African Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences 5 (5): 237-241,
2013ISSN 2079-2034 IDOSI Publications, 2013DOI:
10.5829/idosi.ajbas.2013.5.5.626Corrosponding Author: Pawan. B.
Thakare, Arts, Commerce and Science College, Arvi, Dist. Wardha,
Nagpur university, Nagpur. (M.S), India.Cell: +9766773347.237Growth
of Chilli Plants (Capsicum Annuum) in Fly Ash Blended SoilPawan. B.
Thakare,Mahendra, D. Chaudhary andWaman K. Pokale1 2 2 3Arts,
Commerce and Science college, Arvi, Dist. Wardha,1Nagpur
university, Nagpur. (M.S), IndiaB.D. College Of Enggineering,
Sevagram, Dist. Wardha,2Nagpur University, Nagpur. (M.S), IndiaSri.
Saraswati Social work College, Dist. Wasim,3Amravati University,
Amravati. (M.S), IndiaAbstract:
Thephysico-chemicalcharacterizationofflyash,threedifferentsoilsandirrigationwaterwascarried
out. The growth of chilli plants was studied in 0%, 2%, 5%, 10%,
15%, 20%, 25% fly ash blended soils.Growth of plants was monitored
regularly after every month up to three months from the date of
sowing for allthe three blended soils in rainy, winter and summer
seasons of the year 2009-10. Based on the data obtainedit is found
that 5% to 10% fly ash- soil blending concentrations improved the
physical properties of soil andalsocontributedtobetter growth and
yield of chili plants in all the three rainy, winter and summer
seasons.Thepresentworkshows the possibility of the use of fly ash
by blending with soilfor
betterplantgrowth.Thustheutilizationofflyashinagriculturemayprovideafeasiblealternativeforitssafedisposalwithoutserious
deleterious effects and may save the cost of fertilizers and
elevates the economy of farmers if used inproper ratio by
blending.Key words: Blended soil Fly ash Plant growth Chilli Waste
and CharacterizationINTRODUCTION
havebeenpracticedforcenturiesthroughouttheworldRapidindustrialization,thepopulationexplosion
supplyandsocietywithareliableandinexpensiveand
moreurbanizationinIndiahavecreatedenormous
systemforwastewatertreatmentanddisposal[7].Butproblemsofenvironmentalpollutionintermsof
thisisbeingdonewithoutknowingtheeffectsofgenerating the variable
quality and quantity of solid and
contaminantspresentintheeffluentsonthequalityandliquidwaste.IndevelopingcountrieslikeIndia,the
growth of different plants.disposal of domestic
andindustrialwasteisbecoming
Thenutritionalstatusisamajordeterminantofthea problem of great
concern, which may cause land, water
productivityofasoil.Manywastematerialscontainingandairpollution.Soilcontaminationbyindustrial
essentialplantnutrientsareavailableinhugequantitieseffluentshasaffectedbothsoilhealthandcrop
which when applied at appropriate rates can enhance
theproductivity.
nutrientstatusaswellasothersoilproperties.OutofManyuntreated
andcontaminatedsewage and these solid wastes, fly ash is the major
waste produced ineffluentsmayhavehighconcentrationofseveralheavy
thermal power stations. Every year thermal power
plantsmetalssuchasCd,Ni,PbandCr[1,2]whichget
inIndiaproducemorethan100milliontonsofflyash,accumulated in the
living cells causes the decrease in cell whichisexpected to reach
175 millions in the near
futureactivities,inhibitionofgrowthandvariousdeficiency/ [8]. Due
to the absence of well planned strategy in
Indiadiseasesinplants[3].However,theseeffluents[4]are for the
disposal of this fly ash, it is posing serious
healthpurposelyusedforirrigationduetoscarcityofwater and ecological
hazards [9]. It has been reported [10, 11]especially for vegetable
and fruits. Effluentsforirrigation that the fly ash has a potential
to improve the contents of[5, 6]. It provides farmers with a
nutrient enriched waterAfrican J. Basic & Appl. Sci., 5 (5):
237-241, 2013238nutrient elements of soil required for healthy
plant growth.Itcontains[12]usefulcomponentssuchasCa,Mg,Fe,Cu, Zn,
Mn, B, S and P along with appreciable amounts oftoxic heavy metals
such as Cr, Pb, Hg, Ni, V, As and Ba.The toxic heavy metals hinder
the nutrient utilization byplants and adversely affectthe microbial
population
andhencesoilfertility.Manyworkers[13-15]alsofoundincreases in
yields in several crops by addition of fly
ashwhichwasattributedtothecorrectionofnutrientdeficienciesinplantsalthoughtheresponsevariedfromsoil
to soil.Thus,theuseofflyashinagricultureprovides afeasible
alternative for its safe disposal to improve the soilenvironment
andenhancethecropproductivity.However,apropermanagementstrategyhastobedeveloped
to abate the landpollutionfromthe
heavymetalspresentintheflyash.Thepresentinvestigationis
apartofsystematicworkundertakento studytheeffectofflyashonthe
growthofplants(chili)andtherebytocontrolthe pollutionload.MATERIALS
AND METHODSThe fly ash was obtained from RPL Urja limited, atWani
inYavatmalDistrictofMaharashtra(India).Seedsofchili(ofmakeJwala)werecollectedfromthemarket.
Three different soil samples were taken at
25cmdepthfromthesurfaceandsamplingwascarriedoutbyquartering
method.Thesesoilswereairdriedandpowdered. These soils were blended
with fly ash in% byweight as 0%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% etc. and
were keptin clean polyethylene bags. Two seeds of chili were sownin
each bag.Thephysico-chemicalcharacteristicsofflyashandsoilswere
analyzedby the standardmethods,[16, 17].Thephysical and chemical
properties of irrigation waterwere analysed by following the
standard procedures [18].All chemicals used were of AR/GR grade.All
plantswerewateredequallywithsameperiodandwith
thesameirrigationwater.Theheight,numberofleaves,numberofflowersand
the
numberoffruitswererecordedoneachplantaftereverymonthfromthedateofsowinguptothethreemonths.The
observations were taken in rainy (June- Sept.), winter(Dec.
-March)andsummer(April-July)seasonsoftheyear 2009-10.Table 1:
physico-chemical characteristics of three soils and flyAshSr. No.
Parameters S1 S2 S3 Fly ash1 Bulk density (g/cc) 1.49 1.61 1.78
1.432 W.H.C. (%) 75.83 75.83 58.42 62.503 pH 7.63 7.70 7.65 7.634
Conductivity (mS/cm) 0.51 0.53 0.50 0.555 Available P (kg/ha) 16 18
20 24.336 Available K (kg/ha) 552 625 298 4567 Na (%) 0.52 1.78
0.63 0.678 Organic C (%) 0.39 0.34 0.49 0.489 Ca (%) 36 27 29.25
23.5610 Mg (%) 3.68 9.23 3.68 19.2311 Porosity (%) 60.05 54.52
35.63 46.5912 Moisture (%) 8.99 7.16 10.02 7.0213 Zn (ppm) 0.25
0.48 0.47 1.3714 Cu (ppm) 1.16 2.84 1.41 0.9815 Fe (ppm) 0.29 0.56
0.64 2.9116 Mn (ppm) 2.04 5.21 1.62 2.77Table 2: Physico-chemical
characteristics of irrigation waterSr. No. Parameters Irrigation
Water1 pH 7.182 Conductivity 3.41 mS/cm3 Calcium 4.8 meq/L4
Magnessium 1.6 meq/L5 Sodium 0.71 meq/L6 Potassium 0.41 meq/L7
Bicarbonates 2.0 meq/L8 Chlorides 2.0 meq/L9 Sulphates 1.52
meq/LRESULTS AND DISCUSSIONPhysico-chemical
characteristicsandelementalanalysis of fly ash and three different
soils are presentedin
Table-1.Similarly,theanalysisofirrigationwaterisshowninTable-2.TheresultsofflyashanalysisshowedpHof7.63,electricalconductivity(EC)of0.55mS/cmwhichmaybeduetothepresenceofhighconcentrationofoxidesofCaandMg[19].Also,itcontains
high concentration of P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe and
Mn.Variousstudies[20-23]conductedinIndiaandabroadhaveindicatedthatapplicationofflyashtosoilreducebulk
densityanddrydensityandincreasethewaterholding capacity and
porosity.The experimentwasstatedinthe rainy season;itwas
observedthatamong all% blend concentrations ofS , the optimum
height (14.5inch),numberofleaves1(75), number of flowers (37) and
the number of fruits (18)werefoundat10%blending concentration. In
case ofS , the optimum level fly ash-soil blending
concentration2was found at 5% where the maximum height, number
ofleaves, number of flowers and number of fruits were 19.5inch, 98,
46 and 23 respectively. For S , the maximum value3of plantheight
(15 inch) and the number of leaves (85),number of flowers (38) and
fruits (20) were maximum atAfrican J. Basic & Appl. Sci., 5
(5): 237-241, 201323910% blending.These resultsmay be attributed to
the fact that, dueto the higher values of W.H.C., pH, K, Mg, Cu and
Mn inS than Sand S , it showed optimum level concentration2 1 3at
5% i.e. lesser blending concentration than for Sand S .1 3However,
10%,5% and10% blending concentrationsforS ,S and S
respectivelyarefoundtobetheoptimum1 2 3concentrations. The increase
in ladys finger plant
growthandyieldwasalsoreported[24]byblendingdilutedmolasses with
soil at 0.2-0.5% concentration. Fig. 1: No. Of Fruits In Sept.
2009The maximumvaluesofplantheight(13.5inch),number of leaves (60),
number of flowers (33) and numberof fruits (23) for Sin winter were
found at 10% blending1concentration.ForS
,theoptimumlevelblending2concentration
is5%wherethevaluesofplantheight(12.5 inch), number of leaves (86),
number of flowers (43)and number of fruits (24) were found maximum.
SimilarlyforS themaximumplantheight(14inch),numberof3,leaves (99),
number of flowers (44) and number of fruits(31) were found at 10%
blending concentration. Increasein growth and yield was also
reported [25] under fly
ashapplicationinthesoilupto10tons/haandwasinterpretedasduetoimprovedsoilstructureandenhancednutrientavailability.Cropslikerice,wheat,grametc.weregrownonvaryinglevelofflyashencouragingthecropgrowthandsubsequentlyitsyield.Tomatocultivatorsgrownonflyashamendedsoilshadhigher
tolerance to wilt fungus Fusarium Oxysporum [26].In summer, the
optimum level blending concentrationforS
wasfoundat5%wheretheplantheight(13),1number of leaves (75), number
of flowers (40) and
numberoffruits(20)werefoundmaximum.5%optimumconcentration for S
,mightbeduetoithashigher%of1W.H.C.andporosityandlowerbulkdensity.ForS
the2,plant height (11 inch), number of flowers (32) and numberof
fruits (22) were maximum at 5% blending concentration.The number of
leaves(92) was found maximumat 10%concentration which might be due
increased biochemicalparameters at this concentration. Similarly,
in case of S3,themaximumplantheight(12),numberofleaves(81),number
offlowers(40)andnumberoffruits(21)werefound at 10% blending
concentration. The similar resultswere
reportedby[27],wheretheyfoundanincreaseinyieldofwheatupto20t/haflyashdosingtosoilanddecline
thereafter but still higher than the yield under noash addition.
They reported moisture retention of soils onflyashtreatment.Thakare
etal.[28],reportedsimilarresults in soya
bean(GlycineMax)byusingsoyawasteFig. 2: No. Of Fruits In
March-2010Fig. 3: No. Of Fruits In July 2010blended soil and found
maximum growth and yield at 10%blending
concentration.Thepossiblereasonforthisismay
betheroleofgrowthregulatorsandthebalancebetween promoters and
inhibiters, which shift due to thetrace
elementcompositionofflyash.Somenegativeeffectswerealsoreportedbutthesemaybeduetoexcessiveconcentrationsofindustrialwastewhichmaylead
to nutrient toxicity and other soil disorder [29].From the
commercial viewpoint, in rainy, winter andsummer season the overall
maximum number of fruits werefound at 5% to 10% blending
concentration. Figures 1, 2and 3 show the number of fruits (for S ,
S and S ) in rainy,1 2 3winterand summer seasons respectively. This
shows thatthenutrientslikeavailablenitrogen,phosphorousandpotassium
infly ash are sufficientwhich can correct theAfrican J. Basic &
Appl. Sci., 5 (5): 237-241, 2013240deficiencies of these in soils.
Thus at 5% to 10% blending management,Journalof Soil
Contamination,concentrations of fly ash with soil, the chilli plant
are able 1: 265-272.to absorbmaximumamountofnutrientsfromblends 3.
Farooqi,
Z.R.,M.Z.Iqbal,M.KabirandM.Shafiq,resultingingoodyield.Thisindicatesthat,the
2009.
ToxiceffectsofleadandCadmiumoningredientspresentintheblendsofflyashandsoilat
germination and seedling growth of Albezia Lebbeckparticular
concentrationaresupportivetothegrowthof (L.) Benth, Pak. J. Bot.,
41: 27-33.plants. 4. Ghafoor, A., A. Rauf, M. Arif and W. Muzaffar,
1994.CONCLUSION 5. Shuval,H.I., A. Adin, B.Fattal,E. Rawitz andIn
general,5to10%flyash-soilblending countries,
Healtheffectsandtechnicalsolutions,concentrationswerefoundbeneficialforthegrowth
World Bank Technical Report, 51:
325.andyieldofchilliplant.Thatmeansflyashactsasan 6.
Tripathi,S.,V.Pathak,D.M.Tripathi
andexcellentsoilmodifier,conditionerandasourceof B.D.
Tripathi,2011.ApplicationofOzoneBasedessentialnutrientsforappreciablyimprovingthe
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ofSecondaryEffluentsInTheTropicaltextureandfertilitywithsignificantincreaseincrop
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yieldoverthecontrolataparticularconcentration 7. Feigin,
A.,I.RavinaandJ.Shalhevet,1991.onlyandissupportivetoplantgrowth.However,other
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SeriesinAgriculturalSciences,blendingconcentrationsmayleadtoreductionin
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S.,G.R.SinghandB.R.Yadav,2009.showthattheavailableingredientsinflyashwhere
Utilization of fly ash for crop production: Effect
onusefulforcertainlevelsforutilizationofaparticular the
growthofWheatandSorghumcropsandsoilplant
species.Thusutilizationofflyashinagriculture properties. Journal of
Agricultural physics, 9:
20-23.mayprovideafeasiblealternativeforitssafedisposal 9. Kauthale,
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applicationongrowthandyieldofannualusedinproperratiobyblending.Hence,thereisan
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49-54.non-conventionalfertilizeratparticularconcentration. 10. Prem
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way to improve soil fertilitydeclare flyash totally safe and
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itsProductivity,AsianJournalofAgriculturalfertilizer. Research,
4(1): 1-14.ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Coal
fedThermalPowerPlants:BulkutilizationinOne
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