SQUASH PRODUCTION GUIDE

Bush sitao can be raised in both lowland and upland areas. It can adapt to any soil type but best to plant in sandy to clay loam soil. It can tolerate acidic soil but it will not produce high yield. It can grow in low and high rainfall but only briefly as it will rot due to water-logging. It can survive only if the dry season is brief and not too long. For long dry spell, scheduled watering is needed to preserve or conserve moisture in the soil while the plants are growing.

In selecting a variety, give emphasis the duration of growth, the yielding capacity, tolerant against pests and diseases and easily adapt in extreme weather condition.

Plow and harrow the land 3 times. Loosen the soil well to be able to have good soil condition. Every time there is emerging weeds, remove them through plowing or harrowing.

Inoculate the seeds with Rhizobium before planting. Plant 1 seed per hill. Spacing is 30 centimeters apart or 75 centimeters between rows.

As fertilization is necessary to keep plants healthy and give higher yield, do the following:

In one hectare land:  30 kilograms urea during planting, 100 kilograms single superphosphate at planting time, 60 kilograms muriate of potash at planting time, 5 bags complete fertilizer (14-14-14), Superphosphate (side-dressing 3-4 weeks after germination).  Organic fertilizer (decomposed dry leaves, straws and animal manure 56 tons per hectare, if available). In acidic soils (4 tons of lime one month before planting to good soil pH)

Water the plant during intense dry season for the plants to give higher yield. Bush sitao can tolerate drought but watering may protect it from dryness in the soil or lacking moisture content that may affect the fruiting of the vegetable. Watering may be done during planting, early seeding or first 15 days, at flowering and pod setting (50 days after planting).

Use furrow irrigation in 10 days interval. Watering induce the plant to grow fast, healthy and high pod setting.

Control pests and diseases are normal farming practices. Without it, the plant has stunted growth, damage leaves and fruits, lower yields.

Most pests that attack bush sitao especially after germination of seeds are pod borers, leaffolders and aphids. Spray the plants with insecticides as soon as the pests started attacking the plants. Spraying with pesticides is the only way to get rid the enemy of the plants.

Bush sitao still has another threat in its growing days. The plants are subject to many diseases like fusarium wilt, cowpea rust and leaf spot. Spray the plants with fungicides to remove the infection. Another way to minimize the effect of the virus is to look for resistant variety.

Include weeding as part of your cultural practices. Remove the weeds every now and then if found to germinate to clean the field from the hazard that later on will affect the health of the plants. Schedule the weeding of the plants 3 times for one season. Additionally, enforce spot weeding every time weeds appear.  Hill-up the plants to loosen the soil 3 weeks after planting.

Harvest the plant 12 days after the flowers open. It may be done if the pods reach the required maximum length and width but not to allow young pods to mature as it can no longer sealable to market. The second and succeeding harvest should be done every 3 days to ensure that pods still young and fresh.

POULTRY RAISING GUIDE

Transfer healthy pullets to the laying area. Light breed is ready to start laying when they are about five months old. Heavy pullets started laying eggs few weeks later. The increase in egg-laying capacity depend in good management and the kind of breed used. It should came from a good strain that has the history of increased laying capacity.

Make a routine work to clean the laying house thoroughly. It should be done 2 weeks before transferring the pullets. The feeders and water troughs are in working condition. Laying hens wanted a clean, well-ventilated and dry, quiet laying house.

Examine every pullet. Use only those healthy ones. Any poorly developed pullets with stunted growth should be culled. Healthy birds are always active and vigorous and healthy, well-developed body with yellow pigmented beaks and shanks.

A laying birds produces eggs over a year. If the profitability of a group of laying birds decreased, then you have to select which of them be taken out in laying area. You have to develop a group of pullets as your alternative replacement so that you are assured that you have a combined supply of table eggs.

It is your responsibility to have a continues flow of water and feeds. They keep on eating during the day. Give your hens plenty of high protein foods including vitamins and minerals. The laying mash should be ready at all times. There are still other kinds of feed that you need in the entire life of your poultry production. You also need all-mash, pellets and crumbles as your alternate feeds.

In feeding, you have to avoid wasting feeds. Do not fill the feeder more than what is needed in order that when you do the next serving it is always fresh and in good appetizing condition. Your feeder should have guard or lip to control the feed to be scratch or beak. Always make sure that the feeder is level with the back of the birds. Construct your layer house defensively with screen wires around to prevent entry of flying birds and rodents to eat feeds outside. Putting windbreaks is important to keep the feed blown away by the winds.

The amount of feed that you refill every day should be in accordance to their needs and their desire to eat. During cold days, laying birds consume less food in a day or if the temperature is hot. In feeding, give your laying flock an energy boosting formulation where they consume only less food during the day. That means a saving for the cost of feeds. A young pullets eat more feeds for their continued growth. Hens will productively lay eggs if the quantity and quality of the feeds are always available to them.

Observe their feeding habits. If a laying hen reduces his normal eating requirements and no good appetite then something is wrong that you have to check and observe. There is a possibility that these laying birds has health problem that should be segregated immediately especially if he showed weakness and less energetic and sickly.

Any remaining stale feeds in the feeder should be remove and replace it with a fresh one especially if it is no longer palatable. Feeding be done twice a day (morning and afternoon). Make water is available to the layers at all times. They need to drink more especially during high temperature. This is also to keep a normal production rate of eggs. Water troughs should always have a continues flow of clean water. Any left-over should be taken out to avoid the growth of molds which is toxic to the birds. Water is used in giving additional nutrients to the laying hen and also for dispensing medication for their protection.

Proper lighting is needed in the poultry house. The recommended height of the bulb from the floor is 2.8 meters. Do culling of unproductive layer every now and then. They should be removed in the laying house and placed separately. Remove those with shrunken combs and wattles, pale and dry body, have dull eyes, thin and low of energy and have poor appetite. Egg collection should be done 3 times a day or as often as possible especially during hot days. Do the sorting according to the standard size. Any dirty eggs should be check and clean for any flaws before bringing to the storage room.

Keep the eggs in a cool room with temperature of 150'C or lower with humidity of 70' degrees. The egg collection troughs always clean to avoid dirtying or have stain embedded to the eggs.

For the project to succeed, it lies on how you done prevention and control of parasites and many diseases. It can only be realized if you as poultry raisers can achieve the proper management. What is important is effective sanitation measures. To ensure your laying pullets protected from diseases, it should be vaccinated. Do a correct feeding, good housing facilities, comfortable locations. Remove all manures and litters. Wash the area, walls, ceiling, floor, equipment, etc. with water and detergents to remove dirt and dust,then use disinfectants . Cleanliness inside and outside the laying area, proper care and other safety measures is needed to prevent infection to spread out to the laying flocks. If it cannot be controlled, then your project is doomed to failure.

In having a poultry production, it is a must to have your own veterinarian who are knowledgeable when it comes to control. His function is more on prevention. Any warning signs of a disease can be prevented and necessary measures is carried out.