Abstract
Undertaking suitable land, including former shrimp ponds for rice, is required to cope with future rice shortages. The purpose of this study was to identify the soil morphology and physicochemical properties, determine soil fertility status and assess irrigated rice suitability of ex-shrimp ponds. Soil morpho-physicochemical properties such as soil color, structure, texture, pH, organic-C, P2O5, K2O, base saturation, and cation exchange capacity were determined. The resulting data was then matched into the criteria for BSCR and SLAN/CCDS, five major soil fertility criteria, and ICALRRD land suitability. Soil physiographical, morphological, and physicochemical analysis suggested that the soil developed from the alluvial site of calcareous-marl parent material located at saturated backswamp, then permanently drained. ESP, SAR, and salinity values were detected relatively lower than saline, sodic, and saline-sodic soil. The entire cations fell below BCSR ideal ratios, whereas all exchangeable K were detected below the CCDS/SLAN thresholds. Actual suitability for land units of A, B, and C were S3-rc,na, S3-na and S3-rc,nr,na,eh, respectively. The improvement such as fertilization, amelioration, slope flattening/cut-filling, and irrigation management increases all land units to S1. This study pinpointed the importance of former shrimp pond soil to provide suitable land for rice crop cultivation. Also, encouraging further research to identify the origin of alluvial parent material from the soil at the study site
Highlights
Nowadays, rice stood as the primary source of staple food in the Banggai Regency
The entire collected spatial data were digitally georeferenced and projected to World Geodetic System (WGS) 1984., Lastly, all datasets were reprojected to Transverse Mercator (TM)-3 zone 51.1 S based on Indonesian horizontal datum DGN-95 to obtain a more accurate area
The soil in the study site developed adjacent to the estuary of Batui and Bakung rivers in Qa/Quarternary alluvium formation consisting of mud, sand, and cobbles that overlying Bongka/Tmpa formation
Summary
According to the latest land use map published by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK, 2019) and BPS-Statistics Indonesia of Banggai Regency (BPS Banggai, 2021), Banggai Regency is estimated to have about 129,753.23 ha of paddy field and produced 271,371 tonnes of rice in 2019 This region was the subject of the transmigration program designating to depreciate overpopulated areas and achieve national food security (Whitten, 1987). An abandoned shrimp pond located in Batui District provides a valuable area that can be fulfilled the land required for rice field expansion. Similar to the salt-affected coastal area, soil pH and base saturation/KB level at the former shrimp pond soil is typically moderated to high This soil exhibits high sodium adsorption ratio/SAR and exchangeable sodium percentage/ESP. Determining exchangeable base cations, SAR, and ESP is crucial before the initiation of rice cultivation since no current reports of soil chemical data are recorded in this area
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