Biochar and maize study in Nepal

Biochar improves maize growth by alleviation of nutrient stress in a moderately acidic low-input Nepalese soil

• Naba Raj Pandit^{a, b, c},
• Jan Mulder^b,
• Sarah Elizabeth Hale^a,
• Vegard Martinsen^b,
• Hans Peter Schmidt^d,
• Gerard Cornelissen^{a, b, ,}

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.022

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Under a Creative Commons license

  Open Access

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Highlights

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Soil limitations (moisture, nutrients, acidity) were manipulated one by one to find out why biochar improved crop growth.

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Biochar addition increased soil pH, plant available P, K and soil moisture retention in this weathered Nepalese soil.

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The biochar effect on plant growth was mainly due to alleviation of nutrient stress.

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Abstract

We studied the role of biochar in improving soil fertility for maize production. The effects of biochar on the alleviation of three potential physical-chemical soil limitations for maize growth were investigated, i.e. water stress, nutrient stress and acid stress. Experiments involved soils with two dosages of biochar (0.5% and 2% w:w), as well as ones without biochar, in combination with four different dosages of NPK fertilizer, water and lime. Biochar was produced from the invasive shrubby weed Eupatorium adenophorum using flame curtain kilns. This is the first study to alleviate one by one the water stress, nutrient stress and acid stress in order to investigate the mechanisms of biochar effects on soil fertility.

Biochar addition increased soil moisture, potassium (K) and plant available phosphorous (P-AL), which all showed significant positive relationship (p < 0.001) with above ground biomass of maize. However, biochar was much more effective at abundant soil watering (+ 311% biomass) than at water-starved conditions (+ 67% biomass), indicating that biochar did increase soil moisture, but that this was not the main reason for the positive biomass growth effects. Biochar addition did have a stronger effect under nutrient-stressed conditions (+ 363%) than under abundant nutrient application (+ 132%). Biochar amendment increased soil pH, but liming and pH had no effect on maize dry biomass, so acidity stress alleviation was not the mechanism of biochar effects on soil fertility.

In conclusion, the alleviation of nutrient stress was the probably the main factor contributing to the increased maize biomass production upon biochar addition to this moderately acidic Inceptisol.

B4SS report from Indonesia

Training farmers to produce biochar in Indonesia (July 2017) - Biochar for Sustainable Soils

Ruy Anaya de la Rosa (B4SS), Gerard Cornelissen (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, NGI), Erlend Sørmo (NGI), and Ludovica Silvani (NGI) conducted training workshops in biochar production in the two B4SS project areas in Indonesia in July 2017.

The amazing news from Nepal keeps coming...

More stunning stuff from Hans-Peter and the team working in Nepal...
"We recently published a new paper about using field made biochar as nutrient carrier achieving average yield increases of 100% with concentrated root zone application of only 1 t biochar per ha. Demonstrating the new method in 21 field trials with 13 different crops seems quite consistent and we hope to trigger new experiments and farmer adaptations  in what might become a breakthrough in agronomic biochar use. I attach the paper wishing you an inspiring read, 

Yours, Hans-Peter"

BIOCHAR-BASED FERTILIZATION WITH LIQUID NUTRIENT ENRICHMENT: 21 FIELD TRIALS COVERING 13 CROP SPECIES IN NEPAL

Hans-Peter Schmidt 1 * , Bishnu Hari Pandit 2 , Gerard Cornelissen 3,4, Claudia I. Kammann 5
1 Ithaka Institute for Carbon Strategies, Rue de l’Ancienne Eglise 9, CH-1974 Arbaz, Switzerland 
2 Ithaka Institute for Climate Farming (IICF), Ratanpur, 33900 Tanahu, Nepal 
3 Institute for Environmental Sciences (IMV), University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Akershus, As 1432, Norway 
4 Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), 0806 Oslo, Norway 
5 WG Climate Change Research for Special Crops, Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Hochschule Geisenheim University, Von-Lade-Str. 1, Geisenheim D-65366, Germany 
Received 27 January 2017; Revised 15 May 2017; Accepted 29 June 2017 

ABSTRACT 

"Biochar produced in cost-efficient flame curtain kilns (Kon-Tiki) was nutrient enriched either with cow urine or with dissolved mineral (NPK) fertilizer to produce biochar-based fertilizers containing between 60–100 kg N, 5–60 kg P2O5 and 60–100 kg K2O, respectively, per ton of biochar. In 21 field trials, nutrient-enriched biochars were applied at rates of 0·5–2 t ha 1 into the root zone of 13 different crops. Treatments combining biochar, compost and organic or chemical fertilizer were evaluated; control treatments contained same amounts of nutrients but without biochar. All nutrient-enriched biochar substrates improved yields compared with their respective nobiochar controls. Biochar enriched with dissolved NPK produced on average 20% ± 5·1% (N = 4 trials) higher yields than standard NPK fertilization without biochar. Cow urine-enriched biochar blended with compost resulted on average in 123% ± 76·7% (N = 13 trials) higher yields compared with the organic farmer practice with cow urine-blended compost and outcompeted NPK-enriched biochar (same nutrient dose) by 103% ± 12·4% (N = 4 trials) respectively. Thus, the results of 21 field trials robustly revealed that low-dosage root zone application of organic biochar-based fertilizers caused substantial yield increases in rather fertile silt loam soils compared with traditional organic fertilization and to mineral NPK or NPK-biochar fertilization. This can be explained by the nutrient carrier effect of biochar, causing a slow nutrient release behaviour, more balanced nutrient fluxes and reduced nutrient losses, especially when liquid organic nutrients are used for the biochar enrichment. The results open up new pathways for optimizing organic farming and improving on-farm nutrient cycling."

Low-tech Flame Carbonizers for Biochar Production - webinar

Utah State University, Forestry Extension: Learn at Lunch Webinar

Low-tech Flame Carbonizers for Biochar Production: Theory and Applications Kelpie Wilson, Wilson Biochar Associates Date: Tuesday, July 25 Time: 12 pm (MDT) Biochar is made by applying heat to biomass in the absence of oxygen. Flame carbonization uses the flame itself to exclude oxygen. Flame carbonization methods can produce high quality biochar from low value biomass waste found in fields and forests without investing in expensive equipment. Kelpie Wilson will explain the theory and design principles for using flame carbonizing techniques in various applications such as forestry, farming and urban tree care. This webinar is good (only if viewed live) for 1 CEU from: Society of American Foresters OR International Society of Arboriculture.

Kelpie Wilson is a mechanical engineer and analyst with 30 years of experience in renewable energy, sustainable forestry and resource conservation. Since 2008, she has focused on biochar as a tool to move excess carbon from the atmosphere to soil, where it can improve soil health and sequester carbon. She consults with farmers, private industry, and government agencies through her company Wilson Biochar Associates. She serves on the board of the US Biochar Initiative, works with several local groups in Oregon promoting sustainable forestry and agriculture, and presents many classes and workshops on small scale biochar production and use every year.

Award for Hans-Peter Schmidt's work in Nepal

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Biochar project wins best International Development Project

21.04.2017

An NDF project testing biochar’s potential as fertiliser in Nepal was commended in April 2017 with an award for best International Development Project.

The award was given to Landell Mills for best International Development Project by British Expertise International. Landell Mills is a UK-based international development consulting firm. The project was an Asian Development Bank-administered and NDF-funded project in Nepal titled Mainstreaming Climate Change Risk Management in Development. Landell Mills was the technical assistance service provider.
The project assessed the viability for scale-up of biochar use as a strategy for addressing climate mitigation and adaptation by improving soil health, fertility and plant productivity, and resulting farm income. Biochar is charcoal fertiliser made from various kinds of waste biomass. It represents an inexpensive way to increase crop yields and holds significant environmental benefits including reduced loss of nutrients and greenhouse gas emissions.
The project was highly successful as it provided evidence from numerous field trials that urine-enriched biochar can, in three different climate zones, improve crop yields in a climate-friendly manner. Some trials showed yield increases of up to 300%.
The most appropriate technology for biochar production at the farm level in Nepal is the soil pit Kon-Tiki flame curtain kiln. Benefits include high-quality biochar production, low emissions, no need for start-up fuel, short pyrolysis time and, importantly, easy and cheap construction and operation, with no initial capital investment except labour. The technology is thus affordable for small-scale farmers in Nepal. The project showed strong scaling-up potential and included numerous lessons learnt that are valuable for all future biochar projects.
NDF congratulates Landell Mills as well as everyone involved in realising the project.

Kon-Tiki & biochar production in Philippines

Kontiki biochar production in Vietnam

My thanks to Prof. Stephen Joseph for the following...

Producing biochar in kontiki in monsoon season lr2 from Trevor Richards

Agro-Reforestation with Biochar

More great work in Nepal from Hans-Peter and the Ithaka Institue...

http://www.ithaka-institut.org/en/ct/121-Agro-Reforestation-with-Biochar