SITE

CHARACTERIZATION
BETHEL GRACE PACA TABAN
Instructor I
Department of Agronomy and Plant breeding
College of Agriculture
Central Mindanao University

B.S. Agriculture (Crop Science-Plant Breeding)

betelgracetaban@cmu.edu.ph

M.S Plant Breeding – Crop Physiology (Cadidate)

University of the Philippines Los Baños
AGRIPINA RANA ARADILLA
Professor V
Department of Agronomy and Plant breeding
College of Agriculture
Central Mindanao University

Ph.D Agronomy
MS. Agronomy
Central Mindanao University

B.S.Agriculture
Bohol Island State University
 Definition of Terms
• Crop adaptation – ability of a crop to adapt
or fit into a given environment

Areas Crops
Drought- areas a. cashew, kaong, forage crops
Poor and stony soils b. ginger, black pepper, lanzones, vanilla

Partial shade c. sorghum, pineapple, pigeon peas, cowpea,

mungbean
Coastal areas d. rice, taro, water chestnut
Submerged condition e. coconut, tamarind, talisay
 Definition of Terms
• Crop requirements – desirable levels of factors needed by a crop to
adapt to a certain environment
• Farm plan – blueprint on how a farm is to be developed given
the objectives, resources and environment
 Definition of Terms

• Feasibility study – study on how a pre-determined crop

production enterprise will perform given as assessment of
the available resources and prevailing environment.
• Land capacity – a measure of the ability of a piece of land and
its resources to sustain a given crop production enterprise
• Location – the actual geographic position of an agricultural
site
 Definition of Terms
• Site – localized area and micro-environment of an
agricultural site
• Site evaluation – the process of assessing the site
resources and environment for developing a crop
enterprise
• Site suitability – a site ability on its resources and
environment to sustain a given crop production
enterprise
 Definition of Terms

• Biological factors – living things

– Cropping pattern

– Production practices (upgrade)

– Pest and disease problem (PRV- Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Bicol)

 Definition of Terms

• Physical factors – physical elements

– Depth of soil surface
• Annuals? (greater depths? shallower depths)
• Perennials? (greater depths? shallower depths)
– Drainage- sensitivity to waterlogging
– Soil fertility status- (SOIL ANALYSIS)
• Texture- %clay, silt, sand
• pH- ideal range is 5 to 8.5
– 4.3-5 (rubber, pineapple, cassava an sweet potato)
• Mineral and nutrient composition
• OM content (1% to 5%)
 Definition of Terms

• Socio economic factors – factors pertaining to people and resources

– Labor supply situation and skills
– Accessibility of farm to transportation
– Nearness to population centers as markets
– Market situation and preferences (Supply and Demand)
 Definition of Terms

• Climatic factors – climatic elements

– Amount if rainfall (annual and monthly pattern- Agroclimatic station of PAG-ASA)
– Frequency of typhoon passing by (Leyte?)
– Wind velocity and direction
 Definition of Terms

• Off farm factors – any factor external of the farm boundaries

• On farm factors – any farm factors within the farm boundaries
• Non farm factors – factors not related to farming
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
What is the purpose of site characterization?

➢initial step prior to actual production

➢constitute a planning phase or the

conduct of a feasibility study

➢decide on the location and crop

enterprises that will be set up.
Site Selection for Crop Production

❑ Know the crop to be planted

❑Know the site or location characteristics to be
planted to crop/s
❑Cropping purpose and intensity
Tools & Methods for Site Characterization &
Farm Planning
1. Set objectives
❑ Identify factors that influence the successful crop
production
❑ Assess the site suitability or crop suitability
❑ Analyze the possible site-crop enterprise relationship
❑ Formulate the farm plan – steps, measures, requirements
to implement the plan
❑ Sketch the farm to show present and future scenarios
Tools & Methods for Site Characterization
& Farm Planning
2. Characterize the bio-physical environment
▪ Soil - soil sampling and soil analysis
▪ Climate – gathering of secondary data from agro-meteorological
station
▪ Vegetation – actual observation and identification of existing plant
species
▪ Land features – measurement of slope/elevation
▪ Actual survey and mapping
Tools & Methods for Site Characterization &
Farm Planning

3. Characterize the socio economic environment

▪ Actual observation and gathering of information –
current market price of inputs and outputs
▪ Interview of farmers and their households – about
farming system
▪ Interview of key informants(community
leaders/elders) about community history/culture
and political situation
 Site Characterization as Input

1. Results of site characterization – as input for site evaluation

2. Relationship among factors – analyzed, evaluated and rated
the site’s suitability to the identified crop or the chosen crop’s
suitability to the given site
 Site Characterization as Input

3. Tools for site evaluation

▪ Crop-environment matching
▪ Determination of the land’s capacity based on certain
factors and their combinations relative to a pre-
determined scale of land capabilities
▪ Identification of critical factors and their possible
influences on the proposed enterprise
 Site Characterization as Input
4. Farm plan is prepared & the components are:
▪A map showing the land allocation for
the chosen crop/s
▪Recommended planting scheme and
cropping pattern
▪Timetable/schedule of activities
▪Budget scheme for input requirements
▪Forecast possible critical factors/
problems
 What are the factors to consider in site
characterization/evaluation?

1. Physical factors (soil)

2. Biological factors
3. Climate (rainfall, frequency of typhoons, wind velocity &
direction)
4. Economic factors
5. Socio-cultural factors
 SITE CHARACTERIZATION

➢ Therefore, there is a need to evaluate the physical, biological and

socio-economic conditions existing in the area
➢ the options that are available in terms of crop species and the
technological inputs that will be required in growing the crops
What is a farm environment?

➢It consists of the natural, biophysical, social,

economic and political environment.

➢Farming systems is equated to the environment and

the type of farming systems to be adopted in a
farm and is determined by several factors that
influence it.
➢Site characteristics and qualities of the area play an important
consideration in crop production and management.
➢Site characteristics
✓ topography slope
✓ effective soil depth soil texture
✓ available moisture drainage
✓ H2O holding capacity flooding hazard
✓ natural soil fertility (pH, organic matter, available P, exchangeable
K, cation exchange capacity, etc.)
➢ideal soil for upland crops
✓ deep rooting zone
✓ easily penetrable by air, water and roots
✓ good water holding capacity but drains
excess water freely
✓ balance supply of nutrients that cannot be
easily washed away during rains
Paddy rice- prefers level, deep, fertile and poorly drained
soils that can be flooded while the crop is growing.
 Effects of Soil Characteristics for
Crop Production

▪ Slope – the ratio of the vertical distance over the horizontal distance
both of the same linear unit multiplied by 100%.

- It influences retention and movement of water, movement of soil

materials, soil depth and rate and amount of run-off.
 Effects of Soil Characteristics for Crop Production

▪ Soil Texture – the relative proportion of clay, silt and sand. Soil
structure depends on the kind and amount of clay in the soil.
➢Clay works with organic matter to hold water and nutrients, binds
soil particles together; holds more water and nutrients than sandy
soils; has higher cation exchange capacity than sandy soils
 Effects of Soil Characteristics for Crop Production

➢Medium textured soils like loam and silt loam are best soils for
diversified upland crops.
➢Paddy rice prefers poorly drained clayey soils
❑Soil Depth – Effective soil depth refers to the thickness of the soil to
layers coarser than loamy fine sand, sand, gravels, stones, rocks or any
impermeable layer or to depth to water table.
 Effects of Soil Characteristics for Crop
Production

➢Depth of surface soil:

❑Annual crops – relatively shallow depths are all right

❑Perennial crops – greater depths should be advantageous

Effects of Soil Characteristics for Crop Production

➢The thicker the effective soil depth, the more the volume
of soil that can be extracted of plant nutrient and water
➢Deeper soils are more productive than shallow soils.
➢Crops can endure a longer drought when they thrive on
soils having a higher water holding capacity.
 Effects of Soil Characteristics for Crop
Production

▪ Soil Drainage - the removal of water from the soil through

surface run-off and by flow through the soil to
underground spaces

➢Well-drained soil promote favorable conditions for plant

growth and microbial activity.
Effects of Soil Characteristics for Crop Production

Soil Drainage
➢Drainage is important for crops that are sensitive to
waterlogging

Why is drainage necessary?

Remove excess water in the field during wet season and to avoid waterlogging at
the root zone of plants especially in flat underdrained areas.
e.g. papaya, rambutan, durian, avocado (highly sensitive plants)
Soil-borne diseases- Phytopthora in durian
 Factors affecting soil drainage:
o slope
o permeability
o vegetation
o land use
o amount of rainfall
Effects of Soil Characteristics for Crop
Production

▪ Available Water & Water holding Capacity

Why water is needed?

• Water is required to bring a crop to complete its growth and
cycle, from germination to full maturity.

• 1 kg. of rice= 5,000 liters of water

• 1 kg. of corn= 1,400 liters of water
 Available Water & Water holding
Capacity

➢Available water - the water content of a soil held between field

capacity and permanent wilting point expressed in percent
Effects of Soil Characteristics for Crop Production

➢Field capacity represents the maximum amount of water a soil can

hold against normal drainage
- capillary water has drained out by gravity after rain.
➢Permanent wilting point is the moisture of soil water when the plants
start to wilt
 Effects of Soil Characteristics for Crop
Production

➢ Soil with poor drainage have limited agricultural use

because of wetness.

➢Poorly drained soils - not suitable for upland crops

unless adequately drained; best for paddy rice
 Effects of Soil Characteristics for Crop Production

➢Medium textured soils hold the most water in available

form
➢Coarse textured soil hold little water because of their low
water content at field capacity
➢Fine clayey soils supply limited available water because
they return large amount of water at permanent wilting
point
Effects of Soil Characteristics for Crop Production

▪ Soil Erosion
➢Factors affecting degree and amount of soil erosion:
✓ steepness and length of slope
✓ climate
✓ kind of soil
✓ nature of land use
✓ vegetative cover,
✓ cultural and soil management practices
 Effects of Soil Characteristics for Crop Production

Surface erosion occurs when the amount of rainfall exceed to that of the
infiltration capacity of the soils.

Soils with larger & steeper slopes are more susceptive to severe soil erosion
than soils with lower shorter slopes & all other factors are equal
Effects of Soil Characteristics for Crop Production

➢Soil erosion is more severe on areas with more frequent and more intense
alternate wet and dry periods than areas with uniform rainfall throughout
the year
 Effects of Soil Characteristics ….

➢ Sandy soilsare more susceptible to erosion than clayey soils due to

detachment and lack of binding materials; low amounts of nutrients;
low water holding capacity; high drainage
➢ Plowing and tilling across the slopes tend to hasten soil erosion to a
great degree
 Effects of Soil Characteristics…

▪ Flooding Hazard
➢ Flooding occurs on areas occupying low physiographic positions along
rivers and streams, low alluvial terraces of the coastal landscape

➢ Prolonged deep flooding prevents root respiration due to absence of

oxygen and deprives the plants of the essential soil nutrients
Effects of Soil Characteristics ….

▪ Inherent Soil Fertility

➢Soil fertility - the status of the soil in terms of its ability to
provide the plants adequate amount of nutrients in balance
proportion and on readily available form necessary for normal
plant growth
 Inherent soil fertility

1. Soil pH
✓affects plant growth on its nutritional
needs
✓ influences the rate of plant nutrient
released by weathering
✓ affects solubility of all materials
✓ influence the amount of nutrient ions
kept on the CEC sites
• What is CEC?
– Cations- positively charged ions
– Total exchange capacity/ base exchange capacity.
– It refers to the total number of cations that a soil can hold and
exchange.
– It is a rough indicator of the fertility of the soils.
2. Organic matter content affects soils fertility in terms of CEC and
nutrient supply.

➢ The higher the organic matter content, the higher is the CEC supply
of available N, P and S.
➢ Organic matter – indicator for nitrogen fertility (greater than 2%)
 Inherent soil fertility …

3. Available P
✓ second most deficient nutrient in
most soils
✓ derived from mineralization of
organic matter
✓ P availability is related to soil pH

✓ pH 6.5 – 7.5 = best for P availability

Inherent soil fertility …
4.Exchangeable K
✓ essentially needed in large amount by plants
which comes mostly from mineral solids

✓ most available at pH 6–7.5

✓ in leached soils, available K declines

 Inherent soil fertility…

5. Percentage base saturation – refers to the percentage of CEC

occupied by basic cations such as Ca, Mg, K and Na measured at
pH 7 or 8. Cations like H and Al are excluded because they are
acid produced.
H- has the highest attraction affinities
Decaying OM- H ions, peat soils (highly acidic)
* Dolongan,Samar; Tinambulan, South Cotabato; Liguasan Marsh (fertile soils but highly acidic)
 Biotic Factors

A. Cropping patterns - temporal and spatial arrangement of crops in

the field based on:
✓ type of climate and soil
✓ availability of farm inputs
✓ technical know how of the farmer
❑ Cannot deviate much unless the community as a whole, changes the
pattern
❑ Risk from pest damage are greater if planting is not synchronized
Biotic Factors
B. Varietal selection – The variety of crops to be planted in the
far depends on:
✓ adaptability
✓preference or purpose for planting
✓ resistance to pests and disease
✓ maturity indices
✓ high yielding
✓ eating quality
➢ yields of best farms in the area must be obtained and used for upgrading
 Biotic factors…
C. Insects & diseases – prevalence of insects & disease
must be considered
How?
➢planting synchronously is favorable
➢plant resistant varieties

❑Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and nearby provinces should not

be planted with papaya due to prevalence of ringspot
virus
D. Weeds – How to control weeds?

✓ thorough land preparation before

planting
✓maximum utilization of the land to prevent growth of
weeds (increase plant density)
✓various weed management practices
 Biotic Factors…
E. Animals
✓ Astray animals in the farm affect production
✓ draft animals are beneficial to farmers
✓ There must be compatibility of the animal component to the
crop components.
 Physical Component (Soil)

1. Geography
▪ location of the farm affects production
▪ farms near big municipalities/cities produce a variety of
crops in a small area (diversified)
▪ upland farms at a disadvantage due to lack of accessibility
to roads and markets
 Physical Component (soil)…

2) Topography and elevation – The terrain or contour of the

land affects cropping patterns.
➢Lowlands are utilized for producing most likely annuals
(cereals, etc)
➢Uplands with high altitudes, vegetables are raised
 Physical Component (soil)…
3) Land Use Pattern
❑ - depends on the rainfall pattern of
the area
❑- dependent on cropping patterns
used such:
▪ after one cropping, it is followed by a short fallow
before another cropping starts
▪ farm is fallowed before another cropping starts
 Rainfall is the most important climatic element in the
Philippines. Rainfall distribution throughout the
country varies from one region to another, depending
upon the direction of the moisture-bearing winds and
the location of the mountain systems.
The mean annual rainfall of the Philippines varies
from 965 to 4,064 millimeters annually. Baguio City,
eastern Samar, and eastern Surigao receive the
greatest amount of rainfall while the southern portion
of Cotabato receives the least amount of rain. At
General Santos City in Cotabato, the average annual
rainfall is only 978 millimeters.
 Physical Component (Climate)

1. Rainfall Pattern
▪ Upland farms (rainfed) - planting crops should be in timing with good
rain
▪ planting calendar based on rainfall pattern be adopted to fully utilize
photosynthesis
▪ climate also influences cropping patterns as this depends on the rainfall
intensity and distribution as it affects soil workability, crop growth and
development, and maturity
 Physical Component (Climate)…

2.Temperature
▪ Plants have specific temperature requirements to grow vigorously at
different stages of growth.
▪ In the choice of crops, the growing season has to be considered as
influenced by latitude, altitude and slope of the place.
▪ Low light temp – best for fruit development
▪ Low temp months – favors planting of cool season crops
 Physical Component (Climate)…

3. Typhoon/DroughtOccurrence
❑typhoon belts areas - crops to be planted:
▪creeping species (sweet potato, etc) and annuals
▪drought tolerant crops
▪Usual time of occurrence, not synchronized with crop’s critical growth
 Physical Component (Climate)
4. Wind Velocity
▪ Still air - beneficial to crops as this aids pollination process
▪ Wind cause soil erosion, planting wind
breaks are necessary
▪ Wind velocity greater than 30km, not synchronized with usual
flowering/
pollination
 Physical Component (Climate)

Solar radiation
❑Light intensity, duration and quality affects dry matter
accumulation (photosynthesis).

❑Plants have higher dry matter accumulation

under optimum sunlight.
 Economic Components
1. Off-farm income sources

Farm management involves:

✓ capital (not enough to finance the
farm)
✓ off-farm income to augment finances
 Economic Components

2. Labor
market –
Peak months - labor is expensive, demand higher price
Farm operations be done on staggered basis such that
labor is available at off-seasons
 Economic Components

3. Market & Credit

In deciding what to raise in the farm, consider the following:
✓ demand (quantity and quality) of the products
✓ price based on customer preference
✓ market outlets
✓ ROI
 Economic Components

3. Market & Credit …

Supply and demand
✓ situations should be known so that operations can be adjusted for
✓ harvesting to coincide with the slack periods of supply when prices
are high
✓ farmer to develop storage and selling strategies to avoid risk
 Economic Components

3. Market & Credit …

➢ Credits - supplied by banks, etc. or middlemen
✓ help farmers a lot but this may also tie down their produce
to lower prices
✓ capital for inputs and services are readily available
Economic Components

4. Transport facilities
❑Necessary for marketing of farm products as well as transport of
supplies and inputs.
❑Insufficient transport facilities in the farm results to slow turnover of
outputs to cash, and may even result to wastage of produce.
 Economic Components
5. Channels of market information
▪ Media and technicians inform farmers of the recent product demand
and prices of commodities in the market.

▪ Farmers has to raise goods of preference to consumers that command

high prices.
 Economic Components

6. Landholding, inheritance pattern and land tenure status

▪ Land resources and farm distribution affect crops grown and
the farming system used.
▪ Landowners - can plant on extensive scale
▪ others - small scale based on farm sizes
 Landholding…

➢Land tenure status influences production as there are

agreements and disagreements between landlord and
tenants.

➢ With fragmented holding, fields may be of different soil

types due to complex management practices
 Socio-Cultural Components

1) Organization and Leadership

▪ Formal and non-formal leaders help members in
understanding the current pattern of resource distribution
▪ leaders mobilize the members to form cooperatives and avail
of and have access to support and technical assistance
 Socio-Cultural Components…

2) Ethnicity and idiosyncrasies

▪ Values, outcomes and traditions are inherent to all people and
this affects farming system.

▪ Farmers raise crops as handed down traditions (Mt. Province,

people raised vegetables; Cebu, people raise and eat corn)
 Socio-Cultural Components …

3) Aspirations and attitudes

Aspirations help farmers to strive more for certain definite purpose
– child’s education or alleviate income.
Farmers’ attitude also limit production; diversity the farms to have
continuous cash flow, much food, wider host range of pests and
diseases and as crop insurance.
 Socio-cultural Components

4) Intellectual and technical perspective

▪ Those who engaged in farming are the middle age group and are of
low educational attainment.

▪ They lack technical know how but with wider farming experiences.
 Socio-Cultural Components …

5) Tradition, customs and beliefs

▪ Whatever traditions, customs and beliefs of the people influence the
type of crops or animals raised.

▪ They have to follow on what they “believe” in terms of farming.

After characterization of the site, the following activities are
done:

▪ Lay-out/design of the farm

▪ Determine the farm components to be established

▪ Resources needed to include labor, capital and inputs

 Bio-physical Features of Land
and Crop Adaptation
▪ Crops have acquired their mechanisms to
specific factors of climate, soil and biotic factors
through natural evolution and man’s
intervention.

▪ Crops with special adaptation should match a

given bio-physical situation.
1. Submerged conditions during most of the crop’s life cycle
e.g. rice, taro water chestnut (apulid) and Sesbania rostrata
for green manuring.
• Most crops are sensitive to water logging
• Jute and sorghum can tolerate periodic waterlogged
conditions
• Corn can not tolerate waterlogging and sensitive to even
short period (36 hrs) of waterlogging
• Rambutan, papaya and durian are very sensitive to under-
drainage or water-logged conditions
• Mango can tolerate waterlogging for a certain period of
time
• Sorjan – a system of raising upland crops (vegetables &
peanuts) in raised beds along side submerged lowland rice
Sorjan farming system
2. Humid condition and where rainfall is more uniformly
distributed - suitable to all perennial crops such as
mangosteen (Mindanao) and abaca (Mindanao, Easter
Visayas and Bicol peninsula). Mango produce quality and
tasty fruits in areas where there is a dry spell.
3. Cool climate or mild climate
Highlands of Mt. province, Mt Kanlaon (Negros Island)
and in Bukidnon-Lanao plateau are suitable for vegetable
species like white potato, cabbage, peas, carrots, head
lettuce, asparagus, etc. The suitable fruit species are
litchi (lychee), longgan, ponkan mandarin orange,
strawberry, grape and macademia nut.
4. Coastal areas
▪ Suited for coconut, cashew, tamarind and talisay (Terminalia
catappa) which is a source of dye for clothing materials

▪ nipa palm (Nympha fruticans) can thrive well in saline

conditions

▪ limit of elevation for coconut is 600m above sea level

5. Partial shade
▪ good for ginger, black pepper, vanilla, lanzones, rambutan,
mangosteen, cacao, coffee, banana, arrowroot, pachouli

▪ other crops can be grown under coconut trees, ipil-ipil and

madre de cacao (G. sepium)
6. Low pH 4.3 – 5.0
▪ Bukidnon is suitable for rubber, pineapple, cassava, sweet
potato and Stylosanthes humilis, a forage legumes that
nodulates at pH 4.0-4.5.
▪ Acid tolerant crop varieties of corn have been developed by
CIMMYT,IPB-UPLB and CMU; mungbean, peanut and cowpea in
IPB-UPLB and rice in IRRI and CIAT-Colombia.
7.Light-textured soils - good for rootcrops, asparagus, legumes and
corn
8.Poor and stony soils - good for cashew and forage legumes.
Kaong or sugar palm “Areca pinnata” can also be grown in these
areas.
9.Drought-prone areas - suited for sorghum, cashew, pineapple,
sweet potato, pigeon pea,cowpea, mungbean, and napier
10.Photoperiod or daylength

▪ Soybeans, winged beans, kenaf, coffee, pineapple, chrysanthemum

and some rice varieties are photoperiod sensitive responsive and
flowers when daylength has become shorter than 12 hours.
▪ Bulb formation is hastened by longer days.
▪ Yams (ubi) - long days favor vine development and short days hasten
tuberization
 Crops that have become dominant
in certain areas

• La Union and Pangasinan - tobacco, garlic

• Quirino Prov, CagayanValley & Siquijor - peanut
• Negros Tarlac-Pampanga and Batangas – sugarcane
• Guimaras Island, Cebu & Central Luzon – mango
 Crops that have become dominant
in certain areas

• Albay, Camarines Sur, Bicol – Pili Nut

• Cavite, Laguna, Bukidnon, General Santos - pineapple
• Bicol, Leyte, Mindanao (started planting in late 1800s and
early 1900s, but failed) – abaca
• Davao & Bukidnon – export bananas
• Cagayan Valley & Mindanao - corn
TIPS ON PASSING THE BOARD EXAM ☺
• CHOOSE THE BEST REVIEW CENTER
• Pile up Stock Knowledge - LEA is not a quiz bee thing where the most intelligent
individuals are most likely to prevail. This is a marathon contest and the one blessed
with immense PATIENCE and GOOD STUDY HABITS are favored.
• Do not rely on luck !!!
• Have Faith !! Accompany prayers with hard work. God helps those who help
themselves!! PRAYER IS VERY POWERFUL
• Motivate Yourself - TELL YOURSELF that you are going to PASS the board EXAM
(MIGHT and CAPABILITIES)
TIPS ON PASSING THE BOARD EXAM ☺
• Do Not Pressure Yourself With the Expectations of Other
People – this is YOUR FIGHT not THEIRS!! Give your best shot
and work HARD!
• Know the Trend
• Unwind Once in a While/ Rest, Eat Well and Exercise - Burned
out?? You’re NOT a MACHINE or ROBOT!! Regain your lost
energy ☺