Biochar and Composted Poultry Manure Causes on Immobilization and Migration of Heavy Metals in Maize Plants Beside a Mining Site.

Mining sites in Amagu-Enyigba Ebonyi state Nigeria have deposits of heavy metals especially lead and zinc. Most crops grown in such sites are always hyperaccumulators of these metals. It is against this backdrop that the present study was conducted. The study aimed to ascertain the effect of biochar and composted poultry manure in immobilizing metals in the soil and subsequent reduction in maize uptake. The study was a pot experiment conducted in a screen house with 10 kg of soil sampled from farms adjacent to mining sites and control samples collected about 5 km away from the mining sites. The applied treatments consisted of different sources of biochar applied at a uniform rate of 10 tons/ha, equivalent to 22.2 g/10kg. Biochar applied showed significant variations in the concentration of heavy metals after the planting period of 6 weeks. It also observed that heavy metals accumulated more in the plant root than the shoot, except in a few cases. Based on my findings, I recommend 10 t/ha of empty oil palm bunch biochar (EOPBB) and composted poultry manure (CPM) in combined application to farmlands in this beside mining sites, meanwhile, further studies on increased rates of empty oil palm bunch biochar be encouraged in such environment.