FFFECT OF OIL PALM EMPTY FRUIT BUNCHES FERTILIZER ON SOIL PHYSICAL QUALITY AND BIOMASS YIELD OF LEMONGRASS (CYMBOPOGON NARDUS) VAR. SITRONA 1 AGRIBUN ON POST-COAL MINING LAND

• Main Author: Nur Fitriani Ikhfar, Azizah
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/84722
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Mining activities have negative impacts, one of which is soil degradation, making post-mining land reclamation essential. Post-mining reclamation can be conducted by adding organic materials, such as oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) fertilizer, during the cultivation of lemongrass (Cymbopogon nardus) var. Sitrona 1 Agribun. This research aims to compare the appropriate composition of organic materials to enhance the biomass yield of lemongrass on post-coal mining land. The research employed a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three treatments consisting of organic fertilizer combinations in each planting hole: the first treatment was 5 kg of OPEFB fertilizer, the second treatment was 5 kg of manure, and the third treatment was a combination of 2,5 kg of OPEFB fertilizer and 2,5 kg of manure. Cultivation techniques based on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) from BALITRO. Primary data included fresh biomass weight, plant moisture content, shoot-root ratio, and analysis of soil physical properties. The results showed that soil physical quality improvements, in terms of soil bulk density and total soil porosity, were best in the second treatment, which involved manure application, with soil bulk density and total soil porosity values of 1.03 g/cm³ and 61.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, soil moisture content did not differ significantly, with the highest value observed in the third treatment at 37.6%. Additionally, the application of OPEFB fertilizer significantly affected root moisture content, with the highest value in the third treatment, which combined 2.5 kg of OPEFB fertilizer with 2.5 kg of manure. However, the application of OPEFB fertilizer did not effect to parameters such as fresh plant weight, plant moisture content, shoot-root ratio, and dry biomass yield. Therefore, the application of OPEFB fertilizer can be considered as an alternative organic fertilizer combination on post-coal mining land.