Management of tropical acid upland soil for sustainable food crop production in Southern Thailand
1999
Chairatna Nilnond | Sumalee Suthipradit | Likit Nualsri | Edwards, D.G. | Myers, R.J.K. | Grundon, N.J. (Prince of Songkla Univ., Songkhla (Thailand). Faculty of Natural Resources. Dept. of Earth Science)
Simple technology for growing of opportunity food crops between young rubber trees on acid, low fertile soil in southern Thailand is needed for smallholder rubber producers. A field trial was conducted in southern Thailand to develop and evaluate input technologies which could be employed for an opportunistic food crop production system on a Typic Paleudults under rainfed conditions. The trial compared 10 different input technologies for intercropping a rotation of groundnut, upland rice, supersweet corn and mungbean between young rubber trees for a period of four years prior to canopy closure. Results indicated that the highest yields of all crops were obtained in the high input technology which included application of lime and inorganic fertilizers containing N, P, K and Mg sufficient to meet crop requirements. The low input technology which applied minimal rates of N, P, K, Ca and Mg resulted in a lower yield, but was economically sound. Green manure (slashed Mucuna, which had received 500 kg/ha rock phosphate once at sowing) did not sustain yields of rice and supersweet corn. Technologies which did not receive any inorganic fertilizer, viz. farmers' practice and organic residue, resulted in comparatively low yields of groundnut and rice and on extremely low yield of maize. The other constraint to crop yields under rainfed conditions apart from plant nutrients was the soil moisture regime. Plant tissue and soil analyses identified deficiencies of one or more of N, P, Ca and Mg as a soil fertility limitation to yield of all crops. Economical effects of inorganic fertilizer on individual rotation crops were also presented.
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