UNIT 4 - PART 1 Production Practices

UNIT IV
Production
Practices
JOHN MARK R. FRANCISCO

Instructor, Plant Science Department
College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Environmental Sciences
Aklan State University - Banga Campus
jhnmrkfrancisco.business@gmail.com facebook.com/jhnmrk.francisco
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Bring your PPE whenever we perform our laboratory activity in the field.
Hat
Boots Farmer's Attire
Arm Sleeves Rubber-Coated

Cotton Gloves
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

AKLAN STATE UNIVERSITY - BANGA CAMPUS
Overview of the Lesson
Production Practices
Planting of Agricultural Crops
Care and Maintenance of Planting Materials
Water Management for Agricultural Crops
Nutrient Management for Agricultural Crops
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Specialized Management Practices
Specialized Crop Production Systems
Farming Systems

Land Preparation
Land preparation is the costliest operation in farming. It is the
process of preparing the soil to provide a favorable soil
environment for plant germination and growth. It involves
jungle clearance, soil opening with deep tillage equipment,
moving soil from high to low spots, making farm roads, field
binding, and leveling .etc. These operations require the use of
self-propelled and heavy equipment such as crawler tractors
with heavy-duty plows and dozers, and high horsepower
tractors with dozing arid hoeing attachments, scrapers,
ditchers, chisel plows, subsoilers, terracers, levellers etc.

The tillage operations, defined as
mechanical manipulation of soil, are
performed to achieve the desired
seedbed to provide the optimum
environment for seed germination and
plant growth. Seedbed preparation for
sowing/planting of different crops is
done through primary and secondary
tillage operations.

Land preparation is done in accordance with the
requirements of the crop, whether they grow in dryland or
wetland systems. For instance, lowland rice is grown under
submerged conditions in which soil puddling is involved
whereas, dryland crops are cultivated on well-aerated soils.
The objectives of the land preparation are:
Kill the weeds
Pulverize the soil to increase aeration and water-
holding capacity, thereby making planting easier and
good root development
Incorporate or mix plant residue and organic matter;
Kill hibernating pests in the soil

Two Types of Land
Preparation
Dryland Preparation Lowland (Submerged condition)

Dryland Preparation
This is done for upland crops such as corn, soybean, peanut,
mungbean, sorghum, etc. The following are the steps:
Cut tall grasses that could be a hindrance in plowing.
Plow the area at least 15 cm deep.
Harrow after 10 days.
If a tractor is used to plow the field using a disc plow,
harrowing by a tractor-drawn disc, the harrow should be
done at an interval of 7-10 days. One plowing and 2-3
harrowing will already be enough. It requires at least one
month for land preparation to allow decomposition of
weeds and plant residues.

Dryland Preparation
If an animal-drawn plow is used, plowing and harrowing at
an interval of 7-10 days are done 2-3 times depending on
weed population.

Hand Tools
Farm tools are all the implements used in agricultural settings to
facilitate farm work. Simple hand tools are frequently employed
manually on small farms, while larger agricultural machinery is used
on much larger farms.
Cutlass
It is used for cutting tree branches, weeds, and other
plant materials in farmlands.
It is used for digging superficial holes for the planting of
seeds.
It can be used for harvesting crops like sugarcane.
It may also be used in the clearing of bushes.

Hand Tools HOE
They are generally used for tilling
the soil.
shovel They are used for making trenches
It is used for digging the soil. in farmlands.
They are also used for cutting
weeds on farmlands.
spade
It’s very similar to the
shovel.
It’s used for mixing
and digging the soil.
BOLO
It can also used for It is used to cut weeds from the
leveling up the soil. soil.

Hand Tools rake
It is used for removing dirt
wheelbarrow from the soil.
It is used for carrying various It’s also used to level the top
materials on the farmland soil.
from one place to another.
HAND TROWEL
It is used for transplanting
seedlings.
It is also used for mixing and
loosening the soil.

Hand Tools rake
It is used for removing dirt
wheelbarrow from the soil.
It is used for carrying various It’s also used to level the top
materials on the farmland soil.
from one place to another.
HAND TROWEL
It is used for transplanting
seedlings.
It is also used for mixing and
loosening the soil.

Hand Tools SICKLE
A sickle looks like a question mark (?).
It’s used for harvesting plants like rice
HAND FORK and wheat.
It is used for mixing soil
and organic matter.
It can also be used for
inter-row cultivation.
SECATEURS
Secateurs are also referred to as pruning shears or
hand pruners.
It looks like a pair of scissors.
It’s used for trimming flowers and leaves.
It is also used for pruning the branches of shrubs.

Hand Tools SPRAYER
It is used for spreading
insecticides on gardens/farms.
SHEARS SPRINKLER
It looks like a big
It is used for applying
pair of scissors.
water to crops and
It’s used for
seedlings.
trimming
It’s also used for
ornamental plants.
applying liquid fertilizer
It is also used for
on the soil.
pruning trees. AXE
It is used to cut stems and thick-sized branches of trees.
It is also used to divide big stems of trees into smaller parts.

Lowland Preparation
Lowland preparation is intended for rice culture. The following
steps are recommended:
Fix dikes to improve water impounding.
Soak the paddy under water for 2-3 days before plowing. There
should be enough water to soften the soil.
Plow the field using an animal-drawn plow.
Harrow the field after 7-10 days with a tooth-comb harrow
(suyod) rolling the soils with roots of weeds upturn (or on top).
Soak the paddy with water.
After 7-10 days, harrow the field by leveling the upturned roots
of weeds. Soak the paddy in water.

Lowland Preparation
If a rotavator is used, there is no more plowing if the soil
is already softened. If the soil is compact, plowing is
done and followed by a rotavator. Rotavation is done
once or two times depending on the weed population.
Rotavator
The rotavated field is leveled by the use of a tooth-
combed harrow (suyod).
Leveling by using lumber or log is done after the basal
application of fertilizer in the soil during planting day.
After leveling, the field is marked with rope or tooth-
markers to bring about a uniform spacing of the
seedlings during planting day.
Tooth-Combed Harrow

Leveling of Field
Leveling helps in bringing puddled undulated into the leveled field.
To maintain the uniform depth of water in the main field.
Leveling rice fields improves water use efficiency, increases grain
yield, and improves grain quality.
Leveling by using lumber or log

Benefits derived from
Land Preparation
Weed control
Increase in porosity and aeration
Mixing of soil - bring up leached
deposit
Give soil fine tilth to increase
adsorption of nutrients
Germination, seedling emergence,
and stand establishment improved.

Wetland vs. Dryland
Preparation: A Comparison Physical Changes
Wetland Dryland
Flooding and soaking involved No flooding
Puddling destroys soil structure and particles No puddling, structure and granulation
densely packed maintained
Macropores are lost, micropores maintained

Macropores and micropores are maintained.
and increased bulk density upon drying.
High seepage and percolation.
Leaching percolation reduced.

Wetland vs. Dryland
Preparation: A Comparison Physical Changes
Wetland Dryland
Formation of plowpan - further reduces Water drains easily, good drainage except
percolation and seepage. when plowpan is developed.
When dried, puddled soils become denser,

hard, and structureless. Tillage without Tillage is easy especially at field capacity.
submergence will be more difficult.

Wetland vs. Dryland
Preparation: A Comparison Chemical Changes
Wetland Dryland
Formation of thin (about 1 cm) oxidized layer

Well-aerated root zone.
and a reduced zone --- anaerobic root zone.
Presence of aerobic-anaerobic micro-

Presence of aerobic organisms.
organisms in oxidized and reduced layers.
Reduced zone. Redox potential decreased = 0.2

Redox's potential is high and positive.
- 0.3 V.

Wetland vs. Dryland
Wetland Dryland
Increase in pH in acid soils and reduction in pH

pH is stable.
in alkaline soils - converge to 6-7.
Increased availability of nitrogen, although Mineralization is high. Some N immobilized by

mineralization is slower in aerobic conditions. microorganisms at initial phases.
Availability of P, K, Si, and Mo increased. Lesser availability of P, K, Si, and Mo.

Wetland vs. Dryland
Wetland Dryland
Water-soluble concentration of Zn and Cu not

Availability of Zn and Cu not affected.
affected.
Generation of CO2, CH4, N20, H2S, and toxic

Lesser generation of gases and organic acids.
reduction products - organic acids.

Number of plowing and
harrowing depends on:
Level of resources available
Soil type (texture)
Farmer's prefer
Weed density
Water availability/Moisture content
1. Too dry - clods/breaking is hard

2. Too wet - compaction
3. At field capacity - soil slides from moldboard
Crop to be grown (seed size, rooting ability, root
zone depth, etc.)

Tillage Practices
These are sequences of operations that manipulate the soil in order to
produce a crop. Operations include tilling, planting, fertilization, pesticide
application, harvesting, and residue chopping or shredding. The ways in
which these operations are implemented affect the physical and chemical
properties of the soil, which in turn effect plant growth.
Tillage can be done with a tractor, an implement called a harrow, or a tool

called a disc plow. Tillage is used to turn over the soil surface, break up
the soil clods, and remove weeds and debris. It also makes it easier for
rain or irrigation to reach the root zone of plants.

Fundamental objectives of
tillage:
To prepare a suitable seedbed
To remove or destroy weeds
To eliminate competition from weed growth
To improve the physical condition of the soil
To control insects, other pests, and disease organisms

Tilth
Tilth is the product/result of tillage. The physical condition
of the soil brought out by tillage that influences crop
emergence, establishment growth, and development is
termed tilth. It is a loose, friable airy, powdery, and crumbly
soil structure with optimum moisture content suitable for
germinating seeds.
Soil is usually loose, friable, and well-granulated.

Methods/System of Tillage:
Conventional Tillage System
This is a method commonly found worldwide. Conventional tillage
incorporates or buries most of the crop residue into the soil. Typically this
approach involves multiple passes. The moldboard plow is often used first,
followed by other implements. Before, cattle and horses are used as the
main power source. Later on, tractor power is also used in intensive work in
the field. Plowing, disking once or twice to break the soil clods, and
collecting plant materials have been common for many years. Conventional
tillage usually prepares a farm seedbed free of clods, and soil aggregates
are farmly divided. It covers 30 percent or more of the soil surface.

Zero Tillage
Zero tillage is a minimum tillage practice in
which the crop is sown directly into the soil not
tilled since the harvest of the previous crop.
Weed control is achieved by the use of
herbicides and/or appropriate mulching and
stubble is retained for erosion control.

Strip Tillage
Strip till is a field tillage system that combines
no till and full tillage to produce row crops.
Narrow strips 6 to 12 inches wide are tilled in
crop stubble, with the area between the rows
left undisturbed. Often, fertilizer is injected into
the tilled area during the strip-tilling operation.

Minimum Tillage
Minimum tillage is a soil conservation system like
strip-till with the goal of minimum soil manipulation
necessary for a successful crop production. It is a
tillage method that does not turn the soil over, in
contrast to intensive tillage, which changes the soil
structure using ploughs. In minimum tillage, primary
tillage is completely avoided and only secondary
tillage is practiced to a small extent. Minimum tillage
includes practices like minimum furrowing, use of
organic fertilizer, use of biological methods to control
pests, and minimum use of chemicals.

Conservation Tillage System
As its name implies, conservation tillage conserves
soil by reducing erosion. It is a broadly defined
practice that includes no-till, strip-till, ridge-till, and
mulch-till systems. These techniques maintain plant
residues on at least 30% of the soil surface after tillage
activities. By definition, all of these tillage techniques
have a clear conservation goal, such as reducing the
volume of soil disturbed or preserving surface
residues in order to maintain soil, environmental, and
economic viability.

Approaches
In annuals and perennials (plains or sloping areas)
regardless of cropping sequence, use of herbicides, mulch,
or burning to reduce or removed weed growth prior to
seedling or planting.
In the rice-upland sequence - secondary upland crops (e.g.,
mungbean, soybeans, cowpea, sorghum) are sown before
harvest of the main crop without land preparation done.

Approaches
In the rice-rice sequence - shattered grains (indica rice type)
before and during harvest are allowed to germinate without
land preparation.
In some rice-based systems, compaction is done - soil
solids are arranged and compression of liquid and gas
within the soil pores change the bulk density and porosity
benefits of puddling (on soil structure and weed control)
attained without actual puddling.

Erosion Control
Approaches
Minimum or zero tillage
Contour plowing - a method of plowing
furrows that follow the curves of the land
rather than straight up and down slopes.
Bench Terracing - an artificial land terrace
with a flat top and often nearly vertical side
and used especially in series to convert
mountainous slopes to arable land

Banaue Rice Terraces in Banaue, Ifugao

Land Preparation & Farm Implements Being Used
Land preparation both in the wetland and upland requires various farm implements for land preparation. The use of
these implements depends on the area being prepared and whether the land to be prepared is in the lowland or in
the upland.
Condition Power Source Implement Other Info
Moldboard plow
Carabao/Water Comb-tooth harrow 20 man-days per
Submerged
Bufallo (0.5-1.3 hp) Cono Puddler hectare (complete)
Wooden leveler

Power Source
Philippine Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)

Implement
Moldboard Plow

Implement
Comb-Tooth Harrow
Cono Puddler (IRRI)

Single-axle pedestrian
tractor (5-10 hp)
1-1.5 ha per 8hr of
Double-axle
Submerged Hand Tractors plowing and
pedestrian tractor (8-
harrowing
15 hp)
Floating rotary tillers

Implement
Single-axle pedestrian tractor

Implement
Floating Rotary Tillers (PhilMech)

Moldboard Plow
Carabao or Bullock
Spike-tooth Harrow
Dry
Moldboard Plow or
Hand Tractors Disk Plow
Rotavator

Implement
Disk Plow

Power
Condition Implement Other Info
Source
Moldboard plow
Disc plow
Disc harrow
4-Wheeled
Dry Disc plow and harrow (combination)
Tractors
Rotavator
Mower or flail type grass cutter
Subsoiler or chisel plow

Implement
Chisel Plow


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UNIT IV

JOHN MARK R. FRANCISCO

Boots Farmer's Attire

Arm Sleeves Rubber-Coated

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Dryland Preparation Lowland (Submerged condition)

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Leveling by using lumber or log

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Flooding and soaking involved No flooding

Macropores are lost, micropores maintained

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

When dried, puddled soils become denser,

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Formation of thin (about 1 cm) oxidized layer

Presence of aerobic-anaerobic micro-

Reduced zone. Redox potential decreased = 0.2

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Increase in pH in acid soils and reduction in pH

Increased availability of nitrogen, although Mineralization is high. Some N immobilized by

Availability of P, K, Si, and Mo increased. Lesser availability of P, K, Si, and Mo.

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Water-soluble concentration of Zn and Cu not

Generation of CO2, CH4, N20, H2S, and toxic

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

1. Too dry - clods/breaking is hard

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Tillage can be done with a tractor, an implement called a harrow, or a tool

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Soil is usually loose, friable, and well-granulated.

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Condition Power Source Implement Other Info

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES