TKP3001 : MODERN AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY

Land Preparation & Management Technologies in

Rubber Plantation
BY
NOOR JANATUN MAQWA JEMALI
170199

INTRODUCTION
Soil tillage or land preparation is one of the routine activities in most agricultural systems.
Often, land preparation starts with burning fallow vegetation or previous crop residues in order to
clear the land or to scare away wild animals or snakes.

Image 1:
This farmer is

not only cleaning his field, but also 'cleaning his pockets' by burning the potential fertility of his
soil. (FAO).

Burning is usually followed by soil tillage. Depending on the possibilities of the farmer,
tillage can range from very extensive to very intensive. But why do farmers plough?
In the first place to prepare an adequate seedbed which permits a good germination of the
seeds. They think that a soil well tilled, loose, levelled and with a lot of fine particles favours the
contact between the seeds and the soil, which in turn lead to sowing at an adequate depth. In
second place, farmers plough in order to control weeds. Other reasons for tillage may include
enhancement of soil water storage and retention and warming-up of the soil.

Functions of soil tillage

Prepare seedbed

Manage crop residues

Incorporate fertilizers and agro-chemicals

Control weeds

De-compact dense layers

Increase water infiltration

Shape the soil surface (levelling, ridging)

Unfortunately, the method used to achieve any of the above mentioned objectives of tillage
might produce a conflict with the other objectives. Each additional tillage operation for weed
control also buries more residues and exposes moist soil to the surface, causing additional water
loss. As the number of tillage operations is increased, the aggregation of soil is decreased leaving
the

soil

more

vulnerable

for

soil

erosion

(Godwin,1990).

In this way, tillage operations will eventually have negative effects on the soil productivity and the
economic return of the crops. They are responsible for the destruction of the soil and crop
residues. Tillage also affects the availability of water and nutrients in the soil. Among the costs of
tillage one should also count:

Increased erosion and loss of fertility.

Increased evaporation and moisture loss.

Decreased capability of the soil to hold water.

Eroded soil can move on to other places, like ditches, lakes and reservoirs, water harvesting tanks
or to the neighbour's field, taking with it organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and pesticides.
Preventive measures, like the construction of terraces, are expensive. It is far more effective and
cheaper to refrain from tillage and conserve the residues on the soil surface.

Land Preparation & Management Technologies in

Rubber Plantation
1. Zero Burning
The zero burning technique is a method of land clearing whereby the tree stand, either logged
over secondary forests or an old area of plantation tree crops such as oil palm are felled, shredded,
stacked and left in situ to decompose naturally.

The main benefit derived from zero burning in Malaysia is that nutrients tend to
be released more slowly during decomposition so that they can be utilized by newly
planted trees. This reduces per-hectare inorganic fertilizers needed at the time of
planting (e.g., nitrogen by 738 kilograms, phosphorus by 205 kilograms, potassium by
848kilograms, and magnesium by 487 kilograms).

The organic matter also improves the soil and when used properly, can help with
terracing and the reduction of runoff. One study found that in 1993 the zero burning
technique reduced costs for establishing plantations from 1,070 to 1,415 ringgits (the
Malaysian unit of currency) when compared with plantations where burning was used.
This is primarily because zero burning reduces the fallow time needed by eliminating the need to
dry the cleared forest material for burning. Thus, producers get a portion of a crop that much

faster. This method also exposes soil far less than other methods, and it lets replanting occur
gradually throughout the year whenever there is sufficient rainfall for the seedlings.

2. Machinery
Field operations, should be organized to maximize the efficient use of the
selected machines. The road and ride pattern of the mechanical equipment should
match the spacing in the plantation.The availability of competent personnel to operate
the machinery and organize and carry out maintenance and repair tasks is essential for
a successful operation. When planning, the following factors should be taken into

consideration: the availability of labor and equipment; cost efficiency; scale of

operation; quality of work and timeliness; and environmental consequences.
Mechanized site preparation can be divided into three phases:
- Removal or clearing the existing herbaceous and woody vegetation (grass, shrub,
bush or trees). This can be either done with or without root extraction;
- Disposal of vegetative debris by wind-rowing, chopping and mixing with soil or
burning;
- Soil cultivation either on strips or entire areas in conjunction, where necessary, with
soil and water conservation techniques.

 Rotary tiller

The
tiller
farming

rotary
performs
operations

such as ploughing,

pulverizing and leveling the soil simultaneously, thus saving time and fuel. It can
function on both dry and wet land. It mixes residual matter into the soil through
uprooting and chopping and enhances its fertility. It is also very useful for inter
culture, pudding and seedbed preparations for all crops.

Advance Logging Machine

This machine is a advance chainsaw that cut the tree with a very short time.
This machine control from the tractor by a driver.This new technology is very
effective as it can cut up to 100 trees per hour. It also can cut the tree into section
right after cut it. The branches can be clear just in seconds.
This machine can decrease the cost of logging and clearing with decreasing
no of workers, and day of working. It also a time saving technology which the
production of a day just like 3 days of working.

Bulldozer
This operation uses crawler bulldozers equipped with front-end sharp angle or
straight blades to cut and fell single trees at or near ground level. It used to eliminate

or minimize the competition for nutrients, moisture and light between the existing
woody vegetation and the new plantation. It is also used to quickly achieve mediumscale land clearing. For medium-scale clearing operations in upland wood or brush
country with sparse standing trees. The bulldozer blade can be used for various

purposes, and can be immediately turned to a new task after felling the trees. Manual
felling is expensive and the necessary machinery is available.It used when the
topography and soil conditions are suitable for a mechanized operation.

3. Drone
If precision technology has driven the farming revolution of recent years, monitoring
crops from the sky will drive the next. With a drone or UAV you can capture highly
accurate images of your fields, covering up to hundreds of hectares/acres in a single flight.
Without the cost and hassle of manned services. At a far greater resolution than satellite
imagery provides, even when there is cloud cover.By using image processing software you
can then transform these shots into one large 'orthomosaic' image. Apply algorithms like
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to this image and you create a
reflectance map of your crop. This map is the key to boosting yields, cutting costs, and
driving your business forwards. It highlights exactly which areas of crop need closer
examination meaning less time spent scouting, and more time treating the plants that
need it.
Function
Measure erosion channel width & depth
Conduct exploratory excavation to determine drainage tile, depth, size & location
Developing erosion channels
Damage observations
Land management take ground in or out of production, rotate crops, etc.

4. Drainage system
An agricultural drainage system is a system by which the water level on or in the
soil is controlled to enhance agricultural crop production. The function of the field
drainage system is to control the water table, whereas the function of the main drainage
system is to collect, transport, and dispose of the water through an outfall or outlet. In
some instances one makes an additional distinction between collector and main drainage
systems.
Field drainage systems are differentiated in surface and subsurface field drainage
systems. Sometimes (e.g. in irrigated, submerged rice fields), a form of temporary
drainage is required whereby the drainage system is allowed to function on certain

occasions only (e.g. during the harvest period). If allowed to function continuously,
excessive quantities of water would be lost. Such a system is therefore called a checked,
or controlled, drainage system. More usually, however, the drainage system is meant to
function as regularly as possible to prevent undue waterlogging at any time and one
employs a regular drainage system.

5. Terrace and Contour

When the plantation area have slopes, terraces must be made along the contour
lines. This method used to prevent erosion.The terrace should be 2 metres wide.
Trench need to be dig 0.35 metre deep and 0.35 metre wide. Make the terrace slope
a little against the slope of the land. The stake is 1.40 metres from the trench.

Contour planting is the farming practice of plowing and/or planting across a slope
following its elevation contour lines. These contour lines create a water break which
reduces the formation of rills and gullies during times of heavy water run-off; which
is a major cause of soil erosion. The water break also allows more time for the water
to settle into the soil. In contour ploughing, the ruts made by the plow run
perpendicular rather than parallel to slopes, generally resulting in furrows that curve
around the land and are level. This method is also known for preventing tillage
erosion.Tillage erosion is the soil movement and erosion by tilling a given plot of
land. A similar practice is contour bunding where stones are placed around the
contours of slopes.

Soil erosion prevention practices such as this can drastically decrease negative
affects associated with soil erosion such as reduced crop productivity, worsened water
quality, lower effective reservoir water levels, flooding, and habitat destruction.
Contour farming is considered an active form of sustainable agriculture.

6. Satellite
Satellite images are images that gets from satellite camera. This images can be
used to determine land suitability before planting crop by soil mapping system. The
images give some information to make the best land best decision. Images show the
topography of that area. DEM water source. Some of maps that analysis from satellite
image can indicates type of soil and type of crop that suitable to be plant there.

7. Liming
Liming
method

to

is

a
help

farmer to increase the

fertility of the land. It
can increase the soil
pH

to make sure

plant can grow on

that area . For rubber, lime is needed before the rubber planting begin. The amount of

lime used are depend on the soil pH of the soil. This method discovered by . It is very
beneficial and give a good impact in improving the soil structure, texture and quality.
This method can increase soil fertility,thus its ca also save cost by not using high
fertilizer.

Future Technologies in Rubber Plantation Land Preparation

1. Nutrient Cultivation of soil
2. Soil Vaccines
Soil vaccine is technology in biology and pathology to prevent the soil from
bacteria, fungus or disease that may attack plant crop. The function same like other
human or animal vaccine, but this vaccine is specialize for soil problem or disease.
The vaccine can be spread by using good bacteria that can reproduce in the soil and
spread the vaccine.

3. Soil Multipurpose Sensor

Soil Multipurpose sensor is a technology that combine many apparatus to get test
on soil. The sensor involve with pH meter, Nutrient contain meter , water table
meter and many more. This sensor build in a hardware and monitor from one
screen. This sensor will help farmer to identify the soil problem and help to solve
the soil problem that faced by the farmer.

4. Logging Air Transporter

Air transporter is a transport that replace the function of lorries. Air transporter is
used to transport the log to the out from the area by air. This transporter can reduce

the cost and time of land clearing. The logs can be transfer to the manufa

5. Super Wheel Rotavator

This is a tiny yet more effective technology. This rotavator can replace the
function of soil rotavator tractor. Small wheel that can dig into the soil and rotavate
the soil from inside. This machine work faster than soil rotavator. It is easy to handle
as it can be control by controller or automatic system by using GPS technology.