Soil Chemical Properties Index of Tobacco Plantation Land in Jember District

Abstract

Soil chemical properties have important roles for supporting tobacco growth and productivity. The study was conducted in 2014 to identify location-specific critical soil characteristics (i.e., soil-chemically-fertility indicators), build soil chemical properties index (SCPI), and understand the correlation between the SCPI with tobacco productivity in Jember district. The SCPI was constructed by applying principal component analysis procedures. Cation Exchange Capacity, total N content, soil pH, and available-P were identified as key indicators of soil fertility in the study area. Four sub districts namely Ambulu, Kalisat, Wuluhan and Sumberjambe were categorized as high level of SCPI, while others were classified as low to medium categories. It had positive correlation between SCPI and tobacco productivity, meaning the higher the SCPI the better the tobacco productivity.