The Long-Term Experiment Platform for the Study of Agronomical and Environmental Effects of the Biochar: Methodological Framework

Diego Marazza, Simone Pesce, Nicolas Greggio (), Francesco Primo Vaccari, Enrico Balugani and Alessandro Buscaroli
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Diego Marazza: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per le Scienze Ambientali (CIRSA), Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Ravenna Campus, Via S. Alberto 163, 48123 Ravenna, Italy
Simone Pesce: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per le Scienze Ambientali (CIRSA), Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Ravenna Campus, Via S. Alberto 163, 48123 Ravenna, Italy
Nicolas Greggio: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per le Scienze Ambientali (CIRSA), Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Ravenna Campus, Via S. Alberto 163, 48123 Ravenna, Italy
Francesco Primo Vaccari: Institute of BioEconomy-National Research Council (CNR-IBE), Via Caproni 8, 50144 Firenze, Italy
Enrico Balugani: Department of Physics and Astronomy (DIFA), Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 33, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Alessandro Buscaroli: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per le Scienze Ambientali (CIRSA), Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Ravenna Campus, Via S. Alberto 163, 48123 Ravenna, Italy

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-15

Abstract: In this communication, a wide overview of historical Long-Term Experimental Platforms (LTEP) regarding changes in soil organic matter is presented for the purpose of networking, data sharing, experience sharing and the coordinated design of experiments in the area of Earth system science. This serves to introduce a specific platform of experiments regarding biochar application to soil (LTEP-BIOCHAR) and its use for agronomic and environmental purposes (e.g., carbon sequestration, soil erosion, soil biodiversity) in real conditions and over a significative timeframe for pedosphere dynamics. The methodological framework, including the goals, geographical scope and eligibility rules of such a new platform, is discussed. Currently, the LTEP-BIOCHAR is the first of its kind, a community-driven resource dedicated to biochar, and displays around 20 long-term experiments from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The selected field experiments take place under dynamically, meteorologically and biologically different conditions. The purposes of the platform are (1) listing the field experiments that are currently active, (2) uncovering methodological gaps in the current experiments and allowing specific metadata analysis, (3) suggesting the testing of new hypotheses without unnecessary duplications while establishing a minimum standard of analysis and methods to make experiments comparable, (4) creating a network of expert researchers working on the agronomical and environmental effects of biochar, (5) supporting the design of coordinated experiments and (6) promoting the platform at a wider international level.

Keywords: biochar; long-term experiment platform; soils; soil organic matter; design networks; data sharing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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