Home › Taxonomy term

Greenhouse studies

Effects of Charcoal on Manure in a Temperate Forest Ecosystem: A Greenhouse Study

Submitted by Tom Miles on February 7, 2008 - 4:57pm
Last updated February 07, 2008
in

Effects of Charcoal on Manure in a Temperate Forest Ecosystem: A Greenhouse Study
Clarice Pina, Project Train 2005, University of Montana, 2005 with Tom Deluca.

http://www.umt.edu/projecttrain/posters/2005%20Posters/Clarice%20Pina.ppt

Abstract
A greenhouse study was conducted for and eight week period studying the effects of charcoal on manure within a temperate forest ecosystem. Charcoal posses properties that lead us to devise the creation of a unique synergy between manure and charcoal, a land use treatment used in ancient Amazonia. A negative effect was observed with respect to overall biomass per treatment caused by manure application but this effect was eliminated with the addition of charcoal. Manure significantly increased the amount of available phosphorus. Fresh manure may have cause a microbial inhibition to occur yielding unexpected results with ammonium and nitrate concentrations. Altering the rates of both manure and charcoal may help us to locate the source of these unexpected results.

Results:
Salient findings:
Additions of charcoal and manure individually did not have a significant effect on the amount of available NH4+, but the Manuchar treatments were found to have a moderately significant effect on available NH4+ (refer to Figure 1).
All treatments (charcoal only, manure only, as well as manuchar) have a highly significant effect on the amount of available NO3- (refer to Figure 2).
Manure significantly decreased the total amount of NO3-.
With regard to the amount of available P, the manure only treatment had the greatest concentration measured as mg kg-1 PO4-.
Manure applications had a very highly significantly effect, increasing the amount of available-P by almost a factor of 2(refer to Figure 3).
Manuchar treatments were also found to have a highly significant effect on the amount of available-P.
Significant differences were found between treatments with regard to biomass obtained, and manure applications were found to have a negative effect on biomass (refer to Figure 4).

CharDB 1.0 released!

Submitted by Tom Miles on January 19, 2008 - 2:33pm
Last updated January 19, 2008
in

CharDB 1.0 released!
Cristelle Braun, January 19, 2008

Hello dear biochar testers!

The first release 1.0 of CharDB is now available at:
http://bionecho.org/terrapreta/chardb/index.php

You will now be able to register your biochar soil amendment trials in a uniform format "CharML" that should facilitate comparisons between the different entries. This will hopefully lead to interesting new conclusions and a better knowledge on the fascinating world of biochar!

Please send any comment, critic, suggestion...to:
chardb@bionecho.org

Your feedback and comments will guide further development of CharDB and CharML!

Sincerely yours,
Chris
brauncch@gmail.com

Effect of Pyrolysis Char on Corn Growth and Loamy Sand Soil Characteristics.

Submitted by Tom Miles on March 10, 2007 - 8:33pm
Last updated April 04, 2007
in

Effect of Pyrolysis Char on Corn Growth and Loamy Sand Soil Characteristics
Julia Gaskin1, Lawrence Morris2, R.Dewey Lee3, Ryan Adolphson4, Keith Harris4, and K.C. Das4. (1) Univ Georgia, Dept. of Biol. & Ag. Eng, Athens, GA 30602, (2) Warnell School of Forest Resources, Univ of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, (3) Univ of Georgia, Dept. of Crop & Soil Science, Tifton, GA 31793, (4) Univ of Georgia, Dept. of Biol. & Ag. Eng, Athens, GA 30602

Black Carbon from Rice Residues as Soil Amendment and for Carbon Sequestration

Submitted by Tom Miles on January 21, 2007 - 8:58pm
Last updated February 13, 2007
in

Black Carbon from Rice Residues as Soil Amendment and for Carbon Sequestration
Stephan M. Haefele 1, J.K. Ladha 1, and Yothin Konboon 2.
(1) International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, 4031 Laguna, Philippines, (2) Ubon Rice Research Center, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand
18th World Congress of Soil Science, July 9-15, 2006 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

On highly weathered soils in tropical and subtropical climates, maintenance of soil organic matter is essential to sustain system productivity and avoid rapid soil degradation. But climatic conditions as well as soil characteristics favor the rapid decomposition of organic matter. However, several recent studies indicated that black carbon, the product of incomplete combustion of organic material, could combine characteristics highly beneficial for soil nutrient dynamics with high stability against chemical and microbial breakdown. Lasting soil amelioration by incorporation of black carbon from wooden plants was proposed based on the beneficial evidence from “Terra Preta” soils in Western Amazonia. Theoretically, charred crop residues in rice-based systems could serve the same purpose but this hypothesis has never been tested. Within this context, our objectives were to 1) assess possible options for the use of charred rice residues, to 2) test the effect of charred rice residues on important soil fertility parameters and rice growth, and 3) to evaluate the effect and stability of charred rice residues in a variety of rice growing environments.

Syndicate content