PINEAPPLE PRODUCTION GUIDE

Pineapple was the star among many countries. It was widely known by anybody. The sweetness penetrated deeply in our senses. It participated in making the body healthy as the fruit itself is heavily laden with vitamins and minerals especially vitamin C known to be anti-oxidant. Pineapple was commercially produced.

There are many consumer products produced using pineapple as raw materials. They are manufactured in cans, tins and tetra packs or freshly cut for sale. It is best alternative for weight loss and other benefits related to health.

Planting pineapple is good farming practice. Maintenance and care is not as complex and vigorous if you have the interest and patience of waiting the day of fruiting and harvesting.

In rural areas, it is easy for a community to plant pineapple in their backyard for personal consumption and able to harvest without proper care to it. To have better and bigger pineapple size, proper maintenance to the plant is necessary.

To plant pineapple for commercial purpose, you need to know the many helpful points to be able to have higher yield and success in producing them.

Select a better place to plant pineapple. Test the soil pH to be able to arrive to correct application of fertilizer to use. Pineapple can adapt to any type of soil but loamy soil is the best.

Prepare the land, tilling it properly. Plow and harrow 3 times alternately to loosen the soil until the soil has good tilt.

Select the best slips and suckers as your planting materials. You can procure it from other commercial pineapple farms selling planting materials to interested buyers.

Treat planting materials first to ensure that they are free from diseases. It can be protected by curing and dipping it to fungicide solution.

Select planting materials that has high recovery rate or survival rate in the field or a variety that can grow faster.

Curing the slips and suckers is done by direct exposure to sunlight for the period of 4 weeks before the scheduled planting.  It enables the cut basal portion called the butt end to heal and form callus where the root system starts to form. At the same time, it helps to prevent fungal infection because of the long exposure to the sun during the curing process.

Another way is dipping the planting materials (butt ends) directly to fungicide solution. This will be the effective prevention against fatal fungal disease like heart rot and bud rot.

Without necessary protection, the fungal disease will appear within 3 months after planting. If diseased, the base of young leaves will slowly rot including stem, buds and heart of the plant. If not treated, planting materials will die.

The application of fertilizer is important aspect of plant’s life to grow healthy, robust and with vigor that can stand against fungal infection. It is also induces pineapple to flower especially the appearance of red bud and starts of flowering.

Use 10 grams of ammonium sulfate (nitrogen), 10 grams of muriate of potash (potassium) per plant. Fertilization played key role in the growth of plants. After the application, the plants started to fruit. A healthy fruit weigh 1.80 kilos, 16 centimeters in height with the diameter of 12 centimeters as they matured.

Observed the following:

-While preparing planting beds in the farm. See to it that it has enough drainage system to remove the excess water in the field. The beds should be raised 30 centimeters from the ground.

-Plant the slips and suckers before wet season. Space the plant closely to increase concentration of suckers and slips in one hectare.

SWEET CORN PRODUCTION GUIDE

Sweet corn has demand in the market. Planters sell it directly as green corn or cooked in boiling water. The sweetness of the corn is the reason for the increase in demand in short supply as it is not suitable for large-scale production. Sweet corn can adapt many types of soil condition. It is best planted in fertile or sandy loam soil.

Prepare the land 24 days before planting. Plow and harrow the land thoroughly repeated alternately 2 to 3 times to have the soil in good tilt.

Make the first plowing, after one week harrow the land. Broadcast animal manure or organic fertilizer to the harrowed land. Irrigate the land after harrowing to let the weeds to germinate. After 12 days, start plowing to remove the emerging weeds and follow the second harrowing. Then after 8 days do the 3^rd and final plowing and harrowing thoroughly done to kill the remaining weeds that will emerge.

If the soil is lacking the nutrients for the plants to grow fast, apply fertilizer. If the field is one hectare lot, if animal manure is available in poultry farm, procure and apply directly to the harrowed field before planting the seeds. Use ammonium sulfate 250 kilos with 300 kilos of calcium superphosphate and 50 kilos of potassium chloride.

Start making furrows the next day in preparation for the planting. The distance of the hill between furrows should be 95 centimeters. Apply the furrows with basal fertilizer and 400 kilos of 16-20-0 (8 bags) in a hectare. Cover the fertilizer with soil lightly and properly. Then the furrows are ready for planting.

Prepare the seeds for planting, treating it first with fungicide and insecticide to assure high rate of germination.

Sow only 2 seeds per hill with the distance of 25 centimeters. Cover it properly and lightly. Start watering the seeds in the furrows. This is to induce easy germination of seeds. Water the plants as often as necessary.

Early sign of pest habitation shall be controlled.

-After 6 days from germination, replace and replant seeds again to those missing hills. After two weeks, thin out the hill leaving only 1 plant per hill. Side-dress the plants with ammonium sulfate for fast growth, to have vigor in appearance and firm stand.

The placement of fertilizer should be between hills, 3 inches from the base of the plant not near to the hill to avoid sudden stress to the plants due to potency of the fertilizer.

After 2 weeks and a half from planting, start spraying the plant with insecticides to ensure that pest will not destroy the leaves of the corn. After 10 days, start hilling up to loosen the soil and have the plants a little breathing space during its growth. Follow irrigation to the plant to maintain its moisture level while growing especially during dry period. Additionally, apply granular insecticides to the whorl of the plants to protect it from many damaging insects.

After 36 days, spray again the plants with insecticides to protect against ear worm and corn borer that lay their eggs in the tassel. It should be completely eradicated to protect the ear of corn during the fruiting stage. Repeat the process every week 2 times until the threat disappear.

Once the age of the corn reaches 55 days, stop spraying with insecticides not to contaminate in the ear of corn while waiting for the schedule harvesting. If there is isolated case of worm habitation, remove it manually.

Harvest the plant more or less 75 days when the corn are full and tender, if the silk started to dry and colored brown, or the kernel are full and has milky liquid if pressed by the finger.

BATAW PRODUCTION GUIDE

The vegetable has wide adaptability to many soil conditions. There are many varieties of bataw. There are bataw that are vines needing trellis for support. Another variety stands erect and not a vine type but bushy with thick foliage. There was variety that can be raised directly to the soil without trellis. Its thick foliage will cover the ground.

The many varieties differed in shape, texture, size of leaves, shape of the flowers, seeds, color of the plants and pod characteristic. It has variety that can tolerate period of drought, flowering time, the condition of the seedling (vigor), period of maturity, resistance to pests and diseases, sensitivity to day-length and the viability of the seeds in many type of soil condition. There are varieties suitable in lowland and upland.

The plant grows fast. Because of its dense foliage, it is best controller for the growth of weeds.

Prepare the land thoroughly. Plow and harrow the field 2 to 3 times to break loss the soil. Plant the seeds directly to the soil in furrows. Plant 2 to 3 seeds per hill. Keep maximum distance each hill as the plant will grow robust and has thick foliage.

Let it grow freely in the soil to cover the land. It is best to suppress weed germination and frequency of weeding. No need to do periodic weeding as the plant control the emergence of weeds. Spot weeding can only be done to isolated portion if the weeds in the field persist.

Most often, there’s no need to apply fertilizer as the plant can adapt to any soil type. But in case the plant will not grow healthy despite its resistance to poor soil then apply periodic fertilization to the plant.

In case of pest infestation, spray the foliage with pesticides for the pests to keep away from the foliage to damage the leaves, flowers and fruits.

The plants can tolerate diseases. But in the event they are severely affected by the disease, remove or uproot the affected plants from the good ones to avoid spread of bacterial infection.

Harvest the young pods regularly. Avoid the pod to mature as it can no longer good to sell to the market.

There are many uses of bataw:

-The dry weight of seeds has crude protein containing high level of iron.

-Its young pod is best serve as table vegetables.

-Dried seeds are good alternative for snack foods, cooked or eaten directly. It was used to process bean cake.

-The leaves and flowers are cooked and eaten.

-Sprouts are good for palatable menu.

-The bean hay serves as forage of many animals.

-It was used as silage.

-The green manure serves as fertilizer.

-It was used in the prevention of soil erosion because of its thick foliage.

-It is good cover crop for plantation.

-It has the ability to serve as nitrogen-fixing crop.

TARO PRODUCTION GUIDE

It grows on all soil types. Best in deep, well-drained, alluvial loam with high level of water composition. It can easily adapt to moist environment. If grown in upland areas, sufficient water is needed.

Plow and harrow the field until the soil become loose and friable. In a lowland areas, plow and harrow 4 times. Water the field for 2 days before planting to make the soil soft easy for planting. In upland areas, plow and harrow 3 times before planting. In planting, use pointed metal to make a hole to make it easy.

It can be propagated vegetatively by using corms either whole or in pieces, stem cuttings or even cormels. Traditionally, stem cutting is preferable because it can produce higher yield. During wet season planting is done before the start of rainy season. If irrigation facilities is available, planting can be done whole year round.

The purpose of applying fertilizer to the plants is to keep the rapid development of leaves and to ensure a fast enlargement of corms. Using compost as fertilizer is highly recommended. Mixed it thoroughly during land preparation, 1 to 2 weeks before planting. You can use complete fertilizer (14-14-14), 400 kg in one hectare.

Diseases attack the taro leaves. Use handpicking. Apply commercial insecticides at 6-14 days interval. Use it at the rate of 2 tablespoon every 4 gallon of water. In case of nematode attack, use nematicides you can buy in agricultural supply and fumigate the plants.

Taro can be harvested when most of the leaves turn to yellow color. Maturity of plants in lowland areas is about 8 to 12 months. Taro can mature in upland areas 9 months after planting.

Harvest the plants during dry season. Pulled the corm slowly by the use of hands or tools. Protect the corms for any bruises to avoid rotting. It can be stored in a well-ventilated area where circulation of air can keep it dry to prolong many months of storage.

CITRUS PRODUCTION GUIDE

It can grow well in an elevated area with cool environment. Best in sandy soil and full of organic matters. It is not advisable to plant to a water-logged areas because of its sensitivity to too much moisture.

Using marcot system as planting materials can give a better result for fast growth and development compared to seeds. But the problem is shortage in quantity requirements unlike seeds it can easily produced.

When preparing your planting materials, do this during rainy season for higher germination rate. Dig a hole 45 cm wide and 45cm deep. Use compost along with the seedlings during planting. Water the plant early in the morning until the plants can grow by itself with minimal use of water. Use 6 meters distance between plants to avoid congestion.

Fertilization should be done regularly. Use ammonium sulfate about 100 grams to be done every 5 months per tree. On the second year, apply 300 grams per tree every 5 months. During the fruit bearing years (4th year),use amophos or potash about 500 grams per tree. The purpose is to increase the yield.

The correct application of fertilizer is by mixing it with the soil. It is a necessary to cover the soil around the tree by using dry leaves for the purpose of conserving moisture.

Control of pests and diseases is a necessity. Apply the necessary pesticides or fungicides under manufacturer's recommendation for greater result. Such application will ensure that the plant will grow healthy and have a maximum yield.

Experience sbowed that the trees will bear fruit by the 3rd year. With the use of good management during its fruiting years, the trees will have a good harvest.

To protect the fruits from damage, use scissors for convenience. If the fruit trees are high enough to harvest especially during its later years of bearing fruits, use a ladder for easy mobility.

BROCCOLI PRODUCTION GUIDE

Most varieties grow wild in mid and high temperature during dry season. There are also varieties that grow well in wet season. In low elevation, some varieties can grow in a dry, cool months. They are best in clay loam and sandy loam soil.

Prepare the land thoroughly by plowing and harrowing several times. Furrow measurement in low and mild elevation with a depth of 0.5 meters wide. In high elevations, the beds should be 1 meter wide.

In the seedling production, the width of seedbed should be 1 meter wide. Use manure and rice hull ash mix in the soil in the seedbed. Sow in line about 275g/hectare of seeds. The furrow across the seedbed 10 cm part. Sowing should be thin to prevent damping off. Mulch with rice hull or grass as shade for the sunlight and rain protection. Spray with insecticides when necessary.

Do the transplanting after a week of exposing the seedling fully to sunlight. The seedling are ready 4 weeks from sowing. Water the seedbed and gently uproot the seedlings. Transplanting in a row should be .75 cm apart and .50 meters between plants. Apply basal fertilizer 10 grams per hill (14-14-14). Irrigate the area before and after transplanting.

Mulch with rice straw, rice hulls or plastic to prevent weed growth and to conserve soil mixture. Sidedress with urea (46-0-0) about 1og per plant 3 weeks after transplanting. Repeat side-dressing at 35 and 45 days after transplanting. Fertilization can only be done after weeding.

During dry season, be sure to irrigate the field before doing transplanting. Repeat irrigating every 10 days using furrow irrigation. If you use sprinkler, do it 3 times a week to keep the plant healthy and keeping the soil with enough moisture content.

Do the necessary pest and disease control measures during the period of its development. Avoid overcrowding the plants. Control too much watering in seedbeds. Spray fungicide when disease is present. It is better if you can do from time to time a crop rotation to assure the fertility of the soil and control pests and disease infestation.

Avoid monocropping. Remove all debris from previous cropping. Use pesticides to spray the plants.

Harvesting can only be done when the curds are well-formed. Include portion of stems and leaves as protection of the curds. do not expose the harvested plants to full sunlight.

JACKFRUIT PRODUCTION GUIDE

It is an off-season fruits. The producer can remove all the flowers that appear in December and January. New flowers will come out in July or August can be harvested in November and December. To produce multiple trunks, usually six or more main branches, the main trunk is cut 50 centimeters above the ground. This is to encourage the formation of multiple branches. This open the center of the tree for better light penetration and air movement. During maturity, regular pruning is carried out to remove sprouts and diseased branches. Some of the trees are top cut higher than one meter above the ground and branches are formed spreading all around. All the big branches are potential bearers.

It needs adequate water to develop properly, especially during the first few years from planting. At the same time, it requires good drainage. During the first two years, watering should be done regularly because jack fruit is sensitive to water stress. The plants should be watered whenever a 1cm depth of the soil surface around it become dry. Water is also needed during its mature stage to promote heavy flowering and fruit set. Adequate moisture is also needed for proper fruit development and for better quality fruits.

There are instances when there is overcrowding of fruits. Some of the fruits may be harvested when they are still young and sold for vegetable purposes. When the excess fruits are thinned out, the remaining fruits will develop more properly.

While the fruit tree grows in almost all kinds of soil, high yields are obtained in well-drained, deep, alluvial soils. It is planted at a distance of either 8m x 8m or 10m x 10m The plants are either inter-crop with other fruit trees or planted as a mono crop.

It is recommended that the application of 11 kilos of chemical fertilizer per tree of bearing age annually. This amount is split into three applications. Four kilos of 9-24-24 are applied before flowering: 4 kilos of 15-15-15 after fruits setting: and 3 kilos of 8-24-24 a month before fruit maturity.

The above fertilizers are supplemented by the application of decayed animal manure at the rate of 30 to 50 kilos per tree per year. Foliar fertilizer (10-52-15), is also sprayed three times a year at a fruiting stage.

Fruit borer and fruitfly are common pests of jackfruit. The damage of these pests could be controlled by bagging the fruits individually when they are about 250 to 300 grams. Leafhopper is controlled by insecticides. The most destructive disease of jackfruit is phytophthora which attacks from the ground. The disease can be treated with fungicides.

The disease can also be minimized by wider spacing, removal of low-growing branches, regular weeding, and keeping the trees well-nourished and adequately watered.