AB 2511, as introduced, Levine. Fertilizing materials: auxiliary soil and plant substances: biochar.
Existing law generally regulates fertilizer materials and provides for the licensure of individuals who manufacture or distribute fertilizing materials. Existing law defines various terms for the purpose of carrying out these provisions, including, but not limited to, auxiliary soil and plant substances. Existing law lists specific chemical or biological substances or mixtures of substances or devices included within the definition of auxiliary soil and plant substances and excludes commercial fertilizers, agricultural minerals, pesticides, soil amendments, and manures from the definition.
This bill would include biochar, as defined, as a product intended to be used for influencing soils, plant growth, or crop or plant quality for the purposes of the definition of auxiliary soil and plant substances. The bill would remove soil amendments as a substance excluded from the definition of auxiliary soil and plant substances.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 14513 of the Food and Agricultural Code
2 is amended to read:
“Auxiliary soil and plant substance” means any
4chemical or biological substance or mixture of substances or device
5distributed in this state to be applied to soil, plants, or seeds for
6soil corrective purposes; or that is intended to improve germination,
7growth, yield, product quality, reproduction, flavor, or other
8desirable characteristics of plants; or that is intended to produce
9any chemical, biochemical, biological, or physical change in soil;
10but does not include commercial fertilizers, agricultural minerals,
11pesticides,begin delete soil amendments,end delete or manures. It shall include the
12following:
13(a) Bacterial inoculants.
14(b) Biotics.
15(c) Lignin or humus preparations.
16(d) Microbial products, including genetically engineered
17microorganisms.
18(e) Soil binding agents.
19(f) Synthetic polyelectrolytes.
20(g) Wetting agents to promote water penetration.
21(h) Any similar product intended to be used for influencing
22soils, plant growth, or crop or plantbegin delete quality.end deletebegin insert quality, including
23biochar.end insert
Section 14513.5 is added to the Food and Agricultural
25Code, to read:
“Biochar” means materials derived from
27thermochemical conversion of biomass in an oxygen-limited
28environment containing at least 60 percent carbon.
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