Malaysian Journal of Soil Science (MJSS)
Abstracts and Full Texts: MJSS Vol.
14, April 2010
Alleviating Acid Soil Infertility Constrains Using Basalt, Ground Magnesium Limestone and Gypsum in a Tropical Environment
J. Shamshuddin & I. Che Fauziah
Ultisols
and Oxisols in the tropical regions are often acidic, with high Al but
deficient in Ca and/or Mg. This limits maize production. Studies were
conducted to investigate the efficacy of basalt, ground magnesium
limestone (GML) and gypsum as acid soil ameliorants. Results showed
that basalt improved soil fertility by increasing soil pH, cation
exchange capacity (CEC) and exchangeable Ca, Mg and K and available P,
with a concomitant lowering of exchangeable Al. In the soils treated
with GML, Ca remained in the zone of incorporation. When GML was
applied together with gypsum, Ca moved deeper into the soil profile.
Sulfate, SO42-, adsorption onto the surfaces of oxides resulted in an
increase in pH and negative charge. The increase in pH was due to the
replacement of OH- by SO42-. Beneficial effects of GML application at
the rate of 4 t ha-1 lasted for about 8 years with the effect being
comparable to application of 1 t GML ha-1 annually.
Model Comparisons for Assessment of NPK Requirement of Upland Rice for Maximum Yield
A. Hartinee, M.M. Hanafi, J. Shukor & T.M.M. Mahmud
Upland
rice farmers in Malaysia still depend on resultant ash from burning for
K and N sources. Efficient use of chemical fertilizers in upland rice
needs accurate assessment of required nutrient elements. The present
study was performed to determine the N, P, and K requirements of three
upland rice varieties grown on idle land (Bukit Tuku soil, AQUIC
KANDIUDULT) using four response models. A glasshouse experiment was
conducted using 0-200 kg N ha-1 (urea, 46%N), 0-120 kg P2O5 ha-1 (TSP,
45% P2O5), and 0-150 kg K2O ha-1 (MOP, 60% K2O), each at five levels.
Three upland rice varieties used in the experiment were Ageh, Kendinga
and Strao. The grain yield (14% moisture content) was measured at
harvest and fitted using linear (L), linear with plateau (LP),
quadratic (Q), and quadratic with plateau (QP) response models. The QP
proved itself as the best fitted response model for the determination
of fertilizer recommendation rates for maximum yield of upland rice
cultivars used. The fertilizer rates were 112 kg N ha-1, 78 kg P2O5
ha-1 and 158 kg K2O ha-1 for Ageh (QP); 138 kg N ha-1 (LP), 87 kg
P2O5 ha-1 (QR), 119 kg K2O ha-1 (QP) for Kendinga; and 125 kg N ha-1
(Q), 85 kg P2O5 ha-1 (LP) and 127 kg K2O ha-1 (L) for Strao
Spatial Variability of Selected Chemical Characteristics of Paddy Soils in Sawah Sempadan, Selangor, Malaysia
A.W. Aishah, S. Zauyah, A.R. Anuar & C.I. Fauziah
(Full Text-pdf) A
study was conducted to evaluate the spatial variability of selected
soil chemical properties of paddy soils in the Barat Laut Paddy Project
area in Selangor. A total of 138 geo-referenced soil samples were
collected from the area at 0-20 cm depth after harvest, at an interval
of 80-90 m to determine the selected chemical properties: pH, organic
carbon, total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P) and exchangeable
potassium (K). Geostatistical analyses were applied to examine the
within-field spatial variability using semivariograms and kriged maps.
Kriged maps for each property were prepared using geostatistical
software package based on the results of spatial dependence. The
effective ranges for the areas were about 6 km for pH, 1 km for organic
carbon, 8 km for total N and available P and 9 km for exchangeable K,
respectively. Kriged maps produced showed that most of the area have pH
values within the range of 4-4.5 (moderately acidic) and high amount of
organic carbon content (3-5%). The kriged maps also showed that a large
portion of the study area (66%) have high total N (0.30-0.40%), with
low amount of available P (< 40 mg kg-1) covering 70% of the total
study area, while most of the area have optimum content of exchangeable
K (> 0.10 cmol(+) kg-1). These results suggest the need for a site
specific approach in managing paddy soils particularly with regard to
nutrient management. The results also suggested that future soil
sampling in these area can be carried out by increasing the sampling
interval depending on the soil properties, and appropriate management
should be applied according to the variations which exist.
Adsorption and Desorption of Glufosinate Ammonium in Soils Cultivated with Oil Palm in Malaysia
S.M.J. Jariani, A.B. Rosenani, A.W. Samsuri, A.J. Shukor
& H.K. Ainie
In Malaysia,
glufosinate ammonium (GLUF) is a commonly used herbicide in oil palm
plantations to control broad-leaved weeds and grasses. Adsorption and
desorption of (GLUF) were studied using the batch equilibrium technique
in four mineral soils, Inceptisols (Selangor), Oxisols (Munchong) and
Ultisols (Serdang and Rengam) series and peat (Histosols) collected
under oil palm cultivation from 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm depths. Adsorption
coefficients of the herbicide were correlated with soil properties i.e.
organic matter content, clay content, cation exchange capacity (CEC)
and pH. The concentrations of GLUF used were (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 3,
5 and 10 μg/mL). The adsorption and desorption isotherms were fitted
using linear and Freundlich equations. Adsorption of GLUF was in the
following order: Selangor > Rengam> Munchong> peat >
Serdang. The results indicate that the adsorption of GLUF is positively
correlated only with clay content. The high sorption of the Selangor
soil could be explained by the high clay content in Selangor series
soil compared to the other soil series. However, the order of GLUF
desorption was in the following order: Serdang> peat>
Munchong> Rengam> Selangor. Results indicate that adsorption of
GLUF was mainly on the clay fraction of the soil and the binding
strength of adsorbed GLUF was high as indicated by the order of GLUF
desorption from the soils.
Formulation
of Coal Fly Ash and Sewage Sludge Mixtures to Reduce Impacts on the
Environment When Used as Soil Ameliorant for Acidic Tropical Soils
Use of coal fly ash (CFA) as a soil
ameliorant is hindered by the lack of macronutrients in the ash,
besides, there are also concerns about its high concentration of
microelements, especially boron. Sewage sludge (SS) on the other hand,
has a high amount of macronutrients especially nitrogen. However, it
also contains high concentrations of micronutrients especially Zn. This
study was carried out to evaluate the potential of CFA as a soil
ameliorant to immobilize heavy metals from SS-treated soil and whether
the SS could provide supplementary macronutrients for maize growth
requirement. A laboratory soil incubation study was conducted using 3
kg mixture of soil, SS and CFA. In all treatments, the SS was applied
at 5% w/w. The rates of coal fly ash varied from 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and
40% w/w. The soil solution was collected and analyzed weekly for pH and
soluble Zn, Cu and B. A similar experiment was conducted in a
glasshouse but using CFA at rates up to only 20% w/w on maize as a test
plant. Although the acid neutralizing capacity of this CFA is only
0.50% of calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE), the high rates of CFA
application increased the soil solution pH. Treatments of CFA at 10%
and above reduced Zn concentrations in soil solution to less than 1 mg
L-1. The reduction in Cu and B concentrations in the soil solution were
not apparent in this study. Uptake of Zn by the maize plants was found
to significantly decreased in treatments of 10% CFA and above. Nitrogen
uptake by maize decreased in the treatment using more than 10% CFA.
Only the highest treatment of CFA (20% w/w) exceeded the B toxicity
level for maize (98-100 mg kg-1). Coal fly ash and sewage sludge
mixture can be used as a soil ameliorant provided attention is given to
the B toxicity and P and K deficiency problems that might be faced by
plants such as maize.
Effects of Micronutrient Fertilizers on the Production of MR 219 Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Y.A. Liew, S. R. Syed Omar, M.H.A Husni,
M.A. Zainal Abidin & N.A.P. Abdullah
(Full Text-pdf)
Poor
management of plant nutrients and ignorance of the Liebig’s Law of
Minimum for plant nutrients requirement is an obstacle in efforts to
increase rice production in Malaysia. Ignorance of the importance of
micronutrients application by Malaysian farmers hinders the achievement
of high yields in rice production. Six farmers’ plots were used to
examine the importance of micronutrients in rice production in Sawah
Sempadan, Tanjong Karang, Malaysia. Soil and foliar samples were
collected and analyzed to determine the micronutrients content and then
compared with the critical nutrients levels needed by rice. Special
fertilizers comprising formulated mixture of K, Mg, Zn, Cu, Mn and B
were then distributed to farmers along with a recommended manuring
programme. The timing and quantity of fertilizer applied were closely
supervised. The investigations were carried out over two continuous
seasons where rice yield data were collected and subjected to
statistical analysis. The results showed that the application of
special fertilizers in conjunction with proper field maintenance was
able to increase rice production by 27%, from 4.62 tonnes per hectare
to 5.87 tonnes per hectare.
Boron Status of Paddy Soil in the States of Kedah and Kelantan, Malaysia
M. Saleem, Y.M. Khanif, I. Che Fauziah, A.W. Samsuri
& B. Hafeez
(Full Text-pdf)
Management of micronutrient B in soil is difficult because of its high
mobility. Soil sampling and analysis is the first important step in
managing the nutrients required by plants. This study was conducted to
evaluate the B status in soils of rice growing areas in Kedah and
Kelantan which are the main rice growing states of the country. Soil
samples were collected from 15 soil series namely Kranji, Sedeka, Guar,
Kundur, Tualang, Teluk Chengai, Kuala Kedah, Rotan, Sedu, Kangkong,
Batu Hitam, Lubok Itek, Tepus, Telemong and Chempaka to determine B
status and other physico-chemical properties. The soils of paddy
growing areas investigated were very low in available B status. All the
fifteen soil series had B below 0.5 mg kg-1, irrespective of depth and
locations. Kundur and Chempaka Series soils had the highest B content
(0.46 mg kg-1) among all the series while the Tualang Series soil had
the lowest B (0.22 mg kg-1). Boron status in soils differed
significantly with depth; the upper layers had higher B concentrations
compared to lower depths because of high organic carbon content. Boron
showed a positive correlation with organic carbon content but a
negative correlation with soil pH.
Green Bean (Vigna radiata) Seedling Growth Inhibition by Chromobacterium violaceum under In-vitro Condition
Chromobacterium violaceum
is a pathogenic soil bacterium producing violacein and hydrogen cyanide
both of which is controlled by quorum sensing with the same signal
molecule homoserine lactone (C6-HSL). A study was carried out to
determine if quorum sensing was a factor that was required for
inhibiting the growth of green bean (Vigna radiata)
seedling. The results showed that C. violaceum which reached quorum
level inhibited the growth of green bean seedling as much as 86.5% for
the shoot length and 92.1% for the root length. However inhibition was
reduced to 37.5% for the shoot and 17.5% for root if the quorum level
of C. violaceum was not reached under an aseptic environment.
Furthermore sterilised inoculant (killed) which had not reached quorum
level would not affect the growth of green bean seedlings. These
results indicate that quorum sensing in C. violaceum is a factor that
determines its inhibitory effect on seedling growth.
|
