Utilization of Ash Charcoal for Soil Fertility
Thematic Technical Training of Agriculture Crop Commodities. In line with other thematic training, the stages of education and training activities include the identification of specific problem areas / beneficiary areas, formulating priority issues so that themes are formed, designing problem solving in several aspects and planning escort actions and mentoring. Based on the identification of the problem, the level of pest and disease attacks on agricultural crops still occupies the throne of the problem. Pests and diseases that attack agricultural plants, among others, thrips, viruses, and anthracnose.
Recommended alternative controls include the use of biological agents, plant-based pesticides, technical culture and chemical pesticides based on principle 6 appropriately. Control of technical culture is also considered important as an effort to prevent the arrival of pests and plant diseases. One of the technical culture controls carried out is the addition of husk charcoal containing manure during land management, ash and charcoal their influence on soil quality. Husk charcoal is used as an alternative because of its content, its function as a media for biological agents and water retaining (rice is not easily washed). Husk charcoal contains SiO2 (52%), C (31%), K (0.3%), N (0.18%), F (0.08%), and calcium (0.14%).
It also contains other elements such as Fe2O3, K2O, MgO, CaO, MnO and Cu in small amounts and several types of organic matter. High silicate content can be beneficial for plants because it becomes more resistant to pests and diseases due to hardening of the tissue. Burnt husk is also used to increase potassium levels in the soil. (Anonymous, 2011) pH of husk charcoal between 8.5 - 9. This high pH can be used to increase the pH of acidic soils. The PH has the advantage of being less favored by weeds and bacteria.
Husk charcoal has the ability to absorb low water and good porosity. This property is advantageous if it is used as a planting medium because it supports the improvement of soil structure due to better aeration and drainage.
According to Isro'i (2008) that the compost planting media brings many advantages, namely containing carbon (C) which makes the planting media become loose. This helps stimulate overall growth, especially stems, branches, and leaves as well as leaf green matter for photosynthesis and has the element phosphorus, potassium, which plants need compared to manure. The good condition of the growing media as a result of the influence of compost encourages plant roots to grow optimally thereby increasing the availability of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
According to Lingga (in Eka, 2011) that as for the advantages in compost, among others: nutrients that are bound in insoluble organic compounds are converted into soluble organic compounds that are useful for plants, improve the structure of fertilized soil so as to facilitate absorption of rainwater, improve the ability of the soil to bind water so that the soil does not dry quickly, reduces erosion rates and provides a good environment for seed sprouts and plant roots. So that the husk charcoal compost is a good growing media used for the growth of chili plants.
Soil fertility is the ability of the soil to be able to provide nutrients in sufficient quantities and balance for growth and crop yields, soil fertility is one of the things that need to be considered in an agricultural business. Healthy and fertile soil will provide adequate nutrition to plants planted on it.
Soil fertility is very closely related to the availability of nutrients available and can be absorbed by plants. Basically, nutrients are widely available in the soil. It's just that there are some problems related to the absorption and nature of these nutrients. There are some nutrients that are very abundant in nature, only plants can not utilize these nutrients directly.