The document discusses the potential benefits of using biochar in vineyards in the Finger Lakes region. Some key challenges vineyards face include increasing input costs, yield variability, and issues related to water availability and nutrient management. The document proposes that biochar could help address these challenges by improving soil quality, increasing water retention, enhancing nutrient availability, improving yield consistency, and reducing nutrient leaching. Specific benefits mentioned include reducing the need for off-farm inputs, improving drainage and cation exchange capacity, optimizing waste biomass, and increasing microbial activity and root growth. The document concludes by providing recommendations on nutrient management and ideal soil conditions for vineyards in the Northeast.

1. Biochar Use for
Finger Lakes
Vineyards
The DeVine Char Project

2. The Carbon Family
Charcoal Biochar Activated Carbon
Feedstock Hardwood,
sawdust
+ Binding Agents
Ag, forestry & other
organic materials/waste
Coconut shells, peat,
coal, petroleum pitch
Common
Uses
Fuel (Cooking) Soil Amendment
Remediation
Filtration
Binding Agent (livestock)
Filtration
Odor Control
Remediation
Binding Agent (humans)
Relevant
Qualities
Burnability
Low smoke
Adsorption/Porosity
CEC
Sequestration
Adsorption
Cost $ - $$ $$ $$$
Production Slow Pyrolysis;
Kiln
Slow Pyrolysis;
Kiln;
Gasification
Pyrolyzed at 600 – 900C +
activated at 250C OR
Chemically impregnated
& cooked @ 450 – 900C
Carbon
Footprint
Carbon Neutral:
May lead to
Deforestation
Carbon Negative (in
many situations)
Carbon Positive
What is Biochar?

3. Challenges Faced by Vineyards
in the Finger Lakes
 Increasing costs for off-vineyard inputs for nutrient management
 Yield variability within vineyards
 Increasing variability of precipitation
 Pest control
 Soil compaction
 Soil erosion
 Nutrient Leaching can impact local water bodies

4. A Proposal for how Biochar might
Contribute to Sustainable Viticulture
1. Reduce need for certain off-vineyard purchases
2. Improve yield consistency within a vineyard or block.
3. Improve internal water drainage and water holding
capacity of soil.
4. Improve YAN.
5. Improve cation exchange capacity within the soil.
6. Combining biochar with grape pomace will accelerate
composting and reduce leaching.
7. Improve microbial activity in soils
8. Add nutrients to the soil organically.
9. Reduce nutrient leaching.
10. Optimize waste biomass (vine prunings, old vines).
11. Improve root growth.
12. Improve vineyard floor management
13. Improve bulk density of soil and reduce compaction.
14. Reduce soil acidity (improve pH).
15. Neutralize toxins in soils.

5. 1. Reduce off-vineyard inputs
Photo by Tim Martinson, Cornell University.
Many FL vineyards add straw bales to every other row to
improve OM. Due to drought, the cost of round bales increased
nearly 100% in 2013 in the Finger Lakes. ($115 - $150 per bale)
• Biochar provides long term stable organic material.

6. 2. Improve Yield Consistency
Maximizing yield is not generally a primary goal for wine grapes
and in fact vines are heavily pruned to control yield. However
yield per vine within plots is often highly variable. Improved
yield consistency would provide sustainable increases in tons
per acre.
• Targeted biochar application can provide an attractive precision
viticulture tool.

7. 3. Improve Drainage & Water Holding
Capacity
Source: http://web.pppmb.cals.cornell.edu/seem/magarey/Vinesite/avail.htm
Annual precipitation rates for NYS have increased by 3.3” over the past
100 years, with 67% increase in 2” rain events. However precipitation
in late summer/fall is decreasing. The Finger Lakes has experienced
droughts in both of the past two years.
• Biochar helps clay soils drain better and helps sandy soils hold up to 60%
more water.

8. 4. Improve YAN
Reference: Niggli, C., Schmidt, H.P. 2012/01. Biochar in European Viticulture: Results of the Season 2011. Ithakajournal. [Internet]
Available from: http://www.ithaka-journal.net/pflanzenkohle-im-europaischen-weinbau-ergebnisse-2011?lang=en
Yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) is critical for fermentation and
is often low in NY musts requiring winemakers to add nitrogen
in the form of DAP.
• A recent study in Italy found vineyards that applied biochar showed
YAN increases of 38%

9. 5. Improve Cation Exchange Capacity
Source: http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/CEC_BpH_and_percent_sat.htm
• CEC impacts the soils
ability to store plant
nutrients.
• Increasing CEC is
related to:
• Increased OM
• Increased pH
• Increased clay
particles*
• Most biochars have
strong surface charge,
high pH and many (not
all) have high level of
recalcitrant carbon

10. 6. Improve Pomace Compost
Grape pomace has significant nutrient content and is often
applied to vineyards after composting. However it is generally
very acidic which may not be good for acidic soils. Low pH also
slows down decomposition. Also significant nutrients leach out
and are lost during composting.
• Adding biochar will likely improve pH, facilitate composting and
reduce leaching.

11. 7. Improve Microbial Activity
Healthy microbial activity in soils improves pest resistance. Biochar has
been shown to have a significant positive effect on soil microbial
activity. In one vineyard study biochar increased the ratio of beneficial
parasitic nematodes & fungi to bacteria ratios which is likely to reduce
the incidence of disease in vineyards.
http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/concepts/soil_biology/images/A-3.jpg
12National Wine and Grape Industry Centre. 2013. Winegrowing Futures Final report - Vine
health and environment. New South Wales, Australia. [Internet] Available from:
http://www.gwrdc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/NWG-06-01-Theme-2.pdf

12. 8. Add nutrients to soil organically
Black
wattle
Vineyard
Prunings
Sugar cane
bagasse
MACRONUTRIENTS
Phosphorus (P) 397±4 1,989±102 451±32
Calcium (Ca) 13,783±120 17,177±1367 2,181±128
Magnesium (Mg) 1,349±73 3,908±255 1,158±71
Potassium (K) 5,670±42 15,746±982 3,463±271
Sodium (Na) 2,205±15 672±18 289±9
MICRONUTRIENTS
Iron (Fe) 24±2 102±7 3,953±192
Aluminum (Al) 82±3.5 83±11 2,955±102
Manganese (Mn) 10±0.3 78±8 162±8
Zinc (Zn) 7±0.3 179±20 42±4
Copper (Cu) b/d 1.37±0.3 9±0.2
Cobalt (Co) 0.02±0.004 0.06±0.01 1.9±0.1
Molybdenum (Mo) 0.1±0.003 0.02±0.01 0.01
• Biochar nutrient content
varies depending on the
original biomass.
• Vine prunings have been
shown to produce biochar
with significant nutrient
content relative to other
biomass feedstock.
Source: Uras, U. 2011. Biochar from vacuum pyrolysis of agricultural
residues: characterization and its applications. Stellenbosch University.
Very
important
Somewhat
important
Not too
important
Importance to
Viticulture
Management

13. 9. Reduce nutrient leaching
Many of the region’s vineyards are located on sloping terrain which
facilitates leaching of excess nutrients and pesticides into the lakes.
In recent years some lakes have experienced algal blooms and other
negative impacts as a result of agricultural run-off.
• Biochar’s positive CEC and high porosity has been shown to reduce
run-off

14. 10. Optimize waste biomass
 Vine prunings are often chopped & left on site to provide N and OM.
 Diseased vines are often burned to prevent spread of disease but air
pollution can result and there are restrictions on burning.
Diseased and/or old vines
Vine prunings

15. 11. Improve root growth
1 National Wine and Grape Industry Centre. 2013. Winegrowing Futures Final report - Vine health and environment. New South Wales, Australia. [Internet] Available from:
http://www.gwrdc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/NWG-06-01-Theme-2.pdf
2 Niggli, C., Schmidt, H.P. 2012/01. Biochar in European Viticulture: Results of the Season 2011. Ithakajournal. [Internet] Available from: http://www.ithaka-journal.net/pflanzenkohle-im-
europaischen-weinbau-ergebnisse-2011?lang=en
Strong root growth is an essential element of healthy vines which can be
challenging in the shallow soils found throughout the Finger Lakes.
• One study showed biochar contributed to increasing root length density
by 223%.1 A separate study showed “significantly larger shoot
diameters” when a 1:1 biochar-manure compost mix was applied at a
rate of 10t/ha.2

16. 12. Improve vineyard floor
management
Certain pests such as grape cane borer and fungi such as
eutypa dieback overwinter in vine prunings.
• Removal and conversion into biochar would minimize
these threats while providing a value-added product for
use on the vineyard (or for resale).

17. 13. Reduce Compaction
Tractors may be used a dozen times a year in a vineyard rows
causing soil compaction which reduces infiltration of water,
nutrients and air.
• Biochar is light weight and highly porous and can help improve soil
bulk density leading to better aeration and infiltration.

18. 14. Reduce soil acidity
• Soils in the Finger
Lakes are generally
neutral to mildly
acidic.
• Acid rain has caused
soils to become more
acidic in the NE.
• Many vineyards require
lime applications
• Biochar is normally
alkaline & can reduce
acidity in soils
Optimal
range for
grapes

19. 15. Neutralize toxins in soils
It is not uncommon for vineyard soils to have high levels of
copper from repeated pesticide application.
Also many vineyards use posts treated with CCA which contains
chromium, copper & arsenic that can leach into soils.
• Biochar has been shown to render these toxins plant unavailable and
can prevent them from leaching into the environment.
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/pesticides/c_2.htm

20. • Kathleen Draper – Owner, Finger Lakes Biochar
• Christian Pulver – Agronomist, Cornell University

21. Nutrient Ideal range Corrective Action
pH 5.5 – 6.5 Lime to increase; sulfur to decrease
Organic Material 3 – 5% as per PA Wine
2 – 4% as per Cornell
Add pomace, compost, mulch, hay, green manure,
manure, herbaceous plant tissue
Phosphorus (P) 20 – 50 ppm; 40 – 100 lbs/acre Increase soil pH; add P
Potassium (K) 75 - 100 ppm;150 – 200 lbs/acre Add K; improve drainage
Calcium (Ca) 500 - 2000 ppm; 1,000 – 4,000 lbs/acre If pH ok, add gypsum…
Magnesium (Mg) 50 - 250 ppm; 300 - 500 lbs/acre If low pH: dolomitic lime; if pH ok: Epsom Salt
Iron (Fe) 20 ppm; 40 lbs/acre Lower soil pH; improve drainage
Manganese (Mn) 10 ppm; 20 lbs/acre If low pH: apply lime. Toxicity can be problem.
High pH add Mn foliar feed
Zinc 2 ppm; 4 lbs/acre Zinc sulfate foliar feed = temp fix.
Aluminium No range Toxicity can be problem.
If low pH: add lime
Copper .5 ppm; 1 lbs/acre Toxicity can be problem;
Increase pH; decrease Cu sprays
Boron 3 - 20 ppm; .6 - 4 lbs/acre Add B; adjust soil pH
Soil Recommendations for Vineyard in NE
http://www.pawinegrape.com/uploads/PDF%20files/Temporary%20Files%20-%20delete%20often/September%202012.pdf