STUDY QUESTIONS

a. Why is sub-soiling needed in soils with hard pans?

Hard pan soils are soil layers that are highly impenetrable by water. They are
formed by soil deposits that fused and compacted together. They restrict water and
air movements, and root growth, thus reducing the survival rate and growth of plants.
These compacted soils commonly develop 12 to 22 inches below the surface where
standard cultivators cannot reach. A solution to this agricultural problem can be sub-
soiling. Sub-soiling includes ploughing the land a depth deeper than the normal
ploughing level; it fractures the compacted soil without disrupting existing plant life
and the top soil. It improves the root penetration and promotes root growth by
reducing soil density and strength. It also effectively aerates the soil, allowing more
air movement.

b. Show that a triangular system has 15% more plants than a square system using
the same distance of planting by computing the number of plants in each
system.
Assigned values
A = 10 000 m2
Planting distance (S) = 10x10 m

Square system Triangular system

No. of plants = area / S2 No. of plants = area / (S2 x 0.866)
= 10 000 / (10) = 10 000 / (102 – 0.866)
= 100 plants ≈ 115 plants

= 115 plants – 100 plants

= 15
= (15 / 100) x 100%
= 15%
 The solution above shows that the triangular system has 15% more plants
than the square system considering that they both have the same area and same
planting distance.

c. Why should we add well decayed organic matter and basal fertilizer to the soil
before transplanting seedlings or grafted plants of perennial crop species?
Organic matter is essential to soil quality as it enhances nutrient and water-
holding capacity and improves soil structure. Meanwhile, basal fertilization is the
application of fertilizer before sowing or planting the seeds. Both are important
before transplanting as high organic matter leads to enhanced yield and
environmental quality and basal fertilization is done to uniformly distribute the
fertilizer making it equally available to all the seedlings while they mature.

d. What are the different adaptive tillage operations? Characterize each.

 Primary tillage – it is the first soil tillage after the last harvest. It can be
immediate done after the crop harvest or at the beginning of the next wet
season when the soil is wet enough to allow plowing. It aims to kill weeds and
aerate the soil.
 Secondary tillage – it is any working done after the primary tillage has been
done. It is done to reduce clod size, level soil surface, and incorporate fertilizer
to the soil.
 Deep tillage – it is necessary to be done when deep rooted crops are to be
planted. It also improves soil moisture content.
 Subsoiling – it is plows and turns up the soil. It also breaks hard pans which
restrict plant root growth.
 Year-round tillage – these are tillage operations that are carried out
throughout the year. It is carried out until the sowing period.
e. Differentiate between minimum and zero tillage.
Minimum tillage aims to minimize tilling for ensuring a good seedbed, rapid
seed germination, and to provide a favorable growing condition. It improves soil
condition due to the decomposition of crop residues and makes the root less resistant
to growth. Meanwhile, zero tillage is an extreme form of minimum tillage. In this
method, primary tillage is completely avoided and secondary tillage is restricted to
seedbed preparation in the row zone only.