Changes

Sustainable Oil Palm Farming / Circle weeding

4,862 bytes added, 21:33, 10 October 2016

Published from sandbox

[[Image:SNV logo.png|right|100px|link=http://www.snv.org/]]
[[Image:wageningen small.png|right|100px|link=http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/wageningen-university.htm]]

Download: [http://intothefield.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Module-3-3rd-edition-2016-08.pdf Module 3: Plantation Maintenance]

===Goal===
[[Image:oil-palm-3.7-figure18.png|thumb|right|200px|Figure 18: Cleanly weeded circle]]
* Loose fruits on the ground are easy to spot and to collect ([http://akvopedia.org/sandbox/File:Oil-palm-3.7-figure18.png Figure 18])
* Harvesting can be carried out quickly and efficiently
* Efficient application and use of fertilisers

===Standard===
* Palm circles (1.5–2.0 m from the trunk in mature plantations) are completely weed-free
* Palm circles are free of rubbish

===Timing===
* Shortly before the peak season (so that harvesting can be done more efficiently)
* At the same time as path weeding (if possible)
* '''Not''' when rain is expected that day (otherwise the herbicide will be washed away)

===Frequency===
Every 2–4 months depending on the season and weed growth

===Labour time required===
* Manual weeding: 4 days per hectare
* Chemical weeding: 1 day per 2 hectares (together with path weeding)

===Equipment and materials===
[[Image:oil-palm-3.7-figure19.png|thumb|right|200px|Figure 19: Manual circle cleaning]]
[[Image:oil-palm-3.7-figure20.png|thumb|right|200px|Figure 20: Poorly weeded circle with loose fruits hidden below the weeds]]
* Manual weeding:
:: - Chisel/spade
:: - Bush knife
:: - Rake
* Chemical weeding:
:: - Knapsack sprayer
:: - Protective clothing
:: - Measuring cup (50–200 ml)
:: - Clean water (100–200 L/ha)
:: - Herbicide (0.5–1 L)
:: - Rake

===Who===
Farmers and their families or hired labourers

===How===
====Manual circle weeding====
* Pull out all vegetation in the circle or cut vegetation to ground level with a bush knife, or alternatively scrape away all plants in the circle using a spade (see [http://akvopedia.org/sandbox/File:Oil-palm-3.7-figure19.png Figure 19])
* Rake weeds cut by a bush knife out of the circle
* Avoid ploughing or disturbing the soil in the circle because it can damage the palm roots

====Chemical weeding====
If the weeds are tall (more than 50 cm), it is best to start with one round of manual weeding and then to spray the young re-growing weeds after one month, or when the weeds are at ankle height using the following procedure:

{| style="border: 1px solid #72CDFF" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
|width="15%" valign="top"|'''Step 1.'''
|Make sure the sprayer is calibrated and working properly.
|-
|width="15%" valign="top" style="background:#f0f8ff;" |'''Step 2.'''
|style="background:#f0f8ff;" |Prepare the herbicide according to the instructions on the package (see also [[Sustainable Oil Palm Farming / Storing and spraying chemicals | Storing and spraying chemicals]]).
|-
|width="15%" valign="top"|'''Step 3.'''
|Select a nozzle that gives a spray of about 1 meter wide.
|-
|width="15%" valign="top" style="background:#f0f8ff;" |'''Step 4.'''
|style="background:#f0f8ff;" |Spray the weed using the following technique:
* Walk at a regular speed around the palm
* Keep the nozzle steady and low above the ground
* Do not swing the nozzle left and right
* If the spray is not wide enough, walk two circles around the palm, one close to the trunk and one at 1–1.5 m from the trunk
Per hectare, expect to spray 100–200 L (0.5–2 L of herbicide), depending on the number of weeds.
|-
|width="15%" valign="top"|'''Step 5.'''
|Spray any re-growth one month after the first spraying to fully kill the weeds.
|}

===Data recording===
Every weeding activity should be recorded in a logbook as shown in the example below.
{|border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
|rowspan="2" |'''Date'''
|rowspan="2" |'''Time'''
|rowspan="2" |'''Location'''
|rowspan="2" |'''Activity'''
|rowspan="2" |'''Input type'''
|rowspan="2" |'''Input amount'''
|rowspan="2" |'''Input costs'''
|colspan="2" |'''Labour input'''
|rowspan="2" |'''Labour costs'''
|-
|'''People'''
|'''Hours'''
|-
|16/01/13
|<!--empty-->
|Field 3
|Path and circle weeding
|Round-Up
|1 L
|75000
|1
|8
|80000
|}

===Acknowledgements===
The material from ''Circle weeding'' is sourced from Smallholder Oil Palm Handbook and put together by Lotte Suzanne Woittiez ([http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/wageningen-university.htm Wageningen Universit]) and Haryono Sadikin, Sri Turhina, Hidayat Dani, Tri Purba Dukan, and Hans Smit ([http://www.snv.org/ SNV]) in August 2016. See [http://intothefield.nl/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Module-3-3rd-edition-2016-08.pdf Module 3: Plantation Maintenance] for more information.

[[Image:SNV logo.png|left|80px|link=http://www.snv.org/]]
[[Image:wageningen university logo.png|left|350px|link=http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/wageningen-university.htm]]

[[Category:Public]]

• Newer edit →

Winona

Akvopedia-spade, akvouser, bureaucrat, emailconfirmed, staff, susana-working-group-1, susana-working-group-10, susana-working-group-11, susana-working-group-12, susana-working-group-2, susana-working-group-3, susana-working-group-4, susana-working-group-5, susana-working-group-6, susana-working-group-7, susana-working-group-8, susana-working-group-9, susana-working-group-susana-member, administrator, widget editor

30,949

edits