PLANTING OPERATION – DISTANCE, DATE, SEED RATE, NURSERY AND     NURSERY PRACTICE

CONTENT

• Definition of planting operation
• Planting method
• Basic considerations in planting operation

PLANTING OPERATION: These are the operations carried out when sowing the planting materials (seeds). When seeds are sown in the soil, they develop root and shoots, this is called GERMINATION and the young plant that emerge are called SEEDLINGS.

METHODS OF SOWING

1. In-situ (directly into the field/farm land)
2. Nursery

1.         In-situ (directly sowing in the field) This is sowing directly in the field on flats (plain land) ridges or garden beds e.g of crops sown in-situ are maize, okra, cowpea, milled etc.

PLANTING METHODS

• Drilling: – sowing a seed by drilling with stick or knife, followed by dropping seeds and covering them.
• Broadcasting: – Sowing of seeds by casting (spreading) it broadly on prepared seed bed
• Dibbling: – sowing of seeds up the bed at the planting point only and placing the seeds at the correct depth.

EVALUATION

1. What is planting operation?
2. Mention three planting methods

BASIC CONSIDERATIONS IN PLANTING OPERATIONS

• Spacing (Planting, space/distance)
• Time (planting date)
• Depth
• Number of seeds
• Viability of seed

(A)       SPACING (Planting space): This is the space between a sown or planted seed and the next or it’s the distance between two plants. Planting is usually in rows and the distance between plants on the same row is called within row spacing while the distance between plants in two adjacent rows is called between row spacing.

(B)       PLANTING TIME: This is the time of planting or sowing seeds in which the             crop can thrive or perform well.

(C)       PLANTING DEPTH: This is the distance of the sown seed in the soil from the          soil surface.

(D)       NUMBER OF SEEDS: This is the amount of seeds sown per hole per planting          point (position).

(E)        SEED VIABILITY: This is the life in the seed or deadness of the seed.

GENERAL EVALUATION

1. What is germination?
2. State two method of sowing.
3. Define sowing in-situ.
4. Mentionand explain five basic consideration in planting operations.

READING ASSIGNMENT

Junior Secondary agriculture for Nigerian schools Bk 2 by A. Youdeowei, B.K. Kaigama, J.N Ogbazi, S.O. Adesiyan. Chapter 10  pages 41 – 44 , 48,

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

1.         One of the following is not a basic consideration in planting operation

(a)spacing (b) depth (c) time (d) pod

2.         When seeds are sown in soil, it develops roots and shoots. This is called

(a) germination (b) seedlings (c) sowing (d) development

3.         The distance between two sown seeds/plants is ___

(a) planting space (b)  time (c) planting depth (d) planting seed

4.         Some seeds are raised in the nursery because (a) the seedlings are weak (b) the seedling are green (c) the seedling love the nursery (d) so that the can get enough sunshine

5.         This is the distance of the sown seed in the soil

(a) planting time (b) planting depth (c) spacing (d) number of seeds

THEORY

1. What is planting operation?
2. Explain sowing in-situ.
3. Explain five basic considerations in planting operations.