CROP PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES
SITE SELECTION
In this post we are going to talk about crop production in depth. The post will cover all from site selection to harvesting and processing.
Selection of site that is suitable for crop production.
FACTORS TO BE CONSIDER FOR SITE SELECTION
Climatic factor
Arable factor
Climatic factor: Include, temperature, humidity, sunlight, wind, rainfall etc
Arable factor:-Include, topography, soil types, accessibility, availability of water etc.
SEED SELECTION
Seed: Is any propagation portion of a plant, or is an embryonic plant enclose in a protected outer cover known as the seed coat.
QUALITY OF THE SEED
The seed must be viable, free from infestation, impurities reliable, and seed can be test by germination test, color, the seed can be kept in a room temperature, to put in water to observe the viable ones.
SOURCES OF QUALITIES OF SEEDS
Obtain from the breeders seeds
Certified seeds
Foundation
Registers companies eg premier seeds can be seen in bags.
IDENTIFICATION OF SIMPLE FARM TOOLS
File: Wooden handle and metallic use of sharpening farm tools
Pegs: For land demarcation is a metallic or wooden
Sickle: Use for harvesting cereal crop it consist of a curved metal blade and short wooden handle.
Garden fork: Consist of a forked-sharped metal with short wooden handle, using in leveling in the nursery beds, turning manure during composting.
Hand trowel: Consist of a short wooden handle and a scoop shaped blade uses for transplanting, fertilizer application, digging holes for planting etc
Cutlass and matchet:-Uses for land clearance.
Shovel and spade: Shovel is often broader then the spade uses for digging holes, while spade uses to carry manure and put into the head pan.
Got hell: For harvesting tell mango.
Knapsack sprayer:-Is an important farm tools it consist of a tank of about 10-15 liters and a hand pump attached use for spraying water to the seedling plant
Manual ridge:-Have wooden handle and metallic use for ridging.
Rope: Uses for field measurement during layout.
Rain boot: To have protection in the farm.
Triple bags: For the triple protection uses for preservation of tomatoes in the company etc.
HECTARE MEASUREMENT, PACE FACTOR, SURVEY MEASUREMENT
Measuring of hectare (ha)
Instrument of measuring hectare (ha).
Hectare: Is an agricultural piece of land measure in 10,000m2 to serve as a unit to quantified the input/output of agricultural products.
USES OF HECTARE (ha)
1. Can be used to redefined the national economic.
2. Can be used to quantified the labour intensity.
3. Can be used to quantified the input and output.
4. Can be used to quantified the arable land and non arable land etc.
METHOD OF MEASURING (ha)
Pace factor: Is the distance between the 2 steps of an individual for the average of human being is m/s
Pf=tl/tsxl
Pf=Pace factor
T=Time
L=Length measured
TS=Total steps
SURVEY MEASUREMENT
Land survey: Are used to determine land boundaries for a variety of reasons. including the selling buying a property, putting up a fence or harger scale projects such as building roads and high ways. Today land measurement are generally in acres, each acre is equal to 43,560 square feet or 10 square chain or 160 square rods.
SURVEYING UNIT
The unit of survey measurement is acre.
The chain is a unit of length equal to 66
Engineers chain-A 100 foot chain containing 100 links of one foot a piece.
Pole is a unit of length and area.
SURVEY EQUIPMENT
1. Ranging pole
2. Gunter chain
3. Theodelite
4. Measuring tapes
5. Ropes.
CLASSIFICATION OF CROPS
Cereals crops
Cereals: They are classified based on leaves obtained which include the following eg maize, wheat, rice etc.
Legumes crops
Legumes: They are classified based on their fibre content of the crop eg Okra, Bauhinia, Rossaile, Cotton etc.
Drugs crops: Are classified due to their medical purposes eg Tobacco, Marijuana etc.
Fruits crops: Are classified due to their juice they produces eg Orange, Mango, Banana etc.
Crop Species
-Ginger
-Pepper
-Black pepper
-Cloves etc
Vegetables crops: Are classified due to the leaves or root obtained from them eg Tomatoes, Garden eggs etc.
Leafy vegetables crops
-Amaranthus
-Spinach
-Bitter leaves etc
Root vegetables crops
-Carrots
-Pumpkins etc.
Botanical classification of ground nut
Ground nut (Arachis hypogea-family-papilionaceae).
Kingdom_ Plantae
Subkingdom _Tracheobionta
Super division _Spermatophyta
Division_ Magnoliophyta
Class _Magnoliopsida
Subclass_ Rosidae
Order_ Fabales
Family_ Fabaceae-pea family
Genus_ Arachis L-pea nut
Species_ A. hypogeae
LAND PREPARATION
Tillage: Is the agricultural preparation of the soil by using manually, mechanically or chemically of various types of implement, example, Hoe, Rake, Garden hoe, Hand fork, Trowel, Spade, Shovel, Mattock, Local plough, Dibbler, Cutlass, Disc plough, Disc harrow of the mechanical means.
ZERO TILLAGE
Zero tillage: (Conservation tillage/Direct seedling/Planting) Can be defined as wise man tillage or lazy man farming using chemicals such as non-selective herbicides or pre-emergence and post-emergence.
Advantages of zero tillage
It conserves the moisture and nutrient
It prevent the soil erosion
It protect the soil structure
Dis advantages
Soil compaction
Chances of having out break is high
Organic matter is not evenly distributed.
PLANTING OPERATION
Includes the following,
Seed rates,
Spacing,
Seed dressing,
Planting,
Seed depth.
-Seed rates: Refers to a quantity of seeds that are farmer required for a particular farm land.
-Spacing: Can be divided into inter rows and intra rows spacing.
Inter rows spacing: Is a distance between one ridge to another ridge.
Intra rows spacing: Is a distance within the ridge between one plant to another plant.
-Seed dressing: Seed dressing can be divided into the following.
Wet seed dressing: Agrolizer
Dry seed dressing: Stadrex.
Seed depth: Should be 2.5cm to 5cm as planting too deep will delay emergence or lead to seed decay.
AVERAGE YIELD PER HECTARE
Ground nuts give an average yield of 1,150kg-1,725kg per hectare of shelled nuts it planted on fertile soil, However, in Nigeria the yield is about 55kg per hectare of shelled nuts.
POST PLANTING OPERATION
Thinning, supplying, weeds and weeding.
Harvesting, and storage.
THINNING
Thinning: Is the removal of weakers seedling in order to maintain number of stand per holes the plant should be 2 plant per holes at 2-3 weeks after sowing (WAS).
WEEDS
Weed:-Is any plant that are found where is not wanted.
WEEDING
Weeding: Is the process of removal of unwanted plant in the farm land 2-3 weeks after sowing (WAS).
HARVESTING
Ground nut: Is ready to harvest when the leaves begin to turn yellow and begin to wilt, is not advisable to harvest during the rains for the seeds will start to germinate.
