By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
Mastering these skills helps you start your perennial crops the right way, ensuring healthy growth and a successful harvest in your farming career.
Compiled by: Winnie Apiyo
Preparing planting materials is a fundamental step in perennial crop production that directly influences the success of the crop establishment and yield outcomes. In Kenya, where agriculture is a backbone of the economy and a key source of livelihood, careful preparation of planting materials ensures high-quality, disease-free, and vigorous seedlings or propagules. This chapter provides agriculture and extension professionals with detailed guidance on understanding relevant terminology, assembling the necessary tools and equipment for land preparation, and maintaining these implements to ensure durability and effectiveness in the field.
Preparing planting materials involves selecting, treating, and readying seeds, seedlings, cuttings, or other propagules to ensure optimal growth conditions for perennial crops. This process is critical in Kenyan farming systems, where challenges such as pests, diseases, and climatic variability demand that planting materials be of superior quality. Extension officers advising farmers on perennial crops such as tea, coffee, mango, or avocado must emphasize the importance of proper preparation to enhance crop establishment and productivity.
Understanding the terminology related to planting materials is essential for clear communication and effective practice in perennial crop production. This subtopic defines key terms used by agriculture and extension professionals in Kenya.
Planting materials refer to any plant parts used to establish a new crop. These include seeds, seedlings, cuttings, grafts, tubers, bulbs, and suckers. For example, tea nurseries in Kericho utilize healthy seedlings as planting materials to establish new plantations.
A seedling is a young plant that has germinated from a seed and developed enough to be transplanted. In the case of avocado production in Meru, seedlings raised in nurseries are carefully monitored before field planting.
Propagules are any plant parts capable of producing a new individual. These may be sexual, such as seeds, or asexual, such as stem cuttings used in passion fruit propagation in Kisii.
Germination is the process by which a seed develops into a seedling under suitable environmental conditions. For maize grown as a perennial component in agroforestry systems, proper germination rates are vital for uniform crop establishment.
A nursery is a controlled environment where seedlings or propagules are raised before transplanting. In Embu, coffee nurseries supply grafted seedlings to farmers to improve crop quality and disease resistance.
Efficient land preparation for planting perennial crops requires assembling the right tools and equipment. This ensures timely and effective soil conditioning, which is critical for root development and nutrient uptake.
| Name | Specification | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Hoe | Steel blade, wooden handle, 1.2m long | Digging, weeding, soil loosening |
| Mattock | Dual head: pick and adze, 1.5m handle | Breaking hard soil, digging trenches |
| Spade | Flat steel blade, 1.2m handle | Digging planting holes, soil turning |
| Rake | Metal or wooden teeth, 1.5m width | Soil leveling, debris removal |
| Wheelbarrow | Steel tray, pneumatic tyres | Transporting soil, tools, seedlings |
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Create a free accountThis chapter covers the preparation of planting materials essential for perennial crop production, beginning with the definition of key terms to establish a clear understanding. It then details the assembly of various land preparation tools and equipment, such as axes, pangas, hoes, and machinery including tractors and rotavators, explaining their specific roles in readying the land. The proper maintenance of these tools and equipment is emphasized to ensure their longevity and efficiency. The chapter also explores the different types of planting materials available, including seeds, seedlings, cuttings, and suckers, highlighting their importance in crop establishment.
Type: Individual
| Tools & Equipment | Materials |
|---|---|
| Dust coat/Overall | Sample seeds (macadamia) |
| Gumboots | Sample seedlings (avocado) |
| Face mask | Splits (banana rhizome splits) |
| Gloves | Crowns (pineapple crowns) |
| Hand lens | Slips (pineapple slips) |
| Marker pen | Cuttings (passion fruit cuttings) |
| Sorting tray | Suckers (banana suckers) |
| Waste bin | |
| Labels | |
| Notebook |
| S/N | Item | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dust coat/Overall | 1 Pc per Candidate |
| 2 | Gumboots | 1 Pair per Candidate |
| 3 | Face mask | 1 Pc per Candidate |
| 4 | Gloves | 1 Pair per Candidate |
| 5 | Hand lens | 1 Pc per Candidate |
| 6 | Marker pen | 1 Pc per Candidate |
| 7 | Sorting tray | 2 Pcs per Candidate |
| 8 | Sample seeds (e.g. macadamia) | 20 Pcs per Candidate |
| 9 | Sample seedlings (e.g. avocado) | 10 Pcs per Candidate |
| 10 | Splits (e.g. banana rhizome splits) | 5 Pcs per Candidate |
| 11 | Crowns (e.g. pineapple crowns) | 5 Pcs per Candidate |
| 12 | Slips (e.g. pineapple slips) | 5 Pcs per Candidate |
| 13 | Cuttings (e.g. passion fruit cuttings) | 5 Pcs per Candidate |
| 14 | Suckers (e.g. banana suckers) | 5 Pcs per Candidate |
| 15 | Waste bin | 1 Pc per Candidate |
| 16 | Labels | 7 Pcs per Candidate |
| 17 | Notebook | 1 Pc per Candidate |
| Items to be Evaluated | Marks Available | Marks Obtained | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| TASK 1: Identification and Selection Process | |||
| Wore PPEs (Dust coat/Overall, Gumboots, Face mask, Gloves) as per workplace procedure (Award 0.5 mark for each PPE correctly worn or zero x 4 = 2 Marks) | 2 | ||
| Assembled all tools and materials (Hand lens, Sorting tray, Marker pen, Waste bin, Labels, Notebook) before starting (Award 0.5 mark for each correctly assembled item or zero x 4 = 2 Marks) | 2 | ||
| Identified all types of planting materials (seeds, seedlings, splits, crowns, slips, cuttings, suckers) from the provided samples (Award 1 mark for each correctly identified type or zero x 7 = 7 Marks) | 7 | ||
| Selected only healthy, disease-free, and true-to-type samples for each category (Award 1 mark for each category with correct selection or zero x 7 = 7 Marks) | 7 | ||
| Sorted the selected planting materials into the correct trays by type (Award 1 mark for each correctly sorted category or zero x 7 = 7 Marks) | 7 | ||
| Labeled each tray accurately using the marker pen and provided labels (Award 1 mark for each correctly written and placed label or zero x 7 = 7 Marks) | 7 | ||
| Disposed of unfit or diseased samples in the waste bin as per safety and health standards (Award 2 marks for correct disposal or zero) | 2 | ||
| Sub-Total | 34 | ||
| PRODUCT CHECKLIST | |||
| Each tray contains only one type of planting material (no mix-ups) (Award 1 mark for each correctly sorted tray or zero x 7 = 7 Marks) | 7 | ||
| Selected samples are free from visible disease, pests, or damage (Award 1 mark for each category with healthy samples or zero x 7 = 7 Marks) | 7 | ||
| Labels are legible and correspond accurately to the tray contents (Award 1 mark for each correct label or zero x 7 = 7 Marks) | 7 | ||
| Sub-Total | 21 | ||
| GRAND TOTAL | 55 | ||
Type: Individual
| Tools & Equipment | Materials |
|---|---|
| Measuring cup | Dust coat/Overall |
| Tablespoon | Gumboots |
| Working mat/polythene | Face mask |
| Pen | Gloves |
| Seed dressing chemical | |
| Untreated perennial crop seeds | |
| Healthy perennial crop seedlings | |
| Water | |
| Packaging bag | |
| Labels | |
| Liquid/powder soap |
| S/N | Item | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dust coat/Overall | 1 Pc per Candidate |
| 2 | Gumboots | 1 Pair per Candidate |
| 3 | Face mask | 1 Pc per Candidate |
| 4 | Gloves | 1 Pair per Candidate |
| 5 | Seed dressing chemical (with user's instructions) | 20 g per Candidate |
| 6 | Untreated perennial crop seeds (e.g. avocado) | 250 g per Candidate |
| 7 | Healthy perennial crop seedlings (e.g. mango) | 5 Pcs per Candidate |
| 8 | Water | Enough per Candidate |
| 9 | Measuring cup (calibrated >50ml) | 1 Pc per 5 Candidates |
| 10 | Tablespoon | 1 Pc per Candidate |
| 11 | Working mat/polythene | 1 Pc per Candidate |
| 12 | Packaging bag (1kg) | 1 Pc per Candidate |
| 13 | Labels | 2 Pcs per Candidate |
| 14 | Pen | 1 Pc per Candidate |
| 15 | Liquid/powder soap | Enough per Candidate |
| Items to be Evaluated | Marks Available | Marks Obtained | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| TASK 1: Preparation of Seeds and Seedlings | |||
| Wore PPEs (Dust coat/Overall, Gumboots, Face mask, Gloves) correctly as per workplace procedure (Award 1 mark for each PPE donned correctly or zero x 4 = 4 Marks) | 4 | ||
| Assembled all required tools and materials for the task (Award 2 marks for correct assembly or zero) | 2 | ||
| Sorted seeds to eliminate damaged or diseased materials (Award 2 marks for proper sorting or zero) | 2 | ||
| Cleaned seeds with water and soap on the working mat/polythene (Award 2 marks for correct cleaning or zero) | 2 | ||
| Read instructions on seed dressing chemical label before use (Award 2 marks for evidence of reading or zero) | 2 | ||
| Measured correct rate of seed dressing chemical using measuring cup as per manufacturer's instructions (Award 2 marks for correct measurement or zero) | 2 | ||
| Mixed seed dressing chemical with water thoroughly using tablespoon (Award 2 marks for thorough mixing or zero) | 2 | ||
| Dressed seeds by mixing them with the chemical solution ensuring uniform coating (Award 2 marks for uniform dressing or zero) | 2 | ||
| Spread dressed seeds on working mat/polythene for drying (Award 2 marks for correct spreading or zero) | 2 | ||
| Dried seeds under sunlight for minimum 30 minutes (Award 2 marks for correct drying or zero) | 2 | ||
| Cleaned seedlings with water to remove soil and debris (Award 2 marks for proper cleaning or zero) | 2 | ||
| Arranged cleaned seedlings in packaging bag ensuring roots are protected (Award 2 marks for correct arrangement or zero) | 2 | ||
| Labeled packaging bags with crop name and date using pen and labels (Award 2 marks for accurate labeling or zero) | 2 | ||
| Cleaned tools and equipment used with water and soap after the task (Award 2 marks for proper cleaning or zero) | 2 | ||
| Disposed waste materials as per NEMA guidelines (Award 2 marks for correct disposal or zero) | 2 | ||
| Sub-Total | 32 | ||
| PRODUCT CHECKLIST | |||
| Seeds cleaned, dressed, and dried uniformly; no visible dirt or untreated seeds (Award 4 marks for uniform cleanliness and treatment or zero) | 4 | ||
| Seedlings cleaned, free from soil/debris, arranged in packaging bag with protected roots (Award 4 marks for proper cleaning and arrangement or zero) | 4 | ||
| Packaging bags labeled correctly with crop name and date as per working drawing (Award 4 marks for accurate labeling or zero) | 4 | ||
| Sub-Total | 12 | ||
| GRAND TOTAL | 44 | ||
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