Cultural Practices in Fiber Crop Production

Land Preparation. Fiber crops require thorough land preparation before planting. Except the abaca which can be planted after one tillage operation, other fiber crops require at least two rounds of plowing and harrowing.

Preparation of planting materials, planting, and transplanting
Abaca. is propagated by seed pieces or root stock. The seed pieces should be dipped in Chlordane or Furadan solution before planting to ensure healthy growth.
Cotton. is propagated by means of seeds. Before sowing, the seed should be treated with a combination of Orthane and allyl alcohol following the recommended dosage.
Pineapple. The planting materials for pineapple usually consist of crowns, slips, and suckers. Suckers are the most commonly used by local farmers because these bear fruit earlier as compared to plants grown from crowns and slips.
Ramie. can be propagated by seeds, cuttings, and root stock. For practical purposes however, propagating thru the root-stock is preferred to ensure a mortality rate which is less  than 5 percent.
Jute. is propagated by seeds which are either broadcast or drilled on thoroughly prepared soil during a clear and sunny day during the months of May or June.


Application of Fertilizer
In the absence of comprehensive soil testing and analysis, the recommendation of a certified farm technician can be resorted to.
The farmer can also adapt the following general recommendations for the different fiber crops;

1. Abaca. Application of fertilizers for new and old abaca plantations vary such as follows:

• 3 months after planting-75g  urea per hill
• 6 months after planting-150g urea per hill
• 9 months after planting-150g urea per hill
• 12 months after planting- 150g urea per hill

2. Cotton. The common practice is fertilizing cotton fields is by basal application using two to three bags of urea and side dressing using two to three bags of muriate of potash before the flowering stage.

3. Pineapple. In areas where high yields have been obtained from soils of varying levels of fertility, the following quantities of fertilizers are normally applied to the plantation of 39,000 to 41,000 plants per hectare per cropping.

• Nitrogen- 450-670kg per hectare
• Phosphorous- 70-123 kg per hectare
• Potassium- 220 to 460 kg per hectare

Plants applied with nitrogenous fertilizers grow vigorously and produce large fruit.

4. Ramie and Jute. These are ready for harvesting three to four months after planting thus a single application of fertilizer is sufficient either as basal application or side-dressing. If side-dressing alone is desired, fertilizer application should be done when the plants are about one to two weeks old.

Irrigation. Fiber crops not planted during rainy season need adequate supply of water. Water is necessary during the time of planting and transplanting and during the growth and development of fiber crops especially for cotton, ramie, and jute. Pineapple and abaca requires less water when fully grown.
Water for the crops can be applied through overhead irrigation, surface irrigation, and sub-surface irrigation.

Weed Control. Systematic weeding of fiber crops should be done to ensure a good harvest.  Weeds can be controlled by using clean planting materials, preparing the soil thoroughly, practicing crop rotation and cover cropping, using chemicals, and by mechanical means.

Crop Protection. Insect pest and diseases are the worst enemies of fiber crops because they affect the fiber quality and quantity of production. In some cases they totally wipe out the crop and render no harvest. To prevent this problem, the farmer must have a good prevention and control program. This could be done by exclusion through plant quarantine and inspection, eradication by destroying the diseases causing organism, inhibition by making conditions unfavorable for the development of diseases through thinning, correcting soil reaction, and exposure to sunlight, protection by means of cultural methods, crop rotation and field sanitation, seed selection and treatment, soil sterilization, and planting resistant varieties or bu immunization.