[Stoves] Char vs. fertilizer

nari phaltan nariphaltan at gmail.com
Wed Nov 2 20:49:12 CDT 2011


*Thanks Kevin. Very nicely put. Comparative studies can be done on various
crops but I have a feeling that it will take a very long time to show the
differences. That is why I asked this question whether any data exists.*
*
*
*Thanks and warm regards.*
*
*
*Anil
*
On Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 11:12 PM, Kevin <kchisholm at ca.inter.net> wrote:

> **
> Dear Ron
>
> Anil raises a very important question that should not be dismissed with a
> mere belief. I suggest that you are doing Biochar a great disservice by
> persisting on "beating the Climate Change Drum", while disregarding the
> circumstances where biochar additions to the soil will actually benefit the
> Farmer and Grower. Biochar usage will escalate dramatically in
> circumstances where biochar can be clearly and palpably demonstrated as
> being cost effective to the Farmer and Grower. In my opinion, Biochar usage
> will virtually collapse, if its use depends on the Carbon Credit Payment
> incentives actually received by the Farmer or Grower.
>
> The general state of the World Economies, and the complexity of system
> administration is such that it is extremely unlikely that Carbon Credit
> Payments will actually reach the Farmer or Grower to a degree that such
> payments will encourage the use of biochar.
>
> Furthermore, I feel it is irresponsible to promote increased usage of
> Biochar in Agriculture, without knowing the circumstances where biochar additions
> will actually be of benefit to the Farmer and Grower. Some of the Farmers
> that people like Anil, Dr. Reddy, Dr. Karve, and Peter Ongele wish to help
> are literally one crop away from starvation; a "disappointing yield" or a
> crop failure can literally have lethal consequences. Sadly, all too many
> "Biochar Promoters" infer that "Biochar = Terra Preta". Evidence I have
> from personal tests, confirmed by others, shows that "Biochar Only", in a
> disadvantaged soil will DECREASE plant growth. However, others have indeed
> shown that under certain circumstances, biochar appears to be beneficial to
> the Farmer or Grower, PROVIDING that other soil amendments needed by the
> soil are added at the same time. Such "other soil amendments" or additives
> could include:
> * Organic matter
> * Manure
> * Fertilizer
> * Compost
> * Urine
> * Microbes
> * Sugar
> * Silt and Clay
> * Etc
>
> Biochar alone is NOT a panacea for the Farmer or Grower. While it can
> be PART of a solution in some cases, it can only result in an improvement
> if it brings something to the soil, that the soil lacks. For example, there
> is no point in adding charcoal to a soil that is deficient in organic
> matter, in that charcoal is NOT organic matter... it is "mineralized
> carbon"  that originated from biomass, and it cannot feed the soil
> life-forms necessary for plant growth.
>
> In my opinion, Anil's question is extremely relevant, and it deserves to
> be answered in a responsible manner... with evidence from competently
> structured and implemented tests, rather than being dismissed with an
> unsupported belief. Using a soil that is otherwise "good", with the single
> exception that it is deficient in organic matter, the tests should be
> structured to determine if the Farmer or Grower gets superior growth
> results under the following test conditions:
> A: A given amount of organic matter is added to the soil per square meter.
> or
> B: The SAME amount of organic matter per square meter is charred to
> produce biochar, and the resulting biochar is added to the test plot.
>
> Note that this simple test will only prove the difference between organic
> matter and biochar... it does not answer the question posed by Anil. Given
> that an "Organic Fertilizer" is "Organic matter plus a "package of
> additives"", the above simple test could be expanded in a manner where
> identical "additive packages" were added to the test plots in the "A Plots"
> (organic matter) and "B Plots" (biochar from the same amount of organic
> matter).
>
> Kevin
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> *From:* Ron Larson <rongretlarson at comcast.net>
> *To:* Discussion of biomass cooking stoves<stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>
> *Cc:* Discussion of biomass cooking stoves<stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, November 02, 2011 7:21 AM
> *Subject:* Re: [Stoves] Char vs. fertilizer
>
> Anil (cc list)
>
>
>   I believe Biochar will do the better job of removing excess atmospheric
> CO2 and of improving soil productivity over the long term.
>
> Ron
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Nov 2, 2011, at 2:38 AM, nari phaltan <nariphaltan at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>  *Dear Stovers,*
> *
> *
> *What will be a better strategy for agricultural residues: to produce
> char or organic fertilizer?*
> *
> *
> *Is there any quantitative studies done for both value production and
> reducing environmental considerations?*
> *
> *
> *Both char and organic fertilizer will go towards enriching the soil.*
> *
> *
> *Cheers.*
> *
> *
> *Anil
> *
>
> --
> Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI)
> Tambmal, Phaltan-Lonand Road
> P.O.Box 44
> Phaltan-415523, Maharashtra, India
> Ph:91-2166-222396/220945
> e-mail:nariphaltan at gmail.com
>           <anilrajvanshi at gmail.com>anilrajvanshi at gmail.com
>
> <http://www.nariphaltan.org>http://www.nariphaltan.org
>
>
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-- 
Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI)
Tambmal, Phaltan-Lonand Road
P.O.Box 44
Phaltan-415523, Maharashtra, India
Ph:91-2166-222396/220945
e-mail:nariphaltan at gmail.com
          anilrajvanshi at gmail.com

http://www.nariphaltan.org
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