Water management and application of organic matter for rice cultivation on acid sulphate soil in South Sumatera, Indonesia

Abstract

Rice yield on acid sulfate soils in Indonesia is low, presumably due to AI and/or Fe toxicity. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of water management and application of organic matter in improving rice yields in acid sulfate soil in south Sumatera, Indonesia. The study design used a split plot design with two factor and three replications. The first factor was water management with two treatment and the second factor was amelioration with six treatment. Rice variety, Inpari 42, was used as the test crop. Treatment included the use of various rates of water management and amelioration, with or without an organic fertilizer. The result for the 1st crop showed a promising trend; applying organic matter 2,5 t ha-1 in combination with water level (-10 cm), the rice yield was 3.31 t ha-1, which was much higher than that produced by water level (+5 cm) with applying organic matter 2.33 t ha-1, with a percentage increase of 42.01%. The efforts to overcome the fertility problems of acid sulphate soil were by water management and application of ameliorants.