Abstract:
Sandy clay loam soil in Bangkalan is poor soil because of low nutrients, organic
matter, bases, cation exchange capacity, water and nutrient retention. Application
of biochar and acid-activated bentonite material (AAB) on this soil will increase
soil quality. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of application
of corncob biochar mixed with, AAB on soil chemical characteristics of sandy
clay loam. Biochar made from corncob with Kon-Tiki method, bentonite was
activated with physical (200 oC) and chemical (1N H2SO4) method. The
experiment was arranged on a Completely Randomized Design consisting two
factors, namely biochar and AAB. Both biochar and ABB were applied at rates of
0, 5, 10 ton ha-1 and each treatment was replicated for three times. Soil
characteristics that were examined were pH (H2O) and pH (KCl), Organic carbon,
CEC and exchangeable bases (exch K, exch Na, exch Ca and exch Mg). Data
were analyzed by ANOVA and difference among means was tested with Tukey.
The results showed that the combination of biochar and AAB significantly
increased the pH (H2O), Exchangeable K, and Na respectively 8,50%, 73,91%,
and 69,23%.. Application of biochar significantly increased 42,86% soil organic
carbon content while AAB had a significant effect on increasing 20,92% CEC of
the soil.
Keywords: Amelioration, Soil chemical, Sandy soil
