Source: PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY submitted to
BIOCHAR APPLICATION: A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO IMPROVE SOIL HEALTH AND ENHANCE SOIL CARBON SEQUESTRATION
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031453
Grant No.
2023-70410-41212
Cumulative Award Amt.
$499,500.00
Proposal No.
2023-05402
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 15, 2023
Project End Date
Sep 14, 2027
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[EGP]- Equipment Grants Program
Project Director
Ray, R.
Recipient Organization
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY
P.O. Box 519, MS 2001
PRAIRIE VIEW,TX 77446
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
This project seeks funding for the Biochar Processing Unit to improve research, outreach, and education activities at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) and partner institutions. It is necessary to use crop residue as biomass for biochar production and apply it to the farm to improve soil health and increase soil carbon sequestration. While crop residue management has always been challenging, this BPU will help use crop residue to produce biochar and apply it to the cropland. Our project builds on four existing projects. The major goal of USDA-NRCS project is to implement existing and new interventions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and increase soil carbon sequestration. The CBG project aims to evaluate carbon sequestration potential of sorghum cultivars. Shell's project aims to improve biochar that can increase soil carbon sequestration. The EPA project aims to use biomass to produce biochar and use it as a soil amendment to increase carbon sequestration. Also, USDA-NRCS project's goal is to educate limited resource producers and help them understand the benefits of climate-smart farming. The primary objectives of the equipment are to use crop residue to produce biochar which has a high potential to increase carbon sequestration and soil health and improve research, extension, and education capacities of the PVAMU in natural resources and environmental areas. Also, it will strengthen the research, extension, and education capacity of the PVAMU and partner institutions.
Animal Health Component
30%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
60%
Applied
30%
Developmental
10%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
6050430207060%
1020110107040%
Knowledge Area
605 - Natural Resource and Environmental Economics; 102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships;

Subject Of Investigation
0430 - Climate; 0110 - Soil;

Field Of Science
2070 - Meteorology and climatology; 1070 - Ecology;
Goals / Objectives
This project builds on USDA-NRCS Climate Smart Commodities, USDA-NIFA Capacity Building, Shell's Nature Based Solutions, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funds. The major goal of USDA-NRCS project is to implement existing and new interventions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and increase soil carbon sequestration. The CBG project aims to evaluate carbon sequestration potential of sorghum cultivars. Shell's project aims to improve biochar that can increase soil carbon sequestration. The EPA project aims to use biomass to produce biochar and use it as a soil amendment to increase carbon sequestration. Also, USDA-NRCS project's goal is to educate limited resource producers and help them understand the benefits of climate-smart farming. The primary objectives of the equipment are to use crop residue to produce biochar which has a high potential to increase carbon sequestration and soil health and improve research, extension, and education capacities of the PVAMU in natural resources and environmental areas. Also, it will strengthen the research, extension, and education capacity of the PVAMU, TAMU, and UH.
Project Methods
Establish Agriculture Regeneration Center (ARC): we will establish Agriculture Regeneration Centers (ARCs) on the PVAMU Research Farm. Biochar produced at the ARC will be applied to the farm.Monitor Soil health, SOC, and GHGs during the growing period: Soil CO2, soil moisture/temperature, and electrical conductivity will be monitored during the growing season annually. The equipment (LI-8250) will be used to quantify soil CO2 emissions under different soil amendments, including biocharExtension Activities: Stakeholders (e.g., farmers and extension personnel) will be a part of the extension to disseminate the knowledge gained by applying biochar on cropland. Periodical meetings, training, and workshops will complement the extension and dissemination efforts. The Evans Allen-funded project will continue for the long-term; hence, further extension/dissemination plans are expected to evolve as we progress in implementing the project activities.Field Demonstrations: Each April, CAHS organizes AgField Day, in which farmers, ranchers, and representatives from state and federal agencies participate. We will conduct field demonstrations during the Field Day to educate and train limited resource farmers and others about the proposed equipment and its potential benefits in agriculture.Workshops: During the workshops (twice a year proposed in the CBG and USDA-NRCS projects), farmers, students, and others will learn about the potential impact of climate-smart practices and soil amendments, including biochar, nutrients, and irrigation management on soil health, CO2 emissions.Education/Teaching Activities: This project will also support teaching activities at PVAMU. We educate traditionally underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students about soil health, climate change, and carbon sequestration to support teaching programs. Student research assistants will be trained to use BPU and all other associated sensors to understand agricultural management's impacts on CO2 emissions. Students will also learn to conduct field experiments.

Progress 09/15/23 to 09/14/24

Outputs
Target Audience:1. Limited resource farmers and ranchers 2. Underrepresented graduate and undergraduate students 3. County agents, cooperative extension specialist 4. Research specialists, research scientists, and faculty Changes/Problems:We are slightly behind schedule in purchasing and installing the proposed BPU. No other issues have been observed. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Recently, two graduate students and one undergraduate student received appropriate training to operate a small BPU and produce biochar. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to continue working on installing utilities, procuring the proposed BPU from the vendor, and completing its installation and operation before the next progress report. Additionally, we aim to conduct at least two workshops at the demonstration farm to raise awareness among farmers, growers, and other stakeholders about the BPU and the opportunities to produce and apply biochar on their farms

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This project builds on USDA-NRCS Climate Smart Commodities, USDA-NIFA Capacity Building, Shell's Nature-Based Solutions, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funds. We planned to install a Biochar Processing Unit (BPU) to produce biochar using crop residues and apply it to some of these projects to enhance carbon sequestration and reduce carbon emissions. Although we began producing biochar using a small BPU, the proposed BPU is still in the procurement stage with the vendor. However, we have identified the installation location, received approval from campus planning for utilities, and secured an additional funding source to purchase the associated equipment.

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