Soil preparation is the fist step in raising a crop? What
are the advantages of soil preparation? (please answer in long )
Answers
Answer:
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Answer:
When establishing a new date plantation, certain actions need to be implemented to ensure the long term success of the plantation. One of these actions involve the initial land preparation which should be done prior to transplanting of the plant material (offshoots or tissue culture-derived plants).
The purpose of land preparation is to provide the necessary soil conditions which will enhance the successful establishment of the young offshoots or the tissue culture plants received from the nursery. Considering the nature of the date palm, one can not "save" on this operation and hope for long term sustainability of the plantation.
The aim is to enable the date grower to plan and structure the implementation process in advance, ensuring the successful establishment of the date plantation. Planning forms part of the initial preparation and will help to limiting unnecessary stoppages during the implementation phase.
Critical factors to consider during this planning exercise are summarised as follows:
- Availability and quality of irrigation water;
- Field selection;
- Mechanical actions to be implemented;
- Chemical needs for pre-plant soil improvement;
- Tools and equipment needed for date cultivation;
- Labor needs;
- Irrigation design and installation;
- Leaching schedule;
- Hole preparation;
- Financial requirements and
- Time schedule.
1. Field selection
The area selected for the establishment of the date plantation can infl uence the cost of land preparation to the extent that it may not be viable to proceed with the development at all. The authors' aim is to highlight the critical areas to be considered when selecting the land for the establishment of a new date plantation.
Availability of water
Although not always realised, the date palm requires a rather large quantity of water for sustainable growth. Critical factors regarding water for irrigation purposes are:
(i) the sustainability of the water source,
(ii) the quantity of water available for irrigation,
(iii) the distance to the fi eld, and
(iv) the quality of the water.
Soil depth
In time date palms grow very tall and become top heavy especially during the fruit bearing stage. They therefore need sufficient room for proper root development to support the palms. Besides the importance of root development, soil depth also infl uences drainage and leaching possibilities. Any obstructive layers must be evaluated to determine whether they will infl uence root development and whether they can be corrected.
Soil quality
Date palms can grow and produce in different types of soil in both hot arid and semi-arid regions. Adaptation could go from a very sandy to a heavy clay soil. The soil quality is related to its drainage capacity mainly when soils are salty or the irrigation water is characterized with a high salt content. Sandy soils are common in most date plantations of the old world. Rare cases of clay soils (i.e. Basra-Iraq) with drainage systems are found allowing the culture of date palms. The optimum soil conditions are found where water can penetrate to at least 2 m deep.
When evaluating the soil quality, attention must be given to:
(i) the soil texture which will influence the water retention capacity, and
(ii) the nutrient content to determine the corrective measures necessary for soil improvement.
Soil salinity or acidity
Plant growth is influenced by either saline or acid soil conditions which, in the end, will result in a loss of potential yield.
Saline and alcaline soils are common in date plantations and are characterised by a high concentration of soluble salts, and exchangeable sodium, respectively. Soluble salts present in these soils belong to cations: sodium, calcium and magnesium and to chloride and sulphate anions.
Saline soils have an electric conductivity (EC) of their saturated extract higher than 4 mmhos/cm at 25°C, with a sodium absorption rate less than 15 and a pH generally less than 8.5. Saline soils can be recognised by the presence of a white layer on the surface of the soil resulting from the high salt concentration which may harm the growth and development of date palm.
Alcaline soils are characterized by an EC of their saturated extract less than 4 mmhos/cm at 25°C with a sodium absorption rate higher than 15, and a pH higher than 8.5. Alcaline soils do contain harmful quantities of alkalis with the hydroxyl group - OH, especially NaOH. These types of soil are usually diffi cult to correct coupled with a low production resulting from low content of calcium and nitrogen. However, it is recommended to eliminate the excess of sodium by the addition of acidifying agents (gypsum, sulphate of iron or sulphur).
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