CHARACTERIZATION OF PEAT SOIL TEXTURE ON THE ALOE VERA LAND IN WEST KALIMANTAN
Siti Inna Zainab (a*), Aldi Rijaldi(a), Amalia Nurfitriani(a), Dwi Putri Desti Utami(a), Gulistan Amalia Rahman(a), Mimin Iryanti(a), Ahmad Aminudin(a), Yuyu Rahmat Tayubi(a), Rossie Wiedya Nusantara(b).

a) Departement of Physics Education, Indonesia University of Education Jalan Setiabudhi No.229, Isola, Bandung 40154, Indonesia *sitiinna85[at]gmail.com; mimin_iryanti[at]yahoo.com.
b)Departement of Geology Tanjungpura University Jalan Prof. Hadari Nawawi, Pontianak 78124, Indonesia.

Abstract

The usage of peatland received great attention especially for the cultivation of plantation crops. Soil fertility is determined by the soil texture which had an ideal fraction composition. The texture can also be used as a criterion of land classification and land suitability. Aloe vera was one of the leading commodities in West Kalimantan which well grown in peatland rather than in another type of land. This research aimed to determine the texture characteristic of peat soil on the land of aloe vera in West Kalimantan. The research method used sieve analysis and hydrometer. These measurements were carried out at the TekMIRA Testing Laboratory. The sieve analysis test result can be classified as soil texture in which using the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) gradation concept. According to the soil texture classification by using USDA, this research obtained the data of sand texture had an average sand portion of 96.54%, silt average of 2.65%, and clay average of 0.81%. The portion of sandy clay texture was 87.57% sand, 8.27% silt, and 4.16% clay. While the texture of clay soil had a proportion of sand 5.10%, silt 36.50%, and clay 58.20%. In sum, the characteristics of the peat soil texture on the aloe vera soil classified in the texture of sand, sandy clay, and clay.

Keywords: Soil texture, Peat Soil, Aloe vera.

Topic: Physics