The Effect of Fallowing Time on Physical and Chemical Parameters of Soil in Shifting Agriculture in Lore and Tutuala, East Timor

The shifting cultivation system is a traditional farming system that is commonly used by indigenous communities in Timor Leste until now. Lautem Regency, Timor Leste still has the habit of implementing a shifting cultivation system, namely by clearing a certain area of land by cutting down and burning the forest and then planting it with various food crops such as corn, upland rice, beans, cassava and others. The land will be used for 2-3 years and will be abandoned because the land is no longer productive and new land will be opened that is still productive. This causes natural disasters, such as landslides, reduced water sources, floods, reduced biodiversity and micro and macro nutrients, organic matter, soil pH. So there is a need for research regarding fallowing time and the chemical properties of soil in shifting farming systems. The aim of this research is to determine the effect of fallowing time on the nutrient content N, P, K in the soil, the level of soil acidity (pH), and EC and C-organics in the soil. The research was conducted in Lautem Regency, Timor-Leste and at the Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Timor Leste, carried out for two (2) months, namely in May and June 2022. The research used quantitative descriptive methods. Primary data collection is based on the needs and objectives of representing soil element data from each sample. Data obtained from the field is then analyzed in the laboratory to obtain quantitative data from each sample for analysis/comparison. The research was conducted in two different areas, namely Lore and Tutuala sub-districts. There are differences in the nutrient content of N, P and K at each fallow age of the land with the highest results of N, P and K being the fallow age of the land more than 6 years. The results of the research show that the pH of the land in Lore and Tutuala Districts is from fallow age 3 to fallow age more than 6 years and months is still the standard for agricultural cultivation, namely the average pH is 6-7.2, while the EC cation exchange capacity is still relatively low, but the CEC (EC) is highest at fallow age 6 years, C - organic is classified as standard for agricultural land with the highest C - organic content at a fallow age of more than 6 years.