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The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012027 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012027

Changes in soil microstructure and physical characteristics of

peat soils under pineapple plantation

Azmi I A1, Kassim N Q B1,2

1
Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology, UiTM Cawangan Melaka Kampus Jasin,
77300, Merlimau, Melaka, Malaysia
2
Soil Conservation and Management Research Interest Group (RIG), UiTM, Malaysia

Corresponding author’s e-mail address: qursyna@uitm.edu.my

Abstract. In Malaysia, peat soils have been successfully planted with various crops such as
pineapple, oil palm, and sago. However, the development of peat soils to plantations may raise
problems to the environment and alter their physical and morphological characteristics. Hence,
this study was conducted to differentiate peat soils microstructure between natural peat and
pineapple cultivated peat. The soil samples were taken at 0-50 cm, 50-100 cm, and 100- 150 cm
depth, and the Von post scale method was conducted in the field. The samples were tested in the
water content, organic content, and rubbed fiber content for physical analysis. The samples were
then sent to the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis
to determine peat soil microstructure and elemental analysis. The results showed that the
pineapple cultivated peat has a higher humification degree than natural peat. The fast degradation
process of cell walls also can be seen in SEM images in higher humification degrees. It is
concluded that the disturbance of peatlands due to human activities may accelerate the
decomposition process in peat soils.
Keywords: land, soil, microstructure, pineapple

1. Introduction
Peat is a highly organic substance mainly formed from plant components [1], undergo slow
decomposition process. The accumulation of organic materials only occurs under a particular state in
which more production of biomass is needed than its chemical breakdown [2]. Peat soils are saturated
with water in the natural condition, and carbon is stored in dead organic matter [3]. The high water
content is one reason peat soils usually refer to problematic soils [4]. The decomposition or humification
process in peat soils involves the loss of organic matter in the form of gas or solution, the physical
structure disappears, and the chemical state changes that finally release carbon dioxide and water [1].
The humification analysis established in Sweden, namely the Von post scale classification system, is
associated with peat soils fiber content [5]. This classification started from H1 (least humified) to H10
(most humified), which shows the peat current visual composition [6]. The visible structure also can be
seen under the microscope. In the electron microscope, a tiny beam of electrons is directed at the surface
to be examined [7] and can be saved photographically. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) is also

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The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012027 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012027

generally coupled with energy dispersive x-ray (EDX). EDX can generate an x-ray spectrum from a
micron-sized sample within a few seconds requiring minimal preparation [8].
In Malaysia, peatland is usually used for plantations such as oil palm, pineapple, and banana [9].
Pineapple is widely cultivated in Johor, Malaysia, where approximately 90% is planted on peat soils
[10]. The agricultural practices developed in peat soils area has modified the structural components,
related with the organic matter decomposition as well as carbon emission, which further alter its
physiochemical characteristics. Even though much research has been conducted on peat physical and
chemical properties cultivated with pineapple, however, the data on microstructural changes is very
limited. Hence, it is very important to have the overall data on peat microstructure as it is related much
of the physiochemical properties of the peat soils. This study aimed to analyze the physical
characteristics of peat soils in natural and pineapple cultivated peat and to compare the decomposition
process in natural and pineapple cultivated peat using scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped
with energy dispersive x-ray (EDX).

2. Materials and Methods

2.1 Soil sampling

The natural peat soil samples were collected at Pagoh, Johor, Malaysia while pineapple cultivated peat
was collected at Parit Sulong, Johor, Malaysia. The soil samples were taken using a peat sampler at 0-
50 cm, 50-100 cm, and 100- 150 cm depth or until mineral soils were found. Von post scale method was
conducted in the field by squeezing the sample, and the passed peat and water expelled through fingers
were then matched with characteristics described in the von post scale (H1-H10). Then, the soil samples
were kept in plastic bags and brought to the laboratory.

2.2 Soil water content

The water content of peat soil was determined using oven dried method in [11] by drying 10g of fresh
sample overnight in the oven at 105°C, and the weight of water loss was determined by percentage using
equation (1).
𝑊𝐴𝑆 −𝑊𝑂𝐷
% 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 = 𝑊𝑂𝐷
× 100 (1)

where 𝑊𝐴𝑆 = weight of air-dried soil and 𝑊𝑂𝐷 = weight of oven-dried soil

2.3 Organic matter content

Organic matter content was determined by using the loss on ignition method in percentage. The sample
was oven dried for 24 hours. 5g of air-dried soil sample were weighed into a porcelain crucible, and the
weight of porcelain crucible and soil sample were recorded (𝑊1 ). The sample was ignited in a muffle
furnace for 300°C for 1 hour and raised at 550°C for another 8 hours. Allow the soil samples to cool in
the open furnace before being transferred into the desiccator. The weight was recorded (𝑊2 ) and
calculated as equation (2).
𝑊1−𝑊2
% 𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 = × 100 (2)
𝑊1

where 𝑊1 = the weight of the sample after oven-dried and 𝑊2 = The weight of the sample after
ignited at 550°C

2.4 Rubbed fiber content

Rubbed fiber content was determined using the syringe method [12]. 25 cm3 of moist samples were
placed on a strip of paper towel and moulded into a cigar shape, and then rolled to remove any surplus
water. Then, unrolled paper towel and cut the samples into 6 mm lengths. The modified syringe was
packed, adjusted to 5 ml capacity level, full of sample pressing hard enough to express air but not water.

2
The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012027 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012027

All the soil material in the syringe was transferred onto the 125- mesh sieve. The samples were rubbed
lightly between the thumb and fingers under a stream of water until the water passing through the sieve
is clean. Then, the sample residue was dried through finger pressing while holding a paper towel against
the bottom of the sieve. The samples residue was transferred to the modified syringe, and volume was
measured and calculated using equation (3).
𝑉𝑟𝑟
% 𝑟𝑢𝑏𝑏𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 = (3)
𝑉𝑖

where 𝑉𝑖 = the initial volume of 5 ml and 𝑉𝑟𝑟= the volume of the sample after rinse and rub.

2.5 Peat soil microstructure and elemental analysis

Peat soil microstructure and elemental analysis were conducted using SEM-EDX. 2 mm of oven-dried
soil sample was placed onto aluminium stub covered with double-sided carbon tap, and the stub was
placed into SEM. The microstructure of the peat sample was analyzed. Each sample was magnified at
300 X, 500 X,1.00 KX, 5.00 KX and 10.00 KX to obtain the defined microstructure of the peat samples.
Elemental analysis of peat samples was derived using EDX for O, Si, Al, C, N, K, Mg, S, Fe, P, Ca, and
Na.

3. Results and Discussion

Table 1 shows the physical and elemental analysis in different locations of peat soils, while Figures 1
and 2 display microstructure images using SEM. In natural peat, the sampling depth of 0-50 cm was
classified as H7 in the von post scale. For 50-100 cm, the sample was classified as H5, and 100-150 cm,
the sample was classified as H3. There was a decreasing pattern of humification degree in increasing
depth. This level of humification can be seen in Figure 1. In image A (H7), the sample might be nearly
decomposed as the cell walls were almost unavailable whereas, Image B (H5) and C (H3) show the
moderately to very slightly decomposed peat as the plant cell wall is still available but already collapse.
The tiny, porous structure is also presented in these images. Hence, the deeper the peat soils, the lower
the humification degree, the less decomposition occurs in peat soils.
Table 1. Physical and elemental analysis of peat soils between natural and pineapple cultivation peat
Site Sampling Von Soil water Organic Rubbed Carbon Oxygen
depth (cm) post content matter fiber (% (%
scale (%) content content atomic) atomic)
(%) (%)
0-50 H7 522 70.52 32 65.23 30.68
50-100 H5 575 73.96 48 60.87 35.69
Natural peat 100-150 H3 756 77.40 60 54.63 39.15
Reported <289- 12-60a 30-40a
range 1057b
90.4d
0-50 H8 316 96.32 24 55.83 42.92
50-100 H6 560 94.60 40 50.78 45.95
Pineapple 100-150 H8 549 - 24 57.70 35.24
cultivation Reported 64.9c 86.6c
range
Source:a[13],b[14],c[15],d[16]
For physical analysis, the natural peat soils water content, organic matter content, and rubbed fiber
content show similar patterns that were higher in lower humification degrees. In pineapple cultivated
peat, the von post scale in 0-50 cm was sapric (H8), 50-100 cm was hemic (H6), and 100-150 cm was
also sapric (H8).

3
The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012027 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012027

A B C

Figure 1. SEM analysis for natural peat. (A) H7,0-50 cm depth (B) H5, 50-100 cm (C) H3, 100-
150 cm
The decomposition in H8 can be shown in images D and E in Figure 2. The cell walls were not clearly
seen and have a thin structure (image D), and in image F, the cell walls were ruptured, and some part
was already decomposed. These results may also be related to the percentage of fiber content in H8 (24
%), which was lower than H6 (40 %). The peat soils water content and organic matter content range
from 316-5495 % and 94.60-93.32 %. The percentages were lower than the study in [15]. For elemental
analysis, the percentage of carbon varied in the range 50.78-57.70 %, whereas oxygen was 35.24-45.95
%.

D E F

Figure 2. SEM image on pineapple cultivation peat soils. (D) H8, 0-50 cm (E) H6, 50-100 cm (F)
H8, 100-150 cm
The decomposition of peat soils was driven by physical and chemical characteristics such as water
content, organic matter content, fiber content, and percentage of carbon and oxygen. The development
of natural peat to pineapple cultivation may cause changes in soil properties and morphology [17] which
influence the decomposition process in peat soils. The findings indicate that the percentage of water
content in pineapple cultivation peat was lower compared to natural peat. This lower percentage might
be due to the drainage before establishing peatland for agriculture, resulting in the lower water table and
aerobic decomposition for unsaturated peat soils. The smaller pore size in drained upper part peat layers
encourages capillary movement from deep waters to the surface, resulting in water loss due to
evaporation [18].The soil organic matter (SOM) content in Table 1 was greater than carbon content in
pineapple and natural peat since organic carbon is a part of organic matter. Carbon element is found in
all organic compounds and makes up around half of the mass of soil organic matter, which plays an
essential role in global carbon balance [19]. The higher SOM in pineapple cultivation compared to
natural peat might be due to fire. These results found similar to [20] that the greater SOM was found in
burned plot compared to unburned plot. The lowest and highest percentage of carbon and oxygen was
found in pineapple cultivation (50.78 %) and (45.95 %) compared to the natural peat. This pattern was
also due to the changes of waterlogged to dry conditions that affect biological oxidation in aerobic
conditions, which leads to carbon losses to the atmosphere as CO2 emissions [21]. The percentage of

4
The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012027 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012027

rubbed fiber content in natural and pineapple cultivation was almost similar to the USDA classification.
According to this classification, fibric have fibre content over 66%, hemic have a range of 33-66%,
whereas sapric less than 33% [1]. There was a decreasing pattern of fibre content in higher humification
degrees. In the von post scale, Table 1 showed that the decreasing ranking of von post scale in natural
peat was similar in the study in [22] and [23]. In the von post scale, the higher the humification degree,
the more decomposed peat. The higher humification degree in cultivation peat compared to natural peat
due to increasing soil aeration, mineralization of organic matter in aerobic condition, and release of
carbon dioxide to the atmosphere [24]. It was leading to the increasing decomposition of peat soils as
well. Figure 1 and Figure 2 show the scanning electron microscope (SEM) image conducted further to
confirm the von post scale method results. The highest humification degree was H8 (Image D and F).
H8 was also discussed in [25] stated most of the plant materials were amorphous. This result had a thin
and unclear cell wall structure (image D), and most plant structures had already decomposed (Image F).
Image A fell into H7 and has been discussed in [26]. In Von Post Scale, as H7 has little recognizable
plant tissue [6], the plant cell walls were almost not found in image A. The decomposition process has
already occurred in this stage. Image D showing the microstructure image for H6. Since the plant
structures are more recognizable in H6 [25], the plant structure should be seen in Image E. The SEM
image taken was not clearly seen might be due to an error that occurred during coating before SEM
observation. H5 was also found in [27] and stated that most of the characteristics of fibre could be
observed by the naked eye. Hence, the plant structure in Image B can be seen with some degradation,
as H5 was categorized as moderately decomposed peat (hemic). H3 was the lowest degree of
humification in this site and similar to the study in [28]. As the plant structure is easily identifiable [6],
the plant structure can be seen (Image C) with some degradation showing that peat was very slightly
decomposed [22]. The decomposition of peat has been slowly started in this stage.

4. Conclusion
Natural peat shows the low humification degree, organic matter, and oxygen content whereas high soil
water, fiber, and carbon content. In microscopic analysis, there were the presence of thick cell wall in
lower humification degree whereas degradation occurred and thin cell walls in H8. The pineapple
cultivated peat shows the high humification degree, organic matter, and oxygen content whereas low
soil water, fiber, and carbon content. The degradation occurred and thin cell walls were available in
microstructure images. Hence, it is suggested that the faster decomposition process in pineapple
cultivated peat compared to natural peat.

Acknowledgments
This research project financed by Ministry of Higher education through the Fundamental Research Grant
Scheme (FRGS) [600-IRMI/FRGS 5/3 237/2019]. The authors would like to acknowledge the Faculty
of Plantation and Agrotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Soil Conservation and Management
Research Group of UiTM.

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The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012027 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012027

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The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012027 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012027

[28] Tong I T, Felix N L L, Mohd S and Sulaeman A 2016 Characterization of Soil Organic Matter in
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