Fertilizer

Field Trials;
 I am field testing for the 09 corn season with JMU and consultation  Dr. Hepperly at Rodale Institute.

Ten research priorities were identified at the IBI conference, The following priorities I hope to address:
• 1- Economy research/market research
• 2- plant+soil research depending on biochar
• 5- field trials
• 8- application to soil (depending on agricultural or other
systems/remediation`)

Planting date: June 24th.
Two split plots , which each are split into a 20% (27 tons/Ac) & 5% (7 tons/Ac) application rates,
All chars soaked in tarps for 1 month, all chars were mixed 1:2 by volume with finished poultry litter compost and roto-tilled to 5 inch depth.

3 treatment groups with 3 replications
Char+ Compost
Char+ Compost + soluble NPK (soaked in char)
MYC+Char+Compost ("Dr. Mike's" Mycorrhiza corn inoculent)
Charcoal #1: Alterna Energy Biocarbon
Charcoal #2: Cowboy Hardwood Lump Charcoal

Soil Testing:
Dr. Mike Amaranthus of Mycorrhiza Applications ( http://www.mycorrhiza.com/ ) has  supplied his granular corn MYC , applied at planting, and lab support for harvest root analysis.
Dr. Kristine Nicoles of ARS, their head glomalin researcher, will also run soil test at Harvest
Lynn Rogers of Microbial Matrix will be testing for functional microbe groups

Total wet weight of corn biomass will be collected for each treatment group.

Much Thanks to:

 James Madison University / I.S.A.T., Dr. Wayne Teal - for providing a student for work and help in publication.

Local farmers Keith Sheetz and Andy & Jack Dixon

Dr. Paul Hepperly of Rodale Institude in PA. for consultations and his sister study in cow-peas.

Special thanks to Ecotechnologies Group for funding both of our studies.  http://www.ecotechnologies.com/index.html

The soil carbon bond can lead to an integration of organic and commercial agriculture practices. Biochar is a tool for both, for organic to increase its already-sustainable credentials, for chemical agriculture to at least halt soil carbon mining and seriously reduce nutrient runoff. The carbon sequestration bond can lead to a marriage of the best practices from both systems of agriculture to build soil into a biologically vital synergistic organism.

I hope to demonstrate this in my field trials with Roundup-ready corn, with the consultation of the Rodale Institute. Soil test for the full spectrum of food web organisms should ferret out the affinity of BioChar with these organisms in the context of standard chemical agricultural practices, and at Rodale with organic practice.

Erich J. Knight
Eco Technologies Group Technical Adviser
University of California Riverside advisory board member
Shenandoah Gardens (Owner)
1047 Dave Barry Rd.
McGaheysville, VA. 22840
540 289 9750

Mallee Charcoal: part of a beneficial cycle?
Western Mineral Fertilisers, Australia April 2007

Mallee Charcoal

See presentation: Blackwell P, Shea S, Storer P, Kerkmans M, Stanley I: Improving wheat production with deep banded Oil Mallee charcoal in WA

FNCA Biofertilizer Newsletter
Mr. Richard M. Balog, Editor, Leader of FNCA Biofertilizer Project of the Philippines, Issue No. 7 February 2007

Message from the Philippines.

Dear Readers,

This 7th issue of the FNCA (Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia) Biofertilizer Newsletter features the activities pertaining to research and development, industry, use and promotion and impactof Biofertilizers in Philippine agriculture. It's my pleasure to share to you information herein that you may find interesting and valuable in line with the same activities in your respective areas.

The need to address the food requirement of the growing population in the Philippines made the farmers adopt the latest technology in agriculture like the use of high yielding and resistant crop varieties. These varieties however require high amount of nutrients making the farmers dependent on agricultural input like inorganic fertilizers. It was reported that from 1966 to 1998 fertilizer application in the Philippines increased from 20% to 80%. Nitrogen, considered as the most limiting
factor in crop production, gains the highest mark of all the major nutrients from inorganic sources applied by farmers. The 2001 FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) Yearbook on fertilizers stated that from 1987 to 1998, Philippine consumption of nitrogenous fertilizers increased from 371,487 MT to 546,499 MT. Such consumption resulted to high production for some time but adverse soil and other environmental conditions were observed in the long run. This called for the use of other alternative inputs. The use of biofertilizers has been determined as one of the main options to address the rising concern on agricultural and environmental sustainability.

Biofertilizer industry in the Philippines grown considerably with the promotion of Government of bioorganic farming and the active involvement of research institutions, private individuals and enterprises. Biofertilizers in various forms have been developed and more researches on rhizobia legume symbiosis, azolla, mychorriza, sesbania, blue green algae and the living microorganism (Nfixing bacteria) were encouraged.

My sincere thanks to the contributors who graciously contributed some highlights of their research works and efforts. Without their contributions, this issue would not have materialized.

Best regards,
Richard M. Balog
FNCA Biofertilizer Project Leader, Philippines

See also:
3. Mycorrhiza

Biofertilizers: Are they here to stay?
Alok Adholeya & Deepak Pant, Biotechnology & Management of Bioresources, The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi
E-mail: aloka@teri.res.in
in Biotech News, Newsletter of Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, Vol II No. 1 February 2007

Biofertilizer Group Newsletter

FNCA Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia
The Asian region is one of the regions, which enjoys the highest economic growth rates in the world. To sustain such growth in the face of limited resources and the need to protect and preserve the environment, the region can benefit from effective utilization of nuclear science and technology.

Issue No. 7 February 2007 1.7MB by the Philippines

Long term Effects of manure, charcoal and mineral fertilization on crop production and fertility on a highly weathered Central Amazonian upland soil January 2007
Christoph Steiner · Wenceslau G. Teixeira · Johannes Lehmann ·Thomas Nehls · Jeferson Luis Vasconcelos de Macêdo · Winfried E. H. Blum · Wolfgang Zech

Abstract