Effect of rubber wood biochar on nutrition and growth of nursery plants of Hevea brasiliensis established in an Ultisol

Lots of interesting data to take in, in this rubber wood nursery trial from Sri Lanka. The paper is available as a draft (no graphs yet) but results are v.positive for biochar...
"Abstract
Application of biochar alters availability of nutrients and acidic cations in soils which in turn could affect growth of plant to different degrees. Effect of rubber wood biochar amendment on the growth and nutritional status of Hevea nursery plants was determined in this study. Biochar were applied at 1% and 2% (w/w) with and without the recommended rates of N and Mg liquid fertilizers (LF). Two control treatments with 0% biochar but with and without recommended levels of all N, P, K, and Mg LF were also included. Application of biochar alone has a significant positive effect on above ground dry matter accumulation of the rootstock seedling (81% over the absolute control) while no effect on the scion growth. Growth of plants in LF added treatments were much higher. Combining 2% biochar with N and Mg significantly increased the above ground dry matter accumulation over N-P-K-Mg only treatment in both rootstock seedling (29%) and the scion (61%). Biochar only application did not affect the N and P and decreased K and Ca concentrations in leaves. When combined with N and Mg fertilizers however, biochar significantly increased total N, P, Mg and Ca uptake. Biochar only application (2%) significantly decreased the leaf Mn concentrations in the seedling probably due to decrease in Mn availability as a result of increase in soil pH. The increase in soil pH due to biochar addition decreased with time close  to original values in soils that received LF, possibly due to sulfate of ammonia. We concluded that application of rubber wood biochar (upto 2% w/w) could improve the growth of Hevea plants with the use of only N and Mg fertilizers under nursery conditions tested in this experiment."
http://www.springerplus.com/content/pdf/2193-1801-1-84.pdf
Randombage Saman Dharmakeerthi 1*
* Corresponding author
Email: dharmakeerthirs@gmail.com
Jayalath Arachchige Sarath Chandrasiri 1
Email: vishanirri@yahoo.com
Vishani Udayanga Edirimanne 1
Email: sarathcjrri@gmail.com
1 Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka, Dartonfield, Agalawatta 12200, Sri Lanka

I am not qualified to comment technically on the study but I do wonder about the following...

• my understanding is that LF is plant available, circumventing more 'natural' nutrient pathways. One of the claims made about about biochar is that it will support a shift back to more organic farming practices (nutrient availability from soil flora?). So does adding biochar into existing LF scenarios either complicate or limit the potential study opportunities?
• I guess a practical answer to this is that LF is an industry baseline practice and any modification to this can only be implimented gradually. Biochar needs to 'fit' around existing systems until plantation-wide permaculture practices can be economically and practically demonstrated.

New Cambodia study shows positive results for biochar in vegetable growing trial

Effect of different levels of biochar on the yield and nutritive value of Celery cabbage (Brassica chinensis var), Chinese cabbage (Brassica pekinensis), Mustard green (Brassica juncea) and Water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica)
Chhay Ty, Vor Sina, Khieu Borin and T R Preston*

Center for Livestock and Agriculture Development. Pras Teat village, Rolous Commune, Kandal Stung district, Kandal province.
PO Box 2423 Phnom Penh 3, Cambodia
chhayty@celagrid.org
* Finca Ecológica, TOSOLY, AA #48, Socorro, Santander, Colombia
Abstract
"The experimental design in a field plot trial (soil pH 5.8; OM 17%) conducted in the rainy season (September to October 2012) involved 24 treatments arranged in a 6*4 factorial arrangement with 3 replications. The first factor was level of biochar (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 kg/m2); the second factor was the type of vegetable (Water spinach, Chinese cabbage, Celery cabbage and Mustard green). Fertilization was with biodigester effluent (10kg N/ha applied to all treatments. The area of each plot was 1.6m2 (2.0m length x 0.8m width) with spacing between each plot of 0.5m. The experiment lasted 35 days. The biochar (pH 9.3; OM 29.4% in DM) was from a paddy rice drier (combustion temperature with rice husks as feedstock was about 500°C).

Increasing the application of biochar from 0 to 5 kg/m2 led to linear increases in biomass DM yield of 39, 100, 300 and 350 % for Water spinach, Chinese cabbage, Celery cabbage and Mustard green, respectively. Soil quality was improved after the 35 day trial (pH 6.82-7.13; OM 22.6 - 25.7%). The chemical composition of the biomass DM showed average increases in crude protein from 13.7 to 18.1% for leaves and from 7.23 to 9.16 for stems. By contrast, crude fiber in leaves decreased from 14.5 to 9.27% in DM while in stems it fell from 15.6 to 10.7%."
http://www.lrrd.org/public-lrrd/proofs/lrrd2501/chha25008.htm

European Biochar Research Network

Here is a great example to follow for SEA biochar research cooperation. Maybe something like this can spin out of a SEA biochar conference?
http://cost.european-biochar.org/en/ct/49-Map-of-Biochar-Field-Trials-and-Research-Projects

Maybe the European Union can support a SEA collaboration?

IBI November newsletter

http://www.biochar-international.org/sites/default/files/November_2012_newsletter.pdf
Reports from Malaysia and the Philippines.

Commecially available TLUD stove from Malang, Indonesia.

Hot topic on the stoves discussion group relates to Prof.M Nurhuda's TLUD stove.
Contact details: Muhammad Nurhuda from the Physics Department, Brawijaya University in Malang, Indonesia mnurhuda@ub.ac.id

Philippines Biochar Association - news item for IBI newsletter

Biochar Roadshow

"The Biochar Road show, a project being implemented by the Development Society of the Ateneo de Manila University, is an awareness campaign that targets the educated youth from the top universities in the Philippines. With the establishment of the Philippine Biochar Association in 2010, Biochar technology has been introduced to the agricultural practices of the country. The Biochar Road Show exhibits the great benefits of using Biochar in agricultural practices to the environment while promoting the Philippine Biochar Association’s work with local farmers and government units. The Biochar Road show will be setting up their works inside the top universities of the Philippines to raise awareness and spark interest among student bodies of Ateneo de Manila University, De LaSalle University, University of Santo Tomas, and University of the Philippines Diliman. The Biochar Road show will run from November 2012 to February 2013. Although the idea of environmental awareness has been around for a long time, The Biochar Road show that will be held within the universities is different in way that rather than talking about the problem of carbon emissions and greenhouse gasses, it talks about a solution. It does not promote how much carbon that has really been resealed. Other environmental campaigns have been doing for years now and it would be hard to believe that these smart young students barely even know about it. The road show takes into account how students already know the problem, but are not aware about innovative solutions on how to act on environmental concerns. It presents Biochar as a new fresh innovation that will greatly help cut down carbon emissions while being able to help their fellow Filipinos with agricultural lifestyles. The Philippines is naturally an agricultural country, making it easier for university students of the Philippines to see the great deal of change they would be able to make by supporting Biochar and the Philippines Biochar Association efforts. These students will one day be the future of the country, and even just a hand full of them can make a great impact on the country’s environmental future."
Laurinette
Philippines Biochar Association

Exciting new research from Lao PDR - benefits of biochar as animal feed

Biochar reduces enteric methane and improves growth and feed conversion in local “Yellow” cattle fed cassava root chips and fresh cassava foliage (http://www.lrrd.org/public-lrrd/proofs/lrrd2411/leng24199.htm)

Abstract 

Twelve local “Yellow” cattle with initial live weight ranging from 80 to 100 kg were assigned in a completely randomized block design to a 2*2 factorial arrangement of four treatments with three replications. The factors were: biochar at 0.6% of diet DM or none; and potassium nitrate at 6% of diet DM or urea at 1.83% of diet DM. The basal diet was cassava root chips fed ad libitum and fresh cassava foliage at 1% of LW (DM basis). Sodium sulphate and sodium chloride were added to the diet at the rate of 0.4% and 0.5% in the DM. The trial lasted 98 days following a 21 day adaptation to the diets.

Live weight gain was increased 25% by adding biochar to the diet DM and tended to be decreased when nitrate replaced urea as the source of NPN. DM feed conversion was improved by biochar and by urea replacing nitrate. DM feed intake was not affected by supplementation with biochar nor by the NPN source. Both biochar and nitrate reduced methane production by 22 and 29%, respectively, the effects being additive (41% reduction) for the combination of biochar and nitrate. 

R A Leng*, T R Preston** and Sangkhom Inthapanya

Faculty of Agriculture and Forest Resources, Souphanouvong University,
Luang Prabang, Lao PDR
inthapanyasangkhom@yahoo.com
*University of New England, Armidale NSW, Australia
**Finca Ecologica TOSOLY, AA48 Socorro, Colombia

UniKL - MPOB biochar trials update

The following report has been provided by Dr Robert Bachmann from UniKL on their biochar collaboration work with MPOB...

PKS biochar from BEK

"The Biochar Experimenter Kit (BEK) at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) has now received a shelter place with concrete flooring and flue gas extraction system (Figure 1). Mr Kong Sieng-Huat, master student at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), has established that the BEK is able to give 30 % yield of palm kernel shell (PKS) biochar from the current controlled conditions in batch production (retort mode). The biochar is then subjected to a series of physico-chemical characterizations to determine the most suitable biochar to be used in the designed field trial study (see below). A mini workshop was also conducted recently from 17-19 October 2012 to give local participants a better understanding on the operation of the BEK. "

BEK protected from elements in its new shelter

Rainshelter with automatic irrigation system

 with drips for 200 plants

"In March 2012, construction of a plant nursery facility began at Universiti Kuala Lumpur (MICET), Melaka, funded by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) (Figure 2). The purpose of this facility is to study the effect of biochar produced from oil palm plantation waste such as PKS, oil palm trunk, empty fruit bunch (EFB) and fronds on the growth of oil palm seedlings. Parameters such as cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil pH and water holding capacity, biomass yield, and chlorophyll content of palm oil leafs are investigated. The nursery has a capacity for 200 plants with an automatic irrigation system. The project is conducted by postgraduate (Arasu Uttran) and final year undergraduate students (Farain Zainal and Subki Awang) from the Environmental Engineering Technology Section supervised by Dr Robert Thomas Bachmann (UniKL MICET and Dr Loh Soh Kheang (MPOB). "


Reported by:
Sieng-Huat Kong (free2rhyme0628(at)hotmail.com) &
Arasu Uttran (arasu_biotech(at)yahoo.co.uk)

For further enquiries kindly contact:
Dr Loh Soh Kheang (MPOB): lohsk(at)mpob.gov.my
Dr Robert Thomas Bachmann (UniKL): bachmann(at)micet.unikl.edu.my

Bamboo, Pyrolysis, Bio-Char, ...

"www.co2drawdownsolutions.com Charlotte O'Brien, Director of Bio Bamboo and CO2 Drawdown Solutions, explains how to significantly draw down Carbon from the atmosphere and sequester it as a Bio-Char soil conditioner using Bamboo to fuel Pyrolysis. Adding the Bio-Char to depleted soil fosters the spread of Mycorrhizal fungus in the soil, which in turn creates Glomalin (which sequesters even more Carbon). The enriched soil then produces more biomass which can be processed into more biochar...the result is an exponential carbon draw down!
The process also generates a bevy of marketable bi-products."

Tapping oil palm biomass

It seems I've managed to get some main-stream press coverage here for biochar...

"A recent conference looks at ways to tap oil palm biomass.
At a recent conference on oil palm biomass, one of the presenters brought up the story of the mythical Lost City of El Dorado in the Amazon, reputedly a place with untold gold riches. Many treasure hunters had tried to locate it, but unsuccessfully. They found something else though – naturally occurring biochar.
Biochar is the resulting material when biomass (biological material derived from agricultural or forest produce) undergoes carbonisation under high temperatures. The same substance can be churned out from oil palm residues – along with a whole lot of other products. And so participants at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board’s (MPOB) International Oil Palm Biomass Conference on Sept 20 and 21 were rightly informed that oil palm biomass is a veritable goldmine. In fact, it might well be the El Dorado of Malaysia."
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2012/10/16/lifefocus/12094743&sec=lifefocus

You can contact me for a copy of my presentation, if of interest.

2012 USA Biochar Conference - videos

The organisers at Sonoma have done a great job, presenting the proceedings from this conference...
http://www.biochar-international.org/node/3635
http://www.2012.biochar.us.com/conference-videos

The Wilberforce Award (& Prosperity without Growth)

At the risk of getting a little off track, maybe this program by Dick Smith can attract some young biochar entrepreneurs ... (http://dicksmithpopulation.com/wilberforce-award/)
"It has become obvious to me that my generation has over exploited our wonderful world – and it’s younger people who will pay the price. Like many people my age, I’ve benefited from a long period of constant economic and population growth – we are addicted to it. But sooner or later this consumption growth will have an end. We appear to be already bumping against the limits of what our planet can sustain and the evidence is everywhere to see.
Right now I believe we could be sleepwalking to catastrophe because we are failing to both acknowledge that there are limits to growth in a finite world and to prepare for a more sustainable way of organising our economy. In the 19th Century, empires were built on the labour of slaves, and it was believed economies would collapse if slavery was abolished. But brave people like William Wilberforce fought to end the slave trade – and economies still flourished. We need brave people like Wilberforce today, and I want to encourage a new generation of clear-thinking and inspiring young leaders."
Linked to the webpage above, is recording of a lecture by Professor Tim Jackson entitled, “Prosperity without Growth”. This touches on carbon negative aspirations without specific mention of biochar. 
http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2010/07/bia_20100704_1705.mp3

Dilmah biochar trials in Sri Lanka

More news from Sri Lanka on the potential benefits of biochar for the tea industry...




This follows on from previous posts linked here...
http://sea-biochar.blogspot.com/2012/06/biochar-can-it-put-tea-industry-back-in.html

TESS to lead $1 million compost-biochar CFI project

This work in tropical Queensland may have future application and interest in SEA...

"TESS researcher Michael Bird will lead a consortium that will field trial compost, biochar and compost-biochar (COMBI) mixes on nine farms in North Queensland. The project is funded by the Federal Governments DAFF Carbon Farmin INitiative - Filling the Research Gap program.

Compost and biochar are used separately for improving soil condition and sequestering carbon, and have been shown to be of particular benefit in tropical agricultural soils. This project will mix biochar with organic waste prior to composting (COMBI-mix) to synergistically enhance the acknowledged benefits of both materials. We will (i) trial business as usual, compost alone, biochar alone, COMBI-mix and compost mixed with biochar at nine field sites across North Queensland, (ii) determine the impact of each on carbon sequestration, GHG fluxes and crop performance (iii) provide inputs to better model soil carbon in agricultural systems and (iv) model costs/benefits at the farm/regional/industry scale.

Funding body: DAFF - Carbon Farming Futures - Filling the Research Gap Programme"

Professor Michael Bird FRSE
Federation Fellow

Director, Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
James Cook University
PO Box 6811 Cairns
Queensland, 4870, Australia
Phone:  +61-7-4042-1137
Fax: +61-7-4042-1284
email: michael.bird@jcu.edu.au
location: building A2 room 219

https://plone.jcu.edu.au/researchatjcu/research/tess/

   

August edition of the IBI newsletter

 A huge amount of news in the August IBI newsletter with links to output from the 2012 conference.
Only one reference to our region Co/ again, to activities in the Philippines.
I know there is a lot of regional activity... how about some interim reports & updates?

Research interest in biochar continues at an exponential pace... there are now 871 listings in the IBI biblio.
http://www.biochar-international.org/newsletter