| dc.description.abstract | Vegetables need proper physical conditions of soil, for instance fertile, porous, has a good aeration and drainage, and also capable to holding enough water. Those conditions are required by the smooth root of vegetables to support its growth. Vegetables are generally cultivated on Andosol soils which are spread around the mountain areas and eroded easily, in order that, most of Andosol soils are used as conservation areas or protected forest. The best alternative to bear vegetables cultivation areas is Latosol soils since the soils are dominant and widely spread in Indonesia. However, the physical properties of Latosol soils are not good enough for vegetables cultivation compared with Andosol soils. To overcome these, in this research some soil ameliorant were added into Latosol soils to increase the good properties condition to support the growth of vegetables. The research was aimed to study the effect of various soil ameliorant on physical properties of Latosol soils for vegetables cultivation. There were six treatments in this research, i.e. soil and husk charcoal (1/2:1/2), soil and cocopeat (1/2:1/2), soil and compost (1/2:1/2), soil and compost and mixed husk charcoal (1/3:1/3:1/3), soil and compost and mixed with cocopeat (1/3:1/3:1/3), and control (soil tillage without soil ameliorant addition). Soil sampling for each treatment was carried out after the soils were used to cultivate vegetables and after the harvest time, and those soils still in the naturally condition after for one year. The results showed that ameliorant treatments that were husk charcoal, cocopeat, compost, compost and mixed with husk charcoal, compost and mixed with cocopeat reduced the value of bulk density (BD). Husk charcoal treatment showed the lowest bulk density of the two upper layers (0-5) and (5-10) cm is 0.70 and 0.80 g/cm3, whereas the control showed the highest bulk density of the two upper layers (0-5) and (5-10) cm is 0.83 and 0.93 g/cm3. Application of soil ameliorant treatments also changed the distribution of pore size in soils and improved the water holding capacity of soils. The volume of soil field water from the lowest to the highest in sequence were husk charcoal treatment (39.90%), control (45.61%), compost (47.10%), cocopeat (48.42%), compost and mixed with husk charcoal (52.27%), compost and mixed with cocopeat (52.84%). Treatment with aggregate size ≤2 mm and ≥2 mm from the highest to the lowest in sequence were husk charcoal treatment, cocopeat, compost and mixed with husk charcoal, compost, compost and mixed with cocopeat, control. Soils with ≤2 mm and ≥2 mm too high aggregate sized were not ideal for plant root growth. Therefore, the ideal treatment for plant root growth was compost treatment. | id |
