Soil Properties In Rubber Plantation And Economic Efficirncy In Thach Thanh District Thanh Hoa Province Vietnam

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND

TRAINING

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL

DEVELOPMENT

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY

--------------------

SENG RAVOR

SOIL PROPERTIES IN RUBBER PLANTATION AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY

IN THACH THANH DISTRICT, THANH HOA PROVINCE, VIETNAM

MASTER THESIS IN FOREST SCIENCE

Hanoi, 2018

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL

DEVELOPMENT

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY

--------------------

SENG RAVOR

SOIL PROPERTIES IN RUBBER PLANTATION AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY

IN THACH THANH DISTRICT, THANH HOA PROVINCE, VIETNAM

Major: Forest Science

Code: 8620201

MASTER THESIS IN FOREST SCIENCE

Signature: ……………………………...

Academic advisor: Dr PHI DANG SON

Hanoi, 2018

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Abstract

In Vietnam land use for rubber is in the south region; however in the north of

Vietnam still some areas are suitable for natural rubber farming. The soil is

recommended to all stakeholders who want to become rubber farm owner.

There are not many studies existed on the effect of rubber plantation on soil

properties and the sustainability of agricultural development in Vietnam. This study

aimed to evaluate the effects of rubber and turmeric land use on soil property from

0-105 cm depth and separated to two layers (topsoil from 0-30 cm and subsoil at 40-

105 cm). The results have shown that soil texture almost clay. Soil physical

property such as soil porosity was 63.43% highest in turmeric farm and the lowest

was 43.10% in the rubber plantation established in 1999. The percentages of soil

moisture at 0-30 cm depth was significance at p-value = 0.000 < 0.05 whereas, at

40-105 cm depth not-significant difference under rubber planted in 2007 at p-value

= 0.135 > 0.05. The soil density was significantly different at p-value = 0.010 at the

topsoil. Soil bulk density (g/cm3

) at topsoil such as the rubber plantation was

created in 1999, 2017, turmeric and rubber-turmeric there is no-significant

difference at p-value = 0.091. That all soils were acidic in land use types. Soil

chemical property such as nitrogen content has no significance different in land

used types especially, highest at 40-105 cm depth and the p-value was 0.911. In the

rubber and turmeric farms the phosphorous content there were significance different

particularly, at subsoil in rubber-turmeric (p-value = 0.000) and the carbon content

in topsoil with the highest content in rubber-turmeric was 3.453 mg/100g and

lowest in turmeric farm was 2.356 mg/100g of soils while, the carbon content from

40-105 cm were lower significant difference existed in rubber and turmeric farms

was (p-value = 0.007). This suggests that fertilizers including chemical and organic

to make crop root systems better to uptake nutrients from soil depths easily.

To explain the prices of rubber, turmeric and sugarcane, data obtain from surveys

were conducted in Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam that rubber was started from last 2

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decades. The price of natural rubber always fluctuation in lower, almost rubber

growers have suggested, led to wish to change the crops and major problems.

Agricultural diversifications have done recommend to all rubber growers during

rubber still young age due to enough spaces to practices. The price of rubber in

2018 in Thach Thanh and Cam Thuy districts, Thanh Hoa province was 25,000

VND per kg, turmeric was 6,000 NVD per kg and sugarcane was 900 to 1,000 VND

per kg.

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Table of Content

Abstract ................................................................................................................................... i

List of figure .......................................................................................................................... v

List of table ........................................................................................................................... vi

Abbreviation ........................................................................................................................ vii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION........................................................................................... 1

1.2.1 Goal ....................................................................................................................... 2

1.2.2 Specific objectives .............................................................................................. 2

1.2.3 Research questions ................................................................................................ 3

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................. 4

2.1 General overview rubber plantation in the world and in Vietnam .............................. 4

2.1.1 Rubber plantation history in the world ................................................................. 4

2.1.2 Rubber plantation in Vietnam ............................................................................... 6

2.1.3 Biological characteristics of rubber ...................................................................... 7

2.1.4 Natural condition requirements of rubber ............................................................. 9

2.2 Soil quality indicators ................................................................................................ 10

2.2.1 Soil texture .......................................................................................................... 10

2.2.2 Soil bulk density ................................................................................................. 10

2.2.3 Soil density ......................................................................................................... 11

2.2.4 Soil porosity ........................................................................................................ 11

2.2.5 pH of the soil ....................................................................................................... 12

2.2.6 Soil moisture ....................................................................................................... 13

2.2.7 Nitrogen .............................................................................................................. 13

2.2.8 Phosphorus .......................................................................................................... 13

2.2.9 Carbon ................................................................................................................. 14

2.3 Natural rubber-intercropping ..................................................................................... 14

2.3.1 Challenges of intercropping in a rubber plantation ............................................ 16

2.3.2 Benefits of intercropping in a rubber plantation ................................................. 16

2.4 Economic ................................................................................................................... 17

2.4.1 Marketing management ...................................................................................... 17

2.4.2 Labour management ........................................................................................... 17

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................... 19

3.1 Brief of Thach Quang Farm ....................................................................................... 19

3.1.1 Geographic of the location .................................................................................. 19

3.1.2 Topography ......................................................................................................... 20

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3.1.3 The climate ......................................................................................................... 20

3.1.4 The Soil ............................................................................................................... 21

3.1.5 The Vegetation .................................................................................................... 21

3.1.6 The Economic ..................................................................................................... 21

3.1.7 The land use in Thach Quang Farm .................................................................... 22

3.1.8 Labour and employment ..................................................................................... 23

3.2 Data collection ........................................................................................................... 25

3.3 Data analysis .............................................................................................................. 26

3.3.1 Laboratory processing ......................................................................................... 26

CHAPTER IV: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................ 28

4.1 SOIL PHYSICAL PROPERTY................................................................................. 28

4.1.1 Soil texture .......................................................................................................... 28

4.1.2 Soil porosity ........................................................................................................ 31

4.1.3 Soil moisture content .......................................................................................... 32

4.1.6 Dynamic of soil pH level .................................................................................... 37

4.2 SOIL CHEMICAL PROPERTY ............................................................................... 39

4.2.1 Total content of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon ............................................. 39

4.3 ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF RUBBER, SUGARCANE AND TUMERIC

CROPS ............................................................................................................................. 41

4.3.1 Evaluation of household‟s economic efficiency of rubber owners ..................... 41

4.3.2 Relationship between income and socio-economic growers and agronomic

characteristics of rubber ............................................................................................... 42

4.3.3 The opinions of farmers on the rubber, sugarcane and turmeric crops ............... 44

4.4 Recommendation ....................................................................................................... 45

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ........................................................................................... 46

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................................... 48

REFERENCES .................................................................................................................... 49

APPENDIX .......................................................................................................................... 53

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List of figure

Figure 2.1 Map of rubber plantation areas in the world…………………………………… 6

Figure 2.3 Possible pH ranges under the natural soil…………………………………….. 12

Figure 3.1 Map of study area…………………………………………………………….. . 19

Figure 3.2 Plot design…………………………….……………….……………………… 25

Figure 4.1 Particle size compositions of soil texture in rubber and turmeric land use types

at topsoil …………………………………… ...................................................................... 29

Figure 4.2 Particle size compositions of soil texture in rubber and turmeric land use types

at subsoil …………………………………… ..................................................................... 30

Figure 4.3 Soil porosity in rubber and turmeric land use types at topsoil ………….….….31

Figure 4.4 Soil moisture in rubber and turmeric land use types at topsoil …………..…....33

Figure 4.5 Soil moisture in rubber and turmeric land use types at subsoil……....…33

Figure 4.6 Soil density in rubber and other plantation at topsoil……………………….....34

Figure 4.7 Soil bulk density in rubber and other plantation at topsoil………………….....36

Figure 4.8 Soil pH (H2O) unit in rubber and turmeric land use types at topsoil…...37

Figure 4.9 Soil pH (H2O) unit in rubber and turmeric land use types at subsoil……….....37

Figure 4.10 Soil pH (KCl) unit in rubber and turmeric land use at topsoil ….…………....38

Figure 4.11 Soil pH (KCl) unit in rubber and turmeric land use at topsoil ….…………....38

Figure 4.12 Evaluation of household‟s economic efficiency of rubber, sugarcane and

turmeric owners………………………………………………………………………........42

Figure 4.13 Opinions of farmers on the rubber, sugarcane and turmeric crops ………......44