ABSTRACT
Understanding the natural behavior and change after the reclamation of peatland for agricultural use as well as the consideration of local wisdom are the major factors to achieve sustainable peatland management. Some peat soils in oil palm plantation areas in the Asahan Regency, North Sumatra were sampled to determine their physio-chemical characteristics and management strategies. The results showed the peat soil thickness to vary from shallow with 65 mm to deep with 250 cm overlaying the substratum of fine textured (clay, silty clay) mineral soils. The degree of peat maturity varied between hemic to sapric at the top soils, and hemic to fibric in the subsoils. The peat soils are very acid with pH in H2O of 3.5-4.4, have a very high organic C content of 34-54%, a very high total N of 0.92-1.72%, a very high exchangeable capacity of 50-109 cmolc/kg, and a very low base saturation of 8-19%. Therefore, proper water management and soil nutrients balancing through fertilization should be applied to achieve effective peatland management for agricultural development.
