InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – It is important to make terrace namely in the hilly areas within certain tilt. It should be done so that the planting, nursery, and fertilization process could be easier.

If the planting is irregularly done in the hilly areas, there would be problems to face namely when the palm oil trees are about 7 years old.

Director of PT Global Mapindo, Eddie Purwanto said, the regular planting is the key when the trees are mature. The harvesting, the nursery, and the fertilizations would be easy to do.

So it needs right calculation to make the terrace within certain tilt. For example, in the 5 degree-tilt area, the distance of the terrace should be 8,16 meters. If the tilt is more than 30 degree, the terrace should be 9 meters in distance heading to the inside of the hill. The making of the distance should follow the tilt of the areas. The higher tilt of the areas is, the deeper terrace should be too.

Eddi thought, palm oil could be planted in the areas within more than 45 degree but it cannot be done within continuous technic.

In general, he continued, within the 45 degree of tilt, the planting should make individual terrace. “In certain condition it should know the impact of erosion, and the harvest process in the future,” he said.

But the potential of erosion, the difficult nursery, fertilization process, and not maximal infiltration in the 45 degree tilt areas should be used as the conservation areas.

Besides the conservation has many functions, such as, it helps the growth, nursery, effective harvest, minimizes the erosion, and helps the flow of the surface.

Making the conservation could increase the infiltration, keep and maintain the moisture of the soil, and help the plantations to get enough sunshine. (T2)