Why we have to Exploit the Peatland area for Agriculture?
7 important in its utilization foragriculture include water content, volume capacity
bulk density, BD, the bearing capacity, subsidence, and irriversible drying. Peat soil water content ranged from 100 – 1300 of dry weight
Muttalib et al., 1991 in Subiksa, 2008. This means that the peat can absorb water up to 13 times weight. Thus, to some extent, peat dome could drain water to the
area around it. High water content cause BD to be low, peat becomes flabby and low holding power. Bulk density the top layer of peat varies between 0.1 to 0.2 g
cm
-3
depending on the level decomposition. Peat fibrik are generally located on the bottom layer has a bulk density lower than 0.1 gcm3, but coastal peat and peat
in the path of the river flow can have bulk density 0.2 g cm
-3
Tie and Lim, 1991 in Subiksa, 2008 because of the influence of soil minerals.
Forest peatland in Indonesia has huge value in socio economic aspect. As food source, construction material and drinking water, peatland give the living for
society. Otherwise, Naturally peatlands have a low fertility rate because low of hara materials and contain some organic acids which can be toxic to plants.
However, those acids is an active part of the soil that determines the ability of peat to hold nutrients. Characteristics of organic acids will determine the
chemical characteristic of peat. To reduce the adverse effect of organic acids that toxicity to the plants, can
be performed by adding ingredients that contain a lot of cations polyvalent such as Fe, Al, Cu and Zn. Cations form the bond coordination with the organic ligands
form a complex compound chelate. Therefore the materials containing polyvalent cations can be used as an ingredient amelioran peat Sabiham et al.,
1997 in Subiksa, 2008.
2.2 Why we have to Exploit the Peatland area for Agriculture?
. Peatland with its largely wide has a big potency to support food requirement
and to overcome the population density which continously growth. As mention above, peatland can substitute the agricultural farm in Java Island which has been
decrease because has experiencing in land conversion to the industrial or residential area.
8 Land use change on Java, Bali and Madura from agricultural use to non-
agricultural use industrial, residential, infrastructure, recreation have reached 40.000 hectare per year. There are also land degradation, reduction in quantity and
quality of water for life, besides the occurrence of floods and droughts. The other side, growth population in Indonesia are quite high, above 1,6 percent or about
three million people per year. Those situation make the development of peatland become an important to overcome the insufficiently of food. However, the
developing peatland for agriculture has face many constraint because its characteristic own by peatland itself. Mostly, tropical peatland have the character
of very acid by pH between 3,5 - 4 Suhardjo and Adhi, 1976 in Adhi, 1986. Peatland also have element of hara NPK which relatively low and deficiency
micro element such as Cu, Bo, Mn, dan Zn. Peatland also can be decrease in surface ground after drainage, having low
endurance and nature of dwindle unreturn causing downhill water retention energy and make sensitive to erosion. Another facts which must be considered are
there are potential different on each peatland. For example, peatland in ebb area by the sea having natural fertility better relatively than land of peat hinterland,
because basa influence which implied contain on sea water. Water various quality from major river which take sedimentation from hinterland also caused the land
quality fertilitation of peatland in many area are different. Peatland can be productive if the soil are not too acid or thick attenuate 50 cm, or if its peatland
have a great current of basa. Peatland owning best potency for the development of agriculture farm is
valley peats. This peat have the better potency in comparison with basin peats because valley peat generally in the form of topogen organic peat which mouldy
substance and classified as Troposaprists or Tropohemists. Thick progressively peat, less progressively its potency for the agriculture. Deeply peat 3m
generally less of hara. But generally, deeply peat not opened or not exploited for the agriculture, because it will cause serious problems which enough heavily in
management and maintain its farm productivity Soebagyo, 1997.
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