[Terrapreta] Inorganic & organic

[Christoph Steiner]

Dear All,

Most soils in the Amazon Basin have very low contents of inorganic
nutrients. These are deeply weathered soils and the predominant minerals
are iron and aluminum. Therefore most nutrients in Terra Preta have
organic origin. Terra Preta fertility is linked to an anthropogenic
accumulation of phosphorus and calcium associated with bone apatite, thus
increasing the pH. Increased pH alters the availability of nutrients.
Phosphorus, which is considered to be the primary limiting nutrient to
plant production on the highly weathered soils of the humid tropics, could
become available through fine root endomycorrhizal associations and
through heterotrophic phosphate solubilising microorganisms, which are
supposed to be stimulated by soil charcoal additions.

Best,

Christoph







Am Mo, 16.04.2007, 22:37, schrieb terrapreta-request at bioenergylists.org:
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> Today's Topics:
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> 1. Re: Re Charcoal and-----Bokashi (Tom Miles)
> 2. Re: charcoal mix (Michael N Trevor)
> 3. Re: Australian agriculture (Ron Larson)
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 13:21:08 -0700
> From: "Tom Miles" <tmiles at trmiles.com>
> Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Re Charcoal and-----Bokashi
> To: <terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
> Cc: Christoph.Steiner at uni-bayreuth.de
> Message-ID: <006701c78064$c612e340$5238a9c0$@com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
>
> Christoph,
>
>
>
>
> Which is the best of your many collaborative publications to answer Dr.
> Karve?s questions about the mechanism of terra preta in making inorganic
> nutrients available to plants?
>
>
>
> I have linked many publications on the Terra Preta website. The most
> recent is:
>
>
> Long
> <http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/publ/PlantSoil,%20online,%2020
> 07
> ,%20Steiner.pdf>  term Effects of manure, charcoal and mineral
> fertilization on crop production and fertility on a highly weathered
> Central Amazonian
> upland soil Plant Soil January 2007 Christoph Steiner ? Wenceslau G.
> Teixeira ? Johannes Lehmann ?Thomas Nehls ?
> Jeferson Luis Vasconcelos de Mac?do ? Winfried E. H. Blum ? Wolfgang Zech
>
>
> http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/publ/PlantSoil,%20online,%2020
> 07,
> %20Steiner.pdf
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Tom Miles
>
>
> http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org
>
>
>
>
>
>
> From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org
> [mailto:terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of adkarve
> Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 2:24 AM
> To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
> 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
>
>
> 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
>
>
> _____
>
>
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>
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2007 08:32:09 +1200
> From: "Michael N Trevor" <mtrevor at ntamar.net>
> Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] charcoal mix
> To: <terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
> Message-ID: <00f101c78066$7cfa5ab0$8e0319ac at USER2>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="iso-8859-1"
>
>
> Dear John
>
>
> The initial batches of char is from coconut fronds burned in a TLUD
> stove. It is coming out in batches of about a cup or so.  Later I will be
> doing husk, frond stems and shell as well.  Thank you for offering to
> supply but one of the whole reasons for this exercise is to promote
> self-sufficiency and sustainability. It would be great if charcoal is found
> to have the same beneficial affects on atolls as it appears to have on
> latisol type ones.
>
> Sincerely yours,
> Michael N Trevor
> Enemanit, Majuro
> Marshall Islands
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 14:36:51 -0600
> From: "Ron Larson" <rongretlarson at comcast.net>
> Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Australian agriculture
> To: <terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>, "Kelpie Wilson"
> <kelpie at kelpiewilson.com>
> Message-ID: <01f701c78066$f7451df0$6400a8c0 at Laptop>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=original
>
> Terrapreta list members:
>
>
> Following up on Kelpie's message,  I'd like to be advised of the same
> opportunities - and am on a similar schedule.
>
> More broadly,  this seems like a good time to ask those who can't make
> it to the conference if there are any questions or messages that those of
> us will be theree can put forward on your behalf.
>
> Ron
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kelpie Wilson" <kelpie at kelpiewilson.com>
> To: <terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
> Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 11:07 AM
> Subject: [Terrapreta] Australian agriculture
>
>
>
>> I will be attending the Agrichar conference in Australia (April
>> 27-May 2) and I'd like to do some additional field visits while I'm
>> there to see examples of sustainable agriculture and forestry. I'll be
>> reporting for Truthout and working on a magazine feature story. Are
>> there any list members who are working on such projects in eastern
>> Australia who are willing to show me what they are doing?
>> I'll be arriving in the Byron Bay area on April 23 and I will also be
>> staying in the country for a few days after the conference is over.
>>
>> Thanks for your help,
>>
>>
>> Kelpie Wilson
>> Environmental Editor
>> Truthout
>> PO Box 1444
>> Cave Junction, OR 97523
>> 541-592-3083
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Terrapreta mailing list
>> Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
>> http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar/
>>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
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>
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> End of Terrapreta Digest, Vol 4, Issue 29
> *****************************************
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>