ABSTRACT
Introduction 1 Appropriate Technologies-Matching Methods with Purposes to
Apply Biochar in Soils 1.1 High Biochar Application Rates for the Purpose of
Maximising Soil Carbon Sinks 1.2 High Biochar Application Rates for the Purposes of
Treatment of Contaminated Soils 1.3 High Biochar Application Rates to Mitigate Risks of
Eutrophication of Water 1.4 High Biochar Application Rates for the Purposes of
Improved Soil Quality 2 The Precautionary Principle-The Need to Know More Before
Over Re-acting
3 Biochar Research Foci-Cultural Heritage, and Historic Scientifi c Legacies of Research into Ancient Amazonian ‘Terra Preta de Indio’, or Novel Biochar Soils ‘Terra Preta de Nova’
3.1 Biochar Application and Recycling of other Soil Organic Matter Sources
3.2 Integration of Biochar Application into No-tillage and other Soil Carbon Enhancement Methods
3.3 Comparing Objectives and Outcomes of ‘Conventional Tillage’ and ‘Conservation Tillage’
3.4 Four Important Issues for Tillage Practices to Encourage Reliable Seed Germination, Seedling Emergence and Establishment
3.5 To Mulch or Not to Mulch?—To Till or Not to Till? 3.6 Mechanical versus Biological Biochar Incorporation in Soils 3.7 Seeking Applicable Questions to Find Suitable Solutions for
How to Apply Biochar 3.8 Possible Answers or Potential Lessons from Social
Sciences and Modern Soil Sciences 3.9 An Historical Context of the Adoption and Decline of
Conventional Tillage Methods and the Subsequent Growth of Modern Conservation Tillage Methods
4 Biochar Application using Conventional Tillage and Conservation Tillage Methods: Energy Costs and the Effective Management of Environmental and Occupational Risks
4.1 What is Wrong with Ploughing or Conventional Tillage Methods?
