Biochar’s History as an Ancient Soil Amendment – Biochar is a form of charcoal produced
from super-heating biomass.
It is found naturally in soils around the world as a result of
vegetation fires.
Biochar has also been created and used by humans in...
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Biochar’s History as an Ancient Soil Amendment – Biochar is a form of charcoal produced
from super-heating biomass.
It is found naturally in soils around the world as a result of
vegetation fires.
Biochar has also been created and used by humans in traditional agricultural practices in the Amazon Basin of South America for more than 2,500 years.
Dark,
charcoal-rich soil (known as terra preta or black earth) supported productive farms in areas that previously had poor, and in some places toxic, soils.
Terra preta was discovered in the 1950’s by Dutch soil scientist Wim Sombroek in the
Amazon rainforest.
Terra preta still covers 10% of the Amazon Basin.
Similar sites have
been found in Ecuador, Peru, Benin and Liberia in West Africa.
Typically, jungle soils are very unproductive.
After mixing biochar into the topsoil, the soil
was able to retain vital organic matter, plant nutrients and moisture essential for plant
growth.
This practice allowed annual cultivation of
the same fie
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