FRUIT AND

PLANTATION
CROP PRODUCTION
IN THE PHILIPPINES
LEON O. NAMUCO
CALIXTO M. PROTACIO

B 375941

t: THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES PRESS

DILIMAN, QUEZON CITY
TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE xi

CHAPTER 1
THE IMPORTANCE OF FRUIT AND PLANTATION CROPS 1
Cropping Area, Production, and Value 1
Regional Production of Crops 2
Nutritional Content 3
Other Uses 4

CHAPTER 2
CLASSIFICATION OF FRUIT AND PLANTATION CROPS 6

Botanical Classification 6
Horticultural Classification 7
Fruit Crops 8
Plantation Crops 8

CHAPTER 3
REVIEW OF MORPHOLOGY AND CROP GROWTH
AND DEVELOPMENT 12
Roots 12
Stem 15
Leaves 15
Flowers 16
Fruits 16
Seeds 18
Growth and Development Patterns of Fruit
and Plantation Crops 19
Single-stemmed Species 19
Branched Species 20
Fruit and Plantation Crop Production in the Philippines

CHAPTER 4
THE ENVIRONMENT FOR FRUIT AND PLANTATION CROPS 22
Location 22
Site 22
The Soil 23
The Climate 24
Soil and Climatic Adaptations 29
Special Socioeconomic Considerations in Establishing
an Orchard or Plantation 29
The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CAM.) 29
Schemes for Incorporating the Provisions of CARL
in Plantation Establishment 30

CHAPTER 5
SITE DEVELOPMENT AND LAND PREPARATION 32
Site Development 32
Establishment ofWindbreak 32
Establishment ofa Nursery 35
Land Preparation 35
Land Clearing 35
Distance ofPlanting 36
Planting Pattern 38
Population Density 39
Digging ofHoles 40
Liming and Basal Application ofFertilizer 41
Planting and Replanting 42

CHAPTER 6
PREPARATION OF PLANTING MATERIALS 44
Choice of Variety or Cultivar 44
Varieties of Fruit Crops and Their Descriptions 44
Abiu 45
Atis ' 45
Avocado 45
BitungollSerali 46
Caimito - 46
Banana 47
Cashew 48
Chico 49
Calamansi 50
Durian 50
Guayabano 53

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 Table of Contents

Jackfruit 53
Mandarin 53
Mango 54
Mangosteen 57
Marang 57
Orange 58
Papaya 58
Pili 59
Pineapple 60
Pummelo 61
Rambutan 62
Santol 64
Varieties of Plantation Crops and Their Descriptions 64
Coconut 64
Cacao 66
Coffee 67
Abaca 69
Rubber 70
Propagating Materials 70
Selection of Shoot for Scion and Cuttings 72
Anomictic Svecies 73

CHAPTER 7
CROPPING SYSTEMS AND AGROFORESTRY 76
Systems of Culture for Fruit and Plantation Crops 76
Sod System 76
Mulch System 78
Clean Culture 78
(^overcropping 79
Coconut-based Multiple Cropping System 80
Agroforestry 82
Role ofPerennial Crops 83
Crops and Cropping Patterns in Agroforestry 84
Soil and Water Conservation Technologies 86

CHAPTER 8
PLANT AND SOIL NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT 89
Managing the Nutritional Requirements of Perennial Crops 89
Determining Soil Fertility Status and Plant Needs 90
SoilAnalysis 91
Plant Tissue Analysis 94
Fruit and Plantation Crop Production in the Philippines

Crop Nutrient Removal 97

Application of Fertilizer 98
Methods ofApplying Fertilizer 99
Some Common Visual Deficiency Symptoms 100
Socioeconomic Considerations in Fertilizer Application 103

CHAPTER 9
WATER MANAGEMENT 105
Determining the Irrigation Requirement 106
Sample Computations '" 107
Methods of Irrigation 108

CHAPTER 10
REGULATION OF FLOWERING AND FRUITING 110
Juvenility 110
Flowering 111
Flower Induction 111
Chemical Methods ofFlower Induction 112
Pollination 114
Fruit Set and Retention 116
Approaches to Increasing Fruit Set 117

CHAPTER 11
APPLICATION OF CROP PROTECTION PRINCIPLES 121
Crop Protection Principles As Applied in Fruit
and Plantation Crop Production 121
Exclusion 127
Protection 128
Resistance 130
Eradication 130
Therapy 132
Market Concerns Regarding the Use of Chemical Pesticides 132

CHAPTER 12
PRUNING IN FRUIT AND PLANTATION CROPS 135
Methods and Objectives of Pruning 135
Other Forms of Pruning 139
Desuckering 139
LeafPruning 140
Guidelines on Proper Pruning 141

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 Table of Contents

CHAPTER 13
HARVESTING AND HANDLING OF FRUITS 142

Harvesting 142
Maturity Indices 142
Time of Harvesting 143
Harvesting Methods 143
Harvesting Gadgets 144
Proper Handling of Harvested Fruits 144
Sorting and Grading 144
Packing or Packaging 144
Storage 145
Refrigeration and Modified/Controlled Atmosphere Storage 145

CHAPTER 14
PRIMARY PROCESSING OF PLANTATION CROPS 147
Primary Processing and Its Importance 148
Harvesting Indices 149
Harvesting Cycle 150
Harvesting Time 151
Harvesting Method 151
Extraction of the Primary Economic Product 152
Direct Drying without Extraction 153
Further Processing Steps Specific to the Crop 154
Fermentation in Cacao 154
Drying 154

APPENDIX TABLE 1
Soil and Climatic Adaptations ofVarious Fruit
and Plantation Crops 157

APPENDIX TABLE 2
Nutrient Recommendation for Various Fruit and
Plantation Crops Based on Soil Test 160

INDEX 169

THE AUTHORS 185

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