First field test, peanuts

[Ben Discoe]

I'm very excited to report i just planted my first biochar field test. It's just a small test, but hopefully the first of many.

Images with captions: http://picasaweb.google.com/bdiscoe/Biochar2009

There are 4 cells, each 80x160cm. 2 are control, 2 have biochar at a rate of 2 kg/m2, incorporated by hand to a depth of around 15-20cm. The soil is the edge our lower garden, which is Hamakua acidic clay soil, which has in the past received small amounts of manure and organic 6-6-6 fertilizer.

The crop is peanuts, 15 peanuts per cell. Although some many not germinate, i should be able to measure mass of peanuts per plant at the conclusion of the test. The peanut seed used is from a batch we grew last year in similar soil.

The biochar is from Biochar Engineering (http://www.biocharengineering.com/) thanks to the nice folks at EcoTechnologies Group (http://www.EcoTechnologies.com/) The biomass used to make the char was woodchips (species not known).

I have not tested the base soil (although i should, the CTAHR service is not expensive) nor the char (as i lack the $75 for the test).

At the rate peanuts grow at our elevation (2500'), it should be around 4-5 months to harvest and results.

-Ben

[Bobby Grimes]

Congrats ben, I know this has been a long time coming. Wahoo! Bobby

Sent from my iPhone

[Jay FitzGerald]

Awesome, but I expect that'd not enough loading to really show an effect. Besides, at this point, it only pulls nutrients, right?

[Ben Discoe]

> -----
> From: Jay FitzGerald
> Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2009 5:28 PM

>
> Awesome, but I expect that'd not enough loading to really show an effect.

That's a good question. As you can see on my notes under 'Applying to the
Soil: How Much?', application rates for a large number of published tests
seem to have been in the range of 5 to 30 tonnes/hectare, which is .5 to 3
kg per square meter. I chose 2 kg/m2 for this test, which is in the high
end.

> Besides, at this point, it only pulls nutrients, right?

Also a good question, but as they say, soil is an endless science. :) Which
is to say, it's potentially far more complex. We get 80-100 inches/year
rain here, and it's entirely possible that the rain will leach away some of
the NPK from the control plots, and leach less from the char plots, which
would give them a plus. It is also possible as you say that the char will
absorb the NPK, and not give it back until the soil biology develops
sufficiently (sometime later). That's already a familiar effect here with
the acidic clay soil itself, which as Dr. Deenik once explained (if i
understood properly), is derived from weathered volcanic ash, it has a very
high surface area and high CEC, which should be a good thing, but the first
load of fertilizer you add gets largely 'soaked up', trapped in the clay's
fissures, and it's hard to get back.

There are also the numerous published tests, particularly on tropical soils
such as those of Christoph Steiner, e.g.:
'Nutrient availability and leaching in an archaeological Anthrosol and a
Ferralsol of the Central Amazon basin: fertilizer, manure and charcoal
amendments'
http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/publ/PlantSoil%20249,%20343-357,%
202003%20Lehmann.pdf
showing results in order: Control < Char < Char+Fert. In those soils the
presence of the char /alone/ gave an advantage (possible just by raising
soil carbon, enabling microbial life to thrive and benefit the plants.)

In short, there are so many factors; that's why we test. :)

-Ben