A comment from Gary Jones ,( AKA; Back40) to the Biochar List , the thread;
Yahoo! Groups
Char Shanking
There was some topic drift in another thread that was groping for methods to apply char as a top dressing or some other method that did not seriously disrupt the soil due to sensitivities about soil structure, outgassing etc., the sorts of things that matter to those involved with conservation tillage methods such as no-till, or permanent pastures.
It may be worth giving closer attention to the Keyline System, especially its use of Yeomans plows. The Keyline system was first published in 1954 by P.A. Yeomans, thus the name of the plow. Specifically:
Friends of the Five Forests
The Yeomans Plow Company (Pty Ltd) also produce a 'shank pot seeder' that when attached to the plough, is designed to drop seed or fertiliser into the sub-surface furrow.
A minimum of two passes with the plough are proposed, twelve months apart. The first to a maximum of 150mm (6 inches) depositing seed to produce biomass and the second to a greater depth, with an adapted 'shank pot seeder' or trailing air seeder, to trial injecting biochar into the channel and or spreading the material on the surface.
Greater detail:
Keyline Subsoil Plowing
Mounted directly behind each 22” shank on our Yeomans Keyline plow is a seedbox that enables us to drop seed directly into the rips created by the shanks. Whether it’s a pasture grass or legume to boost feed value, a taprooted dynamic accumulator to mine fertility and build soil or a secondary crop maximizing the use of your field, this system provides a simple and effective means of making use of the friable planing bed the plow creates.
Additionally, we’re in the process of developing a liquid feed injection system. This simple tractor mounted system makes it possible to literally pour fertility directly into the subsoil rips via 1/8” tubing mounted behind the shanks. Liquid fertilizer amendment options include compost tea, sea minerals, skim milk and more. This simple system allows you to get even more out of each pass.
Other terms used to describe this type of non-disruptive tillage are "knifing". Knifing or shanking in everything from seed to liquid fertilizer to char is increasingly common, so common that an orchardman on RFD-TV talked about how he was shanking in biochar in his orchards, and demonstrated the principles involved for the TV journalist. The use of air or liquid under pressure to aid in material flow is done as well.
I don't think that ag professionals find anything daunting about char usage. It's just another soil amendment, a materials handling task, and they do that for a living.
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Regards,
Gary Jones
