Keterkaitan karakteristik lahan dengan produktivitas kelapa sawit (elaeis guineensis) sebagai dasar bagi evaluasi lahan

Abstract

Keragaman produktivitas kelapa sawit disebabkan karena beragamnya sifat tanah dan lahan di areal kelapa sawit. Sehubungan dengan tingginya keragaman tersebut maka informasi yang lebih obyektif tentang kesuburan tanah di setiap jenis tanah sangat diperlukan untuk lebih mengarahkan tindakan manajemen tanah serta upaya pemeliharaan kultur teknis kelapa sawit. Untuk memperoleh informasi mengenai kondisi lahan pada daerah yang ditanami kelapa sawit, maka dilakukan evaluasi lahan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menilai potensi suatu lahan agar pengelolaan yang sesuai bagi pertumbuhan tanaman dan produksi kelapa sawit dapat optimal. Survey lapangan dan pengamatan produksi tanaman kelapa sawit dilaksanakan di perkebunan kelapa sawit Unit Usaha Bentayan, PT Perkebunan Nusantara VII (Persero), Sumatera Selatan. Analisis kimia dilakukan di Laboratorium Kimia dan Kesuburan Tanah, Departemen Ilmu Tanah dan Sumberdaya Lahan, Fakultas Pertanian, Institut Pertanian Bogor. Kelas lahan berbasis karakteristik lahan ditentukan berdasarkan derajat dan jumlah pembatas yang dimiliki lahan untuk tanaman tumbuh normal. Dalam hal ini sifat-sifat tanah dibandingkan dengan faktor kelas kesesuaian lahan bagi tanaman kelapa sawit. Penilaian kelas lahan berbasis produksi berdasarkan produksi yang dicapai pada kondisi aktual dikaitkan dengan kriteria batas produksi pada berbagai kelas lahan.

Variability of oil palm productivities are various due to land properties and characteristics. These require informations of soil fertility in every soil types. These informations are able to drive land management and technical culture of oil palm. The informations can be obtained through land evaluation. This study aims to assess the potential land suitability for oil palm. Field surveys and observations carried out at oil palm plantation business unit Bentayan, PT Perkebunan Nusantara VII (Persero), South Sumatra. Chemical analysis conducted at the Laboratory soil of Chemistry and Fertility, Department of Soil Science and Land Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agricultural University. Land classes were determined on land characteristics i.e. based on degree at the limiting factor classifield as actual land suitability classification. In this case, land characteristics were matching with oil palm land suitability criteria. Land suitability for production based was also measured to obtain potential land suitability classification. The results show that land classes at oil palm based on land characteristics obtained covering S2f, S2wf, S3w, S3wf, and N1w. Actual land suitability at S3w increased to S2 potential class at 5, 7 and 9 years palm oil. Actual land suitability at N1w increased to S3 potential class at 7 years palm oil, and S2wf increased to S1 at 5 years palm oil These increases were caused improvement of the limiting factor i.e. improvement of drainage, application of organic materials, soil ameliorant, and fertilizers.