<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Dear Prof. Philip Lloyd,<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The improvements biochar makes to a soil is best seen in lab results. It reports changes in texture, water movement and availability (along with soluble nutrients), nutrient holding etc. etc. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Because biochar is not needed by plants you will only see a change in plants if the changes in soil texture and/or nutrient availability are made limiting. If not made limiting there will be no difference so it could take many years before the conditions are right for seeing a biochar difference. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">If a lab tests shows biochar holds nitrogen longer in the root zone compared to non-biochar soil then at some point when nitrogen is depleted in the non-biochar soil you will see a difference. Naturally it could take years before the condition is meet but in research the limiting condition can be forced. Poorly designed biochar test plots show good results, bad results and no difference. Results mean little.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Regards</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Frank</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Frank Shields</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div id="ygrp-mlmsg" class="" style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: relative;"><div id="ygrp-msg" class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; z-index: 1;"><div id="ygrp-text" class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-family: Georgia;"><p class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"></p><div class="moz-cite-prefix" style="line-height: 1.22em;"><br class="" style="line-height: 1.22em;"></div><blockquote cite="mid:03c501d12837$294a69f0$7bdf3dd0$@co.za" type="cite" class="" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 4px; line-height: 1.22em;"><div class="WordSection1" style="line-height: 1.22em;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Dear All<o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"> </o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">I am seeking solid scientific information on the benefits of adding biochar to soil. I need, at very least, the results of controlled experiments on significant sized plots of yields over several years for at least one crop, with one plot untreated and the other treated, and preferably with three crops and several soil types. I was certain some agronomist somewhere had done such tests, but I have been unable to locate them – all I can find is uncontrolled tests on very small areas, and of very short duration with uncharacterized soils.<o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"> </o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Help needed!<o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"> </o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Prof Philip Lloyd</span><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Energy Institute</span><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Cape Peninsula University of Technology</span><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span lang="EN-ZA" class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">PO Box 1906<o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span lang="EN-ZA" class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Bellville 7535<o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span lang="EN-ZA" class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Tel: 021 959 4323<o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span lang="EN-ZA" class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Fax: 086 778 0257<o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span lang="EN-ZA" class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Cell: 083 441 5247<o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span lang="EN-ZA" class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">PA: Nadia 021 959 4330<o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"></o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"> </o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"> </o></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><span class="" style="line-height: 1.22em; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o class="" style="font-size: 0px; line-height: 1.22em;"> </o></span></p></div></blockquote></div></div></div></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></div><br class=""></div></body></html>