PREPARING THE LAND

Basic Competency 1

Identifying Characteristics of land

(topography)
 1. The Meaning of the Land

Land can be viewed as a system composed of:

   (i) structural components, often referred to
Land characteristics , and
(ii) a functional component which is often called the land
quality determines the level of ability and suitability of
land (FAO, 1976).
Table 1. The quality and characteristics of land used in land evaluation
criteria ((Djaenudin et al in Anifuddin Azis et al, 2006)

Symbols Land quality Land characteristic

Tc Temperature Temperature
Wa Water available Precipitation (mm)
Dry period length (mounth)
Air humidity (%)
Oa Oxygen available Drainage
Rc Roots media Drainage
Texture
Rough matter (%)
Soil depth
Turf thickness
Turf maturity
Nr Nutrient retention Clay CAC (emol/kg -1)
Base saturation (%)
pH of H2O
C-Organic (%)
Symbols Land quality Land characteristic
Xc Toxicity Aluminum saturity
Salinity (dS/m)
Xn sodocity Alkaliniity (%)
Xs Sulfidic hazard Pyrit (sulfidic matter)
Eh Erotion risk Slope (%)
Fh Flooding risk puddle
Lp Land preparing The rock on the surface (%)
rock outcrop(%)
Table 2. The relationship between the characteristics of land
suitability and level of the barrier.

Levelm of the barrier Land suitability charcteristic

0 S1 = Very suitable
1 ; slight S2 = suitable enough
2 : moderate S3 = marginal
3 ; Severe S4 = unsuitable
4 : very severe
Tabel 3. Criteria of suitable land clacssification
 2. Land Topoghrapy

Topography concerns geomorphologies conditions (the forms of the earth's surface) especially the altitude between some points on the earth's surface and
the slope between points on the earth's surface that can be seen on the contour map .

Contour map is a map that presents the results of several spot elevation measurements by connecting a few points that have the same
height
Figure 1. The example of contour map
 Flat conditions to facilitate the implementation of the work,
and provide enough space to improve many kinds of utility.
Meanwhile, the areas that have a sharp slope (steep) will
narrow the space utilization
.
Topographic conditions need to be considered in some
farming activities, related to the level of convenience
activities that will be implemented

TOPOGRAPHIC

Land Land
Planting Product
preparation coservation
A. Altitude Venue
   Elevation associated with the local micro-
climate, the general condition , altitude closely
correlated with air temperature.
A.1. Low Land

• 0 to 500 m above sea level

• Flat topography
• air temperature from 27 to 33  C
• Solar radiation intensity + +
• Commodities:
   Padi
   Maize
   Nuts
   Onion
   Vegetables
A.2. Medium Land
• 500 - 1000 m asl
• Hilly topography is relatively flat
• air temperature from 22 to 27 o C
• Solar radiation intensity + + +
A.3. High Land
• > 1000 m asl
• Hillly Tophography 20 %
• Fertile soil Andisol
• Air temperature  20  C
• High precipitation
• Solar radiation intensity +
B. The slope of the land / slope
Slope of a land related to soil sensitivity to
erosion of soil, the higher / steeper the slope the
more sensitive to soil erosion

In connection with this erosion every state set has

different maximum limits for the slope that can be
cultivated agriculture (arable land) . In central
Africa is the maximum slope of 12%, 25% the
Philippines and 35% in Israel.
Land slope or the slope of the land is a factor that is necessary to
note ,since the agricultural land preparation, planting efforts,
making the products as well as land preservation, because the
land has a slope that is more easily disturbed or damaged,
especially if the degree of the slope is large. Degree of slope and
slope length are the two main characteristics of the topography
that affect the amount of erosion

t
B.1. Land slope classification
Slope,s Classification Relief
degree(%)
0–3 Flat Flat
3–8 Agak Miring sloping
8 – 15 Miring Berombak
15 – 25 declivitous wavy
25 – 40 Steep Hilly

> 40 Sharp

Conversion unit in per cent unit can use the following equation:
Units degrees = tg unit%
Units% = arc tg units of degrees
The greater the degree of slope:

1. Increasing the amount of Run off

2. Increasing the run off velocity
3. Increasing the energy of water transport.
4. The great number of soil grains are spread down by
collisions of rain.
B.2. Observing and Recording Slope Slope
     If the ground slopes become steeper twice the amount
of erosion per unit area to be 2.0 to 2.5 times more

Runoff (%) Soil lost (Kg/ha)

Figure of relationship slope steepness with runoff and erosion (Duley and
Hays 1932)
• The relationship between the erosion of the slope as
follows:

For slope> 8% (Zingg, 1940)

X = c Sm

X = weight of soil eroded,

S = slope in percent
M = constant slope
 For slope <8% (Woodruff and Whitt, 1942)

E = a + b S 1.49

E = amount of erosion
A, b = a constant
S = slope in agreementn
Influence the degree and length of slopes against erosion,
Zingg (1940) obtain the following equation:

X = c. S 1.4. L 1.6

X = soil transported
c= constant depending on the speed of infiltration, some
physical characteristic of soil, the intensity
And the rain length etc
S = degree of slope (%)
L= slope length in feet
C. Slope length
The length of the slope is calculated starting from the base
point of the surface flow to a point where water enters into the
channel or river, or where the slope decreases such that the
water velocity changes.

Water that flows and the velocity faster at the bottom than the
top of the slope. The result is the bottom slope get bigger
erosion than at the top.
Zingg (1940) have a relationship between the slopes length
with the magnitude of erosion, according to the following
equation

X = c Ln
X = weight of soil erosion
L = slope length in feet
Figure 2. The influence of slope length on erosion magnitude of Marshall
Silt Loam Soil planted continuously with corn in a row according
to slope, in Iowa during 1933-1941 (in Thompson, 1957).
D. Slope configuration

Slope surface can be convex or concave . General

observations show that sheet erosion is more severe
than the convex surface of the concave surface, while
the concave surface tends to form furrow or ditch
erosion
Figure 3. Erosion ratio relationship with the Long of the Ridge (Thompson, 1957).
D. Slope uniformity

Slope surface is not always uniform fraud. Slope

condition is very non-uniform, its mean that the steep
slopes interspersed within a short distance by the
flatter slopes may have an influence on run off and
erosion

An indirect effect is that the slopes are very non-

uniform is more difficult to cultivate seasonal crops.
E.1. LAND SURFACE
E.2. CONVEX LAND SURFACE
E.3. BACK HILL (RIDGE)
E.4. LAND SURFACE CONCAVE
E.5. VALLEY
1 2 3

4 5
 c. Land Suitability for
Irrigation
the topography is often a major factor in assessing the
suitability of land for irrigation because it will affect:
- Method (system) that irrigation will be made
- Creation of drainage channels
- Erosion
- Irrigation Efficiency
- The costs of land preparation (leveling and so on).
- The size and shape of terrace
- labor Needs
- Plants that may be cultivated
• Four aspects of topography that influence the suitability of
land for irrigation is:
1. Slope
Includes long steepness and shape of the slope.
Slopes steeper requiring labor and greater costs in
the preparation and management in the other hand
causes difficulty in water regulation
2. Micro Relief
Micro relief showing land surface is uneven with a high
difference between the peaks and valleys of a maximum
of 5 m. These affect costs needed in accordance with
the amount of “ cut and fill’', the number of transferred
land, the transfer distance, soilcharacteristic and so on.
3 . Relief Macro
With method (system) surface irrigation (gravity) relief
macro determines whether the land can be irrigated or
not.
Hilly area with many peaks will be more difficult to
designed for the irrigation than area with a single peak.
These areas is not possible to  trim, but maigh be made
terrace according to soil characteristic and the slopes
4. Position
The height (elevation) and distance from water sources to
determine whether the land can be irrigated with a gravity
system.
For that we need another effort such as a pump, tunnel
or gutter water to penetrate the natural barriers or human
barriers