AGRICULTURAL

CROP PRODUCTION NCII

UNIT OF COMPETENCY

UC 1. PERFORM NURSERY OPERATIONS.

UC 2. PLANT CROPS.

UC 3. CARE AND MAINTAIN CROPS.

UC 4. CARRY OUT HARVEST AND POST HARVEST OPERATION

UC 1. PERFORM NURSERY OPERATION

TOOLS IMPLEMENTS PERFORMANCE STANDARD

Appropriate farm tools are identified according to use.

Farm tools are checked for faults.
Appropriate tools are safely used according to job requirements and manufacturers‘ conditions.

NURSERY SITE SELECTION IN NURSERY SHED ESTABLISHMENT

Flat area
Good drainage
Availability of water supply
Accessible to transport
Near to the production area

MATERIALS IN NURSERY SHED ESTABLISHMENT

SUPPORT POST
fish net
plactic sheets
coconut leaves
wooden/bambpp benches
string/ wire

SEEDS

CHARACTERISTIC OF GOOD QUALITY SEEDS.

Free from pest, diseases and other damages
High viability
Free from mixtures
High germination rate
Seed germination
It is the series of events which take place when dry seeds imbibe water resulting in an increase in
metabolic activity and the instantiation of a seedling from the embryo

Seed dormancy
Physiologically or physical condition of viable seeds that prevents germination even in the presence
or otherwisefavourable germination conditions

Techniques in breaking dormancy

Scarification – treatments
• Soaking on water (tap,hot,boiling) treatment
• Rubbing on the sand paper, piercing
• Treatment with sulfuric acid and organic solvents
• Muratic acid and hydrogen peroxide treatment
• Light treatment

Stratification – using moist sand, soil or sawdust at high or low temperature.

• Vernalization– cold temperature prior to germination

Importance of germination test

To determine the viability of the seed
To determine the amount of seeds needed for planting

Component of growing media

Garden soil
Peat moss\saw dust
Coco coir
Rice hull
Compost river sand animal manure

Characteristics of good growing medium

Good aeration
Good water holding capacity
Good drainage
Can supply nutrients

Two types of Plant Propagation

Sexual Propagation
• Most common method by which plants reproduce in nature.

Asexual Propagation
• Involves reproduction from vegetative parts of the plants and is possible because the
vegetative organs of many plants have the capacity to regeneration.

Advantages of asexual propagation

1.Produce true to type plant
2.Shortened bearing age
3.Propagate plants that do not produce viable seeds
4.Propagate disease free plants
5.Improve aesthetic value of ornamental plants

UC 2. PLANT CROPS

Procedures in collecting soil samples

Pre sample preparation

Identify/locate soils sampling sites
Fill out field data sheet
Prepare sampling jars

Activities after soil sampling collection

 air-drying,
 pulverizing,
 sieving,
 packaging,
 labelling

Planting system
Square
Quincunx method
Hexagonal or Triangular
Rectangular
Contour

SQUARE

In this system, trees are planted on each corner of a square whatever the planting distance.

QUINCUNX METHOD

This is the square method but with one more plant in the center of square.

HEXAGONAL OR TRIANGULAR

In this method, the trees are planted in each corner of an equilateral triangle.

RECTANGULAR
 In this system, trees are planted on each corner of a rectangle . A distance between any two rows is
more than the distance between any two tress in a row, there is no equal distribution of spaces per
tree.

Factors which decide the planting distance are the following

1. Kinds of fruits

2. Rainfall

3. Soil type and fertility

4. Rootstock

5. Pruning and training

6. Irrigation

Activities in land preparation

1. Clearing
2. Layouting
3. Plowing
4. Harrowing
5. Levelling
6. Digging of holes
7. Plant Crops

Benefits Of Preparing The Field Before Planting

1. Gives the soil fine tilth to increase nutrient adsorption
2. Control pests
3. Increases soil porosity and aerate the soil
4. Incorporate crop residues and other inputs (e.g. Organic fertilizer)
5. Mixes the soil to bring up leached deposits
6. Levels the field
7. Prepares the soil for the subsequent farm operations

TYPES OF SOIL TILLAGE OPERATIONS

Conventional ( use of plow, harrow and other farm tools or implements to prepare the field)

Conservation( the planting or sowing for the previous crop’s residues that are purposely left on the
soil surface.

Minimum tillage

Zero( a system where the soil is not disturbed between harvesting the crops and planting for the
next

Crops that are transplanted

1. Tomato,
2. eggplant,
3. Pepper
4. ,lettuce
5. ,rice,
6. coffee,
7. cacao,
8. Coconut
9. ,santol,
10. Mango
11. ,black pepper,
12. ornamentals

Crops that are direct seeded

1. okra,
2. pole sitao,
3. corn,
4. ampalaya
5. ,radish,
6. carrots,
7. peanut,
8. soybean,
9. mungbean,
10. upo
11. ,patola,
12. squash,
13. cucumber,

UC 3. CARE AND MAINTAIN CROPS

MAJOR TYPES OF PEST

1. insects,
2. diseases,
3. weeds

Major insect pests in rice

1. rice planthopper
2. ,black bug,
3. rice bugs,
4. rice stem borer,
5. mealy bugs
6. ,grasshopper,
7. snail,

Major insect pests in corn

1. corn borer,
2. corn earworm,
3. Aphids
4. ,mites,
5. stink bugs

Major insect pests in fruit trees/plantation crops

Mango

1. fruit fly,
2. twig borer,
3. shoot borer,
4. scale insects,
5. mealy bugs,

Cacao

1. bugs,
2. cacao pod borer,
3. mealy bugs,
4. aphids,
5. planthopper,
6. rose beetle

Coffee

1. twig borer,
2. weevil,
3. berry borer,
4. aphids,
5. scale insects

Coconut
1. coconut scale insects,
2. brontispa,
3. rhinoceros beetle,
4. coconut leaf beetle,
5. mites,
6. mealy bug

Major insect pests in vegetables

1. diamond back moth,
2. fruit worm,
3. cut worm,
4. white fly,
5. aphids,
6. mites,
7. shoot borer,
8. leafhoppers

Major insect pests in ornamentals

1. Scale insects,
2. Moth
3. ,leafhoppers,
4. aphids

DIFFERENT PEST CONTROL MEASURES

1. Mechanical,
2. Physical,
3. Sanitation
4. ,Bio control,
5. Cultural control
6. ,Chemical control

WHAT IS IPM?
IPM refers to the sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological,physical and
chemical tools in a way that minimizes economic,health and environmental risks

CLASSES OF WEED
1. grasses,
2. Sedges
3. ,broad leaves

NOTE it is important to control weed to prevent the competition for nutrients , water and sunlight in
crops.

Weeding
Weeding must be done early vegetative stage of crops and as the needs arises in all crops.

Different Kinds Of Fertilizers

1. Urea, 46%
2. Complete, 14%
3. Ammonium phosphate 16%
4. ,Ammoniumsulphate 21%
5. ,Compost based on the compost materials

Methods Of Fertilizer Application

1. Broadcast,
2. Sidedress
3. ,Basal ,
4. Topdress
5. ,localized
6. ,band,foliar spray

Pruning
1. The removal of undesirable branches/stem.
2. importance of pruning
3. growth orientation
4. Removal of infected plants
5. Ease of maintenance and harvesting
6. Flower induction
7. Increase light penetration for growth and pest control
8. Increase production

METHODS OF PRUNING

1. Topping-vegetable,ornamentals,plantation crops
2. Pinching-vegetable and ornamentals
3. Top pruning-fruit trees
4. Deleafing-vegetable and ornamentals

Cultivation after planting

Off barring and hilling up

Importance of hilling-up and off-barring

1. Aeration,
2. control of soil boring insect pests and weeds

Crops needs cultivation after planting are :

1. Fruit trees,
2. vegetables,
3. ornamentals
4. cereals

Different Methods Of Watering Crops

1. Drip-plantation,ornamentals,vegetable and fruits

2. Furrow-corn,banana,coffee,cacao
3. Sprinkler-ornamental and vegetables
4. Flooding-rice
 Rejuvenation
The process where the old plants cut to produce new sprout for production.

Importance of rejuvenation
1. To improve/increase the productivity of the crop
2. To maintain desired height
3. To remove diseased plant parts

Growth training - the removal to branches/stem to control the growth of plant.

Purpose of training
1. Control shading
2. ,increase production
3. ,improve aesthetic value in selected ornamentals

Mulching

 Used of plastic sheets and other materials to cover the soil.

 benefits of mulching are:

1. to conserve moisture,
2. minimize erosion,
3. suppress weed growth,
4. insect control,
5. provide additional soil nutrient

Good Agricultural Practices

1. food safety,
2. prevent cross contamination,
3. practice field sanitation and personal hygiene,
4. clean workplace/surrounding

UC4 . CARRY-OUT HARVEST AND POSTHARVEST OPERATIONS

Types Of Maturity Indices

1. Physiological indices

 Days after flower inducition

 Days after fruit setting
2. Physical indices
 change in color
 change in size
 change in texture

Items you are going to record related to crop to be harvested

1. variety of crop
2. source of seed and planting materials
3. planting calendar and planting crops

Materials,Tools And Equipment

Tools are manual and hand-operated gadgets

Equipment are normally driven with small engines or motors
Materials are common supplies to carry-out activity

Post harvest facilities treatment

1. hot-water treatment
2. vapour heat treatment

Pre-cooling process for vegetables - the process of lowering the vegetable temperature to slow
down deterioration and extend shelf life

Industry-Required Quality Indicator In Fruits

1. Size
2. Weight
3. Appearance

Types of post harvest processing

1. Primary processing
2. Secondary processing

Some maturity indices or stages of ripeness

1. Green
2. Breaker
3. Turning
4. Semi-ripe
5. Ripe
6. Over ripe

Common mechanical type of fruit damage

1. Bruising
2. Wounding
3. Abrasion

Note: To avoid this damages use crates liners.

Common Storage Pest

a) Insects
b) rodents
c) fungi
d) bacteria
 e) mites

Note: Pest logbook should contain date observed , location and pest I.D

Insect and pest identification purpose

a) related to control measures
b) ,economic value
c) ,food safety,
d) quarantine requirement

QUARANTINE- control of transportable pest and diseases that may be present in transportation of
plants and plant materials

Please add the following in your review.

Local and Scientific Name of Vegetables

Local and Scientific Name of Fruits

Local and Scientific Name of weeds, diseases and insects.

THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK !