Improvement Of Acid Soil Productivity: The Use Of Shrimp-Tile Pump In Rice Cultivation During Dry Season

Abstract

Inappropriatness of applying the method of peatland reclamation has led to peat swamp forest become degraded peat land. Soil has been changed into very acid, which is commonly referred to acid sulfate soil. Most of the land is only remain as unproductive land. Improvement of the acid sulfate soil for cultivation of rice has been carried out by flushing acid and toxic subtances, addition of macro and micro nutrients, planting of rice varieties tolerant to aluminum; all together had successfully produced 4-5 tons of unhulled rice. However, this method is only suitable for rice cultivation during the rainy season. In the dry season, generally the land remain uncultivated due to limited supply of water. Experiments using tile shrimp pump, which was capable of uplifting water with large quantity of discharge, even in high difference condition, has been done for rice cultivation. The results showed that rice cultivation in dry season has been able to produce rice for 5 tones/ha.