Charcoal - a useful additive to fertilizer for coral soils, an experiment in Tuvalu

Abstract

Growing food on coral soils is often a problem because: 1. The soils are low both in organic matter and in the important plant nutrients nitrogen, potassium and certain trace elements. 2. Often the concentration of salt is very high. 3. There is a limited supply of fresh water
on many coral atolls. It is possible to grow a good range of vegetables on these soils, but only if expensive fertilizers are used. In 1981, agronomists from the Department of Agriculture, Tuvalu, began a trial to find a local substitute for imported fertilizer. The trial was carried out on Vaitupu Island, Tuvalu.