Pests

: 11 March 2019; Hits: 7067

Adding crushed egg shells to the soil and watering thrice a week controls blossom end rot in tomatoes

Farmers can control blossom end rot in tomatoes by adding crushed egg shells to their plants and watering at least thrice a week.

According a research by the Kenya Agricultural and Research Organization, egg shells have calcium that helps in boosting root and leaf growth and maintaining fruit firmness and quality thereby reducing blossom end rot risks.

“Blossom end rot is a troublesome disease, familiar to most farmers who have grown tomatoes with a 20 to 30 per cent loss rate,” said KALRO crops researcher Mirima Otipa.

“The disease is characterized by round –brown water-soaked spots on the blossom end of the fruit. Test the soil in your farm for calcium levels one to two months before planting,”

Harden your seedlings two weeks before transplanting. This involves exposing the seedlings to sunlight, wind and temperatures outside the nursery bed seven to 10 days before transplanting.

While transplanting, boost calcium levels in the soil by adding crushed egg shells (12g of eggshells/plant) and bone meal (250g/hill) in the planting hole.

Eggs shells can be obtained from chicken keepers or collected at the farm level for those farmers keeping poultry.

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blosom end rot

Tomato fruits affected by blossom end rot. Courtesy

After planting, water your plants three times per week to ensure an adequate amount of moisture and steady growth of the plants. To conserve soil moisture, apply mulch cover using maize stover, wheat straw or dried grass. Mulching is important especially at the flowering and fruiting stage as the plants need maximum moisture for optimum yields.

Farmers can test the soil moisture by picking and pressing soil between the fingers. If the soil particles do not stick to each other, it shows the soil is dry hence the need to initiate direct control.

Top dress the plants with calcium ammonium nitrate (26 per cent Nitrogen) at knee high at a rate of 40kg/acre then at flowering 80kg/acre. CAN is sold at Sh1800 per 50kg bag and is obtained from certified agrovets.

As the fruits mature farmers should look out for small water-soaked sunken spots at the blossom ends of the fruits which enlarge and darken as the tomatoes grow. Spray with calcium nitrate or calcium chloride at 30g in 20 liters of water every seven-10 days when fruits are about two centimeters in diameter. After every three years, add lime to your farm with calcium carbonate at 150 g per square meter.

The price of a 64 kg crate of tomatoes at current market prices in various towns range from Sh. 2200 to 2500 according to Soko+, a digital commodity trading and information system, linking small scale farmers to end retailers/bulk purchasers of produce.

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: 07 March 2019; Hits: 6688

Safety measures to take in pesticide application on your crops

In 2017, Kenya’s fresh produce to the European Union was intercepted 29 times due to infestation by pests such as leaf miner, bollworm and armyworm among others with the produce having exceeded minimum pesticide limits of 10 per cent maximum residue level according to the Horticultural Crops Directorate.

In developing countries such as Kenya, frequent exposure to pesticides by farmers and farm workers is very common. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimate pesticide poisoning rates at two to three people per minute. Pesticide-related health issues therefore poses threat to development and can easily reverse or undermine the gains made in agricultural growth.

The Pest Control and Products Board is advocating for correct usage of pesticides to maximize their benefits while at the same time minimizing risks.

Farmers therefore are required to only use registered products by PCPB. Before buying a pesticide, ensure is it bears a PCPB registration number- PCPB (CR) #### on the label. The package should be intact and not leaking or tampered with. Read the product labels carefully and entirely before use and stick to the label instructions accordingly.

Wear appropriate protective gear such as rubber gloves, gumboots, overalls and respirators when mixing and applying pesticides. Gloves cost about Sh350, gumboots Sh700 and overalls Sh950. Do not eat, drink or smoke while mixing or spraying pesticides and afterwards wash your hands and the protective gear thoroughly with soap and water.

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pesticide application safe

Safe pesticide application. Courtesy

The major pests hindering export of Kenya’s fresh produce include bollworm, leaf miner and armyworm.

The leaf miner causes 27 per cent rejection rate and affects flowers, French bean pods and snow pea pods. It is identified by presence of yellow lines, spots or blotches on leaves caused by the larvae. A natural way instead of use of chemicals in controlling leaf miners is by use of neem oil which affects the life cycle of the pest by killing the larva hence reducing their population.

Armyworm accounts for less than five per cent of the total rejection cases in flowers. Natural ways farmers can reduce the impact include squashing the eggs or caterpillars when they see them.

Bean thrips affect mango, banana, French beans, snow peas, flowers and avocados. Thrips suck juices in plants turning them pale and discolored. They are controlled by uprooting and discarding of infected plants. Also remove weeds and grass to eliminate alternative hosts.

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: 01 March 2019; Hits: 7492

How to control aphids in wheat

The Russian wheat aphid is a serious pest of wheat and barley causing yield losses of between 20 to 100 per cent in affected crops.

The aphid originated from Russia and was first recorded in Kenya in 1995 according to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO). It has since been affecting farmers’ crops in Nakuru, Eldoret, Kitale, East and West Mau escarpment, Nyandarua, Timau and Maralal.

The initial symptom of the disease is moderate yellowing of the wheat/barley with the crop appearing to be under drought duress even when there is no drought. The aphid causes the leaves to curl as the pest lives inside the tightly rolled leaves stunting the crop in the process.

Farmers can control the pest though chemical control either by applying systemic insecticides on seeds at planting or foliar fertilisers on the leaves.

The chemical applied with seed at planting are Gaucho 350 FS at the rate of 200ml per 100kg of seed or Carbofuran 350 ST at the rate of 750ml per 100kg of seed.

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wheat field

Foliar fertlisers are applied when damage signs on the leaves are noticed with one spray recommended.

Foliar fertilisers to be applied are Acozord (750ml/ha, Metasystox (500ml/ha) or Dimecron (800ml/ha).

Farmers can also embrace cultural control by increasing the plant density using as low plant densities are prone to attack by the pest. Remove volunteer plants such as grasses that act as hosts for the pests even before the crop is planted.

Kenya’s wheat production decreased by 23.1 per cent from 214,700 tonnes recorded in 2016 to 165,200 tonnes in 2017 according to the 2018 economic survey report released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics in April this year.

Wheat imports into the country thus increased by 36.2 per cent in 2017 in order to curb the shortage of the produce from 1.4m tonnes in 2016

According to KNBS, Kenyans consume an estimated one million tonnes of wheat annuallywith the crop being the second most important cereal grain after maize in Kenya.

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