Zamboanga Research Center
Zamboanga Research Center
Zamboanga Research Center
62 982 0302 Email: pca_zrc@pldtdsl.net FIELD PLANTING AND FARM MAINTENANCE 1. Land Preparation 2. Staking of field Layout 3. Access Road and Surface Drainage 4. Soil Conservation Measures 5. Hole Preparation 6. Seedlings Selection 7. Records and Layout of Palms 8. Planting 9. Fertilizer Application 10. Field Maintenance Field and Farm Maintenance When the proper site for coconut plantation establishment has been identified, the amount of work in land preparation will depend on the nature of the land to be opened. Recommended land preparation practices should be carried out to allow optimum planting and subsequent application of treatments in the field. Land Preparation Like other crops, coconut cannot be established in thick vegetation. Clearing of debris from thick vegetation is primarily necessary to eliminate possible breeding sites for the destructive rhinoceros beetle. Hence, the area should be cleared of felled trees/shrubs, stumps, weeds and other obstruction and then plowed and harrowed to improve soil tilth. Staking of Filed Layout Staking is done following the triangular system. Planting density per hectare for each type of material is shown below: Tall, T x T D x T Dwarf, D x D Density (Palms/Ha) 143 160 180 Distance bet. Palms 9 m 8.5 m 8 m Distance bet. Rows 7.8 m 7.35 m 6.9 m Access Roads and Surface Drainage Access roads are needed in delivering seedlings and supplies, and later, in hauling the produce to and from the farm. These facilitate inspection, data gathering and evaluation of palms. Surface drainage is essential to avoid water logging. Hole Preparation Prior to digging, planting guides are put in place by using 2 pegs placed at equal distances from the stake. This indicates the center of the hole where the sprout of the seedling to be planted later on will have to be aligned. It must be noted that by using a stick marked at the center, and using the planting guides at planting time, the relocation of the stake in the hole can easily be done. Holes should be dug at 50 x 50 cm size. This operation commences as early as 2 months before planting to allow for weathering of the soil on the sides and bottom of the holes. Weathering is encouraged to promote early root contact. Seedling Selection Selection is an indispensable process in any crop improvement work. In coconut plantations, seedling selection aims to produce high quality planting materials which when properly done could easily increase uniformity and production by 10% or higher. However, for hybrid trials where materials should possess representative genetic image of the chosen material, pest- and diseases-free seedlings showing good germination, vegetative development and vigour should be selected.
Unless the number of abnormal-looking seedlings significantly exceeds the average number of normal looking seedlings per population, the selection should be towards the normal looking seedlings. Unless found to be significant, e.g., number is sizeable, trait is distinct and uniform, the following types of seedlings are culled right away: multiple shoots, thin or leggy and etiolated, and albinos or seedlings which are devoid or chlorophyll. Records and Layout of Palms After laying out the field, a planting plan or map should be prepared. In this map, the photos are identified to show the spots where specific palms are to be planted. This facilitates palm and pedigree identification. Planting The best time to transplant seedlings is at the onset of the rainy season. Hence, timing of the nursery should be practiced in accordance with the seasonal changes. Palms should be 8-10 months but 6-month old seedlings can be planted if and when the timing of planting warrants it, i.e., if the seedlings will be 8 months by the start of the dry season. Eight-month old transplants give a better idea of their general growth and development. However, differences in vigour are best seen when the seedlings are still too young to be moved, with the majority of their leaves still very succulent. Field nursery seedlings should be planted immediately or at least 3 days after removal from the nursery to reduce mortality. Before transplanting, each hole should be applied with fertilizers mixed with soil.
Alternatively or in addition, a small amount of organic matter, e.g., seaweed, husk or other compost materials, can be placed at the bottom of the hole and covered with soil leaving about one-third free for the coconut seedlings to sit. For polybagged seedlings, remove the polybag first then transplant the seedlings. The hole should be covered with loose topsoil, slightly firmed at the base of the crown. The top of the nuts should be about 5-8 cm below the ground level. Deep planting might suffocate the bud while shallow planting might cause the material to bend, sway or lean during heavy rains and windy days. A slight depression must be provided to trap rainwater towards the base of the crown. Cultural Management Practices Plant 6-10 months old seedlings Light tilling of soil with basal application of fertilizer during planting Distance of planting is 8.5 x 9 meters triangular Systems of Planting for Coconut 1) Square system Palms are set at fixed equal distance at the corner of each square, the distance between palms in each row and the distance between adjacent rows being the same. 2) Triangular system Palms are set at fixed distance at the corners of an equilateral triangle. About 15% more palms can be accommodated per unit area under this system. 3) Rectangular system Rows are set at right angles to one another but the distance between the palms in the row is closer than those between the rows. This system provides for a slightly lower number of palms in a stand but allows for more room for growing intercrops. 4) Quincunx system This system is used for replanting old coconut plantations where the old palms will be removed as soon as the new seedlings are established. Seedlings are planted in the center of each square of old palms. Nutrient Requirement of Coconut STAGE N K Cl S File Planting (FP) 30 50 44 7.5 6 months after FP 40 75 66 10 1 year 100 250 220 25 2 years 150 375 330 37.5 3 years 250 500 440 50 4 years 300 625 550 75 5 years or more 400 750 660 100 Fertilizer Recommendation (g/palm) AS KCl NaCl Field planting 150 100 6 months 200 150 Year 1 500 500 Year 2 750 750 Year 3 1,000 1,000 Year 4 1,250 1,250 Year 5 & up 1,500 1,500 1,200 Nutrient Requirement of Coconut Nutritionally deficient bearing palms need the following fertilizers: Organic fertilizer 8.0 kg/palm per year KCl (0-0-60) 1.65 kg/palm per year NaCl (common salt) 1.5kg/palm per year When and how often fertilizers should be applied? 1. At pre-bearing stage or vegetative stage (1-3 years) Split application of annual rate per palm, the first half at the start of the rainy season and the remaining half at 6 months after or about one month before the end of the rainy season. 2. At bearing stage One application for areas with even rainfall distribution (1.5 3 dry months) or split application for areas with distinct dry and rainy season. Intercropping
Intercrops are annual, biennial and perennial crops planted under and between coconut palms. They provide extra income for coconut farmers. Examples of crops suitable for intercropping are sweet potato, cassava, ginger, upland rice, mungbean, corn, taro (gabi), peanut, sweet pepper, ramie, hot pepper, sunflower, bush sitao (string beans), eggplant, arrowroot, banana, pineapple, coffee, cacao, black pepper, vanilla, lanzones, rambutan, durian, mangosteen, abaca and papaya. Planting distance from the coconut trunk should be at least 2 meters away. Selection of intercrops must be based on: o Tolerance to partially shaded conditions o Absence of pest and diseases o Presence of viable market o High value o Low perishability
PHILLIPINE COCONUT AUTHORITY ZAMBOANGA RESEARCH CENTER San Ramon, 7000 Zamboanga City P.O. Box 356 Phone: +639163617315 Telefax: 062 982 0302 Email: pca_zrc@pldtdsl.net COCONUT NURSERY SELECTION AND MANAGEMENT Success of coconut plantation establishment starts with the production of good quality planting materials. Rearing coconut seedlings in a well-maintained nursery facilitates efficient selection of normal uniform seedlings. High quality planting materials provide a good head start to sustain the coconut palms productive and economic lifespan of 60 or more long years in the field under extremely variable conditions. Selecting the best planting materials before field planting assures higher productivity per unit area per unit time. 1. Nursery Site Selection A good nursery should: Be open, level and well drained; Have light or loose textured soil to facilitate nursery operations; Have a good source of water without possibility of being flooded; Be accessible to transportation; Be far from existing potential sources of coconut insect pests and diseases, e.g., saw mills, pile of decaying logs, site to animal manure, etc. A nursery site with a minimum area of 3,600 m is needed to accommodate about 12,000 seednuts good for 50 ha. To be fully operational, the nursery should have a fence for security; a shed to house the implements and supplies; farm implements and small equipment; a source of water for irrigation; and sufficient trained manpower. 2. The Seedbed The seedbed should preferably be in the center of the nursery. To facilitate sowing of nuts, it should be cleared, plowed and harrowed to a fine tilth. Seedbeds are prepared with the following dimensions: Elevation: 10-20 cm high to provide drainage. Width: 1 m to avoid stepping on seednuts during maintenance and transfer operations. Length: a 2 m long seedbed is ideal for easy inspection, management and maintenance; a seedbed measuring 1 x 40 m can accommodate about 1,000 seednuts. Pathway: 0.75-1 m between seedbeds should be provided to facilitate inspection, selection, pricking, maintenance and seedling transfer activities. Nuts are planted firmly setting them either upright or slightly tilted with the germ end at the top. The nuts are set close to one another to prevent them from floating in case of heavy rains. The nuts are then covered with soil, with about 2/3 of their size buried. Sowing of Seednuts In addition to keeping a record file, a sign board, placed in front of each bed, provides the following information:
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Name of variety/type Date of sowing Number of nuts sown Seedbed number Date when nuts are harvested, if available Date when nuts are received in the nursery Maintenance of Seedbed This activity involves daily watering except when it is raining; weeding, if necessary; partial shading when needed; and inspection for disease and pest incidence. Pricking o When the sprout emerges though the husk to a height of 4-6 cm, seedlings are planted in the field nursery either directly in the soil or in polybags to allow them more space to grow. o Seedlings of the same age are pricked on the same day and immediately planted in the field or polybag nursery. Pricking can be scheduled once a week. o After pricking the germinated seednuts from the seedbed, the vacated plot is refilled with soil so as not to destabilize the remaining ungerminated seednuts. o Discard all nuts producing sprouts, which are multiple, thin or etiolated, bent or spindled, and albinos. o The optimum waiting period for ending the observations of germination in each seedbed is around 16 weeks from the date of sowing or when 85% germination had been achieved, whichever comes first. 3. The Polybag Nursery A polybag nursery makes use of black polyethylene bags, hence its name. It is preferred over field nursery because: Transplanting shock is greatly minimized, thereby promoting early establishment of transplanted seedlings; Seedlings can be retained longer in the nursery when conditions for field planting are not favorable; and Age-wise, seedling selection is easily accomplished.
Polybagging of Germinated Nuts o A polybag, preferably black, UV resistant for durability and measuring 40 x 40 x 0.015 cm (for smaller nuts) or 45 x 45 x 0.015 cm (for bigger nuts) with 8-10 holes at the bottom sides, is halffilled with soil and compost mixed at 50:50 ratio. o Decomposed sawdust, corncobs, rice hull and other organic materials can be used. This will reduce the weight of the half-filled polybag and improve sol fertility. o If the polybags are not gusseted (Note: polybags with folds at the bottom maybe ordered), the bottom corners should be folded inward to make the bottom of the bag round and for it to stand firmly. The open edge of the bag is also folded back (about 3 cm) to prevent it from tearing easily. o The germinated nut is then placed in the half-filled bag with sprout in the upright position in the center of the bag. o Next, the bag is filled with soil with the sides slightly pressed to keep the nut firm until it is fully covered. o As the soil settles, it will cover up to 2/3 of the nut after some time. o When the polybagged seedlings are already, they are laid out in the polybag nursery. Laying Out of the Polybag Nursery (Staking) Equal setting of the seednuts at optimum distance allows them to grow and develop normally. The technique follows a triangular system with equal spacing of 60 cm. The materials needed are the following: 1) About 30 m rope or twine for establishing a straight line and making a 3, 4, 5 triangular 2) 100 pcs bamboo pegs or equivalent 30 cm long 3) A measuring tape or stick 4) Twine for making 30-cm spaces, about 10 m long 5) Pieces of stick, 52 cm long 6) A sharp bolo, or its equivalent 7) Compass and marking pen A 60-cm long spacing in triangular manner To minimize shading, rows should be oriented in a North-South direction. As a start, about 10 m twine is marked every 30 cm along its entire length. o First, establish a straight line and a 90 corner with the longer side towards the North. This is done by making a 3, 4, 5 triangle using the 30 m rope. Boundaries are set by means of rope or twine to o guide the setting of rows. This is made to establish four straight boundary lines and four 90 corners. The next step is to lay the 10 m string in the direction of the North and then mark the 30 cm spaces. This becomes line 1 or row 1. Then, align the string marked every 30 cm and subsequently peg the 30 cm marks. Repeat the procedure to make rows 3, 4, 5, etc. To establish 60 cm, remove the pegs every other 30 cm starting from the second mark in line 2. These are marked X in the apposite figure. As the work progresses and as the workers gain experience, the marks are pegged every 60 cm by estimation. Setting the Polybagged Seedlings The polybagged seedlings are placed in front of the stake, set firmly and with the erect shoot aligned at the stake. Since centering of the sprout in the polybag may not be precise, the emerging shoot should be set in only one direction at a point closest to the stake. Set the polybagged seedlings in the same order as they germinated. The earliest germinating seedlings are placed in the first row in the eastern side of the area. The last ones to germinate are placed in the western section of the area. This practice reduces the competition from sunlight from among the earliest and latest germinating seedlings. Most importantly, selection of vigorous seedlings is facilitated and since the first pricked seedlings are placed in rows, culling or judging by age is easily accomplished. A signboard indicating the type/variety, the number of seedlings and date of sowing is installed in front of each plot. Maintenance of the Polybagged Nursery In order of priority, this involves watering, weeding, and inspection for pest and disease incidence. Fertilizer application for each seedling is recommended as follows: Age (NH ) SO KCl or NaCl
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(After germination) (g) (g) (g) 2 20 20 20 5 40 45 40 Maintenance of the Polybagged Nursery The fertilizers are mixed and applied directly to the soil around the nuts. Afterwards, the soil is lightly cultivated to promote faster dissolution and absorption of fertilizer. At 6-8 months after polybagging, leaf splitting occurs, indicating that the seedlings are ready for field planting. For more information contact: MR. GERARDO B. BAYLON, Officer-In-Charge or MR. RAMON L. RIVERA, Division Chief III, Philippine Coconut Authority-Zamboanga Research Center, San Ramon, 7000 Zamboanga City Box 356 E-mail: pca_zrc@pldtdsl.net, Telefax: +63 62-982-0302