<![CDATA[[LAND SUITABILITY EVALUATION FOR PADDY RICE DEVELOPMENT IN KARTINI VILLAGE, JAGEBOB DISTRICT, MERAUKE REGENCY, SOUTH PAPUA, INDONESIA]. Jagebob District is one of the land optimization program sites in Merauke Regency, yet village-level information on land suitability for paddy rice remains limited. The objectives of this research were to establish the actual land suitability class for paddy rice in Kartini Village, Jagebob District, Merauke Regency, South Papua, to determine the factors limiting that class, and to propose land management directions. A survey covering 383.10 ha was carried out between January and April 2026. Six land units were delineated by overlaying slope, soil type, land use, and landform maps. In each land unit, soil was sampled purposively at five points and composited into a single sample. Sixteen land characteristics were assessed by matching them against paddy rice growth requirements: temperature, water availability, drainage, texture, soil depth, pH (H₂O), cation exchange capacity (CEC), organic carbon, total nitrogen, P₂O₅, K₂O, slope, erosion hazard, flood hazard, surface stones, and rock outcrops. Annual rainfall in the area reaches 2,237.54 mm, the mean temperature is 26.85 °C, and the Oldeman agro-climatic type is C2. Climatic and physical conditions support paddy rice cultivation: clay texture, somewhat poorly to poorly drained soils, 120 cm soil depth, 0–3% slopes, and very low erosion hazard. In contrast, soil chemical properties are limiting: very acidic to acidic pH (4.13–5.14), low CEC (9.03–14.88 cmol/kg), very low organic carbon (0.78–0.88%), low to moderate total nitrogen, and very low P₂O₅. All land units were classified as marginally suitable with the subclass S3nr,na. The limiting factors were nutrient retention, namely organic carbon in all land units and pH in land units 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, and nutrient availability, namely P₂O₅ in all land units. Paddy rice development in this area requires organic matter addition, soil acidity management, and balanced N and P fertilization. ]]>
