LAND SUITABILITY BASED ON SPECIFIC LOCATIONS FOR SAGO PALM (METROXYLON SP.) IN RAINFED DRYLANDS IN THE SALU PAKU SUB-WATERSHED, THE RONGKONG UPSTREAM WATERSHED, NORTH LUWU REGENCY OF SOUTH SULAWESI, INDONESIA

Abstract

This research aims to describe the characteristics of sago plantations and sago development plans, analyze land suitability for sago by considering site-specific conditions and determine suitability classes of S1/highly suitable, S2/moderately suitable, S3/marginally suitable, and N/not suitable, and evaluate suitability classes for sago development in the Salu Paku sub-watershed. The land was evaluated in detail based on elevation and slope. The land evaluation procedure employed the matching method. Land characteristics identified were rainfall, humidity, temperature, sunshine, solar radiation, drainage conditions, soil texture, root depth, optimal pH and C-Organic, bulk density, and moisture content. Site-specific land suitability criteria indicate that temperatures >29°C are not optimal for sago production in general, but are still optimal for local sago (production of 210.5 - 560.89 kg/tree). Actual suitability analysis results show that the Salu Paku sub-watershed has a moderately suitable (S2) area of 1,889.61 ha and a not suitable (N) area of 440.24 ha. Suitability classes can be upgraded to potential suitability classes from S2 to S1 (116.95 ha) and N to S2 (437.89 ha). The limiting factors in land units (S2) are water content, C-organic, bulk density, and temperature. An input to improve land suitability is through water management by increasing groundwater through an increase in infiltration capacity by making terraces, ponds, and dead-end trenches.

Keywords

• land suitability
• land use
• hydrology
• soil properties
• elevation
• land characteristic
• watershed