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Relationship between Soil Health Assessment and the Growth of Lettuce Riwandi, .; Handajaningsih, Merakati
JOURNAL OF TROPICAL SOILS Vol. 16 No. 1: January 2011
Publisher : UNIVERSITY OF LAMPUNG

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.5400/jts.2011.v16i1.25-32

Abstract

Soil health is very important point for plant growth which is measured by several indicators. The purposes of the research were to assess and to classify soil health Padang Betuah area of Bengkulu, and to compare between soil health indicators and lettuce plant performance indicators. Soils, consist of mineral and peat soils, were sampled using a soil random sampling technique. Lettuce plants were grown in polybags using sample soils. Both lettuce performance and soil health were assessed by calculating the percentage of total scores of lettuce plant or soil performance indicators which derived from variables observed. Soil variables for field evaluation included color, moisture content, texture, structure, compaction, land slope, organic matter, pH, amount of earthworm, erosion level, LCC (Legume Cover Crop), and vegetation performance. Soil variables for laboratory evaluation were pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total Carbon and Nitrogen, available-Posphorus, cation exchangeable capacity, basesaturation, and aluminum saturation. While, the variables for lettuce growth performance included plant height, numbers of leaf, degree of leaf greenness, plant fresh weight, and relative percentage of shoot : root ratio. The results of field and laboratory evaluation showed that soil health were categoried as a healthy soil and moderate healthy soil both for mineral and peat soils, respectively. Furthermore, similar categories were also obtained for evaluation of plant performance categories. No correlation was found between the soil performance indicatorcategory and the lettuce performance category.Keywords: Field indicator, laboratory indicator, lettuce growth indicator, soil health
Soil Quality Improvement Using Compost and its Effects on Organic-Corn Production Riwandi, .; Handajaningsih, Merakati; Hasanudin, .; Munawar, Ali
JOURNAL OF TROPICAL SOILS Vol. 20 No. 1: January 2015
Publisher : UNIVERSITY OF LAMPUNG

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.5400/jts.2015.v20i1.11-19

Abstract

Intensive agriculture has been well known to cause decline in soil organic matter and nutrient content of the soils. Therefore, efforts should be taken to avoid this from happening. Addition of organic fertilizers like compost has been increasingly become more important in Indonesian agriculture in the last couple of decades. The objectives of this study were to produce high quality compost using Indore method and to investigate its effects on organic-corn production. The study was conducted in the Integrated Agriculture Zone (IAZ), University of Bengkulu for two years (2012 and 2013). The study consisted of three steps: (i) soil fertility identification, (ii) compost production, and (iii) organic-corn field production. Soil fertility identification involved physical, chemical, biological analysis of soil samples collected from less fertile and moderately fertile soils. A randomized completely block design was employed in the field study which involved five rates of compost and two levels of soil fertility with three replications. In 2012, high quality compost was black, had pH 8, fine, odorless, and sufficiently high in NPK contents. Organic-corn yielded 2.94 and 5.69 Mg ha-1 of dried kernels on less fertile and moderately fertile soils, respectively at 20 Mg ha-1 compost. Similarly, in 2013 high quality compost was black, had pH 8, moderate, odorless, and high in NPK contents. The corn yields were 3.75 and 1.93 Mg ha-1 on less fertile and moderately fertile soils, respectively at 22.50 Mg ha-1 compost. [How to Cite: Riwandi, M Handajaningsih, Hasanudin, and A Munawar. 2015. Soil Quality Improvement Using Compost and its Effects on Organic-Corn Production. J Trop Soils 19: 11-19. Doi: 10.5400/jts.2015.20.1.11][Permalink/DOI: www.dx.doi.org/10.5400/jts.2015.20.1.11]