Utilization of Coal Fly Ash and Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Compost to Improve the Uptake of Soil Phosphorus and Yield of Maize Grown on Ultisol

Abstract

The study aimed at elucidating the utilization of coal fly ash and oil palm empty fruit bunch compost to improve the soil phosphorus uptake and yield of maize grown on Ultisol. The investigation was carried out in a greenhouse. The treatments tested were a combination of four coal fly ash doses (0, 20, 40, and 80 t ha-1) and three doses of oil palm empty fruit bunch compost (0, 10, and 20 t ha-1). At 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks after planting, plant height, leaf number and stem diameter were observed. At the time of harvest (10 weeks after planting), fresh and dry weights of cobs, roots, stem, leaves, and seeds, as well as P uptake on the plant tissues, were observed. The results showed that the application of coal fly ash and oil palm empty fruit bunch compost significantly increased the P uptake, growth and yield of maize. The combination of 80 t coal fly ash ha-1 with 20 t oil palm empty fruit bunch compost ha-1 resulted in the highest P uptake, growth and yield of maize. Compared to the control treatment, the increase in P uptake by maize, the fresh cob weight, the dry cob weight, the biomass dry weight, and the dry seed weight were 303.23%, 285.39%, 364.91%, 329.59% and 1,591.70%, respectively.