ABSTRACT
Water management and cropping pattern for rice cultivation in acid sulfate soils: A hydrological regimes and soil properties-based framework

Arifin Fahmi1*, Maya Amalia2, Destika Cahyana1, Anna Hairani1, Aidi Noor1, Rina Dirgahayu Ningsih1, Siti Nurzakiah1, Masganti Masganti1, Ahmad Rizali Saidy2, Puspita Harum Maharani1, Izhar Khairullah1, Muhammad Alwi1, and Khairil Anwar1
 
In tidal freshwater wetlands (TFW) dominated by acid sulfate soils (ASS), spatial variability in hydrological regimes and soil properties creates complex biogeochemical constraints that can reduce crop yield or lead to crop failure. Despite this heterogeneity, water management practices are frequently applied uniformly across TFW landscapes, overlooking the combined effects of hydrological and soil variability on crop growth and productivity. This paper synthesizes the scientific basis to develop a site-specific framework for water management and cropping patterns of rice (Oryza sativa L.), explicitly considering spatial variability in both hydrological regimes and soil properties. Our synthesis reveals that water management should be tailored to hydrological regimes and soil properties to enable optimal implementation of rice cropping patterns. In frequent flooding areas, water management aims to control excess water and saline intrusion by low dike construction equipped with stoplogs. In areas that are flooded only during spring tides, water management aims to maintain water quality through regular flushing by low dike construction equipped with channel networks with a one-way flow system, flap gates, and stoplogs. In non-flooded areas, water management aims to create sustained flooding by retaining rainfall and runoff through the construction of low dikes and the installation of stoplogs. These water management systems are designed to improve soil properties while respecting inherent site conditions, thereby supporting double cropping with superior rice varieties for increased production.
Key words: Acid sulfate soil, hydrological regime, rice, tidal freshwater wetland, water management.
1National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), 16911, Cibinong, Bogor, Indonesia.
2Lambung Mangkurat University, 70714, Banjarbaru, Indonesia.
*Corresponding author (fahmi.nbl@gmail.com)