Land Suitability for Cornbased on Land Characteristics in Block A5 Right of Dadahup Swamp Irrigation Area Kapuas Regency

Abstract

The development of the Dadahup Swamp irrigation area, as one of the food estate program locations, focuses on agriculture for rice cultivation. Besides rice, corn is also included as a food staple. Corn can be used as an alternative crop for farmers in case of rice crop failure during the dry season. Therefore, it is necessary to identify land characteristics for corn cultivation. In this study, land suitability analysis for corn used the FAO method based on eleven characteristic land parameters, including temperature, water availability, oxygen availability, root media, peat thickness, cation-exchange capacity, base saturation, pH H2O, soil organic carbon, toxicity and sulfidic hazard displayed on a map using QGIS. The results showed that seven parameters were very suitable for land use for corn, including water availability, oxygen availability, root media, peat thickness, cation-exchange capacity, pH H2O, soil organic carbon, and toxicity. Besides that, two parameters were marginally suitable for corn cultivation:temperature and base saturation. However, two parameters wereunsuitable for corn cultivation: water availability and sulfidic hazard. It was caused by rainfall with an average rainfall of 2245 mm/year and the depth of pyrite was found lower than 75 cm from the topsoil.The recommendations to make the land suitable for corn cultivation are good drainage system planning, leaching acid sulphate soil, liming and organic fertilizer application. The impact of this study is that it can be useful in designing corn cultivation so that it contributes to the food estate program.