The utilization of agricultural waste for peatland management; in case chili cultivation

Abstract

Peatland are known fragile and having a low bearing capacity for plant growth and production. One of the technologies that could be applied to improve peatland management is agricultural waste utilization. Agricultural waste such as ash and biochar from rice husk could be used as an ameliorant to improve the peatlands fertility. The objective of the experiment is to study peatland properties, carbon dioxide emission and yield of chili due to the application of ameliorant from agricultural waste. The experiment was conducted on the peatland that located around the farmer's settlement. The treatment of experiment was set up with three treatments i.e.; rice husk biochar (RHB), rice husk ash (RHA) and without ameliorant. The results showed that the application of agricultural waste improved some peatland chemical properties, reduced carbon dioxide gas emission, and increased the yield of chili.