Soil classification for sustainable agriculture

Agriculture is one of the people’s livelihoods in Baebunta Sub-District. High activity rainfall in Luwu area could cause soil degradation and decrease nutrient in the soil. Soil type gives us information about morphological, physical and chemical characteristic and mineral content. As a medium for growing plants, the soil becomes one of the important factors in assessing the sustainability of agriculture. This study aims to classify and provide management recommendations of soil from Baebunta Sub-District in North Luwu District, South Sulawesi for sustainable agriculture. The sampling method uses catena transect, and soil analysis for physical and chemical properties, and soil minerals, as the parameter in classifying soil types from the Order to the Family Category using the USDA Soil Taxonomy system. The land uses dominant was a paddy field. The results showed that soil formed are Biotite-Quartz-Sandy Typic Endoaquepts, Orthoclase-Quartz-Loamy Skeletal Lithic Dystrudepts, Biotite-Quartz-Fine-Silt Typic Endoaquepts, Coarse-Silt Lithic Typic Endoaquepts. The soil family categories have nutrient-carrying minerals like biotite but the dominance of quartz mineral showed the need for improving management like adding the organic material for stabilizing the soil aggregates, reduce toxic mineral and nutrient leaching so that the soil can be sustainable for agriculture.