Technology Series # 5

Fruit crops such as banana, jackfruit, citrus, chico, b) Always rotate your non-permanent crops. A good
coffee, papaya, mulberry. cashew and mango can way of rotating is to plant grains (rice, corn, etc.)
also be combined with some hedgerows. and tubers (camote, gabi, etc.) in strips where
legumes (beans, peanuts, etc.) were planted
previously and vice versa. This practice will CONTOUR
b) Nitrogen-fixing trees or shrub legumes are pruned
HEDGEROW
maintain the fertility and good structure of your
periodically to a cutting height of about 0.5 m soil. Other management practices in crop
every 45 to 60 days to minimize shading. production like insect and pest control, and
Trimmings are spread as mulch to the strip or
alleyway to sustain crop production.
weeding should be done regularly.
Other soil conservation measures could be
SYSTEM
practiced in strips such as contour tillage,
mulching, cover cropping, crop residue
incorporation and others which could further
reduce soil erosion.

Some recommended perennial plants as hedgerows:

pineapple, citrus and kakawate (gliricidia)

Step 4. Cultivate the strips

a) The space between the hedgerows is called strips Environmental and Productivity Management
or alley. These strips could be planted with short of Marginal Soils in the Philippines
term as well as medium-term crops that could Bureau of Soils and Water Management (EPMMA)
Soil Conservation and Management Division
provide you with food and regular income.
Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City
Suggested crops are melons, corn, rice, peanut, A Technical Cooperation Project
Tel. No. 923-0459; 920-4382; 923-0454
etc.. To avoid shading which will result in a poor Fax No. 920-4318 between the Bureau of Soils and Water
harvest, separate plant short plants from taller Management and the Japan
E-mail: [email protected]
International Cooperation Agency
plants.
 What is Contour Hedgerow System? e) Try to locate as many contour lines as possible.
The contour lines can be spaced from 4 to 6
This system is the planting of hedgerows with meters apart when the hill slopes steeply. For a
leguminous tree and other plant species along the more gradual slopes, the contour lines can be 7 to
contour of sloping lands to provide vegetative barriers 10 meters apart.
to soil erosion while contributing green manure to cash f) After you have marked the contour lines, prepare
crops grown in the alley-strips. Along the edges usually them by plowing and harrowing until it is ready for
used are Leucaena (Ipil-ipil) and Gliricidia (Kakawate). planting. The width of each should be one meter.
These vegetative barriers reduce the length of slope of In plowing, follow the stick markers.
the land, thus reducing run-off velocity. Contouring using
the A-Frame, as the
first step for soil
conservation

Step 2. Locate the contour lines

a) Remove all obstructions like tall grasses for easy

Contour hedgerows of kakawate (Gliricidia) and pineapple movement then mark the lines. Two people must Finding contour lines using the A-Frame
work together for faster and easier job. One will
hold the A-frame, the other marks the located Step 3. Plant permanent crops along the contour
Establishing Contour Hedgerow System contour lines with sticks. line as hedgerows

Step 1. Make an A-Frame b) Start from the uppermost side of the hill. Let the A a) On each contour line, make two furrows at a
-Frame stand on the ground. Lift the front leg distance of one half meter. It is in these furrows
a) The first instrument you need is an A-Frame. This without moving the rear leg and mark the spot that the perennial plants or permanent crops will
is a simple but effective instrument in establishing aligned along the rear leg. be planted.
contour lines.
c) The two legs of the A-Frame are on the same level Fast growing nitrogen-fixing trees or shrub
b) You need three strong wooden or bamboo poles (2 when the air space in the level stops in the middle. legumes are commonly used as hedgerows. They
of them should be about 4 feet long) and an This means you have found the contour line which serve as windbreaks to alley crops during strong
ordinary carpenter’s level and string. is a level line between the two legs of the A- weather and possible shade to crops. Some of
c) Tie the upper and the longer poles together. The Frame. Mark the spot of the contour line where the these are ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala) and
lower ends or legs must be about 3 feet apart to rear leg stand. kakawate (Gliricidia sepium).
form a perfect angle. Brace it horizontally with the d) Move the A-Frame forward by placing the rear leg Forage grasses such as napier, king grass,
shorter pole to keep them apart and tie them on the spot where the front leg stood before. vetiver, and sugarcane can also be used as
securely. Tie the level on top of the horizontal pole. Adjust the front leg again, until it levels with the hedgerows. These provide continuous supply of
d) Use the A-Frame to find the contour lines of the rear leg. Use a stick for every 5 meters of he fodder for farm animals. The grasses can be
land. Erosion can be prevented by plowing and identified contour lines for easy marking. Follow mixed with the legume shrubs and other plants in
planting along contour lines levelled from one end the same procedure until the contoured area is the hedgerow strips.
of the field to the other. covered.