Improvement of Physical and Chemical Soil Quality of Oil Palm Plantation Through Integrated Farming System of Cattle and Oil Palm to Achieve Sustainable Agriculture
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Available online at: http://journal.unila.ac.id/index.php/tropicalsoilJ Trop Soils, Vol. 22, No. 2, 2017: 113-123 113 DOI: 10.5400/jts.2017.22.2.113 Improvement of Physical and Chemical Soil Quality of Oil Palm Plantation through Integrated Farming System of Cattle and Oil Palm to Achieve Sustainable Agriculture Siti Romelah1*, Ainin Niswati1,2, Tugiyono1,3 and Dermiyati1,2 1Postgraduate Study Program of Environmental Sciences, University of Lampung 2Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Lampung 3Departmentof Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Lampung, Jl. Sumantri Brojonegoro No. 1, Bandar Lampung, Indonesia,*e-mail : [email protected] Received 05 October 2016/ accepted 02 April 2017 ABSTRACT The objectives of the research were to compare the quality of physical and chemical characteristics of the soils in the oil palm plantations applied with integrated farming system of cattle and oil palm plantation (IFSCO) and without IFSCO (non-IFSCO), as well as to evaluate the economic benefits of IFSCO application. The research was conducted in two oil palm plantations, i.e. an oil palm plantation applied with IFSCO (5 ha) and an oil palm plantation without IFSCO application (non-IFSCO) (5 ha), located in the Karya Makmur Village, Penawar Aji Subdistrict, Tulang Bawang District, Lampung, Indonesia, in June until August 2016. The research was conducted using a survey and systematic sampling methods to collect soil samples, and data from 30 farmers who applied IFSCO and other 30 farmers who applied non-IFSCO. The results showed that the application of organic fertilizer in the IFSCO field resulted in higher level of exchangeable-K, -Ca, -Mg, and -Na, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and organic-C content of the soil;and better improvement on the physical soil quality, i.e. bulk density, porosity and soil moisture content; in comparison to that in the field without organic fertilizer application (non-IFSCO field). However, the application of IFSCO did not affect the pH, available-P, base saturation and total-N content of the soil. There was a difference in the texture class of the soils in the IFSCO field and non-IFSCO field. The result of texture analysis showed that the texture of the soil in the IFSCO field is “clay”, while the texture of the soil in the non- IFSCO field is “sandy clay loam”. Application of IFSCO can save the fertilizer cost by 66%, the feed cost by 50%, and can increase oil palm production and farmers’ income by about 25%, so it is economically profitable. Thus, IFSCO can improve soil quality and provide economic benefits for the farmers, so the IFSCO obviously supports the implementation of sustainable agriculture. Keywords: Integrated farming system, production efficiency, soil properties, sustainable agriculture ABSTRAK Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk membandingkan kualitas tanah, baik fisik maupun kimia tanah pada lahan SISK dan lahan yang tidak menerapkan SISK (Non-SISK) serta mengetahui manfaat ekonomi (efisiensi biaya produksi) dari penerapan SISK tersebut. Penelitian dilakukan dari bulan Juni-Agustus 2016, pada 2 (dua) areal perkebunan kelapa sawit, yaitu Lahan SISK (5 ha) dan lahan Non-SISK (5 ha) yang berada di Kampung Karya Makmur, Kecamatan Penawar Aji, Kabupaten Tulang Bawang dengan menggunakan metode survei dan systematic sampling untuk pengambilan contoh tanah serta wawancara terhadap petani/peternak yang menerapkan integrasi (SISK) maupun yang tidak (Non-SISK). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pemberian pupuk organik pada lahan SISK berpengaruh nyata terhadap peningkatan kadar K-dd, Ca-dd, Mg-dd, Na-dd, KTK, C-Organik dan memperbaiki kualitas sifat fisika tanah (bulk density, ruang pori total, tekstur, dan kadar air) dibandingkan dengan lahan tanpa aplikasi pupuk organik (Non-SISK). Namun, SISK tidak berpengaruh nyata terhadap kadar pH, P-tersedia, kejenuhan basa dan N-total. Terdapat perbedaan kelas tekstur tanah antara lahan SISK dan Non-SISK. Hasil analisis tekstur menunjukkan bahwa kelas tektur tanah pada lahan SISK adalah ”liat” sedangkan lahan Non-SISK bertekstur “lempung liat berpasir”. Penerapan SISK dapat menghemat biaya pembelian pupuk sebesar 66%, biaya pembelian pakan ternak sebesar 50% dan dapat meningkatkan produksi kelapa sawit serta pendapatan petani sekitar 25%, sehingga menguntungkan J Trop Soils, Vol. 22, No. 2, 2017: 113-123 ISSN 0852-257X 114 S Romlah et al.: Improvement of Physical and Chemical Soil Quality of Oil Palm Plantation secara ekonomi. SISK dapat memperbaiki kualitas tanah dan menguntungkan secara ekonomi, sehingga dapat mewujudkan pertanian berkelanjutan. Kata Kunci: Efisiensi produksi, sifat-sifat tanah, sistem pertanian terpadu, pertanian berkelanjutan INTRODUCTION the environment. Therefore, cattle farming can probably be integrated with oil palm plantation. An increase of agricultural food consumption The concept of integrated farming system of has lead to an increase of intensive agricultural cattle and oil palm plantation is expected to give practices. This phenomenon can cause degradation synergetic benefits, which come from plants, cattle of physical, chemical and biological soil quality unless and interaction of both plants and cattle. Oil palm a proper soil management is applied. Therefore, plants get the nutrients from the application of cattle efforts to improve soil quality, especially the physical manure and on the other hand, cattle get their feed and chemical soil quality, are needed for a long term, from the waste of oil palm plants (Kementan 2011). so that a sustainable agriculture can be achieved. The study of Slade et al. (2014) indicated that an Sustainable agriculture is an integrated integrated farming system of cattle and plants via agricultural management system that can improve cattle grazing on oil palm plantation in SMART productivity of land gradually, maintain a wholeness Research Institute (SMARTRI) in Riau Province, and diversity of ecology and natural resources for a Indonesia, resulted in positif effects on soil nutrient long term, provide economic benefits to society, availability, soil structure, water infiltration, soil contribute on quality of life, and strengthen the porosity, and soil moisture. economic development of a country. The integrated farming system of cattle and oil Up to now, farmers depend largely on the use palm plantation (IFSCO) gives more benefit than of chemical fertilizers to sustain their agricultural intensive farming system (conventional farming) productions although an excessive chemical fertilizer because the cost for the inputs, such as fertilizers use without adding organic fertilizers and applying and feeds, can be reduced, resulting in an efficient soil consevation practices would lead to a decrease farming system. The study of Kariyasa (2005) of soil productivity. This phenomenon is in line with showed that an integrated farming system of rice the study of Dinata (2012), Dharmayanti et al. and cattle can save the cost for fertilizers 18.14% (2013), Uphoff (2006) and Lestari (2009), which up to 19.48%. In addition, the study of Novra (2011) showed that application of inorganic fertilizers suggested that application of 1 Mg of compost of continually would lead to a decrease of soil quality. cattle manure is similar to that of 19.2 kg urea, 10.86 One way to restore agricultural soil fertility is kg TSP and 92.52 KCl, and application of cattle via application of organic fertilizers. Organic manure can subtitute inorganic fertilizer application fertilizers can be produced from cattle manure, for five oil palm plants, so that the cost to buy which has not been used intensively by the farmers. inorganic fertililzers can be saved. The study of Kaya (2014) indicated that the use of The practice of IFSCO has not been applied manure can increase soil pH and available-K. In widely by the farmers in Tulang Bawang District, addition, application of manure can increase soil Lampung Province, Indonesia. The data collected organic-C and organic–N contents and soil cation from a survei showed that about 65 out of 518 farmers exchange capacity (Adimihardja et al. 2000), and in Tunas Karya Village and Karya Makmur Village, improve soil bulk density and porosity (Margolang Penawar Aji Subdistrict, Tulang Bawang District has et al. 2015). applied the IFSCO (Disnak dan Keswan 2016). The study of Priyanti et al. (2008) suggested Karya Makmur Village is a potential place in Tulang that a decrease of soil fertility due to low level of Bawang District for the development of cattle farming soil organic matter content can be overcomed and oil palm plantation. However, up to now the concurrently by applying an integrated farming IFSCO has not been fully applied by the farmers in system of plants and cattle using a Low External Karya Makmur Village. The practice of IFSCO has Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA) approach, been applied only for a specific purpose, i.e. feed especially for the area with the development of cattle supply, without considering the potential impact of farming. The study of Haryanto (2009) showed that IFSCO on the quality of agricultural land. Most of an Integrated Farming System of Plants and Cattle the farmers have not been convinced by the positive can create a condition of “zero waste – zero cost”, effects of use of cattle manure on the improvement which is efficient for the farmers and friendly for of soil quality and efficiency of production cost. J Trop Soils, Vol. 22, No. 2, 2017: 113-123 115 The study aims to compare the quality