Could somebody help me w/ideas on how to reply to this? Fw: New comment on "If you were to focus your sustainability efforts on activities that drive long-term change - what would you focus on?"

[linda trujillo]

Hello everyone,   I have joined several groups on LinkedIn, and been posting replies on various discussions. This particular one I mentioned Biochar... and this particular reply I'm not sure how to answer the comment/question about Biochar and ag products. Could someone please give me some ideas? Thanks... Linda Trujillo --- On Mon, 11/28/11, Sustainability Professionals <groups-...@linkedin.com> wrote: From: Sustainability Professionals <groups-...@linkedin.com> Subject: New comment on "If you were to focus your sustainability efforts on activities that drive long-term change - what would you focus on?" To: "Linda Trujillo" <lindat...@yahoo.com> Date: Monday, November 28, 2011, 7:04 AM LinkedIn Groups Group: Sustainability Professionals Discussion: If you were to focus your sustainability efforts on activities that drive long-term change - what would you focus on? Interesting discussion on biochar. The soil is absolutely the soul of healthy plants as I'm sure many of you have seen if you incorporated compost or other amendments into the soil in your home gardens. Looks like the cost and application rates for biochar are comparable to typical granular fertilizers. The danger of spontaneous heating and ignition is a concern for mass production, and dustiness (loss during application and breathing in particles are of concern) but formulation into prills could solve and maybe this is already being done. Interestingly it is being marketed in Japan as a biological fungicide as it may enhance Bacillus species in the soil which release antibiotics that keep soil-borne pathogens down. Activated charcoal is used to neutralize compounds in the soil such as herbicides that have been overapplied (I've seen this on golf courses), so I'm wondering if using biochar will reduce the effectiveness of products used in ag. For example, will weed competition decrease yields due to pre-emergent herbicides being rendered ineffective. And what about other pesticides? Probably more useful then in subsistence farming and community supported agriculture. Wouldn't it be great if this concept could take off. But what about plant systems that are not turned over frequently to allow the incorporation of biomass of biochar such as pastures and turfgrasses? Linda, industrial monocultures inherently require more fertilizer and pesticides, so I get where you're coming from, but as such it is even more important that there are experts that can provide well-rounded advice taking a holistic approach of evaluating the entire system of soils, plant nutrition, growth requirements, and pests. These systems aren't going away anytime soon, so our goal is to minimize the environmental impact and educate. Posted by Stephanie Like this comment » Comment » Stop Following Discussion » LinkedIn values your privacy. At no time has LinkedIn made your email address available to any other LinkedIn user without your permission. ©2011, LinkedIn Corporation.

[Philip Small]

On the concern that biochar use will result in Atrazine, and other soil-active herbicide, application rates to increase due to adsorption.  Much the same concern was projected in the early days of no-till and before that during efforts to get farmers to retain post-harvest plant "trash" on the surface to reduce soil erosion by both wind and water.  Certainly an adsorption effect is to be expected with increased biochar levels, as is a lower chemical residence time due to  higher rate of breakdown due to higher soil biological activity. We see the same effect in other soil conservation practices, but never to the degree that it becomes a driving reason for abandoning no-till, or curtailing efforts to increase soil organic matter levels.  That is because the benefits of increased organic matter trump the negative effects on herbicide effectiveness.  The most effective weed retardant tool is rapid crop root development and rapid crop canopy closure. Healthy soil OM helps crop managers beat weed.  Weed pressure is much higher in low OM soils and this higher weed pressure requires higher herbicide use. The golf course herbicide adsorption example using high rates of activated charcoal is informative but an extreme example that cannot be used in isolation.  More relevant to industrial ag is the fact that prairie soils in the midwest US already have substantial charcoal content due to indigenous burning, yet herbicides are still reliable

Philip Small, Soil Scientist
Land Profile, Inc.

PO Box 2175

Spokane, WA 99210

509-844-2944 cell * 509-838-9860 office

Email:philip...@landprofile.com

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[Howard Sprouse]

Hello Linda,

I think that the question of whether applications of how biochar may effect  the necessary application rates of Atrazine or any other soil amendment are questions that can be answered only by doing the research. These questions and their answers are valid and as complex as soil. I would encourage farmers to participate in this endeavor. Agricultural chemicals and water cost money. If the savings gained by increased water retention alone for instance make the difference between cropping or not cropping the incentive becomes obvious.

Before the word biochar came on the scene farmers were using charcoal amendments that allowed them to plant crops earlier than they could have without doing this, (in herbecide treated farmlands). One of the more common words used for this use of charcoal is 'banding'.  

I suspect and hope that using biochar in combination with other agricultural methods will tend to hold soil nutrients and agricultural chemicals where they reside together and belong in a variety of environments. Keeping nutrients and other agricultural chemicals in proximity to the topsoil and out of our groundwater is good business with a multiple bottom line. Many of us are working on answers to these questions and will likely have these answers in the near future.

Howard Sprouse

The Remediators Incorporated
www.theremediators.com
 Google Phone  Number 773-609-2427 (CHAR)

   

On Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 7:32 AM, linda trujillo <lindat...@yahoo.com> wrote:

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[linda trujillo]

Howard,   Thanks, I will copy and paste this... I took a peek at your website, I like it, and bookmarked it for me to look at it more when I have some more time later.   Linda Trujillo --- On Mon, 11/28/11, Howard Sprouse <hspr...@theremediators.com> wrote:

[linda trujillo]

Sorry,   I meant to send my reply to Howard... Whoops.   Linda --- On Mon, 11/28/11, linda trujillo <lindat...@yahoo.com> wrote: