AGRICULTURAL LAND PREPARATION

By

E. Namaken Sembiring

I. INTRODUCTION

A. DESCRIPTION

Land Preparation is activities to create a favorable land

condition for growth of crops includes :
* Land clearing
* Soil Tillage
* Land Forming

Land Clearing is preparing the land make ready for tillage activity
through complete removal of unwanted material

from agricultural field..

 Land Clearing Activities

Activity Forest Lalang Under Brush/

Fallow
Under Brushing Machete, axe, Hoe, Burning,
dozer blade, Burning, Blade, rake
power chain saw Blade rake dozer, dozer,
Power chain Sub soil,
Cutting Plow harrow,
saw, V-Blade, Plow harrow,
staright blade, Heavy duty disc
tree pusher, etc. harrow
Pilling Power chain saw
Blade, rake
dozer,
Etc.
Plowing/ Heavy duty disc Plow, Harrow Plow, Harrow
harrow, plow
Harrowing harrow, etc.
Tillage is the preparation of the soil for planting
and the process of keeping it loose and
free from weeds during the growth of
crops.
• The primary objectives and fundamental
purposes of tillage are divided into three phases:
• 1. To prepare a suitable seedbed
• 2. To destroy competitive weeds, and
• 3. To improve the physical condition of the
• soil

Tillage can be perform :

* Before Planting
* After Planting (inter row cultivation)
Kepner at al, 1972.
Tillage may be defined as the mechanical manipulation of soil for any
purpose

Objectives in agriculture:
1. To develop a desirable soil structure for a seedbed or a rootbed.
* a granular structure is desirable to allow rapid infiltration
* to provide adequate air capacity and exchange within the soil
* to minimize resistance to root penetration
2. To control weeds or remove unwanted crop plants (thinning)
3. To manage plant residues
4. To minimize soil erosion
* contour tillage
* listing
* proper placement of trash
5. To establish specific surface configurations for planting, irrigating,
drainage, harvesting operation, etc.
6. To incorporate and mix fertilizers, pesticides, or soil amendments into
the soil.
7. To accomplish segregation.
* moving soil from one layer to another
* removal of rocks and other foreign objects, or root harvesting.
 Tillage of the soil is an integral cultural practice in many agricultural systems and
tillage is often the primary method of the seedbed preparation (Pedigo 1996).

Although tillage is most closely associated with weed control, the various forms
of tillage can also have dramatic and variable effects on plant pathogens and
insect pests (Boosalis et al. 1991; Stinner and House 1990).

Tillage can be a powerful tool for managing pests in the soil environment because it
can alter soil temperature, moisture level and texture. Within agronomic constraints
the frequency, timing and depth of tillage can all be manipulated to achieve the
desired results. In general, tillage is most effective as a pest management tactic when
it is timed to coincide with a vulnerable stage of the pests lifecycle

Soil tillage, seed bed preparation, planting and ridging aims at:
• a quick emergence
• a deep penetration of the roots
• a good drainage
• weed control
• to prepare sufficient loose soil necessary for the formation of a
ridge in which the new growing tubers are well protected
Minimum Tillage : It is the minimum soil manipulation necessary to meet tillage
requirements for crop production
Strip Tillage : It is a tillage system in which only isolated bands of soil are tilled.
Rotary Tillage : It is the tillage operations employing rotary action to cut, break and
mix the soil.

Mulch Tillage : It is Preparation of soil in such a way that plant residues or other mulching
materials are specially left on a near the surface

Combined Tillage : Operations simultaneously utilizing two or more different types of

tillage tools or implements to simplify, control or reduce the number of
operations over a field are called combined tillage. Tillage is performed by tool, implement or
machine
Tool : It is an individual working element such as disc or shovel.

Implement : It is equipment generally having no driven moving parts, such as harrow or

having only simple mechanism such as plough.
Machine : It is a combination of rigid or resistant bodies having definite motions and
capable of performing useful work.
The Benefit of Tillage can be drown as figure below.

GENERAL
COST
PROFIT REFENUE
COST

WEED
POPULATION

SOIL SOIL STRUCTURE PRODUCT

TILLAGE ION
OTHERS ACTIVITY

1. SEEDING
2. FERTILIZING
3. PLANT
PROTECTION
4. HARVESTING
5. OTHERS

Figure: Tillage objectives and its benefit to farming activity ..

Source of power
•Human
•Animal
•Tractor

25 days per ha

50 days per ha
10 hr per ha
A. Indonesian Agriculture
Indonesia is the greatest archipelago in the world. It consists of five main islands
[Sumatra (473,606 sq.km), Kalimantan (539,460 sq.km, about two-thirds of the
Borneo Island), Sulawesi (189,216 sq.km), Java (132, 187 sq.km, the most fertile
and populous island), and Papua (421,981 sq.km)] and about 30 smaller
archipelagoes totaling 13,677 islands of which about 6,000 are inhabited.
The Indonesia archipelago forms a highway between two
oceans (the Pacific and the Indian Ocean) and a bridge
between two continents (Asia and Australia) therefore
Indonesia’s history, political and economic, has always
been conditioned by geography.
 
 
The area of land is about 1.9 million sq.km (735,000 sq.miles)
, and its area of sea is about 7.9 million sq.km ( including an
exclusive economic zone) and constitutes about 81 % of the
total area of the country. It is span more than 5,000 km
(around 3,200 miles) from sabang in northern Sumatra (east
950) to Merauke (west 1410 ) in Papua and aout 1,100 miles
from north to south (60 north latitude - 110 south latitude).
Climate

The climate 0f Indonesia is an east monsoon season,

June through September (dry), which is
controlled to a large extent by the continental air
masses, and a west monsoon season, Desember
through March (wet). The months of April and
May, and October and November constitute
transitional periods.

The general mean max. temp. is 330C and the min. is

210C, except at mountainous areas. Locally, the
absolute max. temp. may reach 360C

The relative max. humidity is approximately 100%

and the min. is 60%
Soils and Topography

The widespread soil are Andosol, Regosol,

Rendzina, Lateric, Litosol, Grumusol, blue
Hydromorph, Alluvial and Podsol (Deptan, 1988).

Andosols are quite fertile, suitable for horticulture

and plantation crops such as tea in Java. Regosols
of quartz sand are mainly found in Kalimantan and
not suitable for dry-land farming. Grumosols are
heavy with a high Ca content; in the low lands they
are used for growing crops.

The five big Islands consist of lowland, hilly land,

upland and mountain with altitudw ranges of 0 –
500; 500 – 1000; 1000 – 3000 m and higher than
3000 m respectively (Ischak, 1994)
The name Indonesia is composed of the two Greek words : Indos,
meaning East Indian and nesos, meaning islands. So Indonesia
literally means East Indian Islands. If you superimpose a map of
Indonesia over one of Europe, you will find that it stretches from
Ireland to Iran; compared to the United States, it covers the area
from California to Bermuda
Land Utilization (Ha)

Utilization 1995 2000

House compounds and 5,155,422 5,234,531
surroundings
Dry land/garden/for 11,368,507 12,937,284
crop cultivation
Meadows 1,889,399 2,208,923
Pond & Dyke 604,720 677,363
Temporary fallow land 6,967,938 9,720,415
Wood land 9,555,010 8,803,270
Agricultural Estates 13,835,746 16,714,607
Wet land 8,484,687 7,787,339
 Population Growth

250000

200000
Population (,000)

150000

100000

50000

Year
Yield rate of Food Crops in 2003 (estimation).

Food Crop Harvested Yield rate Production

area (Ha) (Qu/Ha) (Ton)

Paddy 11, 963,204 42.52 50,866,387

Maize 3,380,246 32.01 10,820,617

Soybean 530,244 12,78 677,531

 Production of Food Crop in Indonesia

Crops 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Paddy 50,866,387 51,898,852 50,460,782 51,489,694 51,849,198

Maize 9,204,036 9,676,899 9,347,192 9,654,105 10,820,617

 Soybean 1,382,848 1,017,634 826,932 673,056 677,531

 
 
Peanuts
  659,586 736,517 709,770 718,071 759,533
 
Mung
 
 
265,126 289,876 301,021 288,089 311,422
beans
 
 
 
Cassava
 
16,458,544 16,089,020 17,054,648 16,913,104 17,722,803
 
 Sweet 1,665,547 1,827,687 1,749,070 1,771,642 1,719,055
 
 Potatoes
 Land area of estate crops

2500
2000 SGSR
Area (000 Ha)

SGSH
1500
Rubber
1000 Oil Palm
500 Cacoa

0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996

1998
1999
2000
2001
1997

SGSR = Sugar Cane Sugar Refinery

SGSH = Sugar Cane Small Holder
Land area of estate crops

300
250
Area (000 Ha)

200
150
100
50
0
1990
1991

1993
1994
1995
1996
1997

1999
1992

1998

2000
2001
Year

Sugar Cane SR Sugar Cane SH Tea

Tobacco Rosella Quinine

Estate crops production, 000 Ton.

4500
4000
P ro d u c tio n (0 0 0 T o n )

3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0

Year

Hevea Rubber Palm Oil Palm Kernel Cane Sugar

 Estate crops production, 000 Ton.

140
P roduction (000 Ton)

120
100
80
60
40
20
0

1996

1999
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995

1997
1998

2000
2001
Year

Cocoa Coffee Tea

 Estate crops production, Ton.

20.000
18.000
16.000
Production, Ton

14.000
12.000
10.000
8.000
6.000
4.000
2.000
0
1990

1992
1993

1997

1999
2000
1991

1994
1995
1996

1998

2001
Year
Quinine Tobacco Rosella
 Large area and high production of Indonesian
agriculture do not correlates with adoption of
agricultural field machinery as shows in agricultural
machinery population on figure below.
Jumlah traktor roda-2 (unit)

120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
-

Tahun
Sumatra Jaw a Bali & Nusa Teng
Kalimantan Sulaw esi Maluku & Papua
INDONESIA
 200,000
Jumlah pompa air (unit)

150,000

100,000

50,000

Tahun
Sumatera Jaw a Bali & Nusa Teng
Kalimantan Sulaw esi Maluku & Papua
INDONESIA
 30,000
25,000
Jumlah pengering (unit)

20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
-

Tahun
Sumatera Jaw a Bali & Nusa Teng
Kalimantan Sulaw esi Maluku & Papua
INDONESIA
 500,000

400,000
Jumlah perontok (unit)

300,000

200,000

100,000

Tahun
Sumatra Jaw a Bali & Nusa Teng
Kalimantan Sulaw esi Maluku & Papua
INDONESIA
 50,000

40,000
Jumlah RMU (unit)

30,000

20,000

10,000

Tahun

Sumatera Jaw a Bali & Nusa Teng

Kalimantan Sulaw esi Maluku & Papua
INDONESIA
 II. SOIL TILLAGE

A. PRIMARY TILLAGE

Kepner, at al. 1978.

Tillage operations for seedbed preparation are often classified
as primary or secondary, although the distinction is not always
clear-out.
A primary tillage operation constitutes the initial, major soil
working operation; it is normally designed to reduce soil
strength, cover plant materials, and rearrange aggregates.

Primary Tillage Equipment

•Moaldboard plow
•Disk plow
•Heavy-duty disk harrow
•Chisel-type tool
•Blade type Sub-surface Tiller
•Rotary Tiller
MOLDBOARD PLOW

The moldboard plow is one of the oldest of all agricultural implements

and is generally considered to be most important tillage implement.
Plowing accounts for more traction energy than any than other field
operation. Athough yields studies have indicated that under certain
conditions with some crops there is no apparent advantage in plowing,
the moldboard plow is still by far the most-used implement for primary
tillage in seedbed preparation.
Horse-Drawn Plough

A. Coulter, makes the vertical cut

in the soil
B. Share
C. Curved mouldboard, or breast
D. Beam
E. Frog. Mouldboard is fastened to
the frog and frog bolted to the
beam
F. Clamps, hold the vertical stems
of wheel to the beam
G. Socket
H. Hake
Main soil tillage operation
The main soil tillage operation with a plough (chisel plough, disc plough,
moldboard plough, cultivator) is down to a depth of 25-35 cm.

Objectives of the main soil tillage

to loosen the soil, to break impermeable layers, to improve drainage,
to bring organic matter into the soil . The main soil tillage operation is an
efficient weed control method, when executed with an implement that turns
the soil (moldboard plough, disc plough).
Plough
The main implement for primary tillage is ploughed used for ploughing operations.
Ploughing is the primary tillage operation, which is performed to cut, break and
invert the soil partially or completely.
Ploughing essentially means opening the upper crust of the soil, breaking the clods
and making the soil suitable for sowing seeds
 Two-Furrow
Tractor-Drawn Plow
A. Disc Coulter
B. Frog
C. Handle. For adjustment
D. Handle. For adjustment

A Directly-mounted Two-Furrow Plough

A. Two of the three points attachment

B. Lever. To adjust the whole plow
C. Disc coulters
D. Skims. Miniature ploughs
Eversible plow
Indigenous plough

The shape and size of the plough varies with

places and regions due to variation in soil types
and tillage requirements.
The main parts of the plough are: (i) body (ii) share
(iii) shoe (iv) beam (v) handle.
It is the main frame to which the shoe, beam and
handle are attached
DISK PLOW
Disk plows are most suitable for conditions
under which moldboard plows do not work
satisfactorily, such as in hard, dry soils, in
sticky soils where a moldboard plow will not
scour, and in loose, push type soils such as
peat lands. A moldboard plow, in soils and
moisture conditions where it works properly,
does a better job than a disk plow and has a
lower specific tahanan tarik.
PLOW HARROW
SUBSURFACE PLOW
CHISEL TYPE PLOW.
Bajak subsoil plows and subsoilers are basic primary-tillage implements.
Field cultivators may also be bajak subsoil –type implements, depending
upon the type of tooth or shovel employed in particular application .
Fibrating Sub Soiler
 V

Draft measurement
D

R2 R1

Tpt (kW) = 1/3600 [ D (Newton) x V (km/jam)]

Data Analyzer

Data Recorder A/D Converter Komputer

Strain Amplifier

Traktor 2 Traktor 1

Fibrating Sub Soiler

 Field Test Result

Draft (kN) Foreward Speed (m/sec) Average Depth

No (cm)
Vibrated Unvibrated Vibrated Unvibrated

1 8.964 8.835 0.531 (L-1) 0.590 (L-1) 26

2 6.398 6.747 0.449 (L-1) 0.620 (L-1) 26
3 6.738 9.994 0.525 (L-1) 0.648 (L-1) 29
4 10.427 0.509 (L-1) 26
5 7.832 0.993 (L-2) 25
6 7.663 1.195 (L-2) 23
7 6.664 1.107 (L-2) 25
8 7.482 1.104 (L-2) 23
ROTARY TILLER
Many different configurations and arrangement of multipowered
rotating tillage tools, including vertical axis units, longitudinal-axis
units, and transverse units. The most commons type consists of blades
attached to flanges along a horizontal shaft that is perpendicular to the
direction of motion.
Rotary Tiller