Evaluation of Soil Retention Capabilities Using RETC Application in Various Paddy Field Management Systems in Purwantoro District, Indonesia

Prolonged dry seasons are one of the most influential impacts of global warming on the agricultural sector.Soil water retention is the ability of soil to hold water, which is presented in the form of pF curves (graphical representations of the relationship between soil water content and soil water potential).The soil's physical properties also influence the soil's water retention ability, which affects crop growth, crop yield, and land productivity.This study aims to measure soil water retention using the RETC program on various paddy field management systems: organic, semi-organic, and conventional.This research used a survey method in rice fields with different management systems and soil physical indicators approaches.The RETC program can be used to measure soil water retention in paddy fields accurately and efficiently.The results showed that the paddy field management system in Purwantoro Sub-district affects the soil's ability to retain water.The organic rice field management system has the highest available water content of 18%.The increase in soil water retention has a very significant positive correlation with soil organic matter content, where the organic matter content in the organic rice field management system is higher than the semi-organic and conventional management systems by 4.33%.Soil water retention capacity was determined by soil fraction content (0.522**), dust content (-0.438**), and effective depth (0.663**).The higher the clay content, the higher the available water content.