Best Post Planting Practices Involved in Crop Production (Cultural Practices).

When undertaking any kind of farming, there are various activities that you do to make sure that the crops or animals that you are keeping come out well.

These activities or operations are known as cultural practices.

Some of the cultural practices for crop production include the following:

• Supplying or filling in
• Weed control
• Fertilizer application or manuring
• Thinning out
• Earthing up
• Shading
• Stirring of the soil
• Pruning
• Watering or Irrigation
• Mulching
• Staking
• Pest and disease control

You May Also Read:

• Best Pre-Planting and Planting Activities In Crop Production.

• HOW TO START DUCK FARMING IN GHANA.

• COWPEA AND GROUNDNUT FARMING IN GHANA (WEST AFRICA).

• Government to launch ‘Nkukor Nkitinkiti’ programme in October

SUPPLYING

• Supplying is the practice of replanting seeds at the spots where they have failed to germinate after the first planting or sowing.
• Supplying is practised in crops that are sown in lines.
• Supplying is done just a few days after germination so that seeds that are re-planted will germinate and grow to catch up with already established plants.
• Examples are maize, cowpea, tomatoes, mango, orange, and cocoa.

Importance of supplying

• It is very useful when you have a low germination percentage.
• Under such circumstances, supplying helps to improve the plant population and subsequently to increase the yield and the profit.

THINNING OUT

This is a practice of removing excess plants growing at a spot.

The excess plants that are removed are not replanted but discarded.

Thinning out can be done in the following ways:

• Cutlass
• Picking with the hands

Crops that are usually thinned out are crops that are sown directly, but not those that are nursed. These include maize, cowpea, rice, and carrots.

During thinning out, it is mainly the smaller stunted, diseased, weaker, or disadvantaged plants that are thinned out or removed, and the stronger, healthier, and bigger plants are left on the field to mature to bear fruit and be harvested.

Importance of thinning out

• To reduce the plant population per area or spot.
• To prevent overcrowding of plants at a particular spot or locality.
• To prevent competition among plants.
• To improve crop yield.

EARTHING UP

Earthling up is the practice of heaping soil or growth medium at the base of the already growing plant.

This is usually done during hoeing or weeding.

Examples of crops that benefit from the earthling up are: cassava, yams, groundnut, maize, and vegetables.

Importance of earthing up

• It gives support to the plant at the base.
• It covers the roots of the plant so that tubers are not exposed to the sun and pests.
• It induces the formation and growth of tubers in tuber crops.
• It helps to produce more shoots from the base of the plant.

DECRUSTING

Decrusting is the practice of stirring or loosening the soil at the base of a growing plant.

Decrusting is used in the management of crops such as onions, shallots, and carrots.

These crops need loose soil in order to grow well. Hard and cake soils prevent and restrict underground food organs from growing to reach optimum sizes.

The main tools used for decrusting are;

• Hand fork
• Garden fork
• Foot fork

Importance of Decrusting

• It improves aeration in the root region of the crop.
• It improves the infiltration of water into the soil
• It helps to stir the soil and mix fertilizers and organic manure thoroughly with the soil.
• It induces root growth.

PRUNING

Pruning is the practice of removing excess or unwanted vegetative parts of a growing plant.

The parts removed or cut may be dead shoots, diseased shoots, overgrown parts, and vegetative buds.

Pruning is very useful in the production of various ornamental plants; in tree crops such as mango, cashew, cocoa, etc.

Also, in vegetables such as garden eggs and tomatoes.

Tools or equipment for pruning

Depending on the size and maturity of the plant, you can use the following tools for pruning:

• Pruning knife.
• Pair of shears.
• Pair of secateurs.
• Cutlass

Importance of Pruning

• It gives shape to the plant. Examples of ornamental plants.
• It improves the yield of crops by increasing fruit formation and fruit size.
• It helps to reduce the height and top canopy of the plant to keep it stable and firm.
• Pruning is done to induce multiple shoot formation.
• Pruning is done to remove diseased and infested parts of the plant.
• It helps to improve aeration in the farm and around the plant.

Topping

• This is the practice of removing the terminal bud of a crop by cutting off the growing point at the top of the plant.
• It is a form of pruning that is done to reduce the height of the plant and to induce more shoot formation or lateral branching.

Floral Induction

• It is the practice of treating a growing crop to flower and produce fruit at an earlier time than expected.
• When allowed to grow under its normal conditions, certain crops flower and produce fruits at different times, and this makes harvesting and other operations difficult.
• Floral induction is therefore practiced to allow a large number of crops on the same plot to flower and produce fruits at the same time.

STAKING

Staking is the practice of using a stick, rope, or any other device to support the shoot of a growing crop.

Plants that benefit from staking are those that have weak stems, tall stems, and a heavy top canopy, which make them susceptible to lodging or falling over.

Examples of plants that are staked:

• Tomatoes
• Plantain
• Yam
• Banana

Main devices or materials used for staking include:

• Long poles
• Y-shape sticks
• Bamboo sticks
• Ropes

Importance of staking

• Staking gives stability to the plant and prevents lodging or falling.
• It helps to lift plant parts off the ground and thereby prevents diseases.
• It directs plants to receive more sunlight.
• It keeps the fruits of plants above the ground and thereby prevents destruction by crawling insect pests.

You May Also Read:

• Best Pre-Planting and Planting Activities In Crop Production.

• HOW TO START DUCK FARMING IN GHANA.

• COWPEA AND GROUNDNUT FARMING IN GHANA (WEST AFRICA).

• Government to launch ‘Nkukor Nkitinkiti’ programme in October

MULCHING

Mulching is the practice of using materials to cover the soil surface to conserve moisture in the soil.

Examples of materials that can be used for mulching include:

• Dry grass
• Wood shavings
• Dead leaves
• Polythene sheet
• Branches of trees.

Importance of mulching

• Mulching reduces evaporation of water from the soil and conserves water (moisture) within the soil.
• It keeps the soil cool by preventing excessive heating of the soil that would result in high daytime soil temperatures.
• It suppresses and controls the growth of weeds.
• It controls erosion by reducing the speed of run-off.
• Organic mulch decomposes and adds humus to the soil, which will result in higher yield.

CROP PEST

A crop pest is any organism (plant or animal) that causes damage to crops both in the field and in storage.

Ways of preventing pests from attacking crops

• Early planting to avoid the life cycle of pests.
• Early harvesting.
• Good farm sanitation.
• Spraying crops with recommended chemicals.
• Use of resistant varieties.
• Practising bush fallowing.
• Ploughing to destroy pests that live in the soil.
• Use of scarecrows.
• Use of noise.
• Fencing
• Trapping
• Biological control method.

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