Compost on the way to Terra Preta
Artificial fertilization and intensive soil cultivation have long-term negative effects on the soil and its biology and reduce the quality of drinking water. Measures to revitalize the soil are therefore becoming increasingly important.
An extraordinarily fertile, black soil - discovered by archaeologists in the Amazon basin - provides the basis for the development of real alternatives to artificial fertilization and intensive soil cultivation, because the mineral and nutrient requirements are covered and a loose soil structure is maintained. Terra Preta was developed by an advanced civilization in the Amazon region. A key element is the added charcoal.
The Sonnenerde company is currently conducting trials to develop a soil with similar properties.
In this work, the microbial community of compost variants and Terra Preta was primarily investigated. The aim was to obtain an overview of the microbial community using cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent analysis methods.
Here are the cultivation-independent analysis methods: Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP) of bacteria and fungi, electrophoresis of the 16S rDNA gene region of bacteria, Internal Transcription Spacers region (ITS) of fungi, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes and nif genes.
The cultivation and enrichment of bacteria and fungi on selective media and their cell count determination should provide information about the structure and diversity.
A similarity determination of the compost variants compared to Terra Preta was carried out by creating microbial profiles of taxonomic groups.
The biomass growth of ryegrass in the compost variants was measured in a greenhouse experiment. In addition, bacterial accumulation in the rhizosphere was visualized with the confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM).
The SSCP analyses showed that the compost variants approached Terra Preta with an increase in the proportion of biochar and rock flour. A quantitative increase in microorganism DNA with increased biochar content was detected with qPCR and abundant bacterial colonization of ryegrass rhizosphere was visualized with CLSM.
It can be concluded that biochar is a key element for the development of a terra preta-like soil and that biochar creates an environment in which the microorganisms studied can develop better.
Sonnenerde – Healthy soil has weight!
We produce quality soil – simply disposing of biomass is not enough for us. Humanity now understands that it can intervene in nature and that each of us plays a role in deciding what the world around us will look like tomorrow. At Sonnenerde, we think that’s fantastic and have taken on the responsibility to treat the environment with respect.
