Absorption of Ca, K, Mg, and Na in corn on the ombregeneus peat as affected by volcanic ash and flying ash

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate effect of volcanic ash and flying ash application on absorption of Ca, K, Mg and Na by corn hybrid C-I on the ombrogenous peat (pH* 3.36, Alexch 0.697 me% and H-exch 52.116 me%) from Pontianak., West Kalimantan. The treatment was arranged in 6 level (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 % by weight), in 3 replications. The results indicated that application of the volcanic ash and flying ash increased the corn growth. Shoot and root dry weight increasedsignifcantly with increasing amendment rate, but no significant effect of the soil amendment type. Uptake of Ca, K, Mg and Na in leaves, stem, roots and whole plant of maize are increased significantly with increasing amendment rate. The amount of cations which are mostly absorbed, and distributed in leaves was potassium (K), then followed by Mg, Ca and Nu, but in the stem, the sequence were Mg > K > Ca > Na, and in the roots, were Na > K > Mg > Ca (for the volcanic ash treatment), and Na > Ca > K > Mg (forflying ash treatment), respectively. Almost all of the coefficient of correlation between Ca, K, Mg and Na absorption in whole plant and the soil amendments rate are significant, except for the relationship between the flying ash treatment and Na absorption.