The Impact of Termite Activity on Soil Fertility: A Case Study in Pine Stands in the Alas Bromo Education Forest Area

Termites function as soil engineers and play a crucial role in the decomposition of organic matter. This study was conducted in the Alas Bromo Educational Forest under pine stands of various age classes. The objective of the research was to investigate the influence of termite activity on soil ferti...

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Main Authors: Sri Rezeki Febriani, Dwi Priyo Ariyanto, Ongko Cahyono, Rahayu Rahayu, Didi Tarmadi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Research and Development Center for Food, Nutrition and Public Health (P4GKM) LPPM Universitas Sebelas Maret 2025-05-01
Series:AgriHealth
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Online Access:https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/agrihealth/article/view/100945
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author Sri Rezeki Febriani
Dwi Priyo Ariyanto
Ongko Cahyono
Rahayu Rahayu
Didi Tarmadi
author_facet Sri Rezeki Febriani
Dwi Priyo Ariyanto
Ongko Cahyono
Rahayu Rahayu
Didi Tarmadi
author_sort Sri Rezeki Febriani
collection DOAJ
description Termites function as soil engineers and play a crucial role in the decomposition of organic matter. This study was conducted in the Alas Bromo Educational Forest under pine stands of various age classes. The objective of the research was to investigate the influence of termite activity on soil fertility, as indicated by the levels of soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil pH. The method employed involved baiting pinewood stakes placed in polyvinyl chloride pipes (PVC) to assess termite activity, which was evaluated based on the level of damage to the stakes and classified into damage classes. The stakes used were made of pine wood, similar to the species of the overlying stands. This study identified four termite genera in the Alas Bromo area: Macrotermes, Microtermes, Odontotermes, and Schedorhinotermes. The findings revealed significant differences in SOM and SOC across the stake damage classes within each stand. In general, the highest values were observed in soils with the highest levels of termite activity, as reflected in damage class 4. However, soil pH values did not show significant differences across the varying levels of termite activity. These findings highlight that termites, as soil engineers, play a vital role in enhancing soil fertility and hold promising potential for application in the pursuit of sustainable agriculture.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2722-0656
2722-0648
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher Research and Development Center for Food, Nutrition and Public Health (P4GKM) LPPM Universitas Sebelas Maret
record_format Article
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spelling doaj-art-b2cd58b3ca844183b60a7940a0b789de2025-08-20T03:28:52ZengResearch and Development Center for Food, Nutrition and Public Health (P4GKM) LPPM Universitas Sebelas MaretAgriHealth2722-06562722-06482025-05-0161213010.20961/agrihealth.v6i1.10094545877The Impact of Termite Activity on Soil Fertility: A Case Study in Pine Stands in the Alas Bromo Education Forest AreaSri Rezeki Febriani0Dwi Priyo Ariyanto1Ongko Cahyono2Rahayu Rahayu3Didi Tarmadi4Postgraduate Postgraduate Program of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret, SurakartaDepartment of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret, SurakartaDepartment of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret, SurakartaDepartment of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret, SurakartaDepartment of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret, SurakartaTermites function as soil engineers and play a crucial role in the decomposition of organic matter. This study was conducted in the Alas Bromo Educational Forest under pine stands of various age classes. The objective of the research was to investigate the influence of termite activity on soil fertility, as indicated by the levels of soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil pH. The method employed involved baiting pinewood stakes placed in polyvinyl chloride pipes (PVC) to assess termite activity, which was evaluated based on the level of damage to the stakes and classified into damage classes. The stakes used were made of pine wood, similar to the species of the overlying stands. This study identified four termite genera in the Alas Bromo area: Macrotermes, Microtermes, Odontotermes, and Schedorhinotermes. The findings revealed significant differences in SOM and SOC across the stake damage classes within each stand. In general, the highest values were observed in soils with the highest levels of termite activity, as reflected in damage class 4. However, soil pH values did not show significant differences across the varying levels of termite activity. These findings highlight that termites, as soil engineers, play a vital role in enhancing soil fertility and hold promising potential for application in the pursuit of sustainable agriculture.https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/agrihealth/article/view/100945decompositionecosystem engineersisopterasoil organic carbonsoil organic matter
spellingShingle Sri Rezeki Febriani
Dwi Priyo Ariyanto
Ongko Cahyono
Rahayu Rahayu
Didi Tarmadi
The Impact of Termite Activity on Soil Fertility: A Case Study in Pine Stands in the Alas Bromo Education Forest Area
AgriHealth
decomposition
ecosystem engineers
isoptera
soil organic carbon
soil organic matter
title The Impact of Termite Activity on Soil Fertility: A Case Study in Pine Stands in the Alas Bromo Education Forest Area
title_full The Impact of Termite Activity on Soil Fertility: A Case Study in Pine Stands in the Alas Bromo Education Forest Area
title_fullStr The Impact of Termite Activity on Soil Fertility: A Case Study in Pine Stands in the Alas Bromo Education Forest Area
title_full_unstemmed The Impact of Termite Activity on Soil Fertility: A Case Study in Pine Stands in the Alas Bromo Education Forest Area
title_short The Impact of Termite Activity on Soil Fertility: A Case Study in Pine Stands in the Alas Bromo Education Forest Area
title_sort impact of termite activity on soil fertility a case study in pine stands in the alas bromo education forest area
topic decomposition
ecosystem engineers
isoptera
soil organic carbon
soil organic matter
url https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/agrihealth/article/view/100945
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