Mycorrhiza

[D Mc]

I am listening, dont let the emperor put you off:thumbup:

 

And Gerrit, you dont HAVE to be an academic to know about stuff:001_smile:

 

I believe carbon methods have a place in agriculture, but forests I am not yet convinced, I think forests need to be "natural systems" with undamaged or altered rhizospheres so that the long long times it take for the biodiversity of soil organisms to biuld is not forced to re start with each crop.

 

ancient woodland soils need to be protected, and unaltered IMO

 

Good post, Hama. This is a great thread with tons of good information!

I do not like current agricultural practices. The high yield comes at a cost, with interest, that will be payed. Anything that will reduce the borrow-now-pay-later type damage warrants our close scrutiny.

Your last sentence should not be resricted to woodlands. The world has much to offer if we so choose. Unaltered with the understanding that nothing stays the same. Life itself requires change.

 

Dave

[erich]

Dear ArbTalk,

This recent paper by Dr. Christoph Steiner is the single most comprehensive source for understanding biochars potential. All the great Soil Organic Material scientist are cited, and Bill Ruddiman on Ag history.

 

http://www.forclime.org/images/stories/2011_Biochar-Mitigation_of_climate_change_and_soil_restoration.pdf

 

The text, papers and articles I cite of my CEC talk;

 

 

The Establishment of Soil Carbon as the Universal Measure of Sustainability

The Paleoclimate Record shows agricultural-geo-engineering is responsible for 2/3rds of our excess greenhouse gases. The unintended consequence, the flowering of our civilization. Our science has now realized these consequences and has developed a more encompassing wisdom. Wise land management, afforestation and the thermal conversion of biomass can build back our soil carbon. Pyrolysis, Gasification and Hydro-Thermal Carbonization are known biofuel technologies, What is new are the concomitant benefits of biochars for Soil Carbon Sequestration; building soil biodiversity & nitrogen efficiency, for in situ remediation of toxic agents, and, as a feed supplement cutting the carbon foot print of livestock. Modern systems are closed-loop with no significant emissions. The general life cycle analysis is: every 1 ton of biomass yields 1/3 ton Biochar equal to 1 ton CO2e, plus biofuels equal to 1MWh exported electricity, so each energy cycle is 1/3 carbon negative. [1] [2] [3]

Beyond Rectifying the Carbon Cycle;

Biochar systems Integrate nutrient management, serving the same healing function for the Nitrogen and Phosphorous Cycles. A 50% reduction of NH3 loss when composting. Ag manure char absorbs phosphorus for nutrient credit income, CHP, Biomass Crop & energy grants and when carbon comes to account, another big credit. The compounding soil benefits; reduced nitrogen loss & soil Nitrous-oxide emissions and a 17% increased water efficiency are documented in trials across soil types and climates. The production of ammonia and char from biomass and other third generation companies aiming for drop-in fuels, can free agriculture from fossil energy. [4] [5]

 

The Agricultural Soil Carbon Sequestration Standards are the royal road for the GHG Mitigation; This stakeholder effort with the USDA & EPA, Reviewed by both Congressional Ag Committees, who asked for expansion to ISO status, the goal now is to get the world on the same soil carbon page. [6]

 

Economic at all Scales;

Local economic stimulus is at all scales of development, from the Global Clean Cook Stove Initiative, to base load manure systems, to industrial biomass power production. Replacing "Three Stone" stoves with biomass stoves, the health effects equal the eradication of Malaria & AIDs combined. Delivering carbon credits to developing countries would further economic stimulus. [7]

Given the lack of leadership in pricing carbon, companies are taking charge. WalMart is sourcing local produce, training small farmers and presenting bold leadership with their Sustainability Index Program. Vendors now must supply full cradle-to-cradle life cycle analysis. They are now crunching that data to formulate true carbon footprint labeling, empowering consumer choice.

 

The photosynthetic "capture" collectors are up and running all around us, the "storage" sink is in operation just under our feet, conversion reactor are the only infrastructure we need to build out. Carbon, as the center of life, has high value to recapitalize our soils. Yielding nutrient dense foods and Biofuels, Paying Premiums of pollution abatement and toxic remediation and the growing Dividend created by the increasing biomass of a thriving soil community.

Since we have filled the air , filling the seas to full, soil is the only beneficial place left.

Carbon to the Soil, the only ubiquitous and economic place to put it.

 

Thank you for your efforts.

 

 

NEXT POST the list of links;

[erich]

[1]

The Anthropogenic Greenhouse Era Began Thousands of Years Ago SpringerLink - Climatic Change, Volume 61, Number 3

 

The Columbian encounter led to terrestrial biospheric carbon sequestration on the order of 2 to 5 GtC Climate Forcing.

The Columbian Encounter and the Little Ice Age: Abrupt Land Use Change, Fire, and Greenhouse Forcing - Annals of the Association of American Geographers

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all?content=10.1080/00045608.2010.50243

 

[2]

 

FAO on Conservation Agricultural:

"In general, soil carbon sequestration during the first decade of adoption of best conservation agricultural practices is 1.8 tons CO2 per hectare per year. On 5 billion hectares of agricultural land, this could represent one-third of the current annual global emission of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels (i.e., 27 Pg CO2 per year)." http://www.fao.org/ag/ca/doc/CA_SSC_Overview.pdf

 

Adding just 1 Ton of Biochar per hectare, (800 lbs / acre), would cover 100% Current Annual Fossil CO2 Emissions.

 

"Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential of Agricultural Land Management in the United States: A Synthesis of the Literature"

An extensive scientific literature review providing a side-by-side comparison of the biophysical greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potential of more than 40 agricultural land management activities in the United States.

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential of Agricultural Land Management in the United States: A Synthesis of the Literature (SECOND EDITION) — Nicholas Institute

 

[3]

 

Dr. Mario Molina, PNAS Report on Reducing abrupt climate change;

Reducing abrupt climate change risk using the Montreal Protocol and other regulatory actions to complement cuts in CO2 emissions

Recent NATURE STUDY;

Sustainable Biochar to Mitigate Global Climate Change

Sustainable biochar to mitigate global climate change : Nature Communications : Nature Publishing Group

The future of biochar - Project Rainbow Bee Eater

The future of biochar - Project Rainbow Bee Eater (Science Alert)

USDA, looking at heavy metals; ARS Research Turns Poultry Waste into Toxin-grabbing Char

The Ultimate Trash To Treasure: ARS Research Turns Poultry Waste into Toxin-grabbing Char

The in situ remediation of a vast variety of toxic agents in soils and sediments.

Biochar Sorption of Contaminants;

Agriculture, Forestry, Soil Science and Environment

 

[4]

Both the Organic and Agricultural chemical schools of soil science recognize Biochar as a powerful tool to foster biodiversity and nitrogen efficiency in soils.

 

Recent work by C. Steiner, at U of GA, showing a 52% reduction of NH3 loss when char is used as a composting accelerator. This will have profound value added consequences for the commercial composting industry by reduction of their GHG emissions and the sale of compost as an organic nitrogen fertilizer. http://www.ibi2010.org/wp-content/uploads/BiocharPoultrySteiner.pdf

 

Biochar effects on soil biota –Areview Soil Biology and Biochemistry journal, a review of international work by Lehmann & Janice Thies; Biochar effects on soil biota ? A review | International Biochar Initiative

The NC Farm Center has large scale field application trials encompassing 16 acres on two farms in southeastern North Carolina.

The North Carolina Farm Center for Innovation and Sustainability: Setting up Large Scale Biochar Field Trials | International Biochar Initiative

 

Virginia Tech is in their 6 th year of field trials with the Carbon Char Group's "CharGrow" formulated bagged product.

A Biological Tool for Reducing Input Costs | East Coast Compost

 

[5]

The production of fossil fuel free ammonia & char from biomass (SynGest, SynGest: BioAmmonia from Biomass )

Many third generation companies are aiming for Drop-in, or fungible fuels. A leader in this sector, supported by GE, Google & Conoco is CoolPlanet Biofuels CoolPlanetBioFuels | Home

Farm Fossil Fuel 7% Solution;

Their results also suggest that it could take anywhere from 50 to 70 acres for a farmer with 1,000 acres and an onsite crusher and biodiesel facility to grow enough canola to produce the fuel needed to run on-farm operations.

Advancing biocrop alternatives in the Pacific Northwest

[erich]

[6]

The Ag Soil Carbon Standard

The Ag Soil Carbon Sequestration Standards; approved by the USDA & EPA. Reviewed by both Congressional Ag Committees, who have asked for expansion of this Soil Carbon Standard to ISO status, the application was denied under the USDA ISO Guide 65 Program, it is now in rewrite for resubmission. I savor the idea that the whole world could be on the same soil carbon page and get farmers payed for their good soil-C works.

Read over the work so far;

http://www.novecta.com/documents/Carbon-Standard.pdf

 

Biochar can even accelerate Dr. Hansen's new plan for 100 GtC of afforestation, through utilizing this substantial new addition to today's land-based NPP of about 60 GtC/yr and Biochar allows the soil food web to build much more recalcitrant organic carbon, (living biomass & Glomalins) in addition to the carbon in the biochar.

"The Case for Young People and Nature: A Path to a Healthy, Natural, Prosperous Future".

http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2011/20110505_CaseForYoungPeople.pdf

 

Remote Sensing;

NASA’s EO-1 hyperspectral imagery data has been used to discern Amazonian black earth, or Terra Preta soils. The full complement of earth sensing satellites, using multiple proxy measurements of soil moisture to 3 feet depth, temperature & density , even reading GHG emissions, Dead & Alive biomass from the tree tops down at 1 hectare resolutions when the Orbital Carbon Observer 2 is aloft in 2013.

 

NASA’s Space Archaeology; $364K Terra Preta Program

archaeology excavations,archaeology excavation,archaeology,archaeologist,Museums,Egyptology Archaeology Excavations: Time Traveling Via Satellite

Sowing Seeds With New Agricultural Carbon Accounting Tool Carbon dioxide emissions from agricultural activity in the United States can now be tracked with unprecedented resolution because of a method developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory team led by Tristram West. Sowing seeds with new agricultural carbon accounting tool

The Rapid Assessment of Carbon Project, Providing a Baseline Soil Carbon Survey is 60% complete

NRCS Soils Website: NRCS Soils

Soils Saves Seas, The new trump card in climate change will be ocean acidity, the new science now shows a simple direct linear relationship between the CO2 levels & acidity, building soil Carbon is the simple solution.

 

[7]

Secretary Clinton Makes a big Announcement with The Global Stove Initiative;

State Dept. Release;

100 million clean-burning stoves in kitchens around the world.

Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves: The United States Commitment By the Numbers

 

Biochar Work in Nine Developing Countries:

Biochar Work in Developing Countries: the 9 Country Projects | International Biochar Initiative

 

World Bank Study: The survey data from 150 biochar projects located in 38 developing countries is available now on the IBI website at: http://www.biochar-international.org/sites/default/files/IBI_Survey_5-11-11_online.pdf.

 

The IBI now has 33 biochar affiliates around the world -- including in China, India, Japan UK, US, Australia, Korea, Canada, Italy and Israel.

Note also that our Japanese colleagues in the Japan Biochar Association have a very long tradition of biochar use and have been developing "modern methods" over the last thirty years. A governmental act officially acknowledged charcoal as a "soil ameliorator" back in 1988 and have completed work using Biochar as an in situ sorbent of Cd, and starting work on heavy metal radio-isotopes.

 

PRO-NATURA INTERNATIONAL has the largest numbers of agroforestry soil-C & Biochar projects. Certainly the largest NGO, across the global south. They are very sensitive in both design and co-opting local social values for creating self perpetuated systems. Like the Exponential growth of biologic systems. http://pronatura.org/index.php

 

The Biochar Fund has doubled subsistence farmer's incomes;

Exceptional results from biochar experiment in Cameroon

The broad smiles of 1500 subsistence farmers say it all, that , and the size of the Biochar corn root balls

Exceptional Results from Biochar Experiment in Cameroon | International Biochar Initiative

 

Bi-National Border Consortium Initiative,

Arturo Velez is developing this Agave-Derived Biofuels creation of a Bi-National Border Consortium to foster large-scale use of agave as an energy crop. Government agencies, private initiative, farmers/ranchers/foresters associations, academia/researchers, NGO and entrepreneurs are welcome to participate. He has contacted Soll Sussman, Coordinator of the Border Energy Forum, as well as the National Coordinators of the Bor*der 2012 Binational Environmental Program.

The Western US States produce only ~0.3% of the total USA biomass production, but by planting 25 million hectares of agave on marginal dryland, these States could produce 1.6+ Billion tonnes of dry biomass every year, the same amount the whole US currently produces.

 

Charcolat:Cocao growers in Belize; A fresh solution to the challenge of climate change. Biochar and carbon credits, biochar projects

[D Mc]

Thanks, erich. I had thought that Biochar was just a bunch of hype; a magic pill that would allow us to eat whatever we want and not get fat. Good to know that by just adding this product we will make more money and save the world.

 

Yes, good to know.

 

Dave

Edited June 20, 2011 by D Mc

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

cough cough

[Fungus]

1. My only credentials are ... the gardens I've grown ...

2. Hopefully the ears of ... will not be as hard as yours.

3. I'll be glad to post the many papers and links ....... if you stop being so dismissive.

 

Erich,

 

1. Gardens you have "grown" are not natural forests, nor indigenous tree species specific ecosystems with a tree species specific soil food web including tree species specific ectomycorrhizal macrofungi.

2. The title of this thread is Mycorrhiza, not biochar, an artificial product, of which - as I stated many times before - never has been proven, that it has (long term) benificial effects on natural tree species specific ecosystems and the indigenous ectomycorrhizal macrofungi, which are part of it. If you would post on the subject of ectomycorrhizae, my forest ecologist's and mycologist's ears would be "soft" and wide open.

3. By repeating and reproducing citations and links on chemical fertilizers, agriculture, grasslands and food production and - again - not answering any of the questions I raised on forest ecology, tree species specific ecosystems and the natural soil food web, you dismiss yourself.

[Fungus]

you dont HAVE to be an academic to know about stuff

 

Tony,

Sure, but it does help to be one if you are evaluating the scientific validity of research done by others and are judging the value of their claims.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Tony,

Sure, but it does help to be one if you are evaluating the scientific validity of research done by others and are judging the value of their claims.

 

Agreed:001_cool:

[Fungus]

it does help to be one if you are evaluating the scientific validity of research done by others and are judging the value of their claims ...

 

... and to expose the hidden agenda and propaganda and PR-campaign of the producers and resellers of a product, which has no superior qualities over grinded barbecue charcoal.