Biomodification of Coal Fly Ash by Eichhornia with Respect to Improvement in Physicochemical Properties for Cultivation of Wheat

Pot and field experiments were conducted to study the effect of levels of coal fly ash (CFA) on physicochemical properties of soil, CFA amended soil and the yield parameters of wheat. The objective of the experiment was to initiate a reaction between the constituents of soil and CFA to upgrade the quality of soil to make it suitable for the cultivation of wheat. Physicochemical studies have been carried out for different composts obtained by successive replacement of CFA for soil in constituents of original and reference composts. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) was used as organic manure. Physicochemical analysis was conducted after the harvest of wheat. CFA, a byproduct of Kota Super Thermal Power Station, was used. Increase in rate of growth and improvement in quality of produce was observed with the increase in percentage of CFA up to 40%. A study of graded level of CFA amended soils revealed an increase in the content of micro and macronutrients.