Abstract

Author:
Anupa Ghimire, Pratibha Ghimire

Doi: 10.26480/jwbm.02.2025.55.61

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

The search for sustainable soil management practices is crucial for enhancing soil health and reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers. Utilizing agricultural waste products like rice husk ash (RHA) presents a promising strategy for improving soil quality. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of various RHA-based organic amendments, combined with reduced doses of recommended fertilizer (RDF), on key physico-chemical properties. A field experiment was conducted employing a randomized complete block design with seven treatments: control (no amendment), recommended fertilizer, and five combinations of RHA (enriched with farmyard manure (FYM), poultry manure (PM), RDF, cattle urine and human urine) with a 50% reduction of RDF. Soil samples were tested for bulk density, particle density, pH, organic matter (OM) content, total nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P₂O₅), and potassium (K₂O) after maize cultivation. The analysis of variance showed that the application of RHA combined with organic manures and half-dose RDF significantly enhanced soil health. Treatment RHA+FYM+1/2RDF recorded the highest organic matter content (3.02%) and phosphorus availability (39.23kg/ha), which were significantly superior to the control and the recommended fertilizer treatment. Similarly, most RHA-amended treatments significantly increased available P₂O₅ compared to the control. Bulk density was significantly reduced to its lowest value (0.82 g cm-³) in the RHA enriched with RDF treatment while particle density was seen insignificant. While changes in total nitrogen and pH were not statistically significant. Potassium levels were highly variable and significantly different across different treatments with treatment FYM+RHA+1/2RDF showing the highest value. These findings concluded that the integration of enriched rice husk ash with a 50% reduction of chemical fertilizers effectively improves soil quality. The combination of RHA with farmyard manure emerged as the most promising strategy to waste recycling and soil fertility management that can reduce dependency on synthetic fertilizers.