Terra Preta de Indio
Biochar Soil Management
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Biochar and Terra Preta at WCSS-2006
During the 18-th World Congress of Soil Science (WCSS) in Philadelphia (USA), July 9-15 2006, discussions on Terra Preta de Indio and its implications for contemporary soil management using biochar were advanced through two meetings:

Symposium "Amazonian Dark Earth Soils (Terra Preta and Terra Preta Nova): A Tribute to Wim Sombroek"

Workshop "Bio-char as a Soil Amendment - Research Priorities and Challenges"
At the World Congress of Soil Science on July 13 2006, Antoinette Winkler-Prins (Michigan State University) and William Woods (University of Kansas) organized a symposium on "Amazonian Dark Earth Soils (Terra Preta and Terra Preta Nova): A Tribute to Wim Sombroek". This session featured five speakers: Johannes Lehmann (Cornell University, USA), Michael Hayes (University of Limerick, Ireland), Wenceslau Teizeira (Embrapa, Brazil), Christoph Steiner (University of Bayreuth, Germany), and Dirse Kern (Museo Goeldi, Brazil). The full titles and abstracts were:

Johannes Lehmann (Cornell University, USA), Saran Sohi (Rothamsted Research, UK): Bio-char (black carbon) stability and stabilization in soil. (abstract)

Etelvino H. Novotny, Michael H. Hayes (University of Limerick, Ireland), Eduardo R. De Azevedo, (IFSC - USP, Brazil), Beata E. Madari (Embrapa Arroz e Feijão, Brazil), Tony J. F. Cunha (Embrapa Semi-Árido, Brazil), Tito J. Bonagamba (IFSC - USP, Brazil): Compositions of the humic acids in Amazonian Anthropogenic Dark Earth soils. (abstract)

Wenceslau G. Teixeira, Gilvan C. Martins (Embrapa Amazônia Ocidental, Brazil), Murilo R. Arruda (Embrapa Amazônia Ocidental, Brazil), Christoph Steiner (University of Bayreuth, Germany): The rescue of an old indigenous practice in the tropics - using charcoal to improve soil quality. (abstract)

Christoph Steiner, Wolfgang Zech (University of Bayreuth, Germany), Wenceslau G. Teixeira (Embrapa Amazônia Ocidental, Brazil): Microbial activity as soil quality indicator in annual and perennial plantations treated with charcoal, mineral- or organic fertilizer in a highly weathered Amazonian upland soil. (abstract)

Dirse C. Kern, José L. Cometti, Maria de Lourdes P. Ruivo, Francisco J. Frazão (Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Brazil), Tarcisio E. Rodrigues (Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Brazil), Marcondes L. Costa (Universidade Federal do Pará, Brazil), Jorge L. Piccinin (Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Brazil), João B. Rocha (Secretaria de Educação e Cultura do Estado do Pará, Brazil): New Dark Earth Experiment in the Tailândia City - Pará-Brazil: the Dream of Wim Sombroek. (abstract)

 
Concurrent to the World Congress of Soil Science, a one-day workshop was held on "Bio-char as a Soil Amendment - Research Priorities and Challenges" on Friday, July 14, 2006 . This workshop was organized by Johannes Lehmann (Cornell University) and Danny Day (EPRIDA).
Workshop Agenda (pdf version)
(the presentations are linked as pdf files below; these presentations are intended to report on future activities rather than results)
8:00-8:30 Arrival and Registration with free breakfast
8:30 Welcome (Johannes Lehmann, Danny Day)
8:40 Introduction of Participants
8:45-10:15 Presentations on major current activities (Chair: Alvin Smucker)
BEST/Generation International ( Australia , USA )
Iowa State University/NREL/ORNL ( USA )
Eprida/University of Georgia ( USA )
Wageningen (The Netherlands )
IRRI (The Phillippines)
Museo Goeldi/Embrapa ( Brazil )
Cornell University/CIAT/Rothamsted/INPA/University of Newcastle ( USA , Colombia , UK , Brazil )
10:15-11:00 Coffee Break for Networking
11:00-11:30 Opportunities and Pitfalls of Bio-char Agriculture
Report by John Kimble (USDA-ARS)
(Chair: Johannes Lehmann)
11:30-12:00 Discussion
12:00-12:30 Political Framework of Bio-char Agriculture and Donor Relationships
Ellen Baum, Debbie Reed (Clean Air Task Force)
12:30-1:00 Discussion
1:00-2:00 Lunch (Networking)
2:00-2:45 Discussion Session on Future Research and Development Needs
Part 1 Bio-char Production (Chair: Ellen Baum; Recorder: Anne Gilliam)
2:45-3:30 Discussion Session on Future Research and Development Needs
Part 2 Bio-char Behavior in the Environment (Chair: Ellen Baum; Recorder: Anne Gilliam)
3:30-4:15 Discussion Session on Future Research and Development Needs
Part 3 Bio-char Economics and Life Cycle Analyses (Chair: Ellen Baum; Recorder: Anne Gilliam)
4:15-4:30 Break
4:30-5:00 Synthesis (Chair: Johannes Lehmann)
6:00 Dinner Buffet
 
Biochar Workshop in the Press

A three-page News Feature appeared in the magazine NATURE, by Emma Marris: "Black is the New Green", Nature 442: 624-626 (August 10, 2006).

This feature was part of a Sequestration Theme in the same issue:
Some photos from a very active workshop and lots of great discussions: