What farmers need to consider when selecting planting materials.
Most farmers fail not because of lack of effort or hard work but because of poor selection of planting materials. Just like the growth and development of child is determined by what the kid is fed at initial stages and so does the farm need. If you are given the wrong medication do you expect to heal or your condition to worsen? This are some of questions farmers should have in mind after land preparation to know what materials suits their farms
Farmers need to know the certified seeds, which have been tested and proven by certified research institution and have a record of high yields; high germination rate and above all they should be free from disease and pests. This does not apply in planting alone but also in animal rearing, one should select the best quality offspring during insemination.
How suitable is the planting material to the area’s ecological conditions? Is the material compatible with altitude ,temperature and the amount of rainfall of the given area? Some farmers borrow ideas from other farmers where certain crop has done well not knowing ecological conditions do matter a lot and they differ from a given area to another. Always know your area well so as to get suitable variety for the area.
Germination percentage of a seed directly has a bearing on the amount of seed one purchases for unit area as well as has a direct influence on the total cost of production . Germination rate should be above 90% which simply means for every 100 seedlings planted 90 seeds will germinate. Ensure the planting materials are pure to avoid getting products with off types since off types products are not accepted in the market .
By : Patricia M Kombo
patriciah@africafarmers.org
