Soil characteristics of rattan agroforests in Katingan district, Central Kalimantan

Abstract

Rattan agroforest is a swidden cultivation systems, which apply slash-burning and fallow rotation in its development. This system is commonly practised by local farmers of Dayak in Central Kalimantan. The objective of the study was to assess soil characteristics of 5 land use types, namely forest, secondary forest (baliang), young rattan agroforest (bahu), complex ruber-rattan agroforest (CRR), and simple rubber agroforest (SR) in two villages in Katingan. The method used in the study was regular methods of soil analysis, such as pH (H2O &KCl), Corganic(Walkley & Black), Pavailable (Bray), Ntotal (Kjeldahl), and soil texture. The result showed that in the top layer (0-10 cm depth), forest has the highest C/N ratio, but the lowest ratio of Corg/Cref compare to others. Forest has the lowest Pcontent (4.02 ppm), while SR has the highest Pcontent (12.06 ppm). CRR and SR tends to have higher clay content than sand content. In general, farming systems determine characteristics of the soils. Forest conserves soil characteristics, while management that applied by farmers in the agroforestry system may improve soil fertility.