Suitability criteria of land characteristics related to Eucalyptus pellita production

Abstract

Existing land suitability criteria are generally based on empirical data relative to land characteristics estimates and have not been related to production estimates. This study aimed to arrange land characteristics suitability related to Eucalyptus pellita production by the boundary line method approach. Soil samples, soil characteristics, and actual production of the tree were taken from districts at PT. Arara Abadi, Riau. A relationship between land characteristics and plant production was plotted in the scatter diagram. The data scatter confined by boundary lines consists of one or two lines of simple linear regression equations. The intersection between boundary lines equations with the bulkhead production on the x-axis (soil characteristics) derived land characteristics suitability criteria. The results showed that the optimum land characteristics to support maximum productivity of E. pellita were sandy clay loam, sandy clay, or loamy sand soil texture, pH 4.0 - 4.7, base saturation > 7.51%, organic C > 1.10%, Al saturation < 37%, total N > 0.08%, available P > 4.7 ppm, exchangeable K > 0.03 cmol (+) kg−1, and slope < 18%. The criteria were then validated on the field and suggested that the land characteristics suitability criteria were about 70% valid.