AGRI 32- Fundamentals of Crop Science II

Week No. 5 / March 29 – April 02, 2021

Laboratory Exercise No. 4

Land Preparation and Field Practices for Lowland and Upland Crops
STUDY QUESTIONS

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. Why is sub-soiling needed in soils with hard pans? (4pts)

The moisture regimes and aeration capacities of deeper soil layers are
important, and they may also supply certain plant nutrients. The growth of crops, grasses,
and trees is affected by these soil conditions. And with that being said, in soils with hard
pans, subsoiling is necessary for soil aeration and drainage. Because hard pan in soils is
caused by standing water, flooding, run-off, and topsoil erosion, it is Important to reduce or
eliminate these factors.

2. Show that a triangular system has 15% more plants than a square system using the same
distance of planting by computing the number of plants in each system. (7pts)

Given:
A = 1 ha → 10,000 m^2
s^2 = 10m x 5m

Square system: Area/planting distance or A/s^2

10,000m^2 / 50 m = 200 plants

Triangular system: Area/planting distance x 1.15 or A/s^2 x 1.15

10,000m^2 / 50 m x 1.15 = 230 plants

3. Why should we add well decayed organic matter and basal fertilized to the soil before
transplanting seedlings or grafted plants of perennial crop species? (4pts)

Plant productivity is closely linked to organic matter. If the soil lacks the
nutrients that the crops require, especially seedlings and grafted perennial crop plants, the
organic matter and fertilizer mixed with the soil immediately meet the needs of starting-to-
grow crops. As a result, landscapes with varying organic matter typically have varying
levels of productivity.

4. What are the different adaptive tillage operations? Characterize each. (5pts)

Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science

University of the Philippines Los Baños
AY 2020 – 2021
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 AGRI 32- Fundamentals of Crop Science II
Tillage includes the use of various types of implements at various times,
which are classified into three types based on their timing:
● Conventional Tillage
- synonymous intensive tillage
- usually involves a series of field operations that result in a
residue-free soil surface at a time a crop is planted
- can extend over many months and take place before, during
and after planting
● Minimum or Reduced Tillage
- reduced tillage intensity
- combine several operation in one pass (e.g. plow-plant
method, rotavation)
● Zero Tillage
- no tillage(harrowing/plowing) operations before planting
-
5. Differentiate between minimum and zero tillage. (5pts)

Zero tillage refers to a method of growing crops or pasture from year to year
without disturbing the soil. No-till is a farming technique that increases the amount of
water that percolates into the soil, as well as organic matter retention and nutrient cycling.
It boosts the number and diversity of organisms living in and on the soil.

The concept of minimum tillage was developed to save time, labor, and
machine operations while also conserving moisture and reducing erosion. Herbicides and
insecticides have advanced to the point where some tillage requirements can be met
without the use of implements.

6. For the below, assume that the land is fully devoted to planting, that means that no
infrastructure or other structures are needed to be considered.

Parameters CROP A CROP B

Land area 6.25 hectares 6.25 hectares

Recommended Plant Spacing 12m x 12m 10m x 10m

Planting System Square System Triangular System

Given the land area, recommended plant spacing, and the planting system to be followed for Crop A
and Crop B, which of the two crops will yield a greater number of plants per area? Prove your answer
by showing all the necessary calculations.

Crop A
Given:
Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science
University of the Philippines Los Baños
AY 2020 – 2021
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 AGRI 32- Fundamentals of Crop Science II
A = 6.25 → 62500 m^2
s^2 = 12m x 12m

Square system: Area/planting distance or A/s^2

62500m^2 / 144m = 434 plants

Crop B
Given:
A = 6.25 → 62500 m^2
s^2 = 10m x 10m

Triangular system: Area/planting distance x 1.15 or A/s^2 x 1.15

62500m^2 / 100 m x 1.15 = 718 plants

*Based on the calculations made above, Crop A yields a greater number of plants per area
than Crop B.

Laboratory Exercise No. 4

Land Preparation and Field Practices for Lowland and Upland Crops
NARRATIVE REPORT

Rice is a good example of a lowland crop. Rice, in all of its importance, is being
cultivated. With fertilization and embryonic development, rice plant bergins grow. With the addition
of moisture and heat, it germinated and quickly developed into seedlings. There are distinct stages
from seeds to seedlings to fully grown plants and maturity, each with its own set of field practices to
ensure maximum yield.

Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science

University of the Philippines Los Baños
AY 2020 – 2021
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 AGRI 32- Fundamentals of Crop Science II
Many farmers in various countries, including the Philippines, have switched from transplanted to
Direct Seed Rice culture due to the development of early-maturing varieties and improved nutrient
management techniques, as well as increased availability of chemical weed control methods.

Crop water requirements, soil organic-matter turnover, nutrient relations, carbon sequestration,
weed biota, and greenhouse-gas emissions should all be reduced significantly as a result of this shift.
Nonetheless, weed infestation can result in significant yield losses in Direct Seed Rice. In addition,
recent outbreaks of blast disease, crop lodging, poor kernel quality, and year-over-year yield
stagnation pose significant challenges.

On the other hand, Rice is also a good example of upland crops. Upland rice can be
grown in a variety of environments, ranging from shifting cultivation to highly mechanized systems.
They are either bred specifically for upland cultivation or chosen locally for their ability to thrive in
low-moisture environments. Before one can explain the variability in grain yields and find ways to
increase production, one must first understand the crop environment of upland rice. The crop
environment is defined in this chapter as the weather, soil, and biotic factors that affect upland rice.

The characteristics of rice-growing soils are as varied as the climatic conditions to which it is
subjected; soil texture ranges from sand to clay; pH ranges from 3 to 10; organic matter content
ranges from 1 to 50%; salt content ranges from nearly 0 to 1%; and nutrient availability ranges from
acute deficiency to surplus.

Reference:
Tillage Study. (2016, Apr 29). Retrieved from http://studymoose.com/tillage-study-essay

Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science

University of the Philippines Los Baños
AY 2020 – 2021
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