Smart farms

: 23 May 2016; Hits: 14120

Factsheet on grafting crops

Grafting is becoming one of the commonest methods of improving crop yields, increasing resistance to diseases and boosting tolerance to harsh weather among other desirable characteristics.

Grafting involves bringing together part of the crop to be improved ad uniting it with another, which has superior characteristics.

For instance, hybrid tomatoes, which are affected by nematodes and other soil-borne diseases, can be boosted by other wild trees not affected by the infections.

Jesse Kioria grafts tree tomatoes with bitter leaf to boost their resistance to nematodes because the earlier plant is not susceptible.

Involves many methods, but the most common is the use of rootstock and scion. The rootstock is the lower part which has the desired characteristics a farmer wants to ‘import’.

In the case of Kioria, bitter leaf is the rootstockk while the scion is the tomato tree. At the end of the process, what is on top of the resultant crop dominates-to mean the tamarillo will be expressed while the rootstock characteristics will be expressed internally.

Grafting plants must have at least four mature leaves after germination. His would increase chances of healing at this tender age.

The two plants must be of almost same size in radius to ensure the cambiums unite with ease for seamless flow of nutrients during and after recovery. The ‘candidates’ must be watered 12-24 hours ahead of the process. Similarly, it should be done in the morning when the rate of transpiration is low to avoid water stress.

The grafter should sterilize their hands and razor blades with a disinfectant to reduce chances of infections.

In splice grafting, cut the rootstock stem below the cotyledon at 45 degrees or flat. Uniting the two should be done quickly to avoid air bubbles entering the water flow system, which will hinder transpiration.

Kioria ties the two at the joining point with a tight polythene strip or parafilm to allow for healing in his greenhouse.

Wedge or cleft grafting involves ‘splitting’ the rootstock into a 0.5 cm ‘Y’ shape before inserting a fitting scion that has been shaped to look like an axe. It is has higher chances of success than splice because of the tight holding.

Kioria wraps the scion with a misted transparent polythene bag chamber.

Side or tongue grafting requires a 45 degrees matching incision into the rootstock. Tongues, which are like buds are inserted into the curved hip of the rootstock. Wrap parafilm or binding material. After about five days the bud could have healed and the top, part of the main plant is cut carefully and discarded.

The plants are ready for transplanting after healing, which takes eight days or more, depending on the plants types involved.

By uniting the bitter leaf with tree tomato, Kioria also alleviates tolerance to reduced water moisture because the scion has a tap too that collects water and minerals from deeper regions unlike the fibrous of the scion crop.

PHOTO BY LABAN ROBERT

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: 23 May 2016; Hits: 10151

Accurate pregnancy testing kit may soon be in Kenya

Accurate pregnancy testing kit may soon be a reality for Kenyan farmers following the successful trial of a diagnostic gadget in Ethiopia by International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

The Hormonost Micro-Lab farmertest can detect successful artificial insemination (AI) in 20 days, allowing for farmers to prepare for another service if the first one failed.

This would save farmers a lot of time wasted in weeks and months waiting to confirm if their cow conceived or not. The kit was imported from Germany for the demonstration which was carried out at Tigray, the north most region of Ethiopia.

It is estimated that AI technicians misdiagnose almost half of pregnancy tests.

But Solomon Gizaw of ILRI say the 15-minutes test involving six milk samples at a time gave results whose accuracy was up to 91 per cent.

Besides, the diagnostic test brought to light hidden embryonic mortality of between 15 per cent and 40 per cent.

He says the kit is highly reliable and efficient in giving farmers this crucial information on time for apt decision and action.

In Tigray region, the technology was used across six districts to detect pregnancy in 124 lactating cows 19-105 days (average 42 days) post-AI.

At least 133 cows were palpated at 60-90 days post insemination for pregnancy diagnosis. Out of 47 cows which were diagnosed as negative based on their progesterone profile, 5 were found to be false negative upon rectal palpation.

This is translated to pregnancy detection accuracy of 90.6 per cent by the technology. Cows diagnosed as positive at 18-21 days post-AI by Hormonost, but negative by rectal palpation may not necessarily be false diagnosis as it could be the result of embryo mortality between 21 and 60 days of pregnancy

Hormonost Micro-Lab farmertest has not yet been introduces in Kenya, but an order from Germany cost about one Sh110,930-including shipment.

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: 23 May 2016; Hits: 10007

Dhania may help slice farm costs by 'seducing' pest eaters

As most farmers in Kenya grow coriander or dhania for the vibrant urban and rural market, one peasant is using the crop to ‘seduce’ pest eating insects, which have saved him pesticide costs.

Ladybird insect, which is easily attracted to the dhania, feeds on aphids, white flies, mites, among other soft-skinned pests attacking crops.

Worst pests

Edwin Atuya, evaded chemical costs on his cabbages after including a few stems of coriander in his one-eighth acre farm, and the results, he says were “amazing”.

“I had grown tomatoes in the same farm on an earlier season. Aphids intruded and curled the soft parts of the tomatoes, draining all cell sap (plant juice).”

Aphids are some of the worst pests attacking pepper, tomatoes, cabbage, kales, beet-roots, broccoli, Brussels sprout, lettuce, egg plant, potatoes, among other crop.

Atuya used few stems of the coriander ensured that the ladybirds do not overfeed, therefore, fail to feed on the pests.

Sunflower nectar is also another inducer of ladybirds into farms.

5,000 in six weeks

According to One Kind, a Scotland animal protection organisation, a ladybird can eat about 5,000 aphids during its three to six weeks lifespan.

One ladybird lays hundreds of eggs on aphid colonies and other plant eating pests. And they start feeding immediately after hatching, the organisation says.

The insect’s larval stage in the most active stage, where they actively feed, therefore, disarming the pests.

Pesticide danger

The farmer says the heavy application of pesticides on his tomato farm killed insects, which may have included beneficial ones like the ladybird.

With the European and other export, markets demanding minimal pesticide use in production, Integrated Management Practices, which depends on biological means to eliminate pests and diseases, remain the most viable option.

Atuya says the next time a farmer sees the ladybird, they should ‘hug and welcome’ them to the shamba because they are “great friends”.

For effective control, coriander has to be planted earlier than the main crop to ensure by the time transplanting is being done, the ‘soldiers’ are ready for the battle.

There are more than 10 biological pest control methods in Kenya. They can be bought from companies such as Real IPM and Dudutech.

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