KANDUNGAN C-ORGANIK TANAH DAN TOTAL NITROGEN PADA TANAH VERTISOL YANG TELAH DIBAKAR DAN TIDAK DIBAKAR

The use of fire in agriculture land preparation may result in the change of various soil properties. Therefore, a study was conducted in the village of Oeteta, Kupang to determine soil total organic-C and total nitrogen of burned and unburned Vertisols. Randomized complete block design with two factors was applied. The first factor was burning treatment with two levels: burned and unburned. The second factor was soil depth with three levels: 0-10cm, 11-20cm and 21-30cm; all together made up 54 experimental units. Results showed that in all depths there was no significant difference in total soil organic-C between burned and unburned soils. However total soil organic-C contents in both burning treatments were considered high. Similarly, the was also no significant difference in total soil nitrogen between burned and unburned plots. Total soil N was considered in high and medium levels for burned and unburned soil respectively. In summary, burning does not affect soil total organic-C contents but reduces soil total N contents.