[Terrapreta] German article on Terra preta (Introductory article)

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi Michael, et al.

Micheal, this is a very compelling article you've shared with us.  Please thank eric1 at Hypography for the translation and invite him to this group.

...
Universität Bayreuth, 2002
University of Bayreuth, 2002
Dipl. geogr. Gerhard Bechtold:
Geography grad. Gerhard Bechthold :

Does Gerhard Bechold subscribe to this list also?  

... "Terra Preta can change the future of the rain forest. When one knows hoi t is made, one can foroce the people to contrive their fields on Terra Preta like the Indians.

"Neo Terra Preta" land reforming can become culture reforming too?

... reports of Francisco de Orellanas from the 16th century.

I read something about an anthropologic study in South America, which mentioned this name, I think.  De Orellanas reported seeing native cities from the rivers in the Amazon basin, that were 20 or 50 km along the shores, with some 100,000's of inhabitants.

... using a mixture of molusc chalk and charred tropical wood, achieved a small miracle : a soil that is not washed out by rainy seasons. The Indios could remain in the same loction for 2000 years. Now their fields are worked by de Caboclos, many of them for over 40 years completely without fertilizing.   

Could this possibly answer the riddle abut "pottery chards", found in Amazon Terra Preta de Indio ?  Was "pottery chards" and/or "molusc chalk" used exclusively there?  The pottery and chalk may simply have been put there to keep the soil from washing away.  This might only be necessary in places where it rains a lot, like in the rainforests in the tropics.  I wonder if all of the "Neo Terra Preta" land forms we will be adding charcoal to, will all require "pottery shards".  What if it doesn't rain a lot on the site?  Are they needed?
  
... in savannas of South Africa.

This is the first I've seen "Terra Preta" described as anywhere, but the rainforest.  Was the charcoal made with savanna biomass from the site, or was it hardwood charcoal, imported onto the land (I doubt it)?

By combined fertilizing with charcoal, biomass and compost an originally unfertile soil can be made into a flowering landscape, and allow for the economical development of poor areas, at the same time preventing further destruction of the rain forest.
 
It could also prevent further destruction of the atmosphere, I would think.  It looks like "Neo Terra Preta" could do and the original "Terra Preta" did/does hold lots carbon, out of the atmosphere for a long long time (2000+ years!)  We CAN do this ... take lots of carbon out and hold it out of the atmosphere a long time.  All that needs to be done is just make "Neo Terra Preta" soil.

The OCR was defined by Edward Someus for us as ...

Organic Carbon Ratio (OCR) =  "total organic carbon (TOC) : readily oxidizable carbon (ROC)" 

Here we see from Gerhard, that we can move the high Organic Carbon Ratio of a desert down into a the realm verdant fauna, like a paradise, just by lowering the OCR with the addition of "fixed carbon".  It interesting to note that this land transformation to a lower eventual OCR occurs, along with the extension of the half-life of the carbon in the soil, as a result of first INCREASING the OCR, then riding out the transformation, while the "fixed carbon" input slowly decays over a longer half-life than the other surrounding "soil organic carbon".  The SOC is increasing all along and improving the abilities of the soil to grow plants.  If would be very interesting to know if the Indios saw this (over generations!) and if they did this kind of management.  I think they did, but I don't know how they did it, other than to observe the fauna and the cause/effects in their surroundings very well.

There is some religious context statement about "... and they shall make the deserts bloom".  Can anyone quote this?

They call the "Terra Preta Nova" project what I have tried to call "Neo Tera Preta" land reforming project.

Regards,

SKB
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