STDF - CABI - ICCO PROJECT: TRAINING OF FACILITATORS

MOUNT KINABALU HOTEL HERITAGE & SPA KUNDASANG, RANAU SABAH

Roles Of Soil Types and heavy metals in
Cocoa Productions
Edwin Mujin (MCB)
Introductions
What is soil?
Soil is the mixture of minerals, Organic mater,
gases, liquids and a myriad of micro- and macro-
organisms formed from combined effect of
physical, chemical, biological
and anthropogenic processes working on soil
parent material
Parent material?
Rocks
What is soil to cocoa plant?
Where the plant are planted.
Main source of nutrient uptake.
Source of water
Where the roots of the plant grows
Introductions
Common Soil Taxonomy
Oxisols-
Have Oxic Horizon less than 16meq/100clay
Good structure
Low Fertility

Ultisols-
20% increase clay, less than 35% Base saturations
Argillic horizon
Low fertility
Common name red clay soils
Alfisols
Simmilar to Ultisols but higher fertility.
Aridisols
Soil with aridic moisture regime (Dry Soils).


Incptisols
Young soil
Entisols
Recently develop ( light development)
Have man made horizon.
Vertisols
Cracky clayey soil
Shrink and Swell with moisture
Mollisols
Have mollic epipedon (high organic matter)
Soft when dry
Grassland of former grassland
Common Soil Taxonomy- cont
Spodosols
Sandy/ Bris Soil
Have Spodic horizon
Iron Accumilation.
Histosols
Organic Soils
More than 20% Organic mater

Common Soil Taxonomy- cont
Soil Chemical properties for
Cocoa
Soil properties Suitability
pH (H2O) 5.5-6.5
Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) (cmol(+)kg-1) > 12
Base saturation (%) > 35
Organic matter (%) 3.5 (2.0 % C)
Conductivity (mmhos cm-1) < 1.0
Fertility:
i. Total N (%) > 0.16
ii. Avail. P (ppm) > 15
iii. Exch. K cmol(+)kg-1 > 0.24
iv. Exch. Ca cmol(+)kg-1 > 2.5
v. Exch. Mg cmol(+)kg-1 > 2.0
Aluminium saturation (%) < 30
Carbon/Nitrogen (C/N) > 9
Soil Properties Suitability
Depth of soil (cm) > 100
Depth to acid sulphate layer (cm) > 100
Slope/gradient (o) 0-30o (0-60%)
Gravel/stone content < 25% or below 75cm from soil surface
Soil drainage Good, water table below 90cm from soil
surface
Flood None
Thickness of peat < 20cm
Texture 25-40% clay, 35-65% sand, <30% loam
Soil physical criteria for cocoa
Soil physical criteria for cocoa
25-40% clay, 35-65% sand, <30% loam
Soil where Cocoa are Planted in
Malaysia
Peninsular
3 types of soil where cocoa are planted:
Coastal Alluvial Clay Soils.
Alluvial soil that formed on/from sea silt
Example:
o Selangor (Kuala Selangor dan Sabak Bernam)
o Perak (Hilir Perak dan Manjung)
o Johor (Batu Pahat dan Pontian)
Selangor, Briah, Bernam, Tualang
Alluvium Soil
soil that formed from new alluvial riverbed
Example:
o Manjung and Inland Johor
Briah, Telemong, Akob, Carey

Inland Soil
Jerangau, Segamat, Manchong, Bungor, Rengam,
Serdang, Prang, Jerangau.



Soil where cocoa are planted
Sabah Region
There are 14 main soil group in Sabah 42 units and 103 families
Tawau
The soil types are derive from various parent materials such as alluvium, basalt, larva and basic dust,
basic and intermediate igneous rocks, sand stone and shale and acidic volcanic ash.
In general, the fertility status of majority of the above soils are low, particularly phosphorus (P). .
Darau, Numatoi, Lumpongon, Talid
Sandakan
The dominant soil parent materials in the Sandakan division are sandstone, shale and a combination of
both.
All the soils are generally acidic (pH 4-5) and liming is essential for cocoa cultivation.
The main soil units and families are Ferric Acrisols (Sipit, Batang), Haplic Acrisols (Kumansi, Tanjung Lipat, Kapilit), Ferric
Luvisols (Lumerau) and Haplic Luvisols (Lumpongon).
Interior and West Cost
Areas suitable for cocoa are along riverbanks in Tenom and the main soil families
are Darau, Buran, Sabor and Pegalan
poor texture and drainage
shallow soil depths

Sarawak
There are 11 main soil group in Sabah 45 units and 145 families
Main family and soil series are:
Semilajau (Semilajau, Sebako, Julan) marginal
(tekstur)
Alluvial Bemang (Bemang, Sebat, Dapoi)
Seduau (Seduau, Malang, Paku, Sekati, Terbat dan
Ramun).

Red-Yellow Podsolic
Interior
Oxisols


Soil where cocoa are planted
Heavy Metals
Definition of Heavy metals
A heavy metal is a member of a loosely defined subset of elements
that exhibit metallic properties. It mainly includes the transition
metals, some metalloids, lanthanides, and actinides.
Other name toxic metals


Types of Heavy Metals
Can be group in to two:
Cationic heavy metals
Metallic elements whose forms in soil are
positivly charged cations
Mercury(Hg),Cadmium (Cd), Lead(Pb),
Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn),
Chromium (Cr) and Manganese (Mn).
Anionic compounds
elements whose forms in soil are combined
with oxygen and are negatively charged e.g.,
MoO
4
2-

Arsenic (As), molybdenum (Mo),
selenium(Se), and boron(B).

Hazard of heavy metals
Excess heavy metal accumulation in soils is toxic to humans and
other animals. Exposure to heavy metals is normally chronic
(exposure over a longer period of time), due to food chain transfer.
Acute (immediate) poisoning from heavy metals is rare through
ingestion or dermal contact, but is possible. Chronic problems
associated with long-term heavy metal exposures are:
Lead - mental lapse.

Cadmium - affects kidney, liver, and GI tract
.
Arsenic - skin poisoning, affects kidneys and central nervous
system.


Factors that contribute heavy
metals in soil
Impurities in mined mineral fertilizer and soil amendment
such as phosphate and dolomite.
Organic fertilizer such as chicken dung due to the usage of
saw dust and animal feed that consist contaminant.
Even the use of mill bio product are high in heavy metals
contaminants. Such as POME and EFB
Atmospheric pollutions.
Existing heavy metal in soil. Naturally or antropogenic.


Heavy metals in different soil
types
mg kg 1
Soil Order Avail. P As Cd Co Cr Cu Hg Ni Pb Zn
All Malaysian soils (N = 241) 375 16.8 0.12 2.8 25.9 16.4 0.147 13.7 26.4 38
Alfisols (N = 4) 7.9 7.2 0.05 18.4 8.6 22.3 0.07 13.4 28.7 60.7
Anthropogenic soil (sand mine
tailings)
471 7.1 0.13 2.2 18.5 22.1 0.1 8.9 30.2 54.8
Entisols (Flooded paddy) (N = 7) 19.9 3.9 0.06 2.2 26.3 6.2 0.09 8.2 27.2 31
Entisols (other crops) (N = 15) 125 14.6 0.07 0.91 16.1 5.8 0.07 20.5 15.5 24.8
Histosols (peat) (N = 8) 510 55 0.4 2.2 22.1 47.2 0.24 6.8 23.9 40
Inceptisols (Acid sulphate) (N = 6) 29.8 16.4 0.06 1.9 26.5 10.1 0.12 8.1 29 27.6
Inceptisols (Flooded paddy) (N = 11) 29.8 10.9 0.09 2.2 27.7 10.9 0.06 13.2 28.7 25.6
Inceptisols (muck) (N = 22) 519 12.4 0.17 1.9 22.8 20.8 0.2 8.7 28.4 33.1
Inceptisols (other) (N = 8) 1340 34.5 0.17 2.5 31.7 37.6 0.1 12.6 26.3 58.1
Oxisols (N = 41) 697 14.8 0.1 4.2 30.2 17.9 0.13 12.7 18.8 33.8
Spodosols (N = 17) 246 1.7 0.06 0.21 4.9 8 0.06 2.2 6.4 11.6
Ultisols (N = 58) 288 22 0.12 3.5 38 13.6 0.14 20.4 31.3 53
Assoc. of Ultisols and Oxisols (N = 27) 208 6.7 0.08 1.1 17.8 6.9 0.14 19.7 36.8 31.1
Ultisols (Acid sulphate) (N = 3) 18.2 8.9 0.02 1.5 19.3 3.7 0.15 5.5 20 18.5
Heavy metals in different soil
types
Arsenic in different soil types
Cadmium in different soil types
Cobalt in different soil types
Cromium in different soil types
Copper in different soil types
Lead in different soil types
Mercury In different soil types
Nickel In different soil types
Zinc In different soil types
Heavy Metals in cocoa plants
As Cd Cr Cu Hg Ni Pb Zn
Soil Plant Soil Plant Soil Plant Soil Plant Soil Plant Soil Plant Soil Plant Soil Plant
30 1.21 0.11 0.666 35 0.49 11 14.1 0.16 15 13 4.5 26 0.29 39 52
mg kg1 except plant Hg g kg1
Management of Contaminated Soil
Soil and crop management methods can help prevent uptake of pollutants by plants, leaving
them in the soil. The soil becomes the sink, breaking the soil-plant- animal or human
cycle through which the toxin exerts its toxic effects (Brady and Weil, 1999). The
following management practices will not remove the heavy metal contaminants, but
will help to immobilize them in the soil and reduce the potential for adverse effects from
the metals - Note that the kind of metal (cation or anion) must be considered:
1. Increasing the soil pH to 6.5 or higher.
Cationic metals are more soluble at lower pH levels, so increasing the pH makes them less available
to plants and therefore less likely to be incorporated in their tissues and ingested by humans. Raising
pH has the opposite effect on anionic elements.
2. Draining wet soils.
Drainage improves soil aeration and will allow metals to oxidize, making them less
soluble. Therefore when aerated, these metals are less available. The opposite is true
for chromium, which is more available in oxidized forms. Active organic matter is
effective in reducing the availability of chromium.
3. Applying phosphate.
Heavy phosphate applications reduce the availability of cationic metals, but have the
opposite effect on anionic compounds like arsenic. Care should be taken with
phosphorus applications because high levels of phosphorus in the soil can result in
water pollution. Impurities In phosphate fertilizer also may contain heavy metals.


Thank You