On Humic substances
We need more hard numbers on soil MYC/microbial counts, but by proxy of the 80-90% N2O emission reductions and nutrient efficiency and now Christoph's NH3 char compost, show the dynamic affects in a wide band of soil metabolic rates.
The full CO2 equivalence, accounting for the deeper recalcitrant fraction of SOC, (particularly glomalins), soil GHG emmisions, N & P Nutrient Credits will account biochar's ultimate value.

Real work to do;
Counting the wee-Beasties costs a pretty penny. The most pennies spent so far as I've seen, in his second year now, is Barry at BlueLeaf; www.blue-leaf.ca
His analysis includes soil chemical analysis, plant analysis (including above and below-ground biomass, grain, growth stage, near-infrared and nutrient value), soil foodweb, soil CO2 emissions, nutrient leaching and runoff, etc. This was the first of a three season trial done in conjunction with McGill University and Julie Major.

Epigenetic Effects and Chemical Signaling;

Nikolaus Foidl has been at it 5 years,
His work with aspirin is Amazing in Maize, 250% yield gains, 15 cobs per plant;
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/con...id-and-charcoal

Nikolaus loved this recent nematode research, he has a list of about 300 substances with suspected epigentic changes in gene expressions derived from chars at different temperatures and from different raw materials, and is trying to convince Universities to do a substance
epigentic gene expression screening to get a better idea of the interaction between char derived substances and soil-microbiota-plant- and in the end humans. Little by little the literature is showing the first results.

Here's some very interesting German research on Humic substances & modulation of anticancer genes.

Some new terminology to me; "anthropogenic xenobiotics", “cep-1 the guardian of the genome”,

SELECTED NATURAL HUMIC MATERIALS INDUCE AND CHAR SUBSTRATES REPRESS A GENE IN CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS HOMOLOG TO HUMAN ANTICANCER P53
http://iris.lib.neu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1060&context=aes

Your aphids have per­son­al­ity problems?....... epige­net­ic fac­tors may play a part. Maybe char, as in the work on Humic substances & modulation of anticancer genes in Nematodes, could be an interesting variable to play with aphids ?

Tiny bugs have own personalities despite being clones, scientists say

http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/110303_aphid


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Erich J. Knight