Effects of Different Soil Amendments on Growth, Yield and Nutrients Uptake of Stem Amaranth in Acidic Alluvial-and-Hill Soils in a Subtropical Area.

Sandy and acidic soil conditions are the major factors limiting the production of some vegetable crops in acidic soils. This study aims to examine the effect of various amendments on the growth, yield and mineral nutrients uptake of stem amaranth. Two pot experiments were conducted separately in two generic soils. Six treatments viz. T0 = control (without amendment), T1= lime, T2 = lime + wetland bottom sediment, T3 = lime + vermicompost, T4 = lime + rice straw biochar (RSB) and T5 = RSB were used for both experiments following CRD with four replications. Results revealed that plant heights (45.96 and 50.33 cm) of amaranth grown in alluvial and hill soils, respectively, were the highest in T4 treatment. Similarly, treatment T4 showed the highest fresh (118.53 and 116.11 g pot−1, respectively) and dry biomasses (16.98 and 19.54 g pot−1, respectively) for both soils. For both soils, treatment T4 resulted better nutrient uptake of N, P, K, S, Zn, Fe and Mn by edible stem, while non-amended soil gave the lowest result at all parameters. Analytical values of post-harvest soils indicated that T4 and/or T5 treatments resulted in an improvement in soil pH, organic carbon, total N, exchangeable K and extractable P, S and Zn. Treatment T3 showed elevated concentrations of extractable soils Fe and Mn. The amendment RSB combined with lime can be preferably used in strong acidic soils for cultivation of stem amaranth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]