Physico - Chemical And Microbiological Characterization of Fly Ash And Its Effect on Nutrient Uptake by Soybean Crop
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Date
1994
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Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi
Abstract
The present investigation was aimed to characterize the flyash obtained from different sources (Bokaro Steel Plant, Patratu Thermal Power Plant and Rourkela Steel Plant) and to quantify the growth performance and nutrient uptake by soybean (Glycine max L.) grown on soil amended with flyash. Apart from these, its effect on the soil environment was studied.
Results indicate that flyash with high water holding capacity (MHC) and nutrient content could serve as a source of plant nutrients and as an amendment for acid soils. The WHC of flyash varied from 64 to 78 per cent, pH from 5.6 to 8.0 and organic carbon from 0.17 to 1.7 per cent. Besides these properties, fly ashes were rich in total as well as available P and K, but poor in nitrogen. It was also poor in microbial population compared to that in native soil.
A pot experiment was conducted with soybean in an acid upland soil (pH 4.9) amended with five levels of Bokaro flyash (0, 4, 8, 16 and 32 per cent) and 100% level of fly ash. The results show that maximum dry matter yield of soybean plants 15 days of sowing was at 4% level of flyash(0.255g plant-1).