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

Wi th great appreciation to : My Mother ,

Auntie Regina and

Late Grandfather

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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