2008 Joint Annual Meeting (5-9 Oct. 2008): The Biochar Effects on Chemical and Biological Characteristics of Organic Matter in Degraded Soil.
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744-14 The Biochar Effects on Chemical and Biological Characteristics of Organic Matter in Degraded Soil.



Wednesday, 8 October 2008: 11:45 AM
George R. Brown Convention Center, 370C
Marina Moura Morales1, Iraê Amaral Guerrini1, Nicholas B. Comerford2 and Marcela Borghi Olenscki1, (1)Departamento de Recursos Naturais/Solos, State University of São Paulo/UNESP, Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas, Rua José Barbosa de Barros, 1780, 18603-307, Botucatu - S.P., Brazil
(2)University of Florida, 2169, McCarty Hall, P.O. Box 110290, Gainesville, FL 32611

Dark Earths (DE), a term given to soils enriched with biological charcoal (biochar)  present high fertility and can offer information on how to sustainably manage soils in  the future. Biochar, the essential ingredient of DE, lends these soils the capacity to retain organic matter and nutrients, such as phosphorous, often lacking in highly weathered tropical soils.  The objective of this study was to study the effect of the biochar and organic matter on selected chemical and biological characteristics of a degraded soil. The soil, a Latossolo Vermelho, was homogenized with biochar at a rate of 35% total dry weight based on the average concentration of biochar encountered in the Amazonian Dark Earths. Two treatments, the created DE, unamended were analyzed for macro- and micronutrient concentrations, CEC, pH and microbial activity. Our preliminary results show that biochar-enriched soils  exhibit higher CEC,  pH, and microbial activity compared to unamended soils.
See more of: Soil Carbon Dynamics
See more of: S03 Soil Biology & Biochemistry