THE EFFECT OF SOIL AMENDMENT TO NUTRIENT UPTAKE OF MAIZE AND YIELD IN THE SECOND PLANTING SEASON

One of the potential soil texture for agriculture activity was sandy soil. But, there was needed some technology to improve the quality of sandy soil especially physical and chemical properties. Biochar was a stable carbon product which produced from the pyrolysis processed of organic matter. The addition of biochar was expected to be an alternative solution for physical, chemical properties and increase soil organic carbon and water availability. The experimental was aimed to determine the effect of soil amendment from rice husk, rice husk biochar, and cow manure to nutrient uptake of maize and yield of maize during the second planting season. The research was conducted in ACIAR experimental site, Aceh Besar district, Aceh province, Indonesia. The experimental design was completely randomized design non-factorial with three replications. The rates of soil amendment were rice husk biochar5 t ha-1 and 10 t ha-1, rice husk 5 t ha-1 and 10 t ha-1, and cow manure 10 t ha-1 and 20 t ha-1. The rates of soil amendment before was given the addition fertilizer like N and K, 50% NPK fertilizer recommendations and without NPK as a control. The results showed that the rates of 20 t ha-1 cow manure added N and K fertilizer was giving the best effect to maize growth, the rates of 10 t ha-1 cow manure added N and K fertilizer was giving the best effect to maize yield, and the rates of 10 t ha-1 and 5 t ha-1 soil amendment with the addition of N and K fertilizer, and the rates of 10 t ha-1 cow manure with the addition of N and K were giving the best effect to N uptake. But, the application of soil amendment was not significant to P and K plant uptake