Barry Husk from www.blue-leaf.ca has posted to the biochar discussion groups as follows…

“Just a quick note to give some preliminary results, 1^st harvests, from our 2013 biochar field trials on small fruit:

Blueberries

Patriot Highbush variety

5 replicate plots biochar and controls; 100 bushes

Biochar applied by slurry injection to root zone, early May 2013

Equivalent rate of 1 kg/m2, 10 T/ha.

1^st harvest: fresh weight +11%, berry size +8% with biochar (p-values < 0.05)

2 harvests remaining

Strawberries

(day-neutral) Seascape variety

5 replicate plots biochar and controls; 15,500 plants total

Biochar applied with manure spreader, early May2013, incorporated with rotary harrow; mounded under plasticulture

Equivalent rate of 10 T/ha

1^st harvest: fresh weight +13% with biochar and 3% less off-grade quality with biochar (p-values < 0.05)

Approx. 15 harvests remaining”

More information here… http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar-soils/message/921