Phosphorus Sorption Characteristics of Red Soils from Lampung, West- and Central Java

Abstract

Phosphorus Sorption Characteristics of Red Soils from Lampung, West- and Central Java (S.A. Siradz ): Red soilis a common name used to identify any soil showing yellowish to reddish colour, these soils mainly occur in tropicaland subtropical regions. The term is frequently used to convey an image of red, infertile, acid soils in the tropics andis associated with tropical and subtropical climates which are characterized by high temperature and humidity. Majorsoil constraints to crop production may include low pH, low available P and high P fixation capacity, toxicity due toAl and sometimes Mn and Fe, deficiencies of N, Ca, Mg, K, and micronutrients e.g. Mo, Zn and Cu, low CEC and lowbase saturation, and very low content of weatherable minerals. The aim of this study was to determine the phosphorussorption characteristics of red soils from Lampung, West Java and Central Java. Soils were sampled at depth of 0-20cm from minimally disturbed sites after discarding the uppermost few cm consisting of an accumulation of litter. Thesamples were air-dried, crushed using a ceramic mortar and pestle and then passed through a 0.5 mm stainless steelsieve. Measurements of P sorption were conducted by equilibrating 200 mg of air dry soil ( West Java and Central Java. Values of pH(NaF), Ald, and exchangeable Ca were most predictive of Psorption in these soils.

Keywords

• Latosols
• Langmuir isotherm
• Oxisols
• P sorption
• red soils