Pilot-scale demonstration study of the impact of fly ash on soil fertility and crop yield

Pilot-scale demonstrations of the use of fly ash as a soil modifier and supplier of micronutrients to improve agricultural productivity, based on a process optimized at lab scale at the Regional Research Laboratory, Bhopal, India, were conducted. The field-demonstration trials were carried out in Uttar Pradesh (northern India), Orissa (south-eastern India), and Madhya Pradesh (central India), under different soil conditions for various crops. Some 100–650 tonnes of fly ash per hectare were applied, depending upon the soil and fly-ash characteristics. Both short- and long-term studies of the impact of fly ash on soil and food quality were conducted. With fly-ash application, the edible yields of tomato, cabbage, potato, wheat, pea, onion, rice, sunflower, maize, etc. increased from 12 to 46%, compared to the control soil where no fly ash was used. The crop responses to various elements, mainly heavy metals in soil and fly-ash-admixed soil, were found to be comparable to that of the control, within permissible limits, and to meet food quality standards.

© EPP Publications Ltd 2011