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biocharpres (1)
- 1. Biochar and PrairieRestoration Erica Gibson
- 2. Terra Preta (“richearth”) Fertilizer used by pre- Columbian Amazonian people Made from bone, manure, and charcoal Charcoal is still present and 70% more concentrated than surrounding soil (Kleiner, 2009) http://www.biochar.info/biochar.terra-preta.cfml
- 3. Background- Biochar Canbe made from any type of biomass (typically plant biomass) Biochar- biomass -> pyrolysis Pyrolysis- adding heat w/out oxygen (Lehmann, 2007) Soil amendment (fertilizer) Retains lots of water & nutrients (high surface area) (Schahczenski, 2010) Traps carbon in soil Is composed primarily of C Present in soil thousands of years (Kleiner, 2009)
- 4. Andropogon gerardii (BigBluestem) Native prairie plant Perennial grass Now found in remaining prairie/ railroad tracks Key restoration species (Swink and Wilhelm, 1994)
- 5. Lespedeza cuneata (Sericea) Invasive weed from Asia (Swink and Wilhelm, 1994) Perennial Originally planted for soil improvement (Bryson and DeFelice, 2010) Stem and leaf residues are shown to decrease germination in big bluestem (Dudley and Fick, 2003)
- 6. Prairie Restoration Focuson restoring farmland to prairie soil Farm soil N is more available than in prairie soil More beneficial to invasive/ exotic plants C makes N less available Binds nitrogen Carbon treatments shown to lower competition between native/ exotic plants (Averett et.al., 2004). (Polston, 2010)
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- 8. Prairie Fire Donein spring while roots (growing points) of plants are under soil Leaves carbon in soil (Kurtz, 2001) (Stokes, 2010)
- 9. Procedure 2 runs(diff. greenhouses) 8 blocks p. run 12 treatments prev. soil (3) + current plant (2) + biochar (2) 2 soils from previous experiment; 1 sand soil Plant is BB or SL Biochar- 0 or 2%
- 10. Previous Soils Soilsused: Soil with bluestem residue Soil with sericea residue New soil Disease from one plant can build in soil Effects same species in next gen. Diff. species may not be affected (Klironomos, 2002)
- 11. Types of Soils 0%Biochar 2% Biochar
- 12. Hypotheses Previous soiltype will not affect growth (falsify) Biochar will increase Big Bluestem growth Biochar will not affect sericea growth Bluestem will have greater growth than the sericea regardless of soil type
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- 14. Blocks & Runs 2 runs- allows project to be repeated over space instead of time 8 blocks- single block made of one plant of each treatment (12 total) Gives replicates
- 15. Greenhouses Run One (11-2)Run Two (12-1)
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- 17. What Was Measured Height Branches (SL) Tillers (BB) Shoots that sprout from the base of a plant (Bryson, 2010)
- 18. SAS (Analyzing theData) Factors Run (no differences; combined) Block Previous (soil) Current (plant) Biochar Previous*Current Previous*Biochar Current*Biochar
- 20. Biochar Response toBig bluestem Soil
- 21. Species Response toBig bluestem soil
- 22. Biochar Response toSericea Soil
- 23. Species Response toSericea Soil
- 24. Species Response toNew Soil without Biochar
- 25. Species Response toNew Soil with Biochar
- 26. Future Plans Continueplant growth until seed production Measure height; count tillers/ branches Separate plant into root, stem, leaf, and seed Measure dry weight Data analysis Interpret data & prepare written report
- 27. Bibliography Averett, Klips,Nave, Frey, and Curtis, 2004. Society for Ecological Restoration International. “Effects of Soil Carbon Amendment on Nitrogen Availability and Plant Growth in an Experimental Tallgrass Prairie Restoration.” Bryson, C.E. and DeFelice, M.S., 2010. Georgia Press. Athens, Georgia. Weeds of the Midwestern United States and Canada. Carbon Zero Project- Switzerland, 2011. Carbon Info. “Origin of Biochar.” http://www.biochar.info/biochar.terra-preta.cfml Kiloronomos, 2002. Nature. “Feedback with soil biota contributes to plant rarity and invasiveness in communities” Kleiner, 2009. Macmillan Publishers Limited. “The bright prospect of biochar”. Lehmann, 2007. The Ecological Society of America. Bio-energy in the black. Polston, 2010. Examiner. “Indiana geocache Epic Challenge will take you to 22 state parks.” http://www.examiner.com/outdoor-travel-in-indianapolis/indiana-geocache- epic-challenge-will-take-you-to-22-state-parks Schahczenski, 2010. ATTRA. Biochar and Sustainable Agriculture. Stokes, 2010. Kansas Travel. “Prairie Fire Festival.” http://www.kansastravel.org/prairiefirefestival.htm Swink, S. and Wilhelm, G., 1994. The Indiana Academy of Science. Lisle, Illinois. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Editor's Notes
- #19 Statistical Analyses System, software. Interaction is important because the response of plants to the previous soil might depend on whether or not biochar was present. Including interaction terms lets us know if the response of one factor depends on a second factor.
- #21 Columns with the same letters did not have statistically significantly different means. No differences were found in number of tillers for bluestem grown in soil that previously contained bluestem or sericea. A difference was found in number of tillers for bluestem grown in soil that previously contained sericea or no plants.