L2 Plant Production Module 1 Vegetable Production

PRESENTATION 1 Presented by: NKWALE L.J Downloaded from hlayiso.com

VEGETABLE PRODUCTION Downloaded from hlayiso.com

• The practical cultivation of vegetables is undertaken following set procedures Downloaded from hlayiso.com

• Establish what principles govern vegetable production • Select a crop suitable to the climatic and soil conditions • Prepare the soil following the requirements of the selected crop • Plant the crop according to the set procedures(spacing- intra & inter, fertilizer, application, watering, etc. • Monitor the development of the crop ( pest and disease control, weed control, application of fertilizers, etc.) until harvest. • Apply suitable post-harvest or on-farming storage procedures for crop. Downloaded from hlayiso.com

• INTRODUCTION- The main principle of successful vegetable production is to ensure that you used good seeds or seedlings. It is useless for the farmer to have everything in place, but to have inferior seeds or seedlings. The plants that develop from this inferior material will themselves be inferior. Downloaded from hlayiso.com

• THEY SHOULD BE FRESH- Vegetable seeds lose their germination power with age. Fresh seed has a characteristic odour and a bright lustre(shine), while old seed often smells musty and had a dull colour. • THEY SHOULD BE TRUE TO CALTIVAR- Cultivars should not be mixed. The only guarantee of this is to buy from a reputable(good) dealer. • THEY SHOULD BE FREE FROM FOREIGN MATTER- foreign matter can be anything that adds to the seeds weight and this will result in a loss. Downloaded from hlayiso.com

• THEY SHOULD BE FREE FROM PESTS AND DISEASES- Weevils and mites are the most common pests in seed, but they cannot be seen with naked eyes. To prevent using infected seed, use only Government certified seed. • THEY SHOULD BE FREE FROM WEED SEEDS- Weeds may be spread from one region to another by using seed that contains weed seed. This can be prevented by buying Government certified seed. • THEY SHOULD BE WEEL-CURED- seed harvested before it is completely mature is usually shrivelled and has a deviating colour, such seeds germinates poorly. Downloaded from hlayiso.com

• THEY SHOULD HAVE A HIGH BUSHEL WEIGHT- This means that the seed should be wellfilled. Only vigorous plants produce such seeds. These seeds contain a lot of starch, which gives the young seedlings a good start and better chance of survival. Strong seedling are more resistant to diseases. Downloaded from hlayiso.com

• THE FIRST FACTOR TO CONSIDER IN CROP PRODUCTION IS THE QUALITY OF THE SEED. WITHOUT GOOD AND VIABLE SEED, THE FARMER WILL NOT BE SUCCESSFUL. THIS UNIT LOOKED AT WAYS TO EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF SEED BY CONDUCTING GERMINATION TETS. Downloaded from hlayiso.com

1. Provide main principle of successful vegetable production(1) 2. Provide seven characteristics of good seed(7) TOTAL = 08 Downloaded from hlayiso.com

THANK YOU.......... paded from hiayiso.com