Prehistorically modified soils of central Amazonia: a model for sustainable agriculture in the twenty-first century

• Published in: Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological sciences Vol. 362; no. 1478; pp. 187 - 196
• Main Author: Glaser, Bruno
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London The Royal Society 28.02.2007
• Subjects: Acid soils; Agricultural soils; Agriculture - methods; Amazonian Dark Earths; Brazil; C Sequestration; Charcoal; Charcoal - analysis; Conservation of Natural Resources - methods; Crops, Agricultural - growth & development; Forest soils; Humid Tropics; Nitrogen - analysis; Organic soils; Phosphorus - analysis; Slash And Char; Soil - analysis; Soil conservation; Soil fertility; Soil organic matter; Sustainable agriculture; Terra Preta; Tropical Climate; Tropical soils; South America, Amazonia

Terra Preta soils of central Amazonia exhibit approximately three times more soil organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus and 70 times more charcoal compared to adjacent infertile soils. The Terra Preta soils were generated by pre-Columbian native populations by chance or intentionally adding large...