Special Practices on Crop Production

Special Practices on Crop Production (part 2)

Special production practices are unique ways by which plant growth can be improved for functional or aesthetic reasons through controlling the plant environment or its parts. Example of these special techniques are as follows:

3. FLOWER INDUCTION- from the word itself this practice helps the plant to induce even during off- season thus producing without time consideration. Great example of these is on mango and pineapple. It makes the flower of mango more uniform and abundant. Various techniques such as the use of chemical, potassium nitrate (KNO3) as flower inducer on carabao mango, modifying the photoperiod, pruning, and timing of irrigation are used in inducing flowers on plant. Thus, making the plant yield all throughout the year. But of course the effectiveness will always depend on the specific crops. 

On the case of pineapple, flower induction makes the plant attain uniform maturity and also makes the time of harvest controlled in order to avoid too much production in some instances calcium carbide are deposited in the crown of each plant that is dissolved by rain is proven effective by some growers. Also, compress acetylene gas or a spray of calcium carbide solution (that generates acetylene) accelerate uniform blooming. A more advanced method is the use of the hormone, a-naphthaleneacetic acid (ANA) or B naphylacetic acid (BNA) which induce formation of ethylene. In recent years, B-hydroxyethyl hydrazine (BOH) came into use. Treatment is given when the plants are 6 months old, 3 months before natural flowering time. The plants should have reached the 30 leaf stage at this age(www. hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/pineapple.html). 

4.DESUCKERING- This special practice involves the removal of unnecessary suckers from the base of the plant to allow better growth of the remaining suckers. A very common technique of banana or abaca. This also aims to regulate the volume and schedule of production. In the case of banana specially on a plantation, only 3 to 4 suckers of varying ages, usually of  3 to 4 months interval, are retained per month at any 1 time.

Photos:

1. flower induction in mango

https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=flower+induction+in+mango&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=bcUVU4a1K9GZiQfUpoDYAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=677#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=K9PRPwLbLr3XiM%253A%3BVN52ncZv4I4FoM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.onislam.net%252Fenglish%252Foimedia%252Fonislamen%252FDigos-Citys-Booming-Mango-Industry2-300x205.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.onislam.net%252Fenglish%252Fhealth-and-science%252Fscience%252F463811-flower-inducer-to-enhance-productivity.html%3B300%3B205

2.desuckering bananas.

 https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=flower+induction+in+mango&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=bcUVU4a1K9GZiQfUpoDYAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=677#q=desuckering+bananas&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=fWKChiSGhdhfuM%253A%3BcQsv5brhqAlNBM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi1.ytimg.com%252Fvi%252FazJibfj5zHE%252Fhqdefault.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.youtube.com%252Fwatch%253Fv%253DazJibfj5zHE%3B480%3B360

Special Practices on Crop production

Special Practices on Crop production (part 1)


Not all crops can be treated the way you do on other crops. Like how you grow a mango tree is very different on growing beans. So there are techniques by which plant growth is modified by controlling the environment of either the plant itself or any of its parts. Why "special"? because there are unique practices that are specifically done to particular crops or group of crops only.

1. FRUIT BAGGING. It involves enclosing, wrapping or bagging the fruits,maybe individually or as a group, with recommended materials in order to protect the fruit from possible damage it may have caused by insects, diseases, wind, birds, etc. example of these are paper wrapper on ampalaya while plastic bags, sacks, and banana leaves to jackfruit. It can also be done on banana, mango, guava, durian, macopa, cacao, papaya.



2. PROPPING. It is a practice done to provide support to branches or stalk that is common in fruit crops which tends to bend due to heavy load of fruits. Banana stalk is a great example for this. this branch loaded with maturing bunch of fruits may break due to strong winds and heavy fruit load, so this is what we want to prevent using propping. A common propping material for banana is made of two poles tied near the ends with rope or wire,it appears as scissors-like. The neck (the base of the bunch) then lodged on the "V" shape end of the poles. Propping is also done on other fruit crops like mango, santol, durian, pummelo to prevent the branches laden with fruits from topping over and to keep their fruits from touching the ground.


This is only the part one.. :P
Watch out for part 2 and 3. I hope you have gained additional knowledge on agriculture through my blog. For more questions just follow me and i'll be very happy to answer yours . Enjoy!

photos:

1.bagging mango
 https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=bagged+ampalaya&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=dq8VU9SHAsGAiQf7_oBw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=677#facrc=_&imgdii=jmtyXiSw_xMmlM%3A%3BYEk0MQTvH2RO8M%3BjmtyXiSw_xMmlM%3A&imgrc=jmtyXiSw_xMmlM%253A%3BfUB2II51nBgYDM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.infonet-biovision.org%252Fres%252Fres%252Ffiles%252F1696.300x200.jpeg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.infonet-biovision.org%252Fdefault%252Fct%252F93%252Fpests%3B242%3B200

2.propping banana
https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=bagged+ampalaya&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=dq8VU9SHAsGAiQf7_oBw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=677#q=propping+banana&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=6bhfgKJL9Ijh-M%3A%3BD0xzci5vJNJ3gM%3B6bhfgKJL9Ijh-M%3A&imgrc=6bhfgKJL9Ijh-M%253A%3BlBeDYtRCa2mpXM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fagriculture.kzntl.gov.za%252Fportal%252Fimages%252Fupdate00-3_3.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fagriculture.kzntl.gov.za%252FAgricPublications%252FAgriUpdates%252FBananasinKwaZuluNatal%252Ftabid%252F336%252FDefault.aspx%3B336%3B262