Utilizing Palm Oil Mill Effluent Compost for Improvement of Acid Mineral Soil Chemical Properties and Soybean Yield

Abstract

Effluent from a palm oil mill contains organic matters and nutrients. It can result in water pollution when it is discharged into river without treatment. One way to manage this effluent is through composting that has potential to allow the recycling of effluent nutrients in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner so that it can be used as organic fertilizer. This study wasintended to evaluate the benefit of effluent compost application to improve soil chemical properties and soybean yield. Effluent wascomposted with chicken manure and lime for eight weeks. A pot experiment of which each pot was filled with 10 kg of soil (Ultisol)was conducted in a screen house from April to November 2012 at the Experimental Farm, University of Jambi, Muaro JambiResidency. The treatments were without compost (adding 0,25 g Urea, 0,75 g SP-36 and 0,50 g KCl) and compost application with amounts of 12,5 ml, 25 ml, 37,5 ml, 50 ml, 62,5 ml, and 75 ml. The indicator plant was soybean. The treatments were arranged in acompletely randomized design and replicated four times. Results of study showed a significant improvement of soil chemicalproperties with compost application in which application of 75 ml compost resulted in the highest increase of pH, organic C, cationexchange capacity, total N, available P, exchangeable cations (K, Ca, Mg). Furthermore, the dry weight of shoot, pod number and dryweight of seed increased significantly with compost application. The highest dry weight of seed was 28 g (equivalent to 2, 82 t ha-1)obtained by compost application of 75 ml (equivalent to 15 t ha -1).