Smart farms

: 15 April 2016; Hits: 10712

How to identify genuine maize seeds this planting season

The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KARLO) has warned farmers against cartels selling fake maize seeds across the country, just about two weeks to planting season.

A part from swindling from farmers in this row deals, fake seeds would lower the country's maize yiled by up to 40 per cent.
KARLO Director-General Eliud Kireger said the unscrupulous dealers are wooing farmers to buy the fake seeds on claiming they planting materials have been released by the agency through a joint research venture.
“We wish to advise farmers that KARLO has not entered into any agreement whatsoever with some of these fake collaborators going round the country conning them using our name. We urge the them to visit our institutes and centres across the country for clarification and information,” said Kireger in a press statement.
Although identifying fake maize seeds is tricky to farmers, Farmbiz Africa has prepared a check list to guide farmers when buying any seeds from a distributor.
READ ALSO: ABC of maize farming
Buy from authorised company’s office or institution
While some companies have distributors in various parts of the country, it is safe to seek information or purchase seeds at renowned company’s office. A part from obtaining genuine seeds, farmers are likely to get detailed information about planting, yield per acre, pest and disease control from experts.
They should, however' insist on seeing the company’s certificate of registration, which must be displayed at all time, clearance certificate from KEPHIS and obtain a receipt after purchasing.
READ ALSO: Suitable maize varieties for different regions in Kenya
Packaging
Although unscrupulous seed dealers are becoming more creative to an extent of achieving almost 70 per cent imitation of packaging by genuine brands, quality of colour and KEPHIS clearance tag distinguish them. Packages from genuine dealers have full colour and KEPHIS tags inside the bag while fake ones have dim brand shades and lack tags.
Colour
The quality of dye and stitching of the bag can also help farmers distinguish genuine seeds from fake ones. Con seed distributors basically dye commercial maize with color synonymous with a credible dealer, hence achieving poor colour pattern. A close look at a fake white seed dyed in yellow colour for instance show white strips. The general colour is normally lighter or dulls whilst the genuine seed has a full shade. Seed bags from genuine dealers are well stitched.
Poor maize production in the country, many a time, forcing the State to import from neighboring countries to fill yearly deficit.

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: 15 April 2016; Hits: 12238

Converting female to male tilapia fish is more productive

As many counties move to empower youth and women groups through aquaculture, small-scale fish farmers can increase productivity by introducing only male fingerlings into their ponds.

Increased local and global demand, more-so for tilapia, catfish and corp, is driving more people into this farming.

Monosex fishing farming, which is advocating male fingerlings, has been found to be high yielding because of the biological disadvantages of females.

In counties like Mombasa, catfish has been the main species given out to these farmers.

For instance Nile tilapia, which is one of the most preferred fish globally, is easy to rear because of its omnivorous feeding orientation.

This characteristic of eating both plants and small animals gives it a cutting edge over other species in food resource strained environments.

Males do best

In addition, its prolific reproduction rate makes it a choice for many farmers.

On the flip-side the fast multiplication impacts yield per single fish. Multiple researches have shown that rearing only male tilapia can increase the weight of an individual fish by 30 per cent.

On average, a mature tilapia fish weighs about between 400g to 500g in five to eight months. In warmer and stable conditions tilapia can reach 600g to 900g, according to Food and Agricultural Organisation.

FAO says growth rate of males, when alone, is almost twice per day. The energy meant to spur reproduction in the males supports growth.

Peter Ogora, an animal breeding lecturer at Egerton University, says continued reproduction hinders fish from attaining maximum weight.

“Fish grow well when the population is kept constant. Reproducing females increase population of the stock, effectively raising competition for food an other growth resources. This results in stunted growth of the original stock,” the aquaculture lectures said.

Given that tilapia is a mouth brooder (rearing fingerlings in the mouth), it is likely to have limited time to feed as it secures the fingerlings against predators, he said.

Males become females

But farmers cannot convert tilapia fish to males on their own. Fish fingerling breeding firms do the conversion of females into males before selling.

The conversion is possible because sexual differentiation in tilapia fish takes place several days after yolk sac absorption. For successful reversal, fries ('candidates') must be less than 14 mm.

A male sex hormone, methyltestosterone, is introduced into feeds. If this, and other procedures are followed, 95 per cent to 100 per cent conversion is achieved.

Another alternative of female-to male reversal that firms are using is subjecting the fries into 'sustainable temperature treatment'.

The later method is becoming more popular as eaters shun inorganic foods. This has made the companies avoid hormonal sex reversal process.

Jambo Fish Western and Jambo Fish firms in Nairobi's Kasarani are some of the distributors of the male fingerlings.

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: 15 April 2016; Hits: 8691

Storage bag secures cereals against pests

Farmers can save more than 25 per cent of cereal harvests to pests by storing their produce in special suffocating bags, which do not require chemicals.

The US originated-Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bag has three linings, with two inner ones being plastic.

While the outer lining is normal woven sack carrying the produce, the two plastic linings prevent entry of oxygen into the cereals and any organism in the bag would die after the air 'locked' inside is depleted. This takes about 48 hours.

Each of the three layers of the PICS is tied tightly.

Among the crops destroyed by these insects include maize, beans, groundnuts, wheat, cow-peas, peanuts, rice, sorghum and pigeon peas.

The Purdue University College of Agriculture, which came up with the bag, says farmers will sell clean produce because no chemical dusting is required to kill insect pests.

“PICS technology eliminates insecticide use and enables farmers to store their grain instead of selling it at harvest when the price is low. The bag would ensure a supply of clean grain for consumption or sale for many months after harvest,” the university's research says.

In addition, farmers will not incur costs of buying insecticides, which Food and Agricultural Organisation says destroy 25 per cent of cereals while in stores. Consumers globally are charming up to organic foods, which are produced without agro-chemicals.

In using these bags, residual health hazards associated with the dust pesticides commonly applied to secure the harvest while in store will no longer be a worry to consumers.

However, the farmers must at first store clean and pest-free grains given that moths and weevils at times attack crops like maize right from the field.

But farmers must ensure moisture content in the cereals is at the required level of 12 per cent. This would prevent rotting in the bags.

PICS is effective on small pests; this means bigger ones like rats and other rodents must be killed by other means of for instance trapping.

The plastic linings are soft and hard when exposed to hot and cold conditions respectively.

The bag is available in the Kenyan market, costing between Sh250 and Sh300. Bell Industries Limited is one of the companies selling them.

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