[Terrapreta] terra preta in India

[Richard Haard]

Very nice find Gerald

This system 'Raab' appears to be an insitu system for biochar creation  
that assures complete incorporation into soil use thereby eliminating  
competition for use as cash crop or fuel. I would like to learn more  
about this system. " Layers of dry, half-dry and fresh woody and leafy  
biomass"

This is the kind of system I am hoping to learn about this summer at  
4CN.

I have emailed the author and invited to participate in our discussion.

Rich
On Mar 27, 2008, at 7:08 AM, Gerald Van Koeverden wrote:

> These people in Aurobrindavan Auroville, india, have been doing a  
> lot of work trying to re-create terra preta soils.  They are making  
> connections between those soils and an indigenous system of charring  
> biomass for rice nursuries:
>
> "Raab is a system of charring biomass used by some tribal  
> communities in India. It consists of making beds of various layers  
> of dry, half-dry and fresh woody and leafy biomass, dung and clay.  
> The thus layered bed is fully sealed with clay and cold fired  
> (burning in reduced conditions). In the resultant residues rice  
> nurseries are started. The tribals affirm that this gives perfect  
> growth to the rice plants. Charcoal bits, ash, wood vinegar or wood  
> tar as well as sulfur that may have been absorbed by the clay, would  
> explain the growth enhancing factors of the raab system."
>
>
> http://www.annadana.com/actu/new_news.cgi?id_news=159
>
> Gerrit
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