Effect of Humic Acid on Soil Chemical and Physical Characteristics of Embankment

¹ Department of Environmental, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” East Java, Indonesia
² Department of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” East Java, Indonesia

E-Mail: munawar1960@gmail.com

Abstract

The effectiveness of the treatment of pathogens disease in fish using chemicals is very limited because of the stress of toxic ions. A treatment of humic acid of 50-90 mg /L on a farmland has been able to reduce illness and death compared to a mixture of formaldehyde and blue-green methylene. Humic acid is suspected to be able to increase yield, through improved conditions and resistance to diseases, health, and cultural vitality, either by itself or combined with cation species toxic. Humic acid can balance the soil cation so that the soil pH reached 7-8, through a chelate of Al, Fe, Ca or exchanged with NH4, Na and K. Humic acids were extracted from compost plants with a weak base of 0.1 N NaOH and precipitated at pH 2. The concentration of AH 0- 400 ml was applied to three soil types with an area of 0.12 m² and 15 cm thickness. The results showed that the application of 100-200 ml HA/0.12 m² gave optimum yield in improving the physical-chemical characteristics of the soil embankment. Soil pH reached a value of 7-8, cation exchange to 60% saturated, and soil bulk density was reached in the range of 1.1- 0.97 g / cm³.This condition is suitable for fish or shrimp in the embankment.