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Agro Experiment sites
Project I. A feasibility study on
the completely mechanized cultivation on small farm scale of
some specific annual crops, suitable for rain-fed arable
sandy-loam and loamysand soils of the Zanderij formation,
based on field research.
I.1 Background
 Production of the Surinamese livestock sector, including
beef and dairy cattle, pigs and poultry, for local
consumption, is highly dependent on imported and expensive
inputs, such as feed. Imported feed components are maize and
soybean concentrates. Those ingredients are milled and mixed
by livestock producers or in local feed factories.
I.2 Intermediate results aimed at by the project
- Time and cost data on the different cultivation practices
based on field research for soybean ( Glycine max), maize (
Zea mais) and cassava ( Manihot esculenta), grown on 3 to 4
½ ha.
- Net yield and profit data based on field research for the
different crops.
- An economic analysis of the costs and profits resulting
from the field research.
- A deduction of the economic analysis results to practices
on farm scale
- A summarising report
I.3 Project activities during the first two ½ years
 Experiments with genetic material of soybean (Sambaiba
originating from Embrapa), maize (S97TLYGH”AyB” originating
from Cimmyt, Mexico and collected material from variety
trials SA10Y and SA11Y from CIAT, Columbia) and cassava
(local sweet and bitter clones and varieties from
CIAT-CLAYUCA, Colombia) are being carried out at the
experimental field Phedra, a former oil palm plantation in
the Zanderij formation.
Incorporation of other crops, such as upland rice
and
leguminous soil covering
crops, in the cultivation cycle is
in preparation. Time and cost data for different mechanized
cultivation practices are being collected since 2003 for the
growing of soybean and maize at Phedra on min 3.5 and max 9
ha. Since June 2004 cassava has been included in the
rotation. Time and cost data for different mechanized
cultivation practices are being collected since 2003 for the
growing of soybean and maize at Phedra on min 3.5 and max 9
ha. Since june 2004 cassava has been included in the
rotation. Back to top
I.3 Results
Near to the experimental field, daily precipitation data are
gathered.  The soil of the experimental field is a
brownyellow loamy-sand to sandy-loam belonging to the
kaolinitic oxisols. The sand fraction consists of medium
sized quartz and the clay fraction of kaolinite. The clay
content increases with depth. The soil is characterized by a
low fertility, high acidity (pH 4.6), high aluminum
saturation and a low percentage of available P. Due to
characteristic differences in texture composition of the top
soil (sand, loamy-sand, sandy-loam) within short distances,
being expressed in plant performance, a detailed
experimental research set-up consisting of small plots is
regarded as not feasible. For soybean and maize, grown in
rotation, two growing seasons a year are aimed at since
2003. Because of the uneven distribution of the rainfall
over the year (average rainfall a year: 2200 mm), two crops
with a growing cycle of about
120 days each, can be grown a year.
 The first season takes
place during the small rainy and dry seasons, from December
until March; the second from April/May on, during the long
rainy season, with harvest at the end of August, the first
month of the long dry season. Due to the irregular spreading
of the rainfall, especially the early start of the long
rainy season from the beginning of April on, resulting in a
lack of time for tillage operations to repress the weeds
during the preparation of the seedbed, results could only be
obtained during two soybean (December ‘02 – March ‘03;
December ‘03 – March ‘04) and three maize seasons (May –
September ‘03; December ‘03 – March ‘04; January –April
‘05).
 The field
operations for soybean and maize are
mechanized, including
traditional tillage operations: disc harrowing for stubble
clearing; primary soil tillage with a 3-disc plough or a
2-element moldboard plough; seedbed preparation with a
rotary harrow; planting with band fertilizing of P2O5 with a
pneumatic precision seeding machine with mounted fertilizer
units; mechanical weed control between the rows with a
tractor mounted 5- element hoe; broadcasted fertilizing of N
and K2O with a centrifugal spreader; pre- and post-
emergence herbicide spraying
 and pesticide spraying with a
tractor
mounted sprayer; harvesting with a combine (cutting with
adaptable cutting bar for maize and soybean, thresshing and
winnowing).
Back to top
Time data for the use of machinery are collected
on row length and field scale. Yield data are collected on
field scale (mechanical harvest) and depending on the
research set-up also on plots (manual harvest). The soybean
and maize seeds are being dried to 12% humidity in a warm
air producing (gasoline burner)
 bin-drier at the research
center A study of conservation agriculture management in the
region is in progress. Tillage operations at the beginning
of the rainy season in combination with the slight slopes
that characterize our experimental field, result in erosion.
Early rains limit mechanical seedbed operations.
Possibilities and consequences of the introduction of
conservation agriculture practices in the project rotation
schedule have to be considered. Plant protection
measurements focus on the protection of maize against the
larvae of Spodoptera spp. Different pesticides are being
tested in the field experiment.
Because breeding of soybean and maize is not practiced in
Suriname, the project depends on regional trials including
germ plasma improved for tolerance to acidic soils with high
aluminium toxicity. Liming is considered to be too
expensive. The project is also depending on imports of
soybean inoculant from the region. Healthy and good
producing plants are selected in the experimental field and
are manually harvested for seed collection. Since June 2004
the cultivation of cassava on the experimental field of
Phedra is included in the rotation.
Planting of vegetative
 material of five locally collected sweet clones and a
mixture of bitter clones started in June until September
2004 on 3.5 ha. Ridges were prepared using a rotavator with
mounted ridging elements. Planting in the ridges took place
manually; the cuttings were placed inclined during the rainy
season and horizontally during the beginning of the dry
season. A pre-emergence herbicide was sprayed. During the
first six weeks after planting, intensive post-emergence
knapsack herbicide spraying was needed.
Plant protection
activities focus on the observed occurrence of white flies
and mites. Harvesting of the sweet cassava took place from
January until June 2005, depending on the maturity of the
clone. The bitter varieties are being harvested since June
2005. A potato digger has been tested and has been modified
to dig and lift the cassava root system out of the soil.
Separation of the roots from the root system and collection
of the roots to gather the yield data was carried out
manually. A report is in progress. Back
to top
 Project II: The description and preservation of different
cashew genotypes for vegetative reproduction and cultivation
purposes on low fertility soils as well as a description of
different cultivation practices based on field research.
II.1 Background
The bleached or white coarse savanna sands of the Surinamese
Zanderij formation are very poor and are not taken into
cultivation except for the cultivation of pineappl e (Ananas
comosus) on dry areas, without water logging. For the
indigenous communities of the Zanderij region, the rather
extensive cultivation of pineapple is of some economical
importance. Traditionally, those communities grow individual
cashew trees on these bleached soils. Cashew seems to be
able to grow well and to produce fruits under these rather
marginal and stressful environmental conditions, without
intensive cultivation practices. In the past some cashew
varieties were collected and observed on experimental farms
in the Zanderij belt and in the interior uplands. Recently,
more emphasis is given to the cultivation possibilities of
cashew as a plantation crop on the bleached savanna soils
and investments in processing cashew nuts are starting up.
For the local communities this development could mean a
secondary source of income.
 II.2 Intermediate results aimed at by the project
-A description of the growing characteristics and data on
yields of cashew types
collected in Suriname or recently introduced in Suriname and
grown on low fertility soils.
-A description and developed extension tools about different
cultivation practices based
on field experiments and experiences (reproduction,
fertilization, diagnoses and remedies
for pests and deseases, pruning, harvesting)
-Genetic material of different cashew types should be
available for (vegetative)
-reproduction purposes
II.3 Project activities and results during the first two
½ years
A collection consisting of different in Suriname gathered or
recently introduced cashew types is laid out in March 2003
and preserved at Powakka for description of the growing
characteristics and for vegetative reproduction
An
experiment with two promising Brazilian dwarf varieties
(FAGA 1 and FAGA 11) is laid out at three sites (1 ha each)
characterized with low soil fertility: on coarse white sands
of Powakka in the Zanderij formation since April 2003, on
coarse brown and white sands of Phedra in the Zanderij
formation since July 2003, in replaced topsoil over bauxite
mined soil at Coermotibo in the old coastal plain since
since June 2003 (rehabilitation area).
 The planting material
in both the collection and the FAGA experimental sites
consisted of seedlings grown in the nursery
at the research center. During the first year after planting
lost seedlings (by cutting ants and grasshoppers) have been
replaced, weeds were mechanically repressed by disc
harrowing and mineral fertilizers were administered (ad the
beginning of the two rainy seasons and once during the long
rainy season).
Since January 2004, vegetative  measurements
are carried out on a regular base: plant height, crown width
and basal diameter of the trunk. Special interest goes to
the observation of illnesses and plagues.
From the third
year after planting, measurements of nut production take
place: flowering intensity, number of nuts, nut weight,
shelling percentage. In planning stage are: an orientation
at cashew plantations in Brazil; experiments on plant
density, fertilizer amount and frequency in co-operation
with local communities and other interested growers;
training in vegetative reproduction; development of
extension and training tools. Back to
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