LAND PREPARATION AND PLANTING PRACTICES

Land preparation:
usually involves the initial cutting of the soil, breaking up the soil clods
into smaller particles and leveling of the field
purpose of land preparation is to achieve one or more of the ffg:
1. To develop the proper soil tilth desirable soil structure for a
seedbed or rootbed , granular or crumbly structure with aggregates
of 3 to 10 mm sizes
2. To control weeds
3. To aerate the soil
4. To mix crop residues and fertilizers with the soil
5. To conserve water- breaking the soil increases pore spaces and
water holding capacity is improved
6. To prepare the soil for subsequent farm operations
 7. To effect the control of pests and diseases weeds and
residues are turned under that harbor pests and diseases

8. To level the field low and high spots are to be avoided

POWER UNITS:
1. Man healthy and mature human being can continually develop and
output of one-tenth horsepower
2. Animal on the average, a work animal (horse, water buffaloes, and
cattle) can develop an average of 0.8 horsepower
3. Tractor
a. Hand tractor in the Philippines, usual range of 5 to 12 HP
b. Compact four-wheel tractor horsepower ranges from 14 to
30 HP
 c. Conventional four-wheel tractor 36 to 80 HP

Primary tillage refers to the initial breaking of the soil. A plow or any of
the general purpose tillage equipment may be used.

Examples:
1. Native wooden or steel plow an animal drawn plow has a cut
width of 15 cm. Average speed is 2 km per hour. A hectare can be
plowed from 40 to 50 hours
2. Tractor moldboard plow cutting unit called bottom ; similar to
animal-drawn plow; consists of a share, moldboard and landside;
can prepare a hectare in 3-4 hours
3. Disc plow cut ranges from 15 cm to 20 cm; has a rolling bottom
or disc; can effectively penetrate even hard soils and used in extreme
field conditions such as dry, sticky and moist soils
 4. General purpose tillage equipment functions are to initially cut
and break the soil and then pulverize it. Example is the rotavator
constructed with a set of cutting knives of tines

Secondary tillage - refers to all operations after the primary tillage and
prior to planting

OBJECTIVES:
1. to further loosen the soil
2. to break the clods
3. refine and smooth the soil
4. kill weeds
Examples of secondary tillage equipments:
1. Bamboo or wooden harrows with a set of teeth that are fixed; can
be used in wet or dry lands
2. Comb-tooth harrow used in irrigated lowland areas; for puddling
3. Disc harrow mainly used after plowing to pulverize large clods
4. Spike-tooth harrow if made of steel, angle of teeth can be varied;
used in mellow and friable soil; effective in killing small weeds and
covering broadcasted seeds

Other tillage systems / practices :

1. Minimum tillage there is reduced tillage intensity depends on
field conditions (weedy, soil texture, moisture)
2. Zero tillage no mechanical manipulation of the soil; also called
conservation tillage
(continuation of tillage system)
3. Conventional method traditional system; involves primary tillage
operation followed by secondary tillage

Zero vs. minimum tillage: Results indicated the possibility of growing

crops like sorghum, cotton, and corn without
tillage provided weeds are controlled with
appropriate herbicides

For transplanted rice yields obtained from zero tillage were

comparable to conventional tillage provided
weeds are controlled with preplant
herbicides
PLANTING PRACTICES:
Methods of planting:
1. Direct seeding planting materials are seeds, cuttings, tubers, bulbs
2. Transplanting planting materials are seedlings grown in seedbed or
seedbox

Factors to consider when choosing the method of planting to be used:

1. Seed size e.g. small seeds are often transplanted (pechay, tobacco,
mustard, eggplant, tomato)
2. Rate of root regeneration - e.g. plants with slow rate of root
regeneration are usually direct seeded (cucurbits, legumes,
root crops, okra, corn, etc)
3. Price of seed expensive seeds are usually transplanted
4. Availability and cost of labor if cost of labor is high, use direct seeding
METHODS OF DIRECT SEEDING:
1. Broadcasting also called sabog-tanim; seeds evenly spread in an area
2. Drill method with definite spacing with a row or per linear meter
e.g. soybeans = 18-22 seeds per linear meter during WS
3. Hill method definite spacing between plants or hills
e. g. peanut = 25 cm between hills, 3 plants per hill

Row planting seeding rate is lessened, uniform growth is ensured,

facilitates operations and better space utilization
Examples of row planting:
1. list planting seeds are placed at the bottom of the furrow
2. ridge planting seeds are placed at the top of the ridge
3. surface planting no furrows; seeds are drilled or hill-planted
4. drill planting one (1) seed per hill
5. hill planting two or more seeds per hill
PLANTING METHODS IN ANNUALS
1. Direct seeding in the field
Broadcast
Drilled in rows
Hill method in rows
Dibbling on unplowed land

2. Transplanting seeds sown in seedboxes or seedbeds and transplanted

within 2-4 weeks
ADVANTAGES:
1. lesser wastage on valuable seeds
2. allow more cropping
3. controlled growth during seedling growth but initial transplanting
shock in the field
PLANTING METHODS FOR LOWLAND RICE

1. Transplanting
Methods of raising seedlings for transplanting:
a) Wetbed
35-45 kg of seeds per ha
300-500 m2 seedbed area
seedlings transplanted 20-25 days after sowing
2-3 seedlings per hill

b) Dapog method
seeds sown in concrete pavements or bed lined with plastic
50-60 kg seeds per ha
40 m2 seedbed area
seedlings transplanted 9-14 days; 5-10 seedlings per hill
c. Drybed method
practiced in rainfed areas
35-45 kg seeds per ha
300-500 m2 seedbed area
seedlings transplanted 20-30 days after sowing
2-3 seedlings per hill

2. Direct seeding
broadcasting on puddled soil
drilling by multihopper seeded or drum seeder
uses 50-80 kg of pre-germinated seeds per ha
uses only inbred varieties; not suitable for hybrids because of
high cost of seeds
dibbling and broadcasting in upland areas ( for upland rice)
PLANTING METHODS FOR UPLAND CROPS
1. Drill method for legumes, sorghum, upland rice, etc.
2. Hill method for corn, peanut, etc.

PLANTING METHODS FOR VEGETABLES

Examples: onion, leek, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, mustard, pechay,
Chinese cabbage, tomato, eggplant, celery, sweet pepper, etc.
a) Raising of seedlings
seedbed method sterilized soil, row spacing of 5-7 cm and 2-3
seeds per 5-7 cm row length
seedbox method seeds are sown in seedbox
- grown until transplanted or sometimes transferred to another
seedbox (pricking) before transplanting
- row spacing of 7-8 cm and seeding rate of 2-3 seeds/linear meter
b) Transplanting
Pechay and lettuce 3 weeks old
Cabbage, broccoli 4-5 weeks old
tomatoes, eggplant, pepper 5-7 weeks old

Pricking seedlings are transferred to another seedbox or seedbed

Blocking and hardening starts at 7-10 days before transplanting

cutting soil (5 cm x 5 xcm) at full depth 7-10 days before transplanting
gradual withdrawal of water
gradual exposure to sunlight
PLANTING SYSTEMS FOR ORCHARDS OR PLANTATION CROPS
Factors to consider in selection of planting system:
a) number of species/varieties of fruits/plantation crops
b) whether or not to use fillers
c) topography of the land
d) degree of farm mechanization
e) preference of grower

Types of planting systems:

1. Square method most common and simplest to layout; makes
operations easy by mechanical means
Number of trees per hectare: NP = A/S2 where:
NP = number of plants ; A = area
S2 = square of planting distance
2. Quincunx or diagonal makes use of a square with additional tree in
in the middle; larger tree populations can be
planted; maximum use of the area during the
early growing and fruiting years

Number of trees per hectare: NP = A (Area)

---------------------------------
S2 + (L/S-1)(W/S-1)

where: A= area ; S2 = square of planting distance

L = length of the area; W = width of the area
3. Hexagonal or triangular system - trees are equidistant from one
another from every direction to form an equilateral
triangle. This arrangement results in a greater
number of trees per hectare than the square method.

A (Area)
Number of trees per hectare = --------------------
S2 x 0.866
where: A = area
S2 = square of planting distance
4. Contour or terrace system
applied in hillsides or hilly lands
prevents or reduces soil erosion
establishes contour lines with the use of A-frame

Contour line a line that runs across the slope such that the line stays
at the same height and does not run uphill or downhill