Evaluation of Biochar for Agricultural Soil Management in California
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
- Presentation by Dr. Dani Gelardi, a Ph.D Candidate in Soils & Biogeochemistry at U.C. Davis. She has extensive experience with biochar in the lab and in the field, and is looking forward to discussing all your burning biochar questions!
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The benefit of inoculation is unfortunately not addressed in this otherwise excellent research. The closest it comes is at 26:25 where she discusses mixing it with compost, with little result. Later it's discussed that they tried applying dry biochar, which leads me to believe that it would not have been first inoculated, which is a critical step in adding microbial benefits. Without first charging the medium, it will have the opposite effect and pull from the soil.
I have to agree. If not inoculated it's just charcoal.
I also agree, un charged or un inoculated bio char is just raw charcoal, and I can see this having a direct impact on the dust particles in the dust test results, also the nut shells used as a medium for bio char has me scratching my head alittle
Yes and not at all.
Uncultured biochar will culture in the soil but there will be a temporary drop in nutrients but it'll come back after the char has been colonized.
Exactly. Load it up first.
Agreed. Major oversight
It is so awesome seeing the real researchers sharing directly their studies and findings.
It must have been heartbreaking to not see significant crop yield improvements.
Is it just me or was this done with biochar that wasn’t inoculated properly? It sounds like inoculating the biochar was an afterthought and not a priority. I would like to see this study repeated with actually good biochar.
I have been making biochar for about 4 years. The most dramatic results I have observed were in potted plant starts. I use the biochare at a rate of 10% in soil blocks. I do like the soil structure it adds. Dust is a concern, I don't want black lung.
I just got a SARE grant to study the effects of biochar on hemp production!
Amazing! :o
Changing the world, keep at it!
Hi Tony, where will your study be taking place?
@@claytonlynch6288 San Joaquin Valley
Hi Tony,
Can I have your email address to contact you.
I did not hear anything in reference to biochar charging before applying it to the soil.
She said it was soaked 48hs in just water if I remember correctly.
Were each of the biochars inoculated differently? How long were they inoculated for? Was synthetic nutrients and pesticides used to calculate the yields? It's sad that crop yield is the main concern. We need to be studying the difference in nutritional values between food grown with and without inoculated biochar (organicly).
Scientifically there is 0 nutritional difference between a plant that was produced through conventional practices *if said practices were properly used and a plant grown with biological practices sorry to be this guy but science is science. Best case scenario the plant thats been cultivated with biological practices it will have higher levels of antioxidants because said plant was stressed because of the lower available nutrients and pressure from pests and deceases
The use of biochar in aquatic systems is less well studied, but the benefits are enormous for water quality. It's also a good way to use the larger pieces of biochar and has a higher value. So don't crush your biochar, which should also help to reduce the char dust problem.
In what way is it successfully used in water systems? As a filter through a closed/open loop? Can it be used in a pond?
@@Elfunko99x I'm thinking of all sorts of possible uses in aqua systems, ideally with aquatic plants growing in it. It should help to clarify the water in a pond.
From what Ive seen from different videos and people doing tests to measure absorption rates of biochar biochar varies by how its made. If you want a larger piece of biochar or charcoal that's fine, but that's probably going to mean that it was produced at a lower temperature in a barrel or machine or something or in a mound and smoldered. That charcoal is large and good to cook with, but its absorption sucks. It's okay, but making charcoal at higher temperatures in an open burn pit the study or experiment i say proved there was a huge increase in the absorption ability of that charcoal. Better charcoal or that's better at absorption crumbles easier. The dust problem really doesn't matter once its in soil. If you're in farming why wouldn't you want a charcoal that has better absorption rates? Most soil and dirt can be a dust problem. That's why you mulch and compost and give it time to settle. Maybe aquatic systems are way different and you don't need great absorption from your charcoal.
@@felixthefoxMEXICO Go away idiot.
Thank you! I understand the comments from those hoping to hear more positive but this is an extremely important part of the study and evolution of our understanding of Biochar in a much larger context. Thank you for you and your team for all the work you have done and I look forward to all of the specific studies that will utilize your research h for future studies. One of the best presentations I have seen yet.
No wonder it didn’t work. She only used 2% as a ratio of biochar to soil. I suspect the Char wasn’t activated or activated well as there are hundreds of case studies on CZcams showing material improvements.
Incredibly informative. In fact we trying to do the same trial back here in Rwanda. I wonder if my argument would make sense to you the scientists maybe Dr shall respond to it. Back here home we have not been exposed to quite intensive modern agricultural practices and I believe the soils you conducting trials for the last decade have been well looked for. In context to Rwanda, about 50% our soils are highly acidic to add on the hilly and mountainous configurations of the country its self. To date about 15% of the farmers only apply mineral fertilizer and most casually depend on home made fertilizers. To my understanding actually, whatever said here stands substantial to improvement our soils. Anyways my argument is, would it really make sense to have these trials on a less develope soils to those of California. Our soils are terrible! Thank you
Do control burning in the landscape u grow on to get the charcoal natives believe in the Amazon is from generations of family burning fire 🔥 all over banks bye rivers with local trees yard waste it will work in combo with permaculture hope it works out
@@dansaldana3450 In brief, you encouraging us to burn all that we come across on our lands!!!! hhhahhahah
We have terrible soil here in Arizona, it is Desert, no trees, very high PH 8.4, no organic matter, but I have got great results with char, for many reasons, the dirt is dirt, very fine clay it, sticks to your shoes when wet, holds water , no drainage, just runs off.
With the char it is holding water, and improved the fertility, now have earthworms, but have added lots and lot of organics, and the growth is amazing, and water usage is way down
So yes it also is low PH, but that is better remedied by lime.
@@MahlonKyomuhendo well yes. If you look at the state of Iowa in the US, some say it has great black soil because of wildfires over thousands of years. Each fire leaves a little charcoal even from burned grass on plains. Historically speaking there's a lot of evidence in the US of natives in California burning to promote oak trees so there'd be better acorn production. The Dutch when they owned New York City back in the day the witnessed each fall the natives burned the forest. It wasn't thick and dense, but open and taken care of. Today in the western US like 9 billion cubic board feet or something cant remember, or millions of pine trees are dead because of the beetle. Logging isn't environmentally friendly according to environmentalists. It's much better to burn. The issue is when youve stopped fires for a hundred years you'll now have massive fires that get so hot it kills everything. Sure youll have some charcoal, but you have way way more pollution. If you had more frequent fires, the fires are smaller and younger trees have a better chance of surviving.
Hello,
Although your post is already 2 years old I would like to point out that it ‘could’ be interesting for your local situation to take information on the technique of LNC (liquid natural clay) from the Norwegian company DesertControl. They are active in the Middle East as well as the US, Arizona if I am not mistaken.
I hope it can give you some extra information.
What was the charcoal charged with? And for how long?
I think they did not charge it.
@@andrespkpasion I have been making charcoal. Where it is just lying on the ground roots from weeds have grown into the un charged charcoal. Something is drawing the roots to grow into the charcoal.
@@andrespkpasion I wonder who is funding the research?
@@charlescoker7752 good question about the funding. Primarily i think weeds are making use of the water retaining properties. I have a little more experience with it I'm applying it at very small city scale for mulch mix, worm composting, regular composting, leaf mold, potting mix, I've applied it to grass. I've not been scientific about it but at least so far it's given me good results. If I'm applying it raw, i use less, if i charged it somehow or I'm using my finished worm castings with high amount of it i can use way more and has given me very good results for improving my clay soil. I now have a bird problem, they learned to scrub away the mulch and feast on my thriving population of worms.
I am so happy i downloaded this video to watch at 👷. This was incredibly educational and I look forward to trying the website to see what properties there may be in my locally affordable inputs for biochar. And the pm100 information was eye opening, than you! 👍👋
Thanks for keeping it real about the state of research,
I'm absolutely sure native Amazonian took their char to a lab to see its best suited to qualities. The lab report must have been amazing. It's char. Any Carbon baked under heat without oxygen leaving hand crushable pure carbon is char. It works, Any and all. It works for any soil, for any place, for many reasons no lab report or study on its qualities. If its char it works. Open flame cap works just fine for lawn garden , amazing in fact. Enhanced, lactobacillus, fish hydrolysate, compost tead up and charged with this, words can't describe the results. It works. Everywhere you put it, the soil does better in most any and every way. Make, charge it add it to soil. The microbiology just seems to explode awake.
No wonder it didn’t work. She only used 2% as a ratio of biochar to soil. I suspect the Char wasn’t activated or activated well as there are hundreds of case studies on CZcams showing material improvements.
You did not discuss charging biochar to make it an effective soil nutrient. Your mention of "biochar" should be replaced by the word "charcoal". The photos of "biochar" dust is actually charcoal dust. Nobody should apply dry charcoal to the farm soil. One reason to add charcoal to soil is to replace sand if sand is not available to mix with clay so as to improve drainage.
Eventually the charcoal would accumulate water and nutrients and be able to nurture fungi and other soil organisms.
I super appreciate this. More study and research please, I subscribed.
Köszönöm! nagyon hasznos információkat közölt.
Great Presentation. Very Objective Focused....Thank you very much...
So much great information. Thankyou from Stockholm Sweden
Thanks for this talk. I’ve been going through a trip down the char recently and was noticing a huge amount of conclusions with no experimental data.
Thanks again for your work and great results, even if not what you wanted.
No wonder it didn’t work. She only used 2% as a ratio of biochar to soil. I suspect the Char wasn’t activated or activated well as there are hundreds of case studies on CZcams showing material improvements.
This is some proper and helpful information. Thank you.
When are you going to do an update? I hope you have subsequently focused on root zone applications with microbial inoculation. I'd like to hear more about what I think will show the most benefit is the application to sandy soils. Thank you for your research.
Thank you for this deep dive! I am also looking for more information about using biochar as a substrate for compost tea, such as examined in the 2017 study, "Amendment of a hardwood biochar with compost tea: effects on plant growth, insect damage and the functional diversity of soil microbial communities".
Unfortunately it seems that much of the research cited is from agricultural areas where soil was I assume depleted of natural soil microbe diversity which is becoming apparent as a major shortcoming in our agriculture system.
It will be interesting to see how studies over the long term and specifically addressing soil microbiological diversity turn out.
I am interested in results from combining Jadam Organic Farming or Korean Natural Farming techniques with biochar if anyone knows of such trials or information?
brilliant presentation! thank you
coconut coir is a good replacement for peat moss as long as you don't need acidic soil as it's neutral
Dr Dani, I have wondered about applying biochar or a biochar-worm castings mix at planting with a no till drill, sewing the cover crop blend using the standard seed hopper, and either using the native grass box (if equipped) or the fertilizer box to tickle the char into the seed furrow prior to the closing wheels pressing them shut. Of course the char needs to be milled and dry so it will flow, however dust should be non-existent using this method.
Just tossing out an idea, let me know if you try it.
Thank you very much Dr Dani for your informative presentation. I am working in biochar and I am interested to do some research.
No wonder it didn’t work. She only used 2% as a ratio of biochar to soil. I suspect the Char wasn’t activated or activated well as there are hundreds of case studies on CZcams showing material improvements.
By adding biochar, were you able to get similar yields but less nutrient input? So less time needing to apply new fertilizers or nutrient input. So even if yields are similar
Ha! Today I ventured into a California wildfire burn area (east of Placerville) and collected about 25-30 lbs. of "char" to bring home and inoculate into "biochar". This evening, I stumbled onto this (not so positive) video. Yikes.....!!!!! Very interesting/Very informational. This char "should" be clean.......merely USFS pine/fir trees and, after inoculation, I'll only be applying to two 10 x 10 plots in a community garden. I also understand it may take 2-3 yrs. to receive any increase in yield. That's part of the fun of recreational farming.........experimenting with new and yet-untried things.
so the biochar in the studies were not supercharged? what did you expect
You saved me so much time, If it's not mixed with compost first then it's a killer for plants, just ask any landscaping company, they use charcoal to kill things. lol
Where in the vid does she say they did not charge the charcoal? I’m only half way through at this moment… but, yes, if they did not use char that had been seeping in a compost with ‘everything in it’ for at least two or three months, then it was a waste of time, as most scientific research ends up being used to suppress progress … she mentioned 2% by weight … the recommendation is to use 5% min from what I gather, but that’s volume not weight. And no more than 10% volume is needed. Also, if they are irrigating with salty water & fertilizers, the bio char loses effectiveness, essentially. While some lab created synthetic type fertilizers may be ok, if they add sodium or other factors, the benefits of the char are greatly diminished or canceled out. So those should be used minimally and tap water should be allowed to gas off chlorine or vit c powder (& ?) can be added to neutralize the chloramine in tap water. This is ideal for small farms & backyard growers… I can see great challenges for getting large operations to begin utilizing this. However, it appears to be possible, it’s just that there isn’t a magic bullet, adding bio char into large ag soils seems best done little by little over time, focusing on utilizing resources from the facility itself. I think it’s very doable.
I use poly lining in my planting beds to avoid water loss (no drainage). Will biochar accumulate anything bad in such an environment? (Ex salt buildup)
Biochar is best thought of as a permanent compost. Biochar stays forever but compost needs to be added over and over.
1: you mentioned walnut shell biochar. what effect does charring have on walnut toxicity? 2: best practice is to do a few things to the char. 1: use a hardwood. 2: make it pebble sized about 1-2cm. (dust is minimal) 3: don't use pulverized or powered char! too big is also not effective. 4: activate/inoculate it with organic fertilizer or nutrient tea AND Mycorrhizal Fungi. (dry char will leach nutes FROM the soil if it's bare/dry. and 5: apply damp! no dust and less damage in transit and dispersal.
Yeild impact is an economic capture sure. But what about flavor impact yield health impact from possible improved cations in the soil? TBD I am sure, but thinking about it from a gardeners aspect when competing on those aspects against others.
Thank You ... as a Chemist and a Hobby Farmer I was very skeptical about this product. I know that there is a lot of guruism around many of these permaculture techniques and they really lead people down the wrong path. However its always good to examine any claim like this and not just dismiss it without testing. Honestly i think it really comes down to clueless people seeing dark soil and believing its better and not understanding what they're seeing.
Enjoyed the presentation!
Do you know how the particle size of the biochar effects outcome?
Just curious, she covered a lot of bases!
@@felixthefoxMEXICO
Thank you will do that!!
Always looking for supporting data!
32:45 Aren't harmful chemical compound breaks down completely under high temperature such as fire when making the char?
I have a home garden in TN with very heavy clay and I'm trying bio char to help with soil compaction. I am also wondering if UCCE is doing any field test outsde of CA.
I have the same problem in NY. Soil health is a solution to compaction. Use permanent paths; mine are like concrete but my beds are full of worm holes. I've put compost in them for 40 years but it degrades in a few years. I'm hoping biochar will hold the nutrients better, plus supercharge the fungus.
thank you :)
Thanks you for sharing. Just some comments, hope u will not mind. I think there was no mentioned on how the biochar was done n how it was activated. How much time was used to activate your biochar? There are really a lot of parameters to consider, right. Anyway, just starting to do my own study . Thanks again
Exactly. Without telling us how/if the substance was charged/inoculated the information presented was completely useless. Was it inoculated at all? If not, it is charcoal and NOT biochar.
Biochar infused/inoculated with bio-complete compost extract.
Have she (Dani & team) tried this?
Because not all compost is the same.
What did the people who produced terra preta use for biomass and at what temp did they produce it?
How will that process work in temperate climates?
I can't imagine who thought walnut husks and 900c would produce a usable product. But you can bet terra preta wasn't made using that process.
I wonder if they are activating the bio-char by shocking it while still hot with water? Also it is recommended to charge it with nutrients before applying it to the ground. If you do not pre-charge it it can leach nutrients out of the environment.
In terms of economic viability, the cost can be negated by large scale production, which could include generating electricity.
Also, I'm interested more in using livestock waste (like cow manure) as feed stock.
Any comment of pottery shards in the soil? And possible inoculation of fermented human waste into that pottery that also transfered to the charcoal?
The best explanation for the pottery shards I’ve come across is that it was discarded night soil containers that broke easily since they were of lower quality than pottery put to other uses. A broken pot having contained human waste would be discarded as compost.
@@gabrielglouw3589 yes, that's some of what I've heard as well. What I was surmising, was the fact that the human waste and porous pottery could be a deciding factor in soil health building. Possibly by accident at first, then over time, learning that crops grow much better in that post waste medium. Ultimately leading to this being the main growing medium and allowing larger populations to settle an area.
This is really great, and the studies confirm beliefs about movement of water in some soils treated with biochar.
Was there any indication that biochar might host soil microbes that could explain differences in crop development and/or nitrogen fixation?
It is good to see some quality field research. This is actually useful progress.
I just wish scientists would lay off the whole "CO2 is a greenhouse gas" BS. Anyone who can read a spectral absorption graph knows better (which I suspect you all can and do). The planet needs more CO2, not less. We will be fine up to 4000 ppm.
I believe the the Indians that originally made Bio-Char made it with human wast, animal wast, and charcoal.
Yep… they probably covered their humanure & whatever food waste and old Clay pottery shards with charcoal… then dumped that into their farm plots
Those percentages at 6:00 into the video, is that by weight? And why don't they add up to 100%?
the missing percentages is probably due to waste and loss they are burning stuff so even in the gasifier they are going to lose some product
WOULD LIKE TO APPLY BIOCHAR INTO OUR FARM AFTER THE ACACIA TREE CUTTING TO MAKE WAY FOR RAMBUTHAN SAPLONGS
Is activated carbon from a distillery's filtration system useable as biochar?
Yes. It should just be biochar from wood. The only concern is some very small chance its made from petroleum pitch. This should still be just bio char, since all of the volatiles are extracted but, if its petroleum pitch, youre playing in the unknown area using it as biochar. It should just be clean biochar if its used in the human consumption area.
Being used as filtration means it will likely be loaded with things you may not want in the soil. Likewise charcoal from aquarium filters will be rich in nitrates from the fish but depending on the water source it may contain heavy metals.
@@gantz4u The best activated charcoal for alcohol filtration is from coconut shells.
@@padredemishijos12 Good to know. Makes sense since the structure of the charcoal product would aid in filtration.
I'm interested in using biochar of some sort mainly to help break up my heavy clay soil.
The weight of soil isn't talked about much, but biochar can certainly reduce the weight of and improve the ease of working the soil, which saves energy. Using energy to save energy is an amazing idea.
@@Flumstead well I'm not looking to haul it around lol. By "heavy soil" I mean I just need to make it not so "clumpy." I'm not really interested in tilling, at least not more than once. It's just another pissing away of expensive energy to keep tearing up your soil every year, or in some cases several times a year.
I want to use it for the same reason, plus all the other benefits of yield increase.
@@lovehorses2669 it's a multi-benefit sort of thing indeed.
Me too. The soil in CA is vastly different from my swamp in Upstate NY. I asked Cornell but got not much of a definitive response. Excess water is my big concern.
Tilling increases soil erosion and therefore it's obvious that biochar would also end up above ground and contribute to dust in the air. If you don't till, guess what, biochar will stay in the soil.
It may take 10 to 15 years to see the biochar work. Remember the Amazon soil is thousands of years old.
Two percent, you can't even see.
Some states allow the burning of their fields every year.
Low level amounts of charcoal are deposited on the soil. And that builds up over time.
Best to have soil analyzed before augmenting it.
Actually the burning leaves ash, not charcoal, that why it done in a pit, or O2 absent heat, just like lump charcoal, burn it with O2 on the BBQ and you are left with ash only, same as burning the vegative leftovers on a field.
@@johac7637 There is still small amounts of charcoal made in the burning.
If you look at the aftermath of a forest fire, you will still see *some* charcoal left.
@@crazysquirrel9425 yes forest fire wise, it is because the fire when to crowns it deprives the base of O2, I have seen that, I ran a fire gaurd cat a couple of times in BC Canada, and the size of the fuel is the key, but straw, stubble burns up, so I 1/2 agree, my cousin still farms the same piece in Saskatchewan that grampa bought in 1908, and until a few years ago the heavy straw was burnt, changed with no til, air seeding, now they only burn if crop was flax, not sure why, never asked, they farm 12 sections now. And still try with the least inputs, it's high tech, they use Green star on their JDs, monitors yields, then by GPS that is recording yields, they soil sample, (Nutrien does) then fertilize as needed per crop, then apply per GPS mapping, very hi tech.
But all those years of straw stubble burning, not a hint of black, only in the Coulees as they are called, gully bottoms, swamps. Some places even peat. Go figure in the prairies.
@@johac7637 Build a campfire. You will have some charcoal the next day.
Mostly ash, but some charcoal.
@@crazysquirrel9425 I have probably over the last 3 years made about 10-12 cubic yards of char, I did the barrel over fire, pit, a pit with tin wall, now I dig a 3' pit,, get it full of roaring fire, some red hot coals, put in a 4" heavy wall pipe, load it up with firewood size wood, what ever I get from mesquites, pine, lumber scraps, throw a tin cover over it, shovel dirt on it, wet the dirt, then about 4-5 times use a gas powered leaf blower to add O2, over 1/2 to 1 hr. Done it enough to gauge the burn, cover with dirt the areas the flames came out after each blow, then seal up, after about a hour, it gets drowned with water, right to the very top. Waallah next day char.
One day I got called away shortly before the water time, was gone several hrs, came back, did the water thing, next day only about 2/3rd the amount of char.
I am doing it again this year, I then shovel it out carefully to avoid stones as I wet it again and run it thru a troy built wood chipper, I do about 3-4 burns, chips a year, then run the sugar cane thru the chipper I grow as a visual blocking hedge, put in alfalfa pellets, composts, hen barn cleanings aka poop, and whatever garden wastes we have accumulated over the season, then dig out that pit, spread start over.
So I am well aware of what it takes to get char not ash. Nt to argue, but to inform what works for me, my dad did the char thing in a much grander scale, he had a sawmill in Canada, the slabs, sawdust, shaving that he didn't sell or we burnt for heat ended up in a pit, burnt and about the time it was getting to coals, out come the Hough loader, got covered in dirt, til next burn, he hauled it out in a 14 yard truck to a dairy farm where they partnered and mixed, it got sold to a huge Nursery, as garden soil, all they did was add in peat, and compost from their grow operation, this was back in the early 60s as I remember as a kid, but was going on since the late 40s, he started burning lime 1st re the acidic souls in the Fraser Valley. During WW2 is when he switched from lime to sawmilling.
Skip to 7:47 to get to the points
One thing I'd like to point out is, it's a bit known that certain materials don't make good biochar. Hard woods tend to make the best stuff, I personally have been making it from Lychee wood.
biochar need to be inoculated appropriately, mainly biochar is just a sponge not a fertisiser, it help for water and absorb then release what has been inoiculated, you need stong biology in biochar, in europe they had special yield with micronised biochar....
interesting thanks but isn't biochar, by his microporosity a simple habitat for microbacterial life, life that will improve your soil quality (aeration nutrients and so health) not a magic fertiliser, no habitat no life poor soil, and bad/mean bacteria that no one want in his soil!? enjoy your garden and keep it healthy as it can be!
Excellent presentation. There is really no compelling case for Biochar as there is concern about PAH, yield increases are unlikely, economics are unconfirmed but likely negative and the number of variables make it difficult to even justify niche applications. Disappointing but valuable research formation. Thank you
Sounds like a SARE study for a farmer.
Without a complex and wide range of different types of charcoal used in the process, these numbers will skew the potential.
don t need to make syngas,,,,,if not needed..
First off you never mentioned how much biochar % you put in the soil second you never soaked it in water for two or more days otherwise you wouldn’t of any dust issues. You also never mentioned that you
It’s not charcoal-like ...it is charcoal. It’s literally the same as activated charcoal supplement.
except to manage drought biochar in itself doest mean a lot if not inoculate properly, we need to rebuilt soil biology, other wise for me it is a complete lost of time...and money, we spent most of last century to deplete our soil, poison it destroy it, it will not be revived in one year, and for sure not with mineral fertilizer..that is for sure...
The biochar was precharged for 48 hours??? Isn't it supposed to be 3 months?? LOL no wonder there's no real results. I'm using 100% biochar as potting soil, but its been in my fishtank as a filter for 3 months. Also don't grind the biochar into powder, the smaller the biochar the less water it holds.
Making biochar geographically separated from its source is typical bean-counter idiocy... Try again.
глупые американцы хахахах
You better hire a bunch of gay anti food pro buggy people stop us from using biocharge it just sounds so bad
I almost watched this video. The title looked interesting, until the gratuitous "in California" trope.