Nutritional environment of tropical peat soils in Sarawak, Malaysia based on soil solution composition

It has been considered that natural peat soils and swamp forest ecosystems in the tropics are quite oligotrophic. This concept seems to be related to the low mineral contents in the soil solid phase of the peat soils. However, some nutritional elements such as K, Mg, Ca, and/or P may be abundant in the soil solution phase and could easily migrate in peat soils. In order to analyze the nutritional environment of peat soils, chemical composition of the soil solid phase and soil solution was compared. This study was carried out in Naman Forest Reserve, Sibu and in/around Sg. Talau Peat Research Station, Mukah, Sarawak, Malaysia. In both areas, each of the three study sites with a different depth of underlying mineral layer was selected for sampling of soil and soil solution. All the soils studied except for one shallow peat profile were classified into Oligotrophic peat based on Fleischer's criteria