Utilization of crops residues as compost and biochar for improving soil physical properties and upland rice productivity

Abstract

Abstract:The abundance of crops waste in the agricultural field can be converted to organic fertilizer throughout the process of composting or pyrolysis to return back into the soil. The study aimed to elucidate the effect of compost and biochar application on the physical properties and productivity of upland rice at Village of Sukaraja Nuban, Batanghari Nuban Sub district, East Lampung Regency in 2015. The amendment treatments were A. control; B. 10 t rice husk biochar/ ha; C. 10 t maize cob biochar/ha; D. 10 t straw compost/ha; E. 10 t stover compost/ha, F. 10 t rice husk biochar/ha + 10 t straw compost/ha; F. 10 t maize cob biochar/ha + 10 t maize stover compost/ha. The treatments were arranged in randomized block design with four replicates. The plot size for each treatment was 10 x 20 m. After incubation for about one month, undisturbed soil samples were taken using copper ring at 10-20 cm depth for laboratory analyzes. Analyses of soil physical properties included bulk density, particle density, total porosity, drainage porosity, and soil water condition. Plant observations conducted at harvest were plant height, number of panicle, number of grain/panicle, and grain weight/plot. Results of the study showed that biochar and compost improved soil physical properties such as bulk density, total porosity, fast drainage pores, water content, and permeability of soil. The combination of rice husk biochar and straw compost gave better effect than single applications on rice production components (numbers of panicle and grains of rice), and gave the highest yield of 4.875 t/ha.

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“…In contrast, biochar amendment stood out from compost in the context of lowering Bb and these findings are in agreement with (Agegnehu et al, 2015), this may signify that biochar might be substantially lighter than compost. In contrast to our results, Barus (2016) observed that compost addition stood out from biochar in the context of decreasing Bd; nevertheless, trial was set for 1 month, indicating that biochar addition become more effective in the soil with time prolongation.…”

“…All the amendments tested; compost and biochar additions, were able to decrease Bd and these results are consistent with (Agegnehu et al, 2015); the impact might be a result of light material additions (i.e. compost and biochar), which are commonly endowed with a lower bulk density (Ouyang et al, 2013) and an increasing of porosity (Barus, 2016) due to highly porous material additions, which might have made the experimental soil become increasingly light and herein lies the root of decreasing Bd. Additionally, increased of SOM as indicated in Fig.…”

“…Another reason might be that Pk of both applied amendments was lower than that of experimental soil, which might have also induced gradual decreases in Pk. Barus (2016) reported that Pk reduction was due to compost addition endowed with low bulk density as compared with experimental soil, and this also might have been a reason of decreasing Pk due to compost addition. These results were expected, since biochar directly affect soil water storage due to its high inner porosity resulting in increased soil pore size distribution and likewise for compost addition.…”

“…Decreases in Bd throughout our study are in accordance with other researches. For instance, Barus (2016) reflected that at 10 t ha -1 application rate, compost and biochar additions lowered Bd by 0.11 and 0.06 g cm -3 , respectively. The positive perks of compost and biochar additions in the context of improving Bd, have been reported by previous researchers.…”

“…The impact of compost on soil physical properties improvement has been investigated by several researchers, and Eusufzai & Fujii (2012) reported that compost addition has a potent impact on improving quality, hydraulic properties and pore size distribution of the soil. Newly, evidenced studies have reflected that compost addition to soil decreased soil bulk density (Bd) and particle density (Pk), as well increased soil total porosity, soil water retention capacity and plant available water content (PAWC) (Barus, 2016).…”