Characteristics and land potential for sugarcane development in Blitar Regency, East Java Province

The expansion of the sugarcane planting area needs to be supported by land resource data, such as characteristics and land suitability maps to optimize sugarcane growth and production. The study aimed to evaluate the land suitability, the dominant limiting factor, and the land availability for sugarcane development in Blitar Regency. Land suitability assessment was conducted by matching between land characteristics and sugarcane growth requirements. The study showed that the dominant soil in Blitar Regency was Kambisol Eutrik, having moderate to very deep soil depth, well-drained, and medium to a fine texture. The suitability classes of the land in the Blitar Regency were mostly marginally suitable (S3) covering of 87,529 ha (97.11%). This type of land has limiting factors, i.e., rooting condition (poorly drained and slightly coarse texture), nutrient retention (CEC <5 cmol_c kg⁻¹, pH >8.0), nutrient availability (very low K₂O), and erosion hazard (slope 8 to 15%). The rest were classified as moderately suitable (S2) covering 2,604 ha (2.89%). The study implies that the extensification areas of sugarcane area in Blitar Regency around 21,876 ha could be expected to increase sugarcane productivity and sugar production.