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Terra Preta Soils to Save the Biosphere

  •  08-31-2006, 10:55 PM

    Terra Preta Soils to Save the Biosphere

    Hi All:
    Here is an  entire thread on 'Terra Preta' soils, which I feel has great possibilities to revolutionize sustainable agriculture into a major CO2 sequestration strategy. http://forums.hypography.com/earth-science/3451-terra-preta-9.html
    I thought, I first read about these soils in " Botany of Desire " or "Guns,Germs,&Steel" but I could not find reference to them. I finely found the reference  in "1491", but I did not realize their potential .
    Another finding that supports the need to develop Terra Preta  soils on a large scale:
    New Scientist News - Fertilisers give the lungs of the planet bad breath
    Also, Terra Preta was on the Agenda at this years world Soil Science Conference !
    I've sent this thread to the researchers at M-Roots, who make Mycorisal fungus inoculations for acceleration of the reestablishment of the symbiotic fungal / root relationship. Here's the M-Roots site: http://www.rootsinc.com/
    I also sent it to Dr. Jared Diamond, if he replies, I will probably have an orgasm! 
    I am a landscape design/builder, with other interest in Bio-fuels. I found this work a few months ago and have been posting it around to science forums, local academics, soil science people, local farmers, and authors of relevant news stories.
    Hopefully this reply from the Foundation on Economic Trends, to one of my postings will get some traction.  My thought was this new agricultural technology called marker-assisted selection, or MAS offers a sophisticated method to greatly accelerate classical breeding could be the key to the local large scale development of Terra Preta agriculture.

    Dear Erich,

     Mr. Rifkin is out of the office today.  I have sent some of your materials to our research team and will look into them further.  I will be sure that Mr. Rifkin sees your message and the supporting attachments.  Thank you for your message.

     Kind regards,
    Drew

     ~~~~~

    Andrew H. Johnston

    Chief of Staff 

    Foundation on Economic Trends


    From: Shengar@aol.com [mailto:Shengar@aol.com]
    Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2006 4:20 PM
    To: jrifkin@foet.org; letters@washpost.com
    Subject: Terra Preta Soils: A solution to Numerous Problems

    " Dear Mr. Rifkin:

     After seeing article on MAS in The Washington Post :

     I felt you may be interested in this MUCH larger systemic and holistic approach to sustainable agricultural development.

     MAS could be the key to the local large scale development of Terra Preta agriculture."

    If pre Columbian Indians could produce these soils up to 6 feet deep over 20% of the Amazon basin it seems that our energy and agricultural industries could also product them at scale.

    Harnessing the work of this vast number of microbes and fungi changes the whole equation of EROEI for food and Bio fuels. I see this as the only sustainable agricultural strategy if we no longer have cheap hydrocarbons for fertilizer.

     I would like to investigate if use of an M-Roots type fungus inoculants with a local compost,  and  Hydro-gels,  would speed  this super community of wee beasties in populating into their proper Soil horizon Carbon Condos.

    Here is a great article that high lights this pyrolysis process ,  ( http://www.eprida.com/hydro/  )   which could use  existing infrastructure to provide Charcoal sustainable Agriculture , Syn-Fuels,  and a variation of this process would also work as well for H2 , Charcoal-Fertilizer, while sequestering CO2 from Coal fired plants to build soils at large scales ,  be sure to read the  See an initial analysis.  of this technology to clean up Coal fired power plants.


    Soil erosion, energy scarcity, excess greenhouse gas all answered through regenerative carbon management

    Erich J. Knight

    Erich J. Knight

     
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