KARAKTERISTIK SIFAT FISIK TANAH LAHAN PERTANIAN CAMPURAN DI DESA TEMBOE KABUPATEN LUWU

Village-scale information on soil physical properties is essential as a preliminary basis for agricultural land management, particularly in areas characterized by mixed land use and sloping topography. This study aimed to identify the physical properties of soil in mixed-crop agricultural areas in Temboe Village, South Larompong District, Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi. Data collection was conducted via a survey at nine observation points: (1) clove land; (2) between clove and *langsat* trees; (3) between *langsat* and cacao; (4) between cacao and banana; (5) banana land; (6) *langsat* land; (7) cacao land; (8) banana and other crop land; and (9) other crop land (banana). Soil physical parameters analyzed included texture fractions, bulk density, porosity, permeability, soil structure, soil moisture, temperature, pH, and slope gradient. Data were analyzed using descriptive quantitative methods, supplemented by an analysis of the relationships between parameters. The results indicate that the soil is dominated by a clay loam texture class, with one sub-sample exhibiting a loam texture. Soil structure across all sub-samples was classified as granular. Bulk density ranged from 1.475 to 2.100 g/cm³, porosity from 40% to 67%, and permeability from 1.22 to 1,096.77 cm/hour. Bulk density showed a very strong negative correlation with porosity (r = -0.8904), whereas the relationship of permeability with both bulk density and porosity was weakly negative, reflecting soil compaction, aggregate structure, and sample conditions during testing. Temperature ranged from 28°C to 35°C, pH from 5.5 to 8.5, and moisture was predominantly wet, while the slope gradient was 8.88°. In general, the soil at the study site retains a structure conducive to aeration; however, some points exhibited high bulk density and extreme permeability variations, necessitating the management of organic matter and ground cover, as well as the implementation of slope conservation measures.