Denial of long-term issues with agriculture on tropical peatlands will have devastating consequences

Non peer reviewe

European Standards for growing media ans soil improvers - Consequences for the peat and humus industry

Seit Jahren und speziell nach Vollendung des europäischen Binnenmarktes nimmt der grenzüberschreitende Handel mit Waren aller Art zu.Der hiermit verbundene Bedarf an länderübergreifenden Normen steigt. Sie sollen helfen, technische Schranken abzubauen und den Markt der einzelnen Produktgruppen für den Verbraucher transparenter zu machen. Die Schaffung Europäischer Normen für Produkte aus dem Bereich Kultursubstrate und Bodenverbesserungsmittel ist in vollem Gang.Für Hersteller, Verbraucher und Labors werden nicht zu übersehende Änderungen kommen.For years and in particular with the completion of the European Market trade between member states with commodities of every description in increasing. Thus the need for common standards to assist international trade is growing. They shall help overcome technical barriers and make the market for all product groups more transparent for the consumer. The establishment of European Standards for growing media and soil improves is now in full progress. Producers, consumers and laboratories must be aware of the coming changes.researchDFG, SUB Göttingen, DGM

ein Rückblick (und etwas mehr)

DFG, SUB Göttingen, DGMTcommemorativepublicatio

An eco-label from the European Union for soil improvers and growing media

Der Rat der Europäischen Gemeinschaften hat am 23. März 1992 eine "Verordnung des Rates über ein gemeinschaftliches System zur Vergabe eines Umweltzeichens" beschlossen. Das Umweltzeichen der EU soll an Produkte vergeben werden, die während ihrer gesamten Lebensdauer, d.h. von ihrer Entwicklung und Herstellung bis zum Vertrieb und der Verwendung,geringere Umweltauswirkungen als vergleichbare herkömmliche Produkte haben.On March 23, 1992 a "Council Regulation on a Community Eco-label Award Scheme" was adopted by the Council of the European Communities. The EU eco-label will be awarded to products which make less of an environmental impact than competing products during their entire life cycle, including development and production as well as distribution and use.researchDFG, SUB Göttingen, DGM

Peat-based growing media: essential operating materials for the sustainable development of horticulture

Abstract: Since the 1950ies the application of peat-based growing media in horticultural production has continued to increase due to improved cultivation systems and increasing performance demands towards the growing medium as an indispensable means of production. Since the beginning of the 1980ies the call by environmental NGOs and politicians for peat reduced and peat free products is growing louder. Numerous alternative growing media constituents have since then been analyzed, tested and rated as suitable or less suitable. Wood fibers, green waste composts, coir products and bark-based products have already found their market. However, for qualitative and quantitative reasons it will not be possible to do without peat as the main constituent in most growing media for the professional sector and many potting soils for the hobby sector.Zusammenfassung: Die Verwendung von Kultursubstraten auf der Basis von Torf hat im Produktionsgartenbau seit den 1950er Jahren mit der Entwicklung immer neuerer Pflanzenkultivierungssysteme und den stetig steigenden Leistungsansprüchen an Kultursubstrate als unentbehrliche Produktionsmittel stetig zugenommen. Seit Anfang der 1980er Jahre wird der Ruf nach Torfverzicht seitens ökologischer Nichtregierungsorganisationen und der Politik immer lauter. Eine Vielzahl von anderen Substratausgangsstoffen ist seitdem analysiert, geprüft und für gut oder weniger gut verwendbar befunden worden. Holzfaserstoffe, Grüngutkomposte, Kokos- und Rindenprodukte haben längst ihren Markt gefunden. Auf Torf wird dennoch in den kommenden Jahrzehnten als Hauptkomponente der meisten Kultursubstrate und vieler Blumenerden aus qualitativen und quantitativen Gründen nicht verzichtet werden können.DFG, SUB Göttingen, DGMTresearc

The Present State of Peatland Utilization and Use of Peat in the Federal Republic of Germany and Future Perspectives of the German Peat Industry

Die Kultivierung der Moore hat in Mitteleuropa, so auch in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland eine lange historische Entwicklung hinter sich. Früher wurden die Moore als Ödland gemieden, später als Siedlungsraum mit landwirtschaftlicher Nutzung und als Brennstofflieferant beansprucht. Heute werden sie als Torflagerstätte und Feuchtbiotop geschätzt und in den letzten Jahren haben sie für den Naturschutz zunehmend an Bedeutung gewonnen. Für das moorreichste Bundesland Niedersachsen liegen neue Erhebungen mit genauen Zahlen über die Nutzung der Nieder- und Hochmoore vor. Das Moorschutzprogramm - Teil 1 - der Niedersächsischen Landesregierung von 1981 dokumentiert die Bestrebungen, Hochmoorgebiete unter Schutz zu stellen. Diese Entwicklung am Beispiel Niedersachsens zeigt den allgemeinen Sinneswandel der Politiker bei der Hochmoornutzung. Dabei spielen heute rohstoffpolitische Überlegungen eine dem Naturschutzgedanken untergeordnete Rolle.In Germany as well as in whole Central Europe the cultivation of mires has passed through a long historical development. In former times people kept away from these wastelands. Later, mires were reclaimed for agricultural and settlement purposes and for fuel supply. Today they are highly estimated as peat deposits on the one hand and as wetlands on the other. During the last years they became more and more important for nature conservation.researchDFG, SUB Göttinge

Significance of clay properties for the selection of clay amendments for peat based growing media

Abstract: The purpose of adding clay to horticultural growing media is to achieve objectives such as a well-balanced nutrient supply, buffering of the pH-value, improvement of the rewettability, cohesion of the growing medium and supply of trace elements. Criteria for choosing clay types for specific applications are necessary to assess the suitability of original materials as well as processed clays in a reliable way. A wide range of clays for different applications was chosen for this study. Differences in the mineralogical composition and in pretreatment of the selected clays resulted in specific physical and chemical characteristics of the different growing media mixes. The influence of different clays on the rewettability and cohesion of growing media was analyzed in laboratory experiments which resulted in the definition of important parameters for selection of clays and suitable methods for processing. Clays with strong K and P fixation as well as clays with spontaneous release of these macronutrients were identified. The effects of clays on the flow of nutrients were documented in crop tests. growth-trials regarding Mn toxicity, carried out with clays with different contents of active Mn, proved that an existing RHP-threshold value for Mn in clays for growing media is not justified.Zusammenfassung: Der Zusatz von Ton zu gärtnerischen Kultursubstraten ist mit vielen unterschiedlichen Zielen, wie ausgeglichener Nährstoffversorgung, Pufferung des pH-Wertes, Verbesserung der Benetzbarkeit, Bindigkeit des Substrates und Spurenelementversorgung, verknüpft. Geeignete Kriterien für die Auswahl von Tonen für spezifische Anwendungen sind nötig, um eine verlässliche Bewertung sowohl der Substratausgangsstoffe als auch von aufbereiteten Tonen zu ermöglichen. In dieser Studie wurde eine große Bandbreite von Tonen für verschiedene Anwendungen ausgewählt. Unterschiede in der mineralogischen Zusammensetzung und Aufbereitung der ausgewählten Tone spiegeln sich bei den entsprechenden physikalischen und chemischen Eigenschaften des Substrates wieder. Der Einfluss verschiedener Tone auf die Wiederbenetzbarkeit und Bindigkeit von Substraten wurde in Laborexperimenten untersucht und wichtige Parameter für die Auswahl bestimmter Tonspezies und deren Aufbereitung abgeleitet. Tone mit starker K- und P-Fixierung als auch solche mit spontaner Freisetzung dieser Makronährstoffe wurden identifiziert und in Kulturversuchen Toneffekte auf Nährstoffflüsse dokumentiert. Untersuchungen zur Mangantoxizität an Tonen mit unterschiedlichen Anteilen an aktivem Mangan ergaben, dass der bestehende RHP-Grenzwert für Mn in Substrattonen nicht gerechtfertigt ist.DFG, SUB Göttingen, DGMTresearc

Sphagnum farming on highly decomposed peat: a new research project in Lower Saxony

Abstract: From 2015 to 2019, the cultivation of peat mosses is being tested and scientifically monitored on two industrially harvested and highly decomposed peat fields in Lower Saxony, Germany. The study sites were inoculated with peat mosses (in particular Sphagnum papillosum, S. palustre, S. magellanicum, S. fimbriatum, S. pulchrum) of three donor sites. The economic profitability of peat moss cultivation and the suitability of peat mosses as constituent for growing media are being tested by the substrate manufacturer Klasmann-Deilmann GmbH. The Institute of Environmental Planning at the Leibniz Universität Hannover is assessing and evaluating the growth rate of the different peat moss species and the suitability of the cultivation sites as habitats for characteristic plant and animal species of raised bogs. The greenhouse gas balance of the ”peatland based“ peat moss production is being evaluated by the Thünen Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture in Braunschweig. The GHG balance includes the quantification of the influence of peat moss harvest on the C-sequestration of the donor sites.Zusammenfassung: Die Kultivierung von Torfmoosen wird von 2015 bis 2019 auf zwei industriell abgebauten und stark zersetzten Schwarztorfflächen im Landkreis Emsland praktisch erprobt und wissenschaftlich begleitet. Dazu wurden Testflächen mit Torfmoosen (v.a. Sphagnum papillosum, S. palustre, S. magellanicum, S. fimbriatum, S. pulchrum) von drei Spenderflächen beimpft. Die Wirtschaftlichkeit der Torfmooskultivierung und die Eignung von Torfmoosen als Substratausgangsstoff werden vom Substrathersteller Klasmann-Deilmann GmbH getestet. Das Institut für Umweltplanung der Leibniz Universität Hannover erfasst und bewertet die Wuchsleistung der unterschiedlichen Torfmoosarten und die Eignung der Kultivierungsflächen als Lebensraum für charakteristische Tier- und Pflanzenarten der Hochmoore. Die Treibhausgas-Bilanz der „moorbasierten“ Torfmoosproduktion wird vom Thünen-Institut für Agrarklimaschutz in Braunschweig untersucht. Dazu gehört auch die Quantifizierung des Einflusses der Torfmoosernte auf die Kohlenstoffbilanz der Entnahmeflächen.DFG, SUB Göttingen, DGMTresearc

Denial of long-term issues with agriculture on tropical peatlands will have devastating consequences

The first International Peat Congress (IPC) held in the tropics - in Kuching (Malaysia) - brought together over 1000 international peatland scientists and industrial partners from across the world (“International Peat Congress with over 1000 participants!,” 2016). The congress covered all aspects of peatland ecosystems and their management, with a strong focus on the environmental, societal and economic challenges associated with contemporary large-scale agricultural conversion of tropical peat. However, recent encouraging developments towards better management of tropical peatlands have been undermined by misleading newspaper headlines and statements first published during the conference. Articles in leading regional newspapers (“Oil palm planting on peat soil handled well, says Uggah,” 2016; Cheng & Sibon, 2016; Nurbianto, 2016a, 2016b; Wong, 2016) widely read across the region, portrayed a general consensus, in summary of the conference, that current agricultural practices in peatland areas, such as oil palm plantations, do not have a negative impact on the environment. This view is not shared by many scientists, or supported by the weight of evidence that business-as-usual management is not sustainable for tropical peatland agriculture. Peer-reviewed scientific studies published over the last 19 years, as reflected in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Wetland Supplement on greenhouse gas inventories, affirms that drained tropical peatlands lose considerable amounts of carbon at high rates (Drösler et al., 2014). Tropical peat swamp forests have sequestered carbon for millennia, storing a globally significant reservoir below ground in the peat (Page et al., 2011; Dommain et al., 2014). However, contemporary agriculture techniques on peatlands heavily impact this system through land clearance, drainage and fertilization, a process that too often involves fire. Along with biodiversity losses driven by deforestation (Koh et al., 2011; Posa et al., 2011; Giam et al., 2012), the carbon stored in drained peatlands is rapidly lost through oxidation, dissolution and fire (Couwenberg et al., 2009; Hirano et al., 2012; Ramdani & Hino, 2013; Schrier-Uijl et al., 2013; Carlson et al., 2015; Warren et al., 2016). Tropical peat fires are a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and produce transboundary haze causing significant impacts on human health, regional economies and ecosystems (Page et al., 2002; Marlier et al., 2012; Jaafar & Loh, 2014; Chisholm et al., 2016; Huijnen et al., 2016; Stockwell et al., 2016). With future El-Niño events predicted to increase in frequency and severity (Cai et al., 2014) and with fire prevalence now decoupled from drought years (Gaveau et al., 2014), future large scale fire and haze events are imminent given the extensive areas of now drained fire prone drained peatlands (Kettridge et al., 2015; Turetsky et al., 2015; Page & Hooijer, 2016). In reality, just how much of the estimated 69 gigatonnes of carbon (Page et al., 2011) stored in Southeast Asian tropical peatlands is being lost due to agricultural operations under the current management regime is still uncertain. Of great concern is that none of the agricultural management methods applied to date have been shown to prevent the loss of peat and the associated subsidence of the peatland surface following drainage (Wösten et al., 1997; Melling et al., 2008; Hooijer et al., 2012; Evers et al., 2016). Recent projections suggest that large areas of currently drained coastal peatlands will become un-drainable, and progressively be subjected to longer periods of inundation by river and ultimately sea water (Hooijer et al., 2015a, 2015b; Sumarga et al., 2016). With growing risk of saltwater intrusion, agriculture in these coastal lands will become increasingly untenable, calling into question the very notion of “long-term sustainability of tropical peatland agriculture”. A more accurate view of drained peatland agriculture is that of an extractive industry, in which a finite resource (the peat) is ‘mined’ to produce food, fibre and fuel, driven by global demand. In developing countries with growing populations, there are strong socio-economic arguments for exploiting this resource to support local livelihoods and broader economic development (Mizuno et al., 2016). However, an acceptance that on-going peat loss is inevitable under this scenario. Science-based measures towards improved management, including limitations on the extent of plantation development, can be used to minimise the rate of this peat loss (President of Indonesia, 2011). Such an evidence-based position, supported with data and necessary legal instruments are needed for sustainable futures. The scientifically unfounded belief that drained peatland agriculture can be made ‘sustainable’, and peat loss can be halted, via unproven methods such as peat compaction debilitates the effort to find sustainable possibilities. To a large extent, the issues surrounding unsustainable peatland management have now been recognized by sections of industry (Wilmar, 2013; APP, 2014; Cargill Inc., 2014; Mondelēz International, 2014; Sime Darby Plantation, 2014; APRIL, 2015; Olam International, 2015), government (President of Indonesia, 2014, 2016; Mongabay, 2015; Mongabay Haze Beat, 2015; Hermansyah, 2016) and consumers (Wijedasa et al., 2015). In recognition of the constraints and risks of peatland development, many large and experienced oil palm and pulpwood companies have halted further development on peat and introduced rigorous management requirements for existing peatland plantations(Lim et al., 2012). However, the denial of the empirical basis calling for improved peatland management remains persistent in influential policy spaces, as illustrated by the articles reporting on the conference (“Oil palm planting on peat soil handled well, says Uggah,” 2016; Cheng & Sibon, 2016; Nurbianto, 2016a, 2016b). The search for more responsible tropical peatland agriculture techniques includes promising recent initiatives to develop methods to cultivate crops on peat under wet conditions (Giesen, 2015; Dommain et al., 2016; Mizuno et al., 2016). While a truly sustainable peatland agriculture method does not yet exist, the scientific community and industry are collaborating in the search for solutions(International Peat Society, 2016), and for interim measures to mitigate ongoing rates of peat loss under existing plantations. Failing to recognize the devastating consequences of the current land use practices on peat soils and failing to work together to address them could mean that the next generation will have to deal with an irreversibly altered, dysfunctional landscape where neither environment nor society, globally or locally, will be winners.JRC.D.1-Bio-econom