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UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA
MINERALOGICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SOME ACID SULFATE SOILS IN MALAYSIA AND THEIR EFFECTS ON THE
GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF OIL PALM SEEDLINGS (ELAEIS RUINEENSIS, JACQ)
EDGARDO ANTIGA AUXTERO
FP 1990 1
MINERALOGICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SOME ACID SULFATE SOILS IN MALAYSIA AND THEIR EFFECTS ON THE
GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF OIL PALM SEEDLINGS ( Elaeis Ruineensis, Jacq)
by
Edgardo Antiga Auxtero
Thesis Sub mitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
in the Faculty of Agriculture , Universiti Pertanian Malaysia,
Serdang, Selangor
September 1990
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v
LIST OF TABLES ix
LIST OF FIGURES xii
LIST OF PLATES. xvi
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xvii
ABSTRACT
ABSTRAK
CHAPTER
I
II
xviii
xxi
INTRODUCTION. . . . . . 1
REVIEW OF L ITERATURE. 6
Formation of Acid Sulfate Soils. 6
Potential Acid Sulfate Soils. 6
True Acid Sulfate Soils . . 9
Properties of Acid Sulfate Soils . . 1 0
Potential Acid Sulfate Soils. 1 0
True Acid Sulfate Soils . . 1 2
Classification of Acid Sulfate Soils . 18
Geographical Distribution and Occurrence of Acid Sulfate Soils. . . . . . . . 20
Constraints Associated with the Crop Cultivation in Acid Sulfate Soils. 24
Recent Manage�ent Practice in Acid Sulfate Soil . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Leaching . 2 7
i
III
IV
Page
Liming and Fertilizer Application. 28
Improved Water Management. 30
Other Measures 33
Need to Assess the Present Status of Reclaimed Soils of Pulau Lumut Kelang 33
MATERIALS AND METHODS , . 36
Location and Description of the Study Area . 36
Distribution of Soil Series Under Study . . . . I • 39
Soil Profile Description and Soil Sampling . . 4 1
Physical. Chemical and Mineralogical Analyses . . . . . . . . . 44
Analysis of Water and Soil Solutions 5 1
The Effects of Lime Application on Chemical Proper ties. . 53
Accelerated Oxidation 54
Growth Performance of Oil Palm Seedlings. . . . 54
Pot Experiment 54
Foliar Sampling and Foliar Analysis 58
Soil Sampling and Soil Analysi s. . 6 1
Determination o f Growth Parameters 6 1
Determination o f Yield Parameters. 63
Analysis of Data 63
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. 65
Overview. . . . . . . 65
ii
Page
Soil Profile Characterization . 67
Morphological Properties. . • 67
Moisture Retention Characteristics. . 70
Bulk Density. . . . . • 71
Chemical Properties 71
$oil pH . . . . . 71
Electrical Conductivity . 72
Sulfur Content. 74
Cation Exchange Capacity. • 75
Basic Cations • 76
Aluminium . 77
Mineralogical Properties. 81
X-ray Dif fraction (XRD) Analysis. . 81
Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) . . 85
Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy. . . . . . . • • • • • • 85
Soil Oxidation in Artifically Aerated Samples . . . . . . . • . . • • • 93
pH and Electrical Conductivity. . 93
Iron and Manganese. . 95
Basic Cations 96
Aluminium and Sulfate • 96
Effects of Lime Application on Chemical Properties. . . . . . . . . • • • . • 97
iii
Basic Cation Concentrations.
Sulfur and Phosphorus Concen trations . . .
Aluminium, Manganese and Iron Concentrations
Activities of Ions.
Formation of Hydroxy-Sulfate
Page
99
99
1 01
1 04
Minerals . . . . . . 1 06
Metal Dissolution . 1 06
AI-Hydrox y-Sulfate Formation 1 1 0
Chan ges in Chemical Properties of Water from Soil Pits and Drainage Canals . . . . 1 1 3
Classification 1 1 9
Growth Performance of Oil Palm Seedlin gs. . . . . . . . . '�
Changes in the I on Concentrati on o f
1 2 5
the Leac hate . . . . 1 2 5
Growth Parameters. 1 28
Soil Solution Attributes 1 38
Effec t of pH and Aluminium Species Activi ties . . . . . . . . . . . 1 38
Effect of Iron , Manganese and Sulfate Ac tivi ties . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 43
Ion Uptake by Oil Palm Seedlin gs . 145
Management Implications. 1 50
V SUMMARY . . 1 54
BIBLIOGRAPHY. 166
APPENDICES. . 1 76
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 2 1 3
i v
ACIIOVLKDGEHEITS
The author w ould like to ex press his profound grati tude to
the followin g people from vari ous sphe r e s of ende av our for
their invaluable c on tri bution in t he completi on of thi s
dissertation :
The Malaysian Gov e rn m en t und e r the auspices o f the
Training and Career Dev el o p m en t. Pub lic Serv ices Depar t men t ,
Malaysian Technical Cooperati on Programme (MTCP) for awarding
this doctoral scholarshi p ; Messrs. Wan Yusof Abd u l lah and
Mahasan Mus tapa; Mrs. Marian i bin t e An tung and to the MTCP
staff, Public Serv i c e s Depar t m ent at Kuala Lum p ur. for their
help in processing my scholarship documen t;
Mrs. Vir gini a H. Ben avid e z, Con sul Gen eral and Fir s t
Secretary, The Embassy of t h e Republ i c o f t h e Phi l i ppin es at
Kuala Lumpur . for rec o m m end in g me to the MTCP and to the
Executive Officer , Speci a l Commi ttee on SCholar shi p o f the
National Econ omic Dev elopmen t Authori ty ( NEDA) Phi li ppin e s,
for facilitating the approval of my study ov erseas;
Dr. Rod o l f o C. Nayga, former Presid en t, Cen tral Mind anao
University, for n o m in a tin g me t o thi s scholar shi p and Dr.
Leonardo A. Chua , Presid en t, Cen tral Mind anao Un i v ersi ty, for
granting my study leave ;
v
Dr. Sham shuddi n Jusop. m y M aj o r Supervisor and Dr. S .
Paramananthan, my Co-Supervisor. for their invaluable comments
and gU idance in t he cond uct of t hi s t hesis ;
Mr. Chan Yik Y u a n , D ep u t y D i rec t o r . K u a l a Lum p u r
Department o f Agri cult u r e ; Messr s. Syed Fad zi l b i n Shahabud i n
and Peruma1 o f Shah A1am Depart ment o f Agriculture, for their
tremendous he l p in t he soil p r o f i le d e sc r i pt i on and s o i 1-
correlation studies;
Mr. Zai na1 Khar ib, Head of Depart ment of Agricult ure,
Kelang and Mrs. Nor Rafidah bint e Dan , D i st r ict Engi neer o f
Kelang Irrigat i on and Drai nage Depart ment , f o r prov id ing
technical assist ance during t he course of my fieldwork ;
M r . Z ulkif1i bin Abdul Wahab , Head of Pu1au Lumut
Agriculture Cent r e and his fam i l y ; Messrs . Sa1ek o n bin Taki m
and Wan , for their hospitality during my stay at Pu1au Lumut
and t heir personal assi st ance during t he course o f my d at a
collection and fieldwork ;
Pusat Penyelidikan Atom Tun I smai l (PUSPATI) , for allowing
the use of SEM-EDXRA equipment ;
Mrs. A m i n a h J u s o h a nd M r . H o O o i o f t h e F a c u lt y o f
Veterinary M edi c i ne a nd A n i m a l S c i e n c e , UPM f o r t he i r
assistance i n scanni ng and t r ansmission elect r o n micr oscope
identification of soil minerals;
vi
Messrs. Roslan bin Abdul Ghani , Draftsman of Soil Science
Department, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, Zainal bin Rajuddin
of Malay sian Agr icultur al Re search and Development Institute
(MARDI) and Staf f of Cartography Section , Kuala Lum pur
Department of Agr i culture, for providing their expertise in
cartography and graphics;
Haji Ahmad Wahab , Head of Chemi cal Analy s i s Uni t of
(MARDI). for allowing the use of autoanalyzer and Inductively
Coupled Plasma Emission Atomic Spectrophotometer (ICPEAS) and
to Messrs. Malek bin Yaacob and Abdul Karim Latiff; Ms. Rosnah
binte Jasin, who assisted in my laboratory works;
Dr. Zainap binte Hamzah , Head o f Plant Te sting Uni t.
Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM) , for allowing the
use of atomic absorption spectrophotometer and Mr. Liew Khei
Yip of RRI M f o r hi s as s i s t an c e i n t o t a l a l u m i n i u m
determination ;
Mr. Poon Yew Chi n of Har r isons and Crosfield Malay s i a
Plantation Berhad (HMPB) at Banting , Sel an gor , for pr ovi ding
the oil palm seedl ings for gr eenhouse expe ri ment and for his
professional as s i s t a n c e d u r i n g the c o u r s e of m y d a t a
collection ;
vii
Mr. Aza li bin Mhd Sab so i l laboratory assistant of
Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM), for his assistance in
soil mechanical analysis and mineralogy studies;
Mr. Anuar Abdul Rahim of Soil Science Department, UPM and
Dr. Noel Grundon of Queensland Uni versi ty , for their gui dance
in computer programming and statistical interpretation of the
data;
Messrs. Phi l i p Kap i a , Juperik Apau, Irwin Fernandez,
Susin Ambud, Martin Cusong and Judas; Mz. Lilian Perez, Connie
Comilus, Vera Com i lus and Ramas Pan ting who assisted i n my
glasshouse experiment at UPM;
Members of the Auxtero family, my friends who composed the
Filipino C o m m uni ty i n S e r d a n g a n d i n K aja n g, M a l aysi a,
especially The Mana lo's, The Madriga l's , The Almei da's fa m i ly
and Mrs. Marina Baptist for their continued encouragement and
moral support for the completion of my study;
To all, who i n one way or ano ther, have contri buted
directly or indirectly to the success of this dissertation ;
Thanks and praise be to the God Almighty for His blessings
and f or keeping me fi t throughout the duration of my stay in
Peninsular Malaysia.
viii
Tab le
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
LIST OF TABLES
A Key to the I dentification of S oi ls S ituated on M ar i n e . E s tuar i ne and Brackish Water Deposits . .
D-- spacings f or M i neral s Found i n Acid S ulfate S oi ls. . .
Diseases and I nsect Pests Control of Poly bag Oil Palm Under Nursery.
Polybag F e r t i l i ze r Ap p l i c a t i o n S chedule for Oil Palm in Nursery. .
Morphol og ical P r o p e r t i e s o f Ac i d S ulfate S oil s at Pulau L umut , Kelang.
L inear Reg ression Eq ua tion on the Relationship B e t w e e n El e c t r i c a l Conductivity and S ul f ur or S ul fate in S oils. . . .
X- ray Di f frac tion Analysis on Clay Fraction o f Acid S ul fa te S oi l s of Pu1au Lumut , Kelang . . . . . .
Changes t n S i02 /A1 203 M olar Rati o with Depth
S ummary o f F- test on the M eans of pH, E lec tr i c a l C o n d uc t i v i t y and Chemical C o n c e n t r at i on 0 f S o i 1 S olution from the Ap and Jar ositic Acid S ulfate S oil H orizons a s Affec ted b y Variou s Rates of Lime . .
ix
Pag e
2 1
50
59
60
68
74
84
92
98
T ab le
10
1 1
1 2
1 3
1 4
15
16
17
18
Calculated Ac t i v i t i e s o f B a s i c Cations , Aluminium and Sulfur in the Soil S o l u t i a n o f t h e A p a n d Jarositic Acid Sulfate Soil H orizons Extracted at 1 0 kPa as Af fected by Various Rates of Lime Application. .
Ion Concentration of Water from Soi l Pits and Drainag e Canals a
Identification of Acid Sulfate Soils at Pulau Lumut , Kelang Based on the Classification of Paramananthan and Noordin . . . . . .
Taxonomic Classifi c a t i o n of Ac i d Sulfate Soils at Pulau Lumut , Kelang .
Summary of F- test on the M eans of Nutrient C o n c e n t r a t i o n o f t h e Leachate a s I nf luenced b y Time of Leaching. . . . .
Summary of F- test on the M eans of Nutrient Co n c en tr a ti on o f t h e Leachate. . . . .
Summary of F- test on the M eans of the Gro wth Parameters of Oil Palm Seedlings Gro w n o n Ac i d S u l' f a t e Soils of Pulau Lumut , Kelang . .
Summary of F- test on the Che mical Nutrient Co nc e n t r a t i o n o f Ac i d Sulfate Soils of Pulau Lumut, Kelang.
pH, E lec tr i c a l C o n d u c t i v i t y a n d Calculated Activities of Cations and Anions of Acid Sulfate Soil Solution Extracted at 10 kPa at the Ti me of Harvest ' " . . .
x
Pag e
105
1 1 4
12 0
12 1
1 26
1 2 7
1 30
131
134
Tab le
19
20
Growth Pa r a m e t e r s of Oil P a l m Seedlings G r o w n o n Ac i d S ul f ate Soils o f P u l a u L u m u t , Ke l ang a s Influenced by D rainage . . . . . . .
L inear Reg ression Eq ua tion Be tween Growth Parameters, Al uminium Species and M ang anese i n Ac i d Sulfa te Soil Solution U nder Freel y Drained and Waterlogged Condition at Harvest. . .
xi
Page
1 3 5
142
Fig ure
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1 0
1 1
12
LIST OF FIGURES
Location o f C o a s t a l A ll u v i a l Deposits i n Peninsu l a r M a l a y s i a , Where Aci d Sulfate Soi ls Commonly Occur . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pathway of S u l f i d ic o r Po tential Acid Sulfate Soil Formation . . . . .
Schematic D i ag r a m o f Min e r a l Transformation T o w a r d s t h e Development o f T r u e Ac i d S u lt" a t e Soils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The D i s t r ibut i on and Occurrence of Acid Sulfate Soils in Southeast Asia.
Schematic D i ag r am of the Drainag e Network i n A c i d S u I f a t e S o i I Reclamation for Oil Palm. . . . . . . .
Location Map and Boundaries of Pulau Lumut , Kelang . . : . .
Rainfall D is t r i b ut i o n Pa t t e r n a t Kelang . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Map o f Study Area Located at Pul a u Lumut , Kelang . . . . . . . . . .
Distribution 0 f S o i 1 S e r i e s , L ocation o f S o i l P i t s a n d Water Sampling Stations . . . . . . . . . .
Diagram Showing Inverted Winchest er Quartz Bottl e with Bottoms Removed (A) U nder W aterlogged (B) and Freely Drained Conditions (C). . . . . . . .
Relationship Between pH Determined Using W a ter , 1 M KC l and 0.0 1 M Cae12• • • • • • • • • . • . • •
The Amount of Aluminium Extract ed by 1 M KCl After 6 Extractions
xii
Pag e
2
8
1 1
22
32
37
38
I�O
42
55
73
78
Figure
1 3 Cumulative Alumin ium Removed from Sedu Series After 6 Extractions with
Page
1M KCl, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
14 X-ray Diffractogram for Parit B otak Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 2
1 5 X-ray Diffractogram for Sedu Series ( Silty type) . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3
1 6 TGA T h e r m 0 g r a m s 0 f S t an d a r d Kaolinite an d the Clay Frac tion of Parit B otak Series. . . . . . . . . . . 86
17 The Effects of Oxidation on Chemical Properties of Jawa Series . 94
1 8 The Effec ts o f Li me Application on Potassium ( A ) an d S o d i u m ( B ) Concentrations of Acid Sulfate Soils. 100
19 The Effe c t s of Li m e Application on Water-Soluble-Sulfate-S ( A ) a n d Phosphate-P (B ) Con c en tration s of Acid Sulfate Soi l s. . . . . 1 0 2
20 Graphical R e p r e s en t a t i on o f t h e Relationship B et we en t he Ef fects of pH wi th Al(A) , Mn ( B ) an d Fe (C) Contents of the Ap an d' Jar osi tic Acid Sulfate Soil Solut ion s After Application of Various Rates of Lime. . 103
21 Dissolution o f A I , Relation to pH.
Fe an d Mn in
22 Prediction in t h e F o r m a t i on o f Jarosite Under Natural Condition (A)
107
and After Application of Lime ( B ) . . . 1 09
23 Graphical R e p r e s en ta t i on of t h e Solubility Con stants o f Al-hydroxysulfate Minerals an d the Calculated Ion-Activity Produc ts of the Ac i d Sulfate Soil Solution Under Natural Condition ( A ) an d A f t e r L i m e Application ( B ) . . . . . . . . 1 1 2
xiii
Figure
24
25
pH (A) , E lectrical Cond ucti v i t y (8) and Conc entrations of Al (C) and S ulfur ( D) i n the Water from S oi l Pits and Drainage Canals. . . . . . .
Concentrations of Basic Cations in the W a t e r f r o m S o i 1 P i t s a n d Drainage Canals . . . . . . . . . . .
26 Map Dist r i buti on of Potentia l and True Acid S ul fate S oi l s of Pulau
Pa ge
1 1 6
1 1 7
L umut , Kelang . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 23
27 Depth of S ulfuric Hor i zon found in the Acid S ul fa te S o i l s of P ulau L umut , Kelang . . . . . . . . . . . , 12 4
28 Root Weight of Oi l Palm S eedlings Grown on Aci d S ul fate S oi l s U nder Freely D r a i n e d and W a t e r l o gg e d Conditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 7
29 Graphical R e p r e se n t a t i on o f t h e Relationship Between fH and Relativ e Plant Hej ght (A) , Al3 with Relative Tap Roo t L ength ( B) and Al(S 04)+
with Relative Tap Root L eng th (C) . . 1 39
30 Graphical R e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t h e Relationshi p B e t w e e n A l s Activi ti es with Re l a t i ve Tap 'ifoo t L ength (A ) , Relative Plant Height
31
(B) and Relative LAl (C) . . . . . . . . 1 4 1
Graphical R e p r e s e n t a �i o n o f t h e Relationship Between Fe + Ac tivi ties with Relative Tap Root L ength (A), Rela ti ve P 1 a n t H e i g h t ( B ) a n d Relative LAl (C) . . . . . . . . 1 44
32 Graphical R e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f tre Relationship B e t w e e n S 0 4 -Activities w i th Rela t i ve Tap R o o t L ength (A) , Relative Plant Height (B) and Relati ve LAl (C) . . . . . . . . 1 4 6
xiv
Figure
33 G raphical Representation of the Relationship Between Al in Root with Relative Tap Root Length (A), Al in Leaf with Relative LAl (B), Fe in Root with Relative Tap Root Length (C) and Fe in Leaf with Relative LAl
Page
(D). . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 7
34 G raphical Repr esentation of the Relatio�ship Between AlsUDL Az: ti vi ty with Al + Uptake (A) and ::;U4 - with S Uptake (B) of Oil Palm Seedlings . . . 149
35 G raphical Representation of the Relationship Between Activities of K+ and K Uptake (A), Ca + with Ca Uptake (B) and Mg2+ with Mg Uptake in Oil Palm Seedlings. . . . . . . . 1 51
xv
Plate
1
2
LIST OF· PLATES
TEM Micrographs Showing Kaolinite in Parit Botak Series (A), Halloysite in Sedu Series (B ), Halloysite and Smectites in Jawa Series (C and D). .
TEM M i cr og r ap h (A ) Micrographs C B an d e) Jarosite Crystals . . .
and S E M Sh o w i n g
3 SEM Micrographs Showing Biorelic ts of U n d e c o m p o s e d Organism s in Tongkang (A and B), Jawa (C) and
Page
88
89
Parit Botak CD) Serie& . . . . . . . 9 1
4 The Appearance of 8-Month Old Oil Palm Seedlings G rown on Acid Sulfate Soils Under Freely D rained and WaterloggedConditions. . . . . . . 136
xvi
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
DID Drainage Irrigation Department
dS/m deciSiemens per meter
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization
HMPB Harrisons Malaysia Plantation Berhad
ICPEAS Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Atomic Spectrophotometer
kPa kilo Pascal
MARDI Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute
PUSPATI Pusat Penyelidikan Atom Tun Ismflil
RRIM Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia
SEM Scanning Electron Microscope
SEM-EDXRA Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-Ray
TEM Transmission Electron Microscope
UPM Universiti Pertanian Malaysia
XRD X-ray Diffraction Analysis
xvii
Abstract of the thesis pr esented to the Senate of Universiti Pertanian Malaysia in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
MINERALOGICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SOME ACID SULFATE SOILS IN MALAYSIA AND THEIR EFFECTS ON THE
GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF OIL PALM SEEDLINGS (Elaeis guineensis, Jacq)
by
Edgardo Antiga Auxtero
September 1990
Major Supervisor: Dr. Shamshuddtn Jusop
Faculty Agriculture
Acid sulfate soils are charllcterized by a very low pH and
a hi.gh aluminium concentratioil rr��m1ting from the chemical and
biological oxidation of pyrite upon drainage. These soils have
low agricultural potential due to high acidity and poor
physical conditions, which adversely affect crop growth.
Successful reclamation and management of acid sulfate soils
would require an in-depth understanding of the soil's chemical
and mineralogical properties.
In this study, acid sulfate soils at Pulau Lumut, Kelang
were mllpped, character; :wrl morphologically and ch�ln ically, 'wn
classified. Soil solutions were extracted on samples from soil
xviii
pit, limed and oxidized soils and a pot experi ment at the
matrix suction of 10 kPa and the ac ti vi ties of the major
cations and anions were calculated by Geochem. XRD and TGA were
carried out to deter mine the mineralogy of the various soil
horizons. The mor pho logi c a 1 featur es of the mi nerals in the
soils were studied by TEM and SEM. A controlled pot experiment
was conducted to assess the performance of oil palm seedlings
grown o n a c i d s u l fa t e s o i l s under fre e l y dra i n ed a n d
waterlogged conditions.
Drainage resulted in the development of true acid sulfate
soils. Sulfic Tropaguepts (Tongkang and Jawa series) and
Sulfaguepts (Sedu a nd Pari t Botak series) occur in the bunded
area d r a i ned 25 y e ar s a g o. A juvenil e Sedu si lty t ype
(Sulfaguepts) also occur in the area drained about 8 years ago.
SEM study showed that these soils originated from marine
alluvial de posi ts as confirmed by the presence of marine
biorelicts.
Results of XRD analysis showed that kaolinite, smectite,
mica and mica-mixed layers were the dominant minerals in t h e
clay fraction of a l l soils. Gi bbsi te, polygonally-shaped and
tubular forms of halloysite were also found. Jarosite crystals
of about 1 urn believed to be formed from precipitation in soil
solutions were found in the soils. Ac ti vi ties of K+, Fe 3+ and
S042- in the soil solution were found to be supersaturated with
respect to jarosite. High acti vi ties of A13+ and S042- in the
xix
soil solution resulted in the pr ecipitation o f aluni te ,
basalunite and j ur bani teo Appl ication o f lime at 5 t/ha
increased the pH of the Ap hor izon f r oM about 3. 5 to 5 . 0. This
reduced the ac tiv i ties o f alumini u m , iron and manganese t o a
minimal level.
Over 90% of the aluminium in the soil solution was in the
inorganic mono meric for m , w i t h A13+ and A l ( S04)+ as the major
aluminium species. These aluminium species reduced the relative
tap root length o f oil pal m seed lings. Al3+ and Al(S04)+
corresponding to 90% relative tap root length were about 100�M
and 500 �M respec tively . Respectiv e aluminium and iron
concentrations in the root corresponding to a 10% reduction in
the relativ e tap root length of o i l pal m seedlings were 1. 3%
and 0 .2% .
Oil palm seedlings grown on soils with low activities of
aluminium and iron exhibited good growth. This was obtained on
freely drained top soils. It is advisable to flush out sulfate
as muc h as possible, and thereaf ter , maintain the p y r i t i c
horiz on i n a flooded condition.
xx
Abstrak t esis yang d iserahkan ke pada Senat Uni verslt i Pertanian M al aysia seb ag ai memenuhi syarat yang d i per lukan untuk mendapatkan Ijazah Dokt or Falsafah.
SIFAT-SIFAT MINERALOGI DAN KIMIA BEBERAPA TANAH ASID SULFAT DI MALAYSIA DAN KESANNYA KE ATAS PERTUMBUllAN ANAK BENIH
KELAPA SAWIT (Elaeis g uineensis , Jacq)
Oleh
Edgardo Ant ig a Auxt ero
September 1990
Ketua Penyelia Dr . Shamshuddin Jusop
Fakult i Pertanian
Tanah asid sul fat d icirikan oleh pH yang sangat rendah dan
kandungan aluminium yang t i ngg i , hasi l dar i pada peng oksidaan
pirit melalui saliran. Tanah-t anah ini kurang berpot ensi untuk
pertanian kerana keasidan yang t inggi dan keadaan fisikal yang
lemah, iaitu sifat-sifat yang mempengaruhi pert umbuhan tanaman.
Kejayaan penub usg unaan dan p e ng u r u san t a nah a s id s uI f at
bergantung kepada kefahaman yang mendalam t en tang c i r i-ci r i
kimia dan mineralbg i tanah.
Dalam kajian ini , tanah asid sulfat di Pulau Lumut , Kelang
dipeta, d ic i r i dar i seg i mor folog i dan kimla, dan dikelaskan.
xxi
Larutan tanah yang wujud di tahap sedutan matrik 10 kPa
diekstrak daripada sampel-sampel lelubang tanah, tanah yang
telah dikapur dan tanah yang teroksid. Aktivttl-aktivHi kation
dan anion utama diramalkan dengan menggunak::tn program Geochem:
Kaedah-kaedah XRD dan TGA telah digunakan untuk penentuan
mineralogi di berbagai-bagai horizon tanah. Morfologi mineral
tanah ditentukan dengan kaedah-kaedah SEM dan TEM. Ujian
kawalan berpasu telah dijalankan untuk menentukan pertumbuhan
anak benih kelapa sawit pada tanah asid sulfat di bawah keadaan
tersalir dan terendam air.
Penyaliran mengaki ba tkan terben tuknya tanah asid suI fa t
jenis Sulfie Tropaquepts (si r i Tong kang dan J a 1-1 a) d:'l n
Sulfaquepts (siri Sedu dan Pari t Botak), yang terdapa t di
sekitar kawasan yang telah disalirkan selama 25 tahun. Tanah
jenis Sedu berkelodak (juga Sulfaquepts) dijumpai di kawasan
yang telah disalirkan lebih kurang 8 tahun yang lepas. Kajian
SEM menunjukkan bahawa tanah-tanah ini terbentuk daripada
penimbunan lanar laut sebagai mana di tunj ukkan oleh kehadiran
bioreUk ] autan.
Keputusan analisis XRD menunjukkan kaolinit, smeetit, mjka
dan lapisan bercampur-mika merupakan mineral utama di dalam
bahagian lempung bagi semua siri tanah. Gi bsi t dan haloisit
yang terbentuk poligonal serta tiub juga terdapat. Kristal
jarosit yang berukuran 1 Dm yang terdapat di dalam tanah,
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