Sifat Fisik Tanah di Kebun Percobaan Kelapa Sawit Cikabayan IPB, Dramaga, Bogor

Abstract

Kelapa sawit yang merupakan tanaman industri utama pendukung perekonomian Indonesia sebagai komoditas ekspor unggulan seringkali dihadapkan pada permasalahan yang dikaitkan dengan kerusakan lahan. Perkebunan kelapa sawit dianggap berkontribusi negatif terhadap kondisi lingkungan. Beberapa penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tidak semua bagian lahan kelapa sawit berefek buruk bagi tanah dan lingkungan. Terdapat empat area utama di perkebunan kelapa sawit, yaitu piringan, non-gawangan, gawangan hidup, dan gawangan mati yang memiliki tingkat gangguan dan pengelolaan yang berbeda yang memengaruhi sifat tanahnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengkaji beberapa sifat tanah di area piringan, gawangan mati, gawangan hidup, dan non-gawangan pada kebun kelapa sawit di Kebun Percobaan Cikabayan IPB Dramaga. Parameter yang diamati adalah tekstur, bahan organik, bobot isi, porositas tanah total, kadar air kapasitas lapang, dan distribusi agregat tahan air yang ditetapkan di laboratorium serta kapasitas infiltrasi konstan dan permeabilitas tanah yang diukur langsung di lahan. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa gawangan mati memiliki sifat tanah terbaik, dengan kandungan bahan organik, porositas tanah total, dan kapasitas infiltrasi konstan tertinggi serta bobot isi terendah. Sebaliknya, gawangan hidup memiliki sifat tanah yang terburuk akibat pemadatan dan rendahnya bahan organik. Area piringan dan non-gawangan menunjukkan karakteristik yang relatif serupa, kecuali pada kapasitas infiltrasi konstan dan kadar air kapasitas lapang. Secara keseluruhan lahan kebun percobaan kelapa sawit Cikabayan memiliki sifat tanah yang baik.

Oil palm is the main industrial crop that supports Indonesia’s economy as a leading export commodity. However, oil palm plantations are often associated with issues such as their impact on soil degradation. This has led to the perception that all oil palm plantation areas contribute negatively to soil conditions. However, some studies indicate that not all parts of oil palm plantations adversely affect soil and the environment. There are four main areas in oil palm plantations: weeded circle, interrow, harvesting path, and frond stack. These areas have different levels of disturbance and management, which influence soil properties. This study aims to examine several soil properties in the weeded circle, interrow, harvesting path, and frond stack in an oil palm plantation at the Cikabayan Experimental Plantation, IPB Dramaga. Soil samples were taken at 0–30 cm depth to analyze texture, organic matter content, bulk density, total porosity, field capacity, and water-stable aggregate distribution. In addition, field measurements were conducted to determine soil infiltration capacity and permeability. The results showed that frond stack had the best soil properties, with the highest organic matter content, total porosity, infiltration capacity, and the lowest bulk density. Conversely, the harvesting path had the poorest soil properties due to compaction and low organic matter content. Weeded circle and interrow showed relatively similar characteristics except infiltration and field capacity. Overall, the Cikabayan oil palm experimental plantation had good soil properties.