13 January 2012
Nitrous oxide emission reduction in temperate biochar-amended soil
We found mean N2O emission reductions of 60% compared to soils without addition of biochar
Abstract
Biochar, a pyrolysis product of organic residues, is an amendment for agricultural soils to improve soil fertility, sequester CO2 and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
In highly weathered tropical soils laboratory incubations of soil-biochar mixtures revealed substantial reductions for nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2 5 ).
Biochar, a pyrolysis product of organic residues, is an amendment for agricultural soils to improve soil fertility, sequester CO2 and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
In highly weathered tropical soils laboratory incubations of soil-biochar mixtures revealed substantial reductions for nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2 5 ).
In contrast, evidence is scarce for temperate soils. In a three-factorial laboratory incubation experiment two different temperate agricultural soils were amended with green waste and coffee grounds biochar. N2O and CO2 emissions were measured at the beginning and end of a three month incubation. The experiments were conducted under three 10 different conditions (no additional nutrients, glucose addition, and nitrate and glucose addition) representing different field conditions. We found mean N2O emission reductions of 60% compared to soils without addition of biochar. The reduction depended on biochar type and soil type as well as on the age of the samples. CO2 emissions were slightly reduced, too. NO − 3 but not NH + 4 concentrations were significantly reduced 15 shortly after biochar incorporation. Despite the highly significant suppression of N2O emissions biochar effects should not be transferred one-to-one to field conditions but need to be tested accordingly. Source Nitrous oxide emission reduction in temperate biochar-amended soil
Comments (3)
Laylah
Let your plants tell you what they need (Blossom-end rot on tomatoes indicates a calcium or magnesium deficiency, yellowing but otherwise healthy leaves means more nitrogen is required).What are you growing vegetables, flowers, shrubs? Some like an alkaline soil, some need acid. Coffee grounds, if not over-used, are beneficial, but slightly acid. Eggshells supply calcium. Epsom salts contain magnesium. Green materials such as vegetable parings and grass clippings are rich in nitrogen, but can pull it and can burn plants if applied directly or when too green. If you want to fertilize naturally, the best thing you can do is keep a compost pile, and work the finished compost into planting soil.
Khaled
Yusuf