a symbiotic relationship with green plants, in which the micro-organisms get organic matter from green plants and the green plants in turn get the mineral nutrients required by them through the activity of the soil micro-organisms. However the source of mineral ions is always considered to be humus and other organic matter and not the soil minerals. Literally thousands of farmers in this state practice a form of organic farming in which they apply 25 kg sugar, 25 kg cow dung and 25 kg cow urine to a hectare, once every three months. They get higher yield from their crops than their neighbours who apply chemical fertilizers to their fields. Analysis of the soil in the organic fields invariably shows deficiency of N and P, in spite of which the crop yield is high. Two of my students interviewed these farmers and they verified these facts.

  My explanation of this phenomenon is that the soil analysis only catches the water soluble components of the soil and not the minerals. In the organic fields, the farmers do not apply the recommended dose of manure (20 to 50 tonnes per hectare, which is calculated on the basis of the N,P and K content of the manure), but small quantities of high calorie organic matter to feed the microbes, which convert the insoluble minerals in the soil into soluble ions. This is what must be happening in nature, where plants grow luxuriously without any chemical fertilizers.

  We are facing an energy crunch. If we can use agricultural waste biomass as a source of energy instead of using it as manure, we can make a lot of energy available to satisfy the energy needs of the people. Making compost is a wrong practice, because composted organic matter has no nutritional value for the microbes in the soil. In fact, the dose of compost recommended by traditional agronomists for application to a hectare, requires biomass produced in ten hectares. Such practices make organic farming impracticable. 

  I would like to know if somebody has established the fact that the soil microbes actually disintegrate soil minerals in order to feed themselves and also to feed the green plants. The only reference that I have so far unearthed is that in the case of lichens growing on rocks, the rock underneath the lichen shows signs of dissolution. The degree of dissolution is much greater in the case of limestone but even silicious rocks show this phenomenon. 

  Yours

  A.D.Karve

  ----- Original Message ----- 

    From: bakaryjatta<mailto:bakaryj at gamtel.gm> 
    To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
    Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 4:06 AM
    Subject: [Terrapreta] Re Charcoal and-----Bokashi


    To Kurt and list members,

    There was an extensive post to the gasification list on Mon,10 April 2006 by Roger Samson of REAP-Canada with a great deal of details about Bokashi and its preparation. A manual is available from REAP- canada is available on request. One of the ingredients of Bokashi is bio-char. 

    I am applying char dust to soil at planting stations, covering it with leaf and/or grass mulch and giving it a dose of of effluent from Dr AD Karve's model biogas digester. There is not enough material to cover an entire area, therefore improve soil peace meal. The char is made from the trimmings of Gliricidia and Cashew trees in an old water heater used as a retort. 

    Hopefully this makes it to the list as I am unfamiliar with posting procedures.

    Bakary Jatta, experimenting in The  Gambia



    Kurt wrote:

    Hi folkes,

    Somewhere in the bioenergy archives, not sure which particular list, I 
    remember seeing a description of Bokashi preparation, using local 
    wormcastings, plantjuice (for enzymes) etc etc. This was being done in 
    SE Asia, probably the Philippines. The resultant material was then used 
    to inoculate compost which was applied to the soil; as per usual.

    The method used the ubiquitous Asian rice husk, but I think it could be 
    adapted to any other area, using whatever waste biomass was available 
    there and also using local wormcasts, plant juice and so on. Sugar, 
    possibly molasses also figured in the method, to feed the culture.

    Such a "local" Bokashi solution could be applied to charcoal just prior 
    to application to the soil, giving it an initial charge of wee beasties 
    to speed up the results.

    / /I doubt that Bokashi powder being sold for use in garbage digesters 
    would be quite up to the job, being a centrally produced, industrial 
    product and not at all adapted to any one soil situation.

    It would be interesting if someone, more versed in searching the 
    archives could dig the message out of them. I'm not at all knowledgeable 
    in that activity.

    Kurt




----------------------------------------------------------------------------


    _______________________________________________
    Terrapreta mailing list
    Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
    http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar/

  _______________________________________________
  Terrapreta mailing list
  Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
  http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/terrapreta_bioenergylists.org/attachments/20070415/a9b97cd7/attachment-0001.html