PRODUCTION PRACTICES FOR AGRONOMIC CROPS

Given a favorable environment, superior crop potential and adequate production inputs, crop yield largely depends on?

Management capability of the farmer

Rainfed upland

Seed is placed in soil that remains aerobic throughout much or all of the growing season

Rainfed lowland

Puddling of fields for rice cultivation starts after the onset of rains

Irrigated

Water control reduces the risk of flooding and/or drought in this ecosystem

It is not a characteristic of a continuous cropping system

rainfed

The purpose of land preparation is to:

• create good soil tilth favorable for seed germination

• incorporate organic materials

• enhance aeration

• control weeds

Done to pulverize upland soil

Harrowing

The practice of mixing/tilling the soil when saturated with water is termed:

Puddling

These are the purposes of puddling

1. Conserve moisture

2. Destroy soil structure

3. Increase micropores

Chemical changes that occur in submerged or lowland condition

1. increase in pH of acidic soil

2. decrease in pH of alkaline soil

3. increase in N P K availability

Gas which is dominant in upland/ dryland soil

CO2 (Carbon dioxide)

The best time to prepare upland soil is when its moisture content is at

Field capacity

A tool/instrument used to locate contour lines in hilly areas.

A-frame

In calibrating an A-frame to locate contour lines, the crossbar should be_____.

at the midpoint mark of the crossbar

Tillage method which reduces the number of plowing and harrowing operations

Reduced tillage

It is used to break hardpans

Subsoiler

Tillage Systems

1. Traditional or conventional (animal drawn plow/machine)

2. Conservation tillage (a. Zero tillage, b. Minimum tillage, c. Mulch tillage, d. Ridge tillage)

Time of Hilling Up

Corn - 25-30 days to cover applied fertilizer
Peanut - 40-45 days for good pegging
Sweet potato - 60 days after planting/ before root bulking

Germination Testing and Adjusting Seeding Rates

seeds with >85% germination is recommended for planting
seeds with >60% but <85% germination can still be used but adjust seeding rate

Method of testing seed germination using filter paper

Damp paper toweling method

How to adjust seeding rate?

Recommended seeding rates of common crops:

Lowland rice = 40 kg/ha
Hybrid rice = 20 kg/ha
Upland rice = 80-100 kg/ha
Mung bean = 30 kg/ha
Corn = 18-20 kg/ha
Peanut = 100 kg/ha

If tobacco is widely grown in Ilocos, sugarcane dominates in

Negros Occidental

If Bohol is the top producing province for ube, _____ is top producer for camote

Leyte

Seeds which can’t be dried to a low moisture level or are drying sensitive

Recalcitrant

Seeds of durables such as corn, mungbean and rice

Orthodox

Lowland rice variety which can thrive under saline condition

Salinas

Most resilient crop in typhoon prone areas

Camote

It does not represent a legume variety

Sinta

These are climate smart rice varieties with heat tolerant

N22

If ramie and ginger are propagated through rhizomes, taro is grown by:

Corm

If a mature stem cutting is used as planting material for cassava, immature tip/top portion is used by:

sugarcane and sweet potato

These are root crop varieties

1. PSB Sp 30

2. PSB Vg-2

3. Sultan-1

The first aromatic hybrid rice variety developed by PhilRice

Mabango 1

Class of seeds that are intended for farmers’ use

Certified seeds

The cheapest and most practical source of planting material

seeds

Propagation method which preserves the characters of the parent plant

asexual

Seeds derived from breeder or foundation seeds which are tagged green

Registered seeds

These are orthodox seeds

• tomato

• corn

• star apple

Planting method of mungbean seeds when uniformly distributed in furrows

Drill

Ridge planting of crops is advisable during

Wet season

The top producer of mungbean

Isabela

Bioseed Healer 102 is a hybrid GMO corn variety developed by

Monsanto Phils.

This institution rationalizes the release of varieties emanating from different breeding station

National Seed Industry Council

In a tetrazolium test, viable seeds will stain

Red

Seeds that fail to germinate even with favorable growth factors are termed

Dormant

This phytohormone is known to break dormancy in rice seeds as per discovered by Kurosawa

Gibberelin

These are all horticultural crops

1. Assunta

2. Rizalina

3. Rosanna

4. Bituin

Top Producing Provinces (PSA 2018)

1. Benguet - Carrots, Cauliflower, Chinese petchay, White potato

2. Ilocos Norte - Tamarind, Garlic

3. Ilocos Sur - Tabacco, Virginia Tabacco

4. Isabela - Native Tabacco, Mongo

5. Nueva Viscaya - Mandarin

6. Bulacan - String beans

7. Nueva Ecija - Okra, Onion

Top Producing Provinces (PSA 2018)

1. Batangas - Gourd

2. Laguna - Rambutan, Radish

3. Quezon - Coconut (with husk), ampalaya

4. Oriental Mindoro - Calamansi

5. Palawan - Cashew

6. Albay - Orchids, Native Pechay, Squash

7. Catanduanes - Abaca

8. Sorsogon - Pili nut

Top Producing Provinces (PSA 2018)

1. Iloilo - Watermelon

2. Negros Occidental - Sugarcane

3. Bohol - Ube

4. Leyte - Camote

5. Northern Samar - Gabi

6. Bukidnon - Pineapple, Lettuce, Tomato

7. Lanao del Norte - Ginger

Top Producing Provinces (PSA 2018)

1. Davao del Norte - Banana, Cavendish Banana

2. Davao del Sur - Cacao

3. North Cotabato - Rubber, Lakatan, Saba Banana

4. South Cotabato - Cotton, Papaya, Asparagus

5. Sultan Kudarat - Coffee (dried beans); Arabica & Robusta

6. Agusan del Sur - Oil Palm (fresh fruit)

7. Lanao Del Sur - Cassava

8. Maguindanao - Kangkong

9. Sulu - Coffee Excelsa, Coffee Liberica, Lanzones

Types of planting materials:

1. Seeds - corn, rice

2. Cuttings - cassava, sweet potato

3. Corms/Suckers - banana

4. Tiller - tikog

5. Tuber - yam

Planting Methods of agronomic crops depend on:

1. Crops

2. Season

3. Soil

Recommended plant spacings

1. Corn - 75cm x 50 cm at 2 plants/hill

   - 75 cm x 25 cm at 1 plant/hill

2. Rice - 20 cm x 20 cm at 2-3 seedlings/hill

3. Mungbean - 16 plants/linear meter

4. Peanut - 50 cm x 20 cm at 2 plants/hill

5. Tobacco - 100 cm x 100 cm at 1 plant/hill

6. Sugarcane - 100-180 cm x 30 cm at 1 cutting/hill

7. Adlai (Job’s tears) (Coix lacrymajobi L.) - 100 cm x 50 cm at 2 seeds/hill

Formula: Plant population

Arrangement of Plants

1. Quincunx or Diagonal – a square arrangement with an additional plant in the center.

2. Triangular or hexagonal arrgt – trees are set equidistant to one another from every direction, forming an equilateral triangle.

3. Contour or terrace system – does not follow the conventional spacing, made along the contour lines of the hilly land

Removal of extra seedlings to meet desired plant population (1-2 weeks after planting)

Thinning

To plant again or reseed to minimize missing hills

Replanting

Method of irrigation recommended when water is scarce and expensive, and the soil is sandy and porous

Drip irrigation

The yield of various field crops exposed to unreliable water supply usually drops significantly when droughts occur during

Mid-reproductive stage

Rainfall data that are most meaningful in formulating appropriate cropping calendars

Weekly rainfall data

An example of an economically feasible water conserving irrigation method that could substantially reduce water requirement of lowland rice

Intermittent irrigation

The relatively high frequency of rainfall on the windward side of a mountain range is attributed to -

Orographic effects

An irrigation method where water is applied at top end of furrow and flows down the field by gravity

Furrow irrigation

Short-term seasonal pattern of atmospheric conditions in a particular area is termed

Weather

This type of irrigation applies small amounts of water into the soil surface that erosion, runoff and formation of surface crusts are avoided

Drip irrigation

Most of our economically important agronomic crops are -

Mesophytes

It is generally more rainy at:

mountainous area

Drought is experienced when there is no rainfall or at least 0.25 mm water for:

29 consecutive days

Requires longer irrigation interval

Poorly structured clay soil

The best method of irrigation to use in soils that are easily eroded

Drip irrigation

Removal time of excess water from soil surface after heavy rainfall should be consistent with

1. Tolerance limit of a crop

2. Type of soil

3. Type of crop

Plants will need more moisture if the RH is

65%

Methods of irrigation

1. Surface method

2. Sprinkler method

3. Trickle/ drip method

It supplies water and nutrients for plant growth

Soil

Materials which are added into the soil to supply nutrients essential for plant growth and development

Fertilizers

Needed by crops in smaller quantities

Iron

Essential nutrient needed to enhance sweetness of sugarcane or water melon

K (Potassium)

A newly-added essential element for urease metabolism yet beneficial for seed development

Ni (Nickel)

Beneficial element which increases sturdiness of rice stalks thus minimize lodging

Si (Silicon)

Ammonium phosphate (16-20-0) is a

Incomplete and Inorganic fertilizer

This fertilizer material improves the physical condition of the soil

Cow manure

Soil fertility declines because of the following

1. Leaching

2. P Fixation

3. Volatilization

The most efficient method of fertilizer application

Foliar application

The conversion process of nutrients from unavailable to available form is termed

Mineralization

Nutrients from organic fertilizers are slowly available than inorganic because materials undergoes

Decomposition and Immobilization

Urea is a synthetic fertilizer with a chemical formula of

CO(NH₂)₂

The most limiting nutrient in either acidic or alkaline soil

P (Phosphorous)

The most widespread form of volatilization

Denitrification

The combined application of both inorganic and organic fertilizers to crops

Integrated Nutrient Management

Plant nutrients can be lost from the soil through:

1. Crop removal

2. Surface run-off and erosion

3. Fixation

4. Leaching

5. Denitrification

Methods of Fertilizer Application

1. Broadcast application

2. Localized application

3. Foliar fertilizer application (most efficient)

The type of farming with rugged terrain of 18% slope or greater in elevation is known as

Hilly farming

A cropping pattern which involves planting of the second crop after flowering but before harvest of the first crop

Relay cropping

An LER index value higher than 1.00 indicates

Advantage of intercropping

The most critical determinant of cropping patterns in rice followed by rice is

Water availability

The plowing-under of a legume plant at early reproductive stage to increase the nitrogen content of the soil

Green manuring

The relationship existing between a nitrogen-fixing bacteria and a legume plant

Symbiosis