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Erosion Control On A Steep Sloped Coffee Field in Indonesia With Alley Cropping, Intercropped Vegetables, and No-Tillage
Erosion Control On A Steep Sloped Coffee Field in Indonesia With Alley Cropping, Intercropped Vegetables, and No-Tillage
Morio Iijima, Yasuhiro Izumi, Erwin Yuliadi, Sunyoto, Afandi & Muhajir
Utomo
To cite this article: Morio Iijima, Yasuhiro Izumi, Erwin Yuliadi, Sunyoto, Afandi & Muhajir
Utomo (2003) Erosion Control on a Steep Sloped Coffee Field in Indonesia with Alley Cropping,
Intercropped Vegetables, and No-Tillage, Plant Production Science, 6:3, 224-229, DOI: 10.1626/
pps.6.224
(Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464- 8601, Japan; * School of Environmental
Science, The University of Shiga Prefecture, 2500 Hassaka, Hikone, Shiga 522- 8533, Japan; * * Faculty of Agriculture,
University of Lampung, Indonesia)
Abstract: In a hilly area in Lampung State, the southern end of Sumatra Island in Indonesia, coffee is commonly
cultivated on hillsides with steep slopes and soil erosion affects sustainable coffee production. A field experiment on
coffee cultivation was conducted for 4 years to evaluate the effects of alley cropping and no-tillage on the seed
production of coffee and on erosion control in a steep slope area in this region. The cultivation of intercropped
vegetables, red peppers, tomatoes, and long beans was introduced into the coffee fields when the coffee plants were
small. No significant differences in the yields of either the coffee plants or the intercropped vegetables were noted
among the treatments. Coffee shoot fresh weight, however, was slightly increased by no-tillage treatment. Soil erosion
was reduced by 37% as a result of no tillage and by 64% with alley cropping. The amount of soil erosion for local
farmers practice, tillage & no-alley, was more than four times that in no-tillage and alley treatment. These results
indicate that alley cropping and no-tillage are effective for erosion control on coffee fields on steep slopes and that yield
is not affected by these practices. The introduction of intercropped vegetables is beneficial in terms of farm economy,
especially when the income from coffee cultivation is limited.
Key words: Alley cropping, Coffea arabica, Coffee, Erosion control, Gliricidia sepium Oacq.) Walp., Intercropped
vegetables, No-tillage, Red acid soil.
On steep slopes in Lampung State at the southern end soil accumulates on the upper side of the hedgerows of
of Sumatra Island, Indonesia, coffee is the main cash perennial shrubs and can be used to create terraces.
crop at altitudes above 700 m. Coffee is commonly culti- Another technique to reduce soil erosion on slopes is no
vated on steep slopes, however, bare ground is visible on -tillage cultivation. For example, recent studies show
some of the slopes as a result of soil erosion. The soil in that no-tillage effectively reduced soil erosion under crop
this region is classified as a red acid soil (AcrisoI), which rotation of maize (Zea mays L.) /cowpea (Vigna un-
is known to rapidly lose fertility after they are opened to guiculata (L.) Walp.) in Nigeria (Lal, 1997), pineapple
cultivation (Lumbanraja et aI., 1998; Iijima et aI., 1999). (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) on Ishigaki Island, Japan
Most of the coffee plants are randomly planted on (Sugahara et aI., 2001), and winter and spring crops in
slopes. Coffee fields are recommended to be cultivated central Croatia (Basic, et aI., 2001). The combination of
by hoe for weed control, and intertillage is often prac- alley cropping and no-tillage has also been tested, for
ticed even on steep slopes. These random plantings and example, in maize + cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in
intertillage cause soil erosion, thus the productivity of southern Cameroon (Hulugalle and Ndi, 1993; Hauser
coffee plants grown on steep slopes quickly declines as et aI., 2000); however, the system has not been thor-
fertile topsoil is lost. After that, the resulting infertile oughly tested for coffee cropping in Indonesia.
slopes are no longer worth cultivating. Furthermore, the In some regional coffee fields, vegetable crops are
loss of arable land may lead to further clearing of tropical planted among coffee plants, especially in the relatively
rain forests for cultivation of coffee crops. flat fields near farmhouses. Local coffee farmers plant
Alley cropping is an effective and inexpensive cultiva- them for additional food and/or for commercial pur-
tion technique for the reduction of soil erosion on steep poses. Intercropping annual food crops and vegetables
slopes (Craswell et aI., 1998; Paningbatan et aI., 1995; in coffee fields was economically evaluated at several
Renaud et aI., 1998). In alley cropping, arable crops are coffee research stations in Kenya (Njoroge and
grown between hedgerows of woody shrubs and tree Kimemia, 1995 a and b; Njoroge et aI., 1993). Some
species. The system is a bush-fallow system with im- species, such as potato, tomato, and bean (Njoroge et aI.,
proved management (Kang et aI., 1986). The eroded 1993; Njoroge and Kimemia, 1995 b) and carrots and
Received 27 November 2002. Accepted 19 February 2003. Corresponding author: M. Iijima (miijima@agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp, fax +81
-52-789-5558) .
This work was conducted within the framework of a sub-project entitled "Basic Researches on Developing the Techniques for
Sustainable Biological Production in the Regions of Red Acid Soils" under the main project titled "Basic Research on Environmentally
-Sound Biological Production Technology Development in Eastern Asia" supported by the Grant-in -Aid for Creative Basic Science from
the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.
Iijima et al. --Erosion Control in Hilly Coffee Field in Indonesia 225
1 0 0 0 - . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -........40
,--
,-- 750 u
30 L.-
j Q)
........
........ 20 ~
~ ~
s:: 0..
~ 250- 10 8
~
0- 0
J FMAMJ J ASOND J FMAMJ J ASONDJ FMAMJ J ASONDJ FMAMJ
1996 1997 1998 1999
Fig. l. Monthly rainfall and average values of daily maximum and minimum temperature at the experimental site (Sumberjaya,
Indonesia) during the experiment.
Table l. Soil properties of the experimental field. Values are the average of 12 plots.
Texture (%)
pH (H 2O) Total N Organic C CEC Sand Silt Clay
soybeans (Njoroge and Kimemia, 1995 a), were report- as Vertic Dystrudepts (Soil Survey Staff, 1998). The soil
ed to benefit from intercropping with young coffee texture was heavy clay, but the internal drainage was
plants. On steep sloped coffee farms, intercropping very good (Afandi et al., 2002). The soil chemical
vegetables has not been thoroughly tested. properties are summarized in Table 1.
To test these hypotheses and to develop techniques for
sustainable coffee production, a field experiment was 2. Field arrangement
conducted for four years. The primary objective of this Four treatments were set up by combining two cultiva-
paper is to analyze the effects of alley cropping and no tion techniques, alley cropping and no-tillage. Each
-tillage on coffee bean production and on soil erosion treatment had three replications. Twelve plots were
control on steep slopes. Vegetable intercropping was also arranged according to a randomized complete block
introduced before the coffee canopy was fully developed. design along the contour line (Fig. 2). Each plot
Finally, an economic analysis of the coffee farms was (approximately 108 m 2 ) comprised three square sections
conducted after the four years of the experiments to (6 m X 6 m) along the slope. The lower side of each
evaluate the effectiveness of the techniques that were section was set up parallel to the contour line. In the
introduced. Soil physics and coffee root growth will be alley plots, gamal (Gliricidia sepium Oacq.) Walp.), a
reported elsewhere. leguminous shrub, was densely planted at the lower side
of each section as a hedgerow plant. Two gamal trees
Materials and Methods
were also planted on the lower sides as shade plants for
1. Experimental Site all plots. Each plot was enclosed with a zinc-coated
In November 1995, an experimental field was estab- metal plate to ensure that the eroded soil was collected.
lished on a steep hillside in Sumberjaya, Lampung State, Twelve seedlings of one-year-old coffee (Coffea arabica
South Sumatra, Indonesia (105'OI'E, 04'34'S, 780 m L.) were planted on 17 Nov. 1995 at 2 m X 1.5 m inter-
above sea level). The slope gradient was approximately vals in each square section. In the first three years, red
15 degrees. The average rainfall recorded from 1974 to pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.), mini tomato (Lycopersicum
1998 was approximately 2500 mm/year, and the mean esculentum Mill.), and long bean (Vigna sesquipedalis L.)
air temperature was approximately 22'C (Afandi et al., were successively cultivated between the coffee rows as
2002). The temperature and rainfall during the experi- intercrops along the contour line in all plots. The row
mental period are shown in Fig. 1. The 1997 dry season spacing of all the vegetables was 2.0 m, and the intrarow
was quite severe, as occurs approximately once every 50 spacing of red pepper, mini tomato, and long bean was
-60 years. The soil at the experimental site was classified 0.5 m, 0.5 m and 0.2 m, respectively. All the vegetables
226 Plant Produ ction Science Vol. 6, 2003
- """""
....;,oj
•.
No-alley 96
ns
819
ns
1588
ns
Rep. III
Rep. II of vegetables were estimated based on the whole field
1------:---11
Rep. I includ ing t he area occ upied by coffee. The eroded soil
[J Tiliage , D No -t i ll age, I::!H edgerow was sampled sequentially with soil collectors made of
metal plates and p lastic shee ts placed at the lower edge
Fig. 2. Field map and arrangement of the experiment.
of each plot. Samples were collected everyone to two
mont hs during the rain y season, an d just one or two
were plan ted at the beginni ng of the rain y seaso n a nd times per dry season dependin g on t he amounts of soils
harvested at the end of the rain y seaso n. accumul ated in the erosion collectors. The soil was sun-
dried and weighed at each sampling time. A soil subsa m-
3. Field management pie was oven- dried to estimate th e water content. T he
In no- tillage treatme nt, the field was not tilled for four farm eco nomy was evaluated continuously for four years
years except ror the planti ng hole of vegetab le in tercrop- after t he coffee plants were planted . T he net income was
ping. In tillage treatm ent, th e field was cultivated two to calc ulated wit h the costs of agricu ltural inputs a nd in -
three tim es a year for weeding and intertillage purpose. come from the harvested crops. Labor costs were not
The reco mmended amount of fertilizer was app lied to included in the eco nomic evaluat ion .
each crop. N, P 2 0 " a nd K , O applications (kg ha- I ) for
coffee plants a t th e year 98/ 99 was 225, 105, an d 260, 5. Sta tistical a n a lysis
respectively. In the previous years, reduced amounts Two- way a na lysis of variance (2- way ANOY A) was
were applied following government recommendation. N, performed on all the data to verify t he effects of the
P,O" K 2 0 app lications (Kg ha - I ) for red pepper and treatment. Furtherm ore, on the amo unt of erosion, one-
tomato was 24, 18, 56, and that for long bean was 45, 30, way analysis of variance ( I-way ANOYA) and Duncan's
a nd 40, respectively. Fertilization was conducted twice a multiple range tesl were also conducted to com pare
year for the coffee pla nts, except for the last (98/ 99) means amo ng the four treatme nts.
season. For the intercropped vegetables, the entire
Results
amount was app lied as a basal dressing. All the fertiliza-
tion was a surface- layer application. Watering was done The yield of intercropped vegetables planted between
only at the transplanting time an d during the severe coffee rows did not significantly d iffer between the tillage
drought of 1997. In the no- tillage treatment, roundup treatments a nd a Uey treatments (Table 2) . The size of
was sprayed for weed control, whereas, in the tiHage t he coffee canopy at 44 months after transplanting was
treatment, weedin g was done with a hoe. Fastac 15 EC also not sign ificant ly different amo ng the treatme nts
(a-cypermet hrin 15 g L - I) was used for pest control (Table 3). At th is stage, the canopy width, over 2 m ,
(a nts an d fl y ants), a nd Ditha ne M45 was used for was almost the sa me as the coffee row spacing; th us, the
prevention of fungal disease of co rfee plants. vegetable intercropping was not effective after this stage
of coffee growth. Coffee shoot fresh weigh t in no - tillage
4. Plant performance, soil erosion, and economic was 14% higher t ha n that in tillage. Alley cropping a lso
evaluation tended to increase the shoot fresh weight, even though
Coffee bean harvesting started in the second year. the difference was insign ifica nt. Coffee dry- seed yield s
The canopy size an d shoot fresh weight of the coffee at th ree comi n uous cropping seasons were not signi fi-
plants were measured on 9 J u ly 1999, approximately 44 cantly d iffe rent among the four treatments (Table 4).
months after planting. Eight plants from each treatment Simila rly to the shoot fresh weight, the yield in no - tillage
were harvested. The fresh yields of th e inte rcropped was slightly better tha n that in tillage, although they
vegetables were also measured at ha rvest ing. The yields were not significantly different. Soil erosion was signifi-
liji ma et al. - -Erosion Comrol in H illy Coffee Field in Indonesia 227
T able 3. Ef1ects of no- tillage a nd alley crop ping on the Ta ble 6. Eflect of no- tillagc a nd alley cropping on
growth of coffee pl an ts 44 months after transplanti ng. sales, cost and net income fo r fo ur years of cultiva-
Ns, not significam; !, significantly difTerent at the P < tion . Values are shown by 106 Rp ha- 1• Percent-
0. 1 level. ages are used to ind icate the ratio of No- till age an d
Alley to Tillage a nd No- a lley, respectively. No
Shoot fresh
Canopy Canopy signi fica nt efTect was fou nd between the lreatments.
Treatment weight
height (m) diameter (m)
(kg plan'-') Treatment Sales Cost Net income
No-tillage 2.03 2.07 4.84
No-tillage 10.7 4.3 6.4
Ti llage 1.96 2.05 4.15
Tillage 10.0 3.7 6.3
ns ns
106.6% 115.4% 101.3%
.............. _....................... ,....
Alley 1.99 2.08 4.75
Alley 10.3 4.0 63
No-a lley 1.99 2.04 4.23
No-alley 4.0 6.4
10.5
ns ns ns
98.3% 97.2%
Table 'I.. EfTects of no- tillage and alley cropping on the 4.0
d ry-seed yield (kg ha - 1 ) of cofTee for three seaso ns.
3.0 Vegetables
Figures in paremheses indicate month s after trans- Long bean
planting. N s, not sign ifica nt. 2.0 Red Mini ~
1.0 pepper tomato
Treatment
96/97
(22)
Season
97/98
(32)
98/99
(44)
o I~ .... n. ..
7.5 , - - - - - - - - - - - - . . . . , , - - - - ,
No-tillage 377 739 1067 Coffee
Tillage 327 629 1023 5.0
ns ns ns
T 2.5
Alley 330 646 1064 oj
..s::
No-alley 374 722 1025 0
~
ns ns ns
! -2.5
12.5
T able 5. Effects of no- tillage a nd alley cropping
on soil erosion (t ha- 1 year- l).
Treatment Erosion
-
~
0
10.0
Total o Sales
[] Cost
.Net income
7.5
Two way No-tillage 3.8
"
._..... _...... _-_ ....-._-_._..
Tillage 6.1 5.0
Alley 2.6 ." 2.5
No-alley 7.3
One way Alley & No-ti llage 2.0 a 0
Alley & Tillage 3.3 a
No-alley & No-ti llage 5.7 b
-2.5
1996 1997 1998 1999 Total
No-alley & Tillage 8.9 c
Fig . 3. Sales, cost, and net income of inter cropped vegetables and
* * and * *. mcan P < 0. 0 I and 0.00 I level of signifi- co ffec pla m s in the expcri ments wi th till age and without alley
cance, respectively. T wo- factor interaction was not cropping. An error ba r shows the standard error of the
significant. Thc same Iclters indicate no significa nt replication (n = 3).
difTerence at the P < 0. 05 Jevel according to Du ncan's
multiple range test.
ments without tillage and with alley cropping.
The farm economy of four continuous years after
cantiy reduced by both no - tillage and alley cropping transplanting coffee was evaluated by the gross income
(Table 5). Soil erosion was redu ced by 37% with no - and agricultural inputs without including labor costs.
tillage and by 64% with a lley cropping. Local fa rm ers' The prices fluctuated significantly within the four sea-
practice which till and do not use alley cropping have sons of the experimental period. In a comparison of the
four times more soil erosion than that recorded in expcri- farm economy with two types of cultivation, a 7%
228 Plant Production Science Vol. 6, 2003
Table 7. Comparisons of yield, net income, soil erosion, extra labor requirements, and
economic benefits in the different cultivation techniques. The difference is from the
conventional practice used by the farmers.
Extra labour More weeding and/or The hedgerow has to be made in the
and/or chemical weed control contour line at the time of field
cost requirement establishment before coffee planting.
Economical Reduce the cost of tillage. The alley system will result in terrain
and/or No- tillage between coffee rows changes from a steep slope to terraced
labour benefit may not disturb the growth of fields in the near future. After that,
surface roots, which actively field management will be much easier.
absorb fertilized nutrients.