Cultural Practices in Growing Spice Crops
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Garlic and Union- have almost the same
cultural components practices.
Land preparation, there are two methods of land
preparation being practiced in onion and garlic production.
1.
Thorough tillage or clean culture. This is done
by plowing the field two to three times with more or less seven days interval.
2.
Without tillage or zero tillage. This method of
land preparation is generally done in lowland rice fields such as in Ilocos
region. The rice straws are cut close to the ground after harvesting.
Preparation of
Planting Materials, planting and transplanting. When planting garlic,
select good-sized and well filled healthy garlic. Separate the cloves
discarding the small ones in the center because these will produce small
plants, hence small bulbs. Heavier cloves give better yield in terms of bulb
size and weight irrespective of the size of the original bulb. Five hundred to
seven hundred kilograms of cloves are needed to plant one hectare at wider
spacing (14 to 25 cm). When closer spacing (5 to 8cm) is desired, 900 to 1100
kilograms of cloves are needed per hectare.
Planting should be done at the start of dry season. This
is during the months of October to January in Type 1 climate; November to
December to Type II climate; February to July in Type III climate; and February
to April in Type IV climate.
The Ilocos method of planting is done with the aid of a
pointed stick. The cloves are planted 1 to 2 cm deep vertically into the soil
with the root plate down.
In Batangas method, the cloves are planted vertically by
hand because the soil has been well prepared.
Planting of onion differs with garlic only in the sense
that the seeds can be planted directly into the soil or it may raise in
seedbeds before transplanting. The planting and transplanting procedures of
onion are the same with garlic.
When using zero tillage, spread rice straw in the field
before planting. In thorough tillage, sowing seeds of transplanting seedlings
is done first before mulching or spreading the straw.
Application of
Fertilizer. It is therefore important that the soil in proposed production
area be properly analyzed before planting. Soil analysis can guide the farmer
in the selection and purchase of appropriate fertilizer. In absence of specific
fertilizer recommendations for a specific location, the following general
recommendations are suggested. The ideal soil pH for onion production is 5.5 to
6.8. Complete fertilizer (14-14-14) is recommended at a rate of 8 to 10 bags
per hectare and 2 to 3 bags of nitrogenous fertilizer.
Apply fertilizer as basal fertilizer and side dress with
urea during stage of early bulb formation.
Irrigation.
Irrigation is a must in onion and garlic production. The plantation must be
located in a place with good water system. The amount of water needed by the
plants and the interval of irrigation depend on factors such as soil type,
weather condition, frequency of rain, method of planting, and age of the crop.
Weed Control. Onions and garlic are usually grown with
mulch so that the weeding is rarely necessary.
Crop protection. Crops should be protected from possible
insect pest and diseases to ensure a good harvest.
Ginger
Land preparation.
Soil texture is very important in ginger production. Before heavy rainfall, the
field should be plowed and harrowed thoroughly. Two to three times plowing and
harrowing should be done to pulverize the soil and allow rapid and healthy root
development for the ginger plants.
Preparation of
planting materials and planting methods. Select fresh, well-aged and
healthy rhizomes showing signs of early sprouting. Cut the rhizomes into pieces
leaving two or three eyes on each piece. Cut the planting materials when they
are about to be planted. Do not expose planting materials to sunlight or strong
winds. In planting ginger, some farmers use raised beds at about one foot high
and one meter wide with any desirable length. Plant the cut rhizomes about 5cm
deep with a distance of 25cm between hills and 30cm between rows. Using this
spacing, a hectare will require 800 to 850kilograms of planting materials.
After planting, mulch the plantation with coconut leaves or rice straw. This
practice will help conserve moisture, control weeds, and protect the rhizomes
from direct sunlight.
Application of
fertilizer. Recent studies show that ginger yield is markedly by the
presence of nitrogen in the soil and only slightly by the presence of
potassium. Phosphorous has no significant effect to the plant growth. To ensure
good root development, apply nitrogenous fertilizer like ammonium sulfate to
the soil before planting. Side dressing should be done month after.
Irrigation.
The field should be irrigated immediately after planting. In upland culture
where artificial irrigation is not available, planting in done before the
occurrence of heavy rainfall. Too much water, however, is not advisable when
the rhizomes start to develop. This may cause root rottening and poor
development of the rhizomes.
Weed control.
Hand weeding is the most applicable method of eliminating unwanted plants in
the ginger field. Weeding should be done when the stray plants are big enough
to be easily pulled out by hand.
Crop protection.
Ginger is attacked by insects, thrips, and aphids. To control these pests,
spray the plants with Malathion E-57 at the rate of 4.7 mo. Per gallon of water
at intervals of two weeks or Sevin, Lannate, or Carbim at the recommended rates
of the manufacturer.
Black Pepper
Land preparation.
The most common land preparation practice employed by black pepper farmers is
hole digging. After clearing the area from weeds, 60cm square holes are dug to
a depth of about 40cm, separating the top soil from the sub soil. A 50-50
mixture of compost and top soil can be used to fill up the holes for better
growth and development. After setting the seedlings, a kakawate post of about 4cm in diameter and
2 meters long is firmly planted alongside of the black pepper plant for support
as they grow.
Preparation of
planting materials, planting and transplanting. Healthy black pepper vines
are selected from the basal parts of the growing plants and cut to a desirable
length with at least four nodes per cutting. These planting material are
planted directly in the holes with two or three nodes under the ground. In transplanting rooted cuttings from
seedbeds, each cutting should be carefully balled before planting. Using the
rooted cuttings in plastic bags, however, is more advisable. It is advisable to
remove it from the plastic and then plant it to the holes. After planting the
seedlings, tie the terminal buds in the kakawate or madre cacao posts to
establish early foothold.
Irrigation.
Planting of black pepper cuttings should be done during the rainy season to
save costs for irrigation. If there are no rains during planting time, water
each plant abundantly with Captan spray solution at a concentration of level
tablespoons per gallon of water.
During summer, grown plants should be provided with
sufficient amounts of water especially when the plants are not yet fully grown.
Weed control.
Weeding should be done whenever necessary. If all out weeding operation cannot
be done, cultivate and remove the weeds around the plants to a radius of at
least 75cm to eliminate unnecessary competitors for soil nutrients. Hill-up the
soil around the plants.
Application of fertilizer. Aside from compost provided
during the time of planting, commercially available fertilizers like ammonium
sulphate and super phosphate can be applied every three or four months to
ensure healthy plants and good harvest.
Crop protection. The major pests of black pepper are leaf
hoppers and African snails. Leafhoppers can be controlled by spraying the
plants with either Sevin or Malathion at the rate of one table spoon per gallon
of water.
Pepper
Land preparation.
Plow and harrow the field two to three times at 20 to 30cm deep. Plowing should
be done at an interval of five to seven days. This will allow the soil to
expose to sunlight and kill disease causing micro-organism. Harrowing should
follow immediately after plowing.
Preparation of
planting materials, planting, and transplanting. Seed boxes or seedbeds can
be used in seedling preparation. A good soil mixture for the seedbed or seed
box must be prepared. The soil mixture should be friable, fertile, fairly
retentive of moisture, and free from fungus nematodes, or bacteria that may
cause infestation. To ensure that the soil is disease-free practice soil
sterilization. For one hectare farm, 300 to 400 grams of seeds are sown in rows
at 4cm distance in seed plots or three cm apart in seedbeds, 0.5 to 1.0 cm
deep. If only a small area will be planted, a seed box can be used.
Seedlings should be hardened before transplanting.
Hardening can be done by slowly exposing the seedlings to sunlight and reducing
water intake for seven to ten days.
Transplant the seedlings when they four to six weeks old.
If planted in a closer distance (30x50cm) 66,666 plants are needed in a
hectare.
Irrigation.
When soil condition requires watering, irrigation must be provided. This can be
done through furrows or overhead type. Furrow type irrigation is done by
digging canals in the field where water can pass through. Overhead type
irrigation is done by using any suitably sized container for holding water to
be sprinkled.
Weeding. It
should be done whenever necessary. Hilling-up and off-baring should be done
simultaneously with weeding. Deep cultivation should be avoided to prevent root
injury and destruction of the soil structure. Preventing the growth of weeds
can also be done by applying herbicide.
Application of
fertilizer. Pepper do not resort to
soil analysis yet they gain profit from pepper production. Most pepper raisers
adopt the following general recommendations. Before planting, broadcast
complete fertilizer (14-14-14) at the rate of six to eight bags per hectare and
side dress one to two bags of nitrogenous fertilizer one month after planting
and one to two bags of muriate of potash or any potassium fertilizer during the
start of the flowering stage.
Crop protection.
Some of the common insect pests that affect the pepper plants are aphids,
cutworms, spiders, mites, and leaf-hoppers. Several insecticides are available
in the market to control the said kinds of insects.
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