CROP-SCI
CROP-SCI
CROP-SCI
Province of Cotabato
MAKILALA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Municipality of Makilala
AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT
I. LEARNING CONTENT(S):
1. Land Preparation
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3. If organic matter is not well decomposed by the time of planting, the seedlings are
likely to suffer from toxic substances given off during decomposition.
For these reasons, land preparation should be started at least 15 days before
planting.
The two systems of land preparation and water management (wetland and dryland) have
contrast features in terms of the physical, biological, and chemical nature of soils.
TYPES OF LAND PREPARATION:
1. LOWLAND/WETLAND PREPARATION – soaking, plowing, harrowing, leveling
2. UPLAND/DRYLAND PREPARATION – plowing, harrowing/rotavation, leveling
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a. Pulverize the top soil
b. Loosen the compact soil
c. Increase surface runoff and cause soil erosion
TYPES OF TILLAGE OPERATION
✓ No tillage System
It is a method of planting crops previously unprepared soil by opening a narrow
slot or band only sufficient width and depth to obtain proper seed coverage with no
other soil preparation required. Herbicides are used to control weeds.
Advantages:
1. Reduced production costs
2. Reduced runoff due to less soil disturbance or none at all
3. Less water and wind erosion
4. Reduced labor cost
✓ Minimum tillage
It is a tillage system in which the number of field operations is reduced
compared to conventional (traditional) method of cultivation.
Advantages:
1. Reduced soil compaction
2. Better soil conservation
3. Reduced labor requirement
4. Reduced water loss through evaporation
✓ Conventional tillage
✓ Conservation tillage
Conservation tillage is any tillage and planting system that covers 30 percent or
more of the soil surface with crop residue, after planting, to reduce soil erosion by water.
It is any tillage practice that builds up crop residues on the soil surface to minimize the
impact of water and wind erosion.
Conservation tillage decreases soil erosion, leaching of fertilizer, pesticides, and
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herbicides into the ground water. Conservation tillage, especially no-tillage, results in
soils having higher soil organic matter contents after a few years.
Consider the site before selecting your plants. Although many perennials, such as
ferns, tolerate heavy shade, most perennial plants require abundant sunlight. Air
circulation is important for avoiding diseases; stagnant, warm, and humid air creates ideal
conditions for diseases. Perennial plants also require properly prepared soil, and a few
have specific drainage and fertility requirements.
Soil preparation for perennials is similar to soil preparation for annuals. However,
you should devote some special attention to perennial bed preparation, because plants
may occupy the site for several years with little opportunity to correct any problems. When
possible, add sand and organic matter such as bark, peat, or compost to soils well ahead
of planting time.
A layer of organic matter 3 or 4 inches deep, worked into the soil a shovel's depth,
is usually adequate. Since different types of organic matter work and decompose at
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different rates in the soil, it is best to use a little of two or three kinds of organic matter
than a lot of just one.
Soil testing provides specific recommendations for fertilizer and lime needs. Since
lime lasts for several years depending on the type used, never add lime without a soil
test. Many fertilizers, such as phosphorus, are best applied and mixed into soils before
planting. Perennials need a balance of several nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorous,
and potash; most garden supply stores carry a wide variety of fertilizer mixes. Keep in
mind that phosphorus, including that found in bone meal, lasts for several years and need
not be applied regularly.
Yield potential – economic yield is one of the indices whether you are gaining or
losing your crop enterprises.
Adaptability – not all the seed board varieties may perform well at your farm.
Select, if possible those that had been tested and shown to perform well in your
specific locality.
Maturity – the growth duration of the crop will greatly affect the successions in
farm operation. Therefore, it is wise move to select high yielding and early maturing
cultivars.
Market demand – the needs of the buyer is another thing to consider in the
selection of cultivars.
Once a variety has been selected for any or all the above factors/characters,
farmers should purchase certified seeds to be sure they get quality seeds of that variety.
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Importance of Good Quality Seeds
Seed quality is the possession of seed with required genetic and physical purity
that is accompanied with physiological soundness and health status. The major seed
quality characters are summarized as below.
1. Physical Quality
It is the cleanliness of seed from other seeds, debris, inert matter, diseased
seed and insect damaged seed. The seed with physical quality should have
uniform size, weight, and color, and should be free from stones, debris, and dust,
leaves, twigs, stems, flowers, fruit well without other crop seeds and inert material.
It also should be devoid of shriveled, diseased mottled, molded, discolored,
damaged, and empty seeds. The seed should be easily identifiable as a species
of specific category of specific species. Lack of this quality character will indirectly
influence the field establishment and planting value of seed. This quality character
could be obtained with seed lots by proper cleaning and grading of seed
(processing) after collection and before sowing / storage.
2. Genetic purity
It is the true to type nature of the seed. i.e., the seedling / plant / tree from
the seed should resemble its mother in all aspects. This quality character is
important for achieving the desired goal of raising the crop either yield or for
resistance or for desired quality factors.
3. Physiological Quality
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The liveliness of a seed is known as viability. The extent of liveliness for production of
good seedling or the ability of seed for production of seedling with normal root and shoot
under favorable condition is known as germinability.
Seed vigor is the energy or stamina of the seed in producing elite seedling. It is the
sum total of all seed attributes that enables its regeneration of under any given conditions.
Seed vigor determines the level of performance of seed or seed lot during germination
and seedling emergence. Seed which perform well at sowing are termed as quality seed
and based on the degree of performance in production of elite seedling it is classified as
high, medium and low vigor seed.
4. Seed Health
Health status of seed is nothing but the absence of insect infestation, and
fungal infection, in or on the seed. Seed should not be infected with fungi or infested
with insect pests as these will reduce the physiological quality of the seed and also
the physical quality of the seed in long term storage. The health status of seed also
includes the deterioration status of seed which also expressed through low vigor
status of seed. The health status of seed influences the seed quality characters
directly and warrants their soundness in seed for the production of elite seedlings at
nursery / field.
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• Optimum moisture content for storage
• High market value
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❖ Characteristics of Good Quality Seeds
• Higher genetically purity:
o Breeder /Nucleus - 100%
o Foundation seed - 99.5%
o Certified seed - 99.0%
• Higher physical purity for certification
o Corn - 99%
o All crops (most) - 98%
o Carrot - 95%
o Sesame, soybean & jute - 97 %
o Ground nut - 96 %
• Possession of good shape, size, color, etc., according to specifications of
variety
• Higher physical soundness and weight
• Higher germination (90 to 35 % depending on the crop)
• Higher physiological vigor and stamina
• Higher storage capacity
• Free from other crop seeds
• It should be free from objectionable weed seeds
These are plants of weed species which are harmful in one or more of
the following ways.
The size and shape of their seeds are so similar to that of the crop seed
that is difficult to remove their seed economically by mechanical means.
Their growth habit is detrimental to the growing seed crop due to
competing effect.
Their plant parts are poisonous or injurious to human and animal beings
They serve as alternate hosts for crop pests and diseases.
It refers to the diseases specified for the certification of seeds and for
which certification standards are to be met with.
These diseases would cause contamination, when they are present in
the seed field or with in the specified isolation distance.
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a. Crops
➢ Low land rice – direct seeding and transplanting
➢ Upland crops (upland rice, corn, sorghum, grain legumes, sweet
potato, etc. furrow and ridges)
b. Season
➢ Rainy season – ridges
➢ Dry season – furrow
c. Soil
➢ Heavy soil – ridges
➢ Light soil – furrow
Planting Materials
➢ Environmental Factors
Seedling Characteristics
The seedlings should:
1. Be of the appropriate age (seedlings with 4-6 healthy green leaves)
2. Be free from pests and diseases
3. Have healthy white roots (good root development, with no balling of
roots)
4. Show vigorous, healthy growth
5. Be of uniform appearance
6. Have the proper Shoot to Root ratio (2:1)
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Conditions Necessary for Seed Germination
❖ Here are some important requirements which are essential for a seed to germinate
into a seedling and to a plant.
Water: It is extremely necessary for the germination of seeds. Some seeds are
extremely dry and need to take a considerable amount of water, relative to the dry
weight of the seed. Water plays an important role in seed germination. It helps
by providing necessary hydration for the vital activities of protoplasm, provides
dissolved oxygen for the growing embryo, softens the seed coats and increases the
seed permeability. It also helps in the rupturing of seed and also converts the
insoluble food into soluble form for its translocation to the embryo.
Oxygen: It is an important and essential source of energy required for seed
growth. It is required by the germinating seed for metabolism and is used as a part
of aerobic respiration until it manages to grow green leaves of its own. Oxygen can be
found in the pores of soil particles, but if the seed is buried too deep it will be deprived
of this oxygen.
Temperature: For a seed to germinate, it requires a moderate temperature of
around 25-30°C. Quite obviously different seeds require different optimum
temperatures. There are some seeds which require special requirements either lower
or higher temperature between 5 to 40°C.
Light or darkness: This can act as an environmental trigger. Many seeds do not
germinate until sunlight falls on them.
The process of seed germination triggers under the above-mentioned
favorable conditions. The seeds undergo rapid expansion and growth of the embryo
and subsequently rupturing the covering layers and emergence of the radicle. This
radicle emergence is considered the completion of germination.
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