JOURNAL OF DEGRADED AND MINING LANDS MANAGEMENT ISSN: 2339-076X (p); 2502-2458 (e), Volume 7, Number 3 (April 2020): 2149-2154 DOI:10.15243/jdmlm.2020.073.2149 www.jdmlm.ub.ac.id 2149 Research Article The effect of application of oil palm empty fruit bunch compost on production and metal uptake of eggplant in tailings of post-tin mining land Ismed Inonu 1 , Deni Pratama 1* , Fajar Indah Puspita Sari 2 , Nanda Nusantary Suwardih 1 1 Department of Agrotechnology, University of Bangka Belitung, Balunijuk Village, Merawang, Bangka 33111, Indonesia 2 Department of Chemistry, University of Bangka Belitung, Balunijuk Village, Merawang, Bangka, 33111, Indonesia * corresponding author: deni.pratama16@gmail.com Received 6 January 2020, Accepted 5 February 2020 Abstract: Tailings of post-tin mining land have the potential to be cultivation fields for eggplant, but the problem from post-tin-mining land is the low essential nutrient and high metal contents. The quality of land needs to be improved by providing ameliorant such as oil palm empty fruit bunch compost. This research aims to determine the best dosage of oil palm empty fruit bunch compost to production and metal uptake of eggplant in post-tin mining land. This research was conducted from January to May 2019 in post-tin mining land, Dwi Makmur Village, Bangka. This research used a randomized block design with six treatments and four replications. Treatments consisted of organic fertilizer (control) of 15 t/ha (K0), oil palm empty fruit bunch compost 20 t/ha (K1), 30 t/ha (K2), 40 t/ha (K3), 50 t/ha (K4), and 60 t/ha (K5). The results showed that the application of oil palm empty fruit bunch compost of 60 t/ha was the best dose to increase eggplant production in the tailing of post-tin mining land. Application of oil palm empty fruit bunch compost reduced metal absorption of eggplant fruit in tailing of post-tin mining land. Keywords: ameliorant, post-tin mining, Solanum melongena, soil chemical characteristics, tailings To cite this article: Inonu, I., Pratama, D., Sari, F.I.P. and Suwardih, N.N. 2020. The effect of application of oil palm empty fruit bunch compost on production and metal uptake of eggplant in tailings of post-tin mining land. J. Degrade. Min. Land Manage. 7(3): 2149-2154, DOI: 10.15243/jdmlm. 2020.073.2149. Introduction Post-tin mining land caused by tin mining activity in Bangka Belitung provided tailing overlays in that area. Post-tin mining land in Bangka Belitung reached 124.838 ha in total (Sukarman and Gani, 2017). Most of the post-tin mining land was dominated by sand tailing, which has low water absorption and high sand fraction content that can reach 92 % (Inonu et al., 2011). Low nutrients and high metal content in tailing make it hard to utilize for plant cultivation. Metals that are mostly found in post-tin mining land are mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and aluminium (Al) (Purwantari, 2007). Nowadays, communities are trying to utilize the post-tin mining land into cultivation area. Many kinds of crop cultivar were planted in the post-tin mining area; one of them is eggplant. The challenge from plant cultivation, especially eggplant in post-tin mining land is a high requirement of organic material, fertilizer and possibility for the crops to become metal accumulator. General effort to increase growth and production of eggplant in post-tin mining land is the application of ameliorant to improve soil physical and chemical characteristics (Asmarhansyah and Subardja, 2012). Amelioration of sand tailing in post-tin mining land by using topsoil and organic material improved the quality of sand tailing characteristic and increased plant growth (Inonu et al., 2011).