Malaysia has about 2.3 million hectares of peat land (Halim et al., 1990). Peat is a heterogeneous mixture of more or less decomposed plant (humus) material that has accumulated in a water saturated environment and in the absence of oxygen. Its structure ranges from more or less decomposed plant remains to a fine amorphic, colloidal mass. The Malaysian peat is made up of homogenous woody tree residues and other plants that thrive on the forest floor of swamps. The peat medium is a structureless material that has a very low bulk density, low in nutrients and low in pH level (Joseph et al., 1974). The bulk density of an organic soil is the weight of a given volume of soil usually expressed on a dry weight basis in grammes per cubic centimetre. Values range from 0.05 g cm-3 in very fibric, undecomposed materials to less than 0.5 g cm-3 in well decomposed materials.

Main Research: Dr. Mohd Hanif Harun