Microbial Abundance of Different Land Use in North Luwu, South Sulawesi Risky Nurhikmayani*, M. Jayadi, Nirmala Juita, Balqis Nur Aisyah
Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia, 90245
*riskynurhikmayani[at]unhas.ac.id
Abstract
The development of the agricultural sector in North Luwu has an impact on land use change to increase plantation production. Continuous use and clearing of land can threaten the loss of native land vegetation, affecting the C and N cycles, community composition, population and soil microbial activity. Microorganisms are important in the maintenance of soil health and quality. The abundance of soil microorganisms has a major influence on ecosystem function so it can help increase production in the agricultural sector. This shows that data on the abundance and diversity of soil microbial can be a reference in determining soil fertility. However, there is still little data on the abundance of soil microbes in North Luwu. This study aims to determine the abundance of soil microbial, especially on different land use. Soil sampling was carried out randomly on three land use: cocoa monoculture, cocoa agroforestry and secondary forest. The soil samples obtained were then measured for the C:N ratio and total microbes. The results showed that agroforestry cocoa with the highest C:N ratio had 1,8 x 108 CFU/g of total soil microbial, the highest microbial abundance among the three land covers followed by secondary forest and monoculture cocoa with the lowest C:N ratio and lowest microbial abundance 2 x 107 CFU/g. These results indicated that different land use has different microbial abundance which is influenced by soil C:N ratio.
Keywords: microbial abundance, soil microbial
Topic: Biodiversity, soil health and agricultural practices
