VEGETABLE PRODUCTION

Course code: HOR 311

Rowland Kamanga, PhD

Lecturer
LUANAR, Bunda Campus
 TOPIC THREE
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VEGETABLE PRODUCTION: FACTORS TO
CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A
VEGETABLE ENTERPRISE
Factors to consider when choosing a vegetable enterprise

Planning stages:

Decide the type of enterprise

• That is conventional or organic, protected cultivation (greenhouse production-
hydroponics, aeroponics).
• The conventional and organic systems produce crops in soil.
• In the hydroponic system, plants are either grown in channels through which
nutrients timely flow or are grown in a soil-less media.
• The organic system differs from the conventional system because it does not use
synthetic chemicals or pesticides.
Modern green house

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Modern green house

• Greenhouse, also called glasshouse, building

designed for the protection of tender or out-
of-season plants against excessive cold or
heat
• The greenhouse has developed from a mere
refuge from a hostile climate into a
controlled environment, adapted to the needs
of particular plants

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 Hydroponics
• AKA Nutriculture, Soilless culture,
or tank farming
• The cultivation of plants in
nutrient-enriched water, with or
without the mechanical support of
an inert medium such as sand or
gravel.
• Hydroponic farmers place their
plants in circulating or still water
filled with nutrients;
• The roots absorb the nutrients,
while the shoots remain above the
water.

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 Aeroponics
• The growing of plants by suspending their roots in the air and spraying them
with nutrient solutions or delivered through a mist system.

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Aeroponics

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Key factors to consider in hydroponics

1. Water temperature
2. Air circulation
3. Nutrient balance
4. Nutrient solution pH
Discussion Point…
How would you

?
manage water
temperature, air
circulation and pH in a
hydroponic system?
Planning stage cont’d
Decide which crops to grow

• To plan properly, you will have to decide which crops you are going to grow. There
are many variables that will contribute to your final choice.

• These include: growing season, climatic requirement, Market availability and

Capital investment required: Some crops require a high capital investment, other
crops have a much lower requirement for capital.
Decide where to grow (location)

•Before land selection for vegetable production, have a clear idea of which
crops you intend to grow,
•Then investigate all the following points regarding a piece of land before
purchase/renting.
•All of these factors must be favourable to growing your chosen crops.
•Factors to consider: soil type, climate, history of the land..etc
Discussion Point…

?
What other factors
should inform your site
selection
consideration?
 Marketing
• Obtain a good understanding of the market system.

• Contact potential people you plan to sell your produce to and find out about sales
expenses, how they want the produce packaged and whether they think they will
be able to sell the quantities you are planning to grow.

• Fixed contracts may be possible with a supermarket chain for the whole crop or
for a whole year.
• Examine the competition : can you compete with other growers? What will make
your enterprise survive when others are going down.
- Make sure your produce is of quality- This includes appearance, freshness,
flavour and package presentation.
Capital investment

• The capital investment you will need to produce vegetables efficiently.

- Purchase of land
- Purchase of machinery and facilities
• You should not enter vegetable production with less than adequate equipment.

• It should be noted that the capital required to produce horticultural crops is greater
than for most of the other types of agricultural production
Discussion Point…
“It should be noted that the capital

?
required to produce horticultural
crops is greater than for most of the
other types of agricultural production”
Discuss
VEGETABLE NURSERY ESTABLISHMENT AND MANAGEMENT

• A vegetable nursery is a place or an establishment for raising or handling of

young vegetable seedlings until they are ready for more permanent planting

Why do we need Nursery?

• Some vegetables require special care during their early growth period.
• There are some vegetables with very small sized seeds. These are first sown
in the nursery for better care and to combat with the time for field preparation.

Types of Nurseries: Vegetable seedlings can be produced in containers (boxes

or trays) or on seed beds
Seedlings sown in trays
i. Nursery site selection
Factors to consider:
1. Water Supply:
• Nursery should be located where there is abundant supply of water
• particularly from wells, boreholes, streams, rivers or pipe water
• Cheap water supply reduces the operating cost in the nursery

2. Accessibility:
• The nursery should be easily accessible to the field, to the road.

3. Slope or Land gradient.

• Level land is ideal for establishment and maintenance of a nursery.
• It reduces the risk of soil erosion.
• It also enhances application of irrigation water. 19
4. Soil;
• Raising of vegetable seedlings requires fertile and healthy soil.
• Preferably, the soil for nursery should be loam to sandy loam, loose and
friable, rich in organic matter and well drained
• free from pests, diseases and weeds.

5. Labour Supply:
• Nursery should be located where experienced and skilled labour are
available or where they can be trained

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ii. Nursery preparation

Nursery land preparation

• It needs a deep cultivation of the nursery land by deep ploughing.
• After that all the clots, stones and weeds from the field should be removed
and land should be levelled.
• Mix 2 kg well rotten and fine Farm yard manure/compost per square meter
and mix in the soil.
• If the soil is heavy mix 2-3 kg sand per square meter so that the seed
emergence may not be hampered.
Soil treatment
a. Soil solarization
Environmentally friendly method of using the sun's power to control pests such as bacteria, insects, and
weeds in the soil.
• Suitable Time Period: warmer months
• Wet the soil with water, or saturate it with water
• Spread clear polythene on the whole nursery area for about 5-6 weeks.
• The margin of the polythene should be covered by wet soil (compressed mud) to check the entry of air.
• After 5-6 weeks remove the polythene sheet
• Prepare the beds for seed sowing

b. Steam treatment:
• Hot steam can be used to treat the soil against harmful insect pest.
• For this, cover the required area with the help of polythene sheet and stop the movement of air in the
covered area.
• Supply the hot steam for at least 4-6 hours continuously.
• This way all the harmful pathogen and insect pest will be killed.
Soil solarisation
Nursery bed preparation

• Nursery bed should be prepared according to the season and crop.

• In the rainy season raised beds are prepared but in the dry season flat
beds should be prepared.

Raised nursery beds

• Length of the bed may be kept 3 to 5 meter; however, width is restricted
to 1 meter only which facilitates intercultural operations.
• The beds are raised 15 to 20 cm high from the ground level. A space of
30 - 40 cm is left in between two beds.
• The space between two beds helps in management of the seedlings.
• The number of beds depends on the particular crop, season and
growing area of crop.
iii. Sowing of seeds in the nursery

• After the seed bed preparation seeds are sown in the nursery bed either by
broadcasting or in lines depending upon the nature and season of crop.

a. Broad casting method

• In this method seeds are spread on the well prepared nursery beds and later on
the seeds are covered with sand and well rotten fine sieved and treated FYM or
compost.

The major disadvantages of this method are:

• Uneven distribution of seeds in the nursery beds.
• Growth and development of seedlings is poor.
• Some times nursery becomes so dense to look like as patches of grasses. In such
cases there is more possibility of damping off disease occurrence.
b. Line Sowing
• Line sowing is the best method of seed sowing in nursery
• Lines/drills are made 0.5 to 1.0 cm deep and spaced at 15cm apart
• seeds are spread singly in those drills.
• Cover the seeds with fine mixture of sand, soil and well rotten and
sieved FYM or leaf compost etc. (1:1:1)
• After the seed covering, a light irrigation must be given
Nursery seedling management

a. Mulching
• To maintain the soil moisture for seed germination cover the seed bed with a
thin layer of mulch of grass or paddy straw any organic mulch during hot
weather It has following advantages:
- It maintains the soil moisture and temperature for better seed germination.
- It suppresses the weeds
- Protects from direct sunlight and raindrops
- Protects against bird damage

Removal of mulch
• After three days, observe the seed beds daily. As and when the white thread
like structure is seen above the ground, remove the mulch carefully to avoid any
damage to emerging seedlings.
Nursery seedling management
b. Watering
• Frequent light watering from sowing to seed emergence
• After which watering should be done twice a day
• Watering should be reduced gradually to harden the plants for field planting

c. Thinning
• Closely growing , weak, damaged or diseased seedlings are removed
• Leave seedlings to stand 3-5cm apart

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d. Crop protection
Diseases and insect pest
• Adaptation of crop protection measures in the nursery against the incidence
of insect pest and diseases is very important task to get the healthy seedlings.
• Diseases such as: Damping off, late blight infect the seedling in the nursery.
• Insect pests such as: leaf miner and borer
• The care for controlling these major diseases and insect pests time to time is
essential.

Weeding
• Timely weeding in nursery is very important to get healthy seedling
• If there are some weeds in the seed bed, remove them manually either by
hand or by hand hoe
e. Hardening
• Hardening off of plants is a process done before seedlings are transplanted.
The purpose is to prepare the seedlings for harsh field conditions.
• Hardening should start in about 7 days before transplanting
• It involves reducing watering rate

• Removing shade thus exposing the young plants to direct sunshine

• The process helps to prepare plants for the harsh field conditions

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