Kein Folientitel

1
Slash and Char As Alternative to Slash and Burn
2
Project ? Background ? Methods ? first Results ?
future work
Studies on the Human Impact on Forests and
Floodplains in the Tropics
BMBF No. 0339641 5A CNPq 690003/98-6
Prof. Wolfgang Zech Institute of soil science and
soil geography, University of Bayreuth
Wenceslau G. Teixeira EMBRAPA CPAA Manaus
Soil charcoal amendments maintain soil fertility
and create a carbon sink
Minor Advisor Johannes Lehmann Cornell
University, USA
3
Project ? Background ? Methods ? First Results ?
Future Work
Terra Preta Occurrence

• patchy
• 0,1 - 350 ha
• mean 20 ha
• Terra Firme
• Bolivia
• Peru
• South Africa

4
Project ? Background ? Methods ? First Results ?
Future Work
Terra Preta caracterisics
Anthropogenetic features Ceramics
Charcoal (2000 a)
Mineralogy Similar texture Mineral
Kaolinite Fe- Al-Oxides
Fertility Big, humic Ah-Horizon,
stable aromatic compounds Higher
OC, N and P-content Higher
pH-value Higher CEC
Ferralsol
Terra Preta
5
Project ? Background ? Methods ? First Results ?
Future Work
pyrogenic carbon

• Pyrogenic carbon is the key factor for SOM
  stability (GLASER).
• Surface oxidation of pyrogenic C creates cation
  exchange sites (GLASER)
• Pyrogenic C decreased NH4 leaching significantly
  in a pot experiment (LEHMANN)
• Farmers use charcoal to improve the soils
  properties

6
Project ? Background ? Methods ? First Results ?
Future Work
Specific Aims, Hypotheses

• Aims
• Reduce nutrient loss through burning and
  leaching
• Develop a sustainable agricultural practice for
  the tropics
• Reduce CO2 emissions in agriculture
• Hypotheses
• Organic ferilizer improves soil quality in the
  long term in comparison to mineral fertilizer
• Charcoal increases the nutrient-use efficiency
  of crops
• Charcoal soil amendments increase CEC longer
  than other OM amendments

7
Project ? Background ? Methods ? First Results ?
Future Work
8
Experimental Setup
Project ? Background ? Methods ? First Results ?
Future Work

• Randomized multi-plot design with 5 repetitions
  and 15 treatments
• Experimental area 40 x 40 m
• Plot-size 2 x 2 m
• Litter and roots removed
• Distance between the plots 1m and to capoeira 6m
  (minimum)

9
Treatments
Project ? Background ? Methods ? First Results ?
Future Work
1 Control 2 Litter 3 Burned litter 4 Mineral
fertilizer (min. fertilizer) 5 Chicken
manure 6 Compost (OS) 25 7 Charcoal powder
25 8 OS 25 min. fertilizer 9 Charcoal powder
25 min. fertilizer 10 Charcoal powder 12,5
OS 12,5 11 Charcoal powder 12,5 OS 12,5
min. fertilizer 12 Charcoal powder 25 OS
12,5 13 Charcoal powder 25 OS 12,5 min.
fertilizer 1415 Charcoal pieces 25 OS 12,5
10
Experimental Setup
Project ? Background ? Methods ? First Results ?
Future Work

• Amount of applied organic matter (OM) C is
  approximately the charcoal yield of a 12 year old
  capoeira (UhlJordan 1984, Sanford 1985,
  Buschbacher 1988, Hölscher 1995)
• 25 increase of Corg in 0-10 cm
• Increased the soil C content about 0.75
• Applied amounts Charcoal 11 t / ha
• Mineral fertilizer N (30), P (35), K (50), lime
  (2100 kg/ha)

11
Samples
Project ? Background ? Methods ? First Results ?
Future Work

• Plant Samples Biomass and yield in repeated
  cropping seasons
• Analyzed for macronutrients

• Soil Samples Macronutrients, pH, CEC, BS

• Soil Solution Macronutrients, pH

12
Project ? Background ? Methods ? First Results ?
Future Work
Microbial Activity
IRGA Infra Red Gas Analyzer Anderson Domsch
(1978) Calculated microbial biomass from basal
respiration and substrate-induced respiration
13
Project ? Background ? Methods ? First Results ?
Future Work
Microbiology Activity (Biomass)
1 control 2 litter 3 burned litter 4 NPK 5 chicke
n manure 6 OM 25 7 charcoal 25 8 OM 25
NPK 9 charcoal 25 NPK 10 OM 12,5 charcoal
12,5 11 OM 12,5 charcoal 12,5 NPK 12 OM
12,5 charcoal 25 13 OM 12,5 charcoal 25
NPK
14
Project ? Background ? Methods ? first Results ?
future work
Sorghum plant size after 55 days
1 control 2 litter 3 burned litter 4 NPK 5 chicke
n manure 6 OM 25 7 charcoal 25 8 OM 25
NPK 9 charcoal 25 NPK 10 OM 12,5 charcoal
12,5 11 OM 12,5 charcoal 12,5 NPK 12 OM
12,5 charcoal 25 13 OM 12,5 charcoal 25
NPK 1415 charcoal pieces OS
15
Project ? Background ? Methods ? first Results ?
future work
Sorghum photos
16
Project ? Background ? Methods ? First Results ?
Future Work
Sorghum Plant size after 55 days In Pictures
NPK charcoal NPK without charcoal
17
Project ? Background ? Methods ? First Results ?
Future Work
Charcoal effect (plots 4 and 9)
366
267
881
18
Project ? Background ? Methods ? first Results ?
future work
Practice

• Not practicable
• Production of charcoal dust
• to bury it

• Practicable
• Use of charcoal production residues (dust and
  unmarketable pieces)
• Production of charcoal
• To sell the charcoal
• Buying organic fertilizer e.g. chicken manure
• To bury unmarketable pieces
• Increase dust content by charring other organic
  materials than wood

19
Project ? Background ? Methods ? first Results ?
future work
Practice Outlook

• Reduced leaching
• Long term improved soil properties
• A further step towards sustainability
• Cabon sink
• Transfer carbon into stable pools
• Incentive for longer fallow periods

20
(No Transcript)