POST HARVEST TECHNOLOGIES PRACTISED BY INFORMAL FLOWER VENDORS AND FLORISTS WITHIN NAIROBI AND OTHER TOWNS OF KENYA

The local flower market is characterized by informal flower vendors who practice their trade by the roadsides, in municipal markets and on verandas in front of shops within the city centre- read how they minimize post harvest losses. 

Without doubt, cut flowers are beautiful, but delicate commodities needing careful handling; unfortunately, informal traders do not have proper structures from where to sell their flowers nor government support, hence suffer huge post harvest losses ranging from 20-65%; at worst, 100%.

Informal flower vendors are aware of the nature of the products they sell; they have developed post harvest practices aimed at minimizing loses.

The simplest of this practice is storage of the flowers in a bucket containing water.

WATER: IT’S ROLE IN THE POST HARVEST MANAGEMENT OF FLOWERS.

Water rehydrates, cools, maintains the freshness and extends a flower’s vase life. It has been established that a flower will lose up 5-10% of its water; if not rehydrated soon after harvesting or in storage.

Water loss has the effect of inducing flower wilting; seriously reducing its quality. Thus it is important that this water loss is prevented. Sometimes a flower will wilt despite being placed in water.

This is because the ends have been plugged by bacteria or fungi or air bubbles. Translocation of water by xylem vessels fails; no water flows to the foliage and flower.

Cutting of the stem ends, up to 2.5 to 5 cm long, before storage in water done under clean water removes air bubbles that may have formed in the xylem vessels.

To prevent bacterial and fungal plugging, the water is treated with a few drops of household beach; and changed the water daily. Water uptake can be enhanced by adding a few spoons of sugar to the water.

At times, despite doing the aforementioned, the flowers still wilt. It is likely that such flowers were harvested when immature.

As you buy flowers, develop an eye of identifying immature flowers; nothing can be done to prevent them from wilting sooner than mature flowers.

HOW INFORMAL FLOWER VENDORS COOL THEIR FLOWERS.

Informal vendors ply their trade in the most arduous conditions; they have to chase after their customers as they drive in traffic jams in the evenings, contend with ruthless city ‘askaris’ [policemen employed by the city council], high taxation and operating from the street.

They are aware of the effect of blistering heat on cut flowers and have realized that cooling is essential; not only does it slow senescence, but also enhance the bloom of flowers.

They sell flowers late in the evening when the atmospheric temperatures are low. They use the most rudimentary cooling method-water!

Flowers are stored in buckets containing water treated with ‘Jik’- popular cloth bleach that has antiseptic properties. Very few flower vendors refrigerate their flowers; only those florists who own shops in the city centre or in towns do so.

THE QUALITY: OF FLOWERS TRADED BY INFORMAL FLOWER TRADERS.

Most of these traders buy second grade flowers that cannot be sold in the export market due to insect pests, diseases or too mature heads or immature flowers.

However some of the flower vendors argue that they use the second grade flowers in wreath arrangements and wedding floral arrangements that do not necessarily need flowers that last long.

Those who are contracted to supply offices and households prefer to buy better quality flowers for resale.

In conclusion, vendors need training on proper harvest handling on proper harvest handling and value addition procedures. The government should also provide technical support to these traders.

How to earn millions from 1 acre of passion fruit- Yes it can be done!

Passionfruits Growing Tips In Kenya 

Updated on 25-June 2018

If there is any crop that can unlock your farm's fortunes, and make you scream alleluia, then it is passion fruit. I am saying this because passion fruits have proven to have, a low cost of production, produce high yields per unit area, a ready market, and reasonable prices.

As I write this to you, Kenyan farmers who've taken the cultivation of passion fruits seriously are smiling all the way to the bank. The only complaint they have is, ‘not knowing the secret of growing passion fruit soon enough.'

Passion fruit can bring you immense profits!

If that statement has made you even slightly interested in passion fruit farming, I know you may have many questions:

• How much land do I need to start a passion fruit farm?
• Benefits of growing passion fruit.
• Profit margins possible from passion fruit farming
• What inputs do I require to start a passion orchard?
• Where do I sell harvested mature passion fruits?
• Where do I get passion fruit seeds/ seedlings for my farm?
• How do I carry out routine management of my passion fruit orchard?
• Climatic requirements for passion fruit growing
• And many more questions.

This issues are many and will need a lot of space to handle. Since I intend to write a comprehensive discussion, this article will be rather long. Find a comfortable chair sit back and relax.

Amount of land you need for Profitable production of passion fruit

Since land is quite an emotive issue in Kenya, let us start addressing the amount of land you need for successful growing of passion fruit.

Here is good news—especially for small landowners:  You don't need to grow passion fruit on tens, hundreds or even thousands of acres of land to earn handsome revenues.

One acre of passion fruit trees--if managed well is sufficient for good returns. But there is a rider to that statement. Depending on the location of the land and target market, your production costs could influence your profitability.

Let me explain what I mean.

Suppose you have one acre of land in Busia (which is approximately 400km from Nairobi), and if your target market in Nairobi, your passion fruit farm may not be as profitable. These low profits are because your production costs will be high, and would eat into your profit.

However, if your target market is the hotels within Busia county, then you are likely to make a kill—even from that one acre of land. All in all, to maximize profit, the further you are from the target market, the larger the area you need.

Before we continue with this discussion on the financial benefits of passion fruit tree farming, here is what other horticultural experts are saying:

HDC continues promoting private sector production of purple passion fruit grafted plants, but demand is still exceeding the ability of nurseries to produce. The good news for growers is that local, Ugandan and export demand is so high that we expect prices to hit Ksh. 90/Kg for quality passion fruit in December.Source: Horticulture development center monthly update November 2004Passion is a prevalent fruit in the domestic market used either as fresh fruit or for processing into juices.Source: Horticulture data 2005-2007 validated reportApril 2008

There is a considerable demand for passion fruit both in the local and export markets, but farmers have been unable to exploit this opportunity.Source: The organic farmer, a magazine for sustainable agriculture in KenyaIssue # 49 June 2009

Significant importers of passion fruit are Uganda (76%) Netherlands (8%), United Arab Emirates (4%), Belgium (3%), United Kingdom (2%) France (2%), and other countries (5%) like Rwanda, Qatar, Norway, Lebanon, Ireland, and Georgia among others...Source: Horticulture validated report 2010

Average yields amount to 10-15 t/ha per year for the purple and 20-25 t/ha per year for the yellow passion fruit. Much higher yields are possible; farmers have reported returns as high as 50 t/ha per year for purple passion fruit in Kenya.Source: www.infornet-biovision.org

Reports indicate that the demand for Kenyan passion fruit in Dubai is high because it is considered natural and high quality.
Source: Grow Kenya monthly issue #5 Feb 2011. (A publication of Kenya competitive project KHCP)

Let us consider the next important factor for passion fruit production.

The benefits of growing passion fruit.

• You won't be worried of the market for your product. You have a ready market.
• A passion fruit farm is easy to manage; the only backbreaking job is during transplanting. Once that is over, the maintenance job is easy like drinking water.
• Low input cost, high returns. Passionfruit farming is the only type of agriculture where you'll have the opportunity to earn 400% or more profit.
• You have the opportunity to intercrop the plant with other crops, to maximize your farm's revenue.
• Three year-long harvest period. You are sure of earning a steady income throughout the period.
• Even small farms can produce huge profits.

Climatic Requirements For Passion Fruit Growing

The passion planting zone depends on the variety of the passion fruit. The yellow passion can grow at an altitude of 0-1500 m above sea level and is tolerant to drought and fusarium wilt. On the other hand, purple passion fruit prefers cool areas; therefore an altitude of 1200 m-1500m above sea level is best.

   Both varieties prefer well-drained soils and can't withstand water logging.

Feasibility of growing passion fruit in Kenya.

Anyone would be mad—including you and me—if they I ventured into without considering the financial benefits of passion fruit production. For passion farming to be of interest, its production cost MUST be lower than the expected revenue. To arrive at that conclusion, you have to consider three things: the passion fruit's market demand, expected yield per acre, and its cost of production.

The market demand for passion fruit

Let me assure you the selling price of passion fruit is extremely good.

When it comes to demand, the local market and export market are begging passion fruit farmers to supply more fruits to them. They can't find sufficient passion fruits to satisfy their appetite. If you are an entrepreneurial farmer—like me, that is sweet news. When other farmers growing other crops lament, "We have no market for our products, you will be smiling all the way to the bank."

To be satisfied that the demand is HIGH, I did a ‘little' experiment. I walked to city market in Nairobi to find out the price of a kilogram of passion fruits in Kenya. The amount the greengrocer gave me was a shocker. One passion fruit sold for KSH 15! I visited more vendors to be sure of the average selling price. Each passion fruit seller was trading at the cost of 15 shillings per fruit— imagine such astronomical prices. At that price, one kilo of passion in Kenya goes for over 200 shillings!

Why such high prices?

The current prices of passion fruits as so good because the current demand for passion fruits exceeds supply. There are too many buyers chasing after too little passion fruits. Why not take advantage of the high prices and start production immediately?

Another reason I suppose for the passion fruit high prices is the rise in the demand for fresh juices. More and more people are now more aware of the health benefits of fresh passion fruit juice, passion fruit leaves, and the negative impact of synthetic extracts. 

This change of consumer preferences has made manufacturers like Coca-Cola, Delmonte, Kevian juices venture into processing passion fruit juices, mango juice, apple juice, grape juice and other fruit juices.

The math behind passion fruit millions

The passion fruit is a vining plant. What this means is one single plant can grow to a length of over 20 meters. One single plant can yield up to 23 kilos of fruit. With that understanding, we are now ready for the math.

• I acre is approximately 4000m2
• The recommended spacing of passion fruit is 2 meters X 3 meters.
• That means, one plant will need 6  square meters to grow well.
• To find the number of plants per acre, you divide 4,000 by 6=666 plants.
• At the spacing of 2 meters by 3 meters, one plant can yield up to 23 kg of fruit per season.
• At such high production levels per plant, you'll get up to 15 tons per acre of fruit.
• If one kg sells at a conservative price of KSH 80, you will make sales of KSH1,200,000/=
• If you factor in ALL the costs of production at KSH 480,000/=, you will make a net profit of KSH 720,000/=

The above mathematics is not a result of guesswork. Peter Mwirigi and others did research titled; Agronomic Management of Yellow Passion Fruit Among Farmers in Mbeere Sub-county, Kenya—they found out that passion fruit has higher returns than maize beans, tomatoes, and cabbage. You can read that research here for yourself.

Another way, to maximize on the returns of your passion farmland, is to intercrop the passion fruit with the various crops. Suitable crops for intercropping are; potatoes, beetroots, Swiss chard, carrots, spinach, strawberries, eggplants, pepper, onions, leek and head lettuce. Intercropping will make you get returns from multiple crops, something that is very good!

That's not all.

Passionfruit profits become sweeter in the subsequent seasons because the plant can live up to 3 years without planting the orchard afresh. In following seasons, production costs reduce, thus increasing the possibilities of higher returns.

What you need to start a passion fruit farm.

• Grafted Purple passion seedlings.
• Farmyard manure
• Conduct a soil test
• Depending on the results of the trial, you will need inorganic fertilizers like DAP, CAN, Multi K prills, MAP, NPK, etc.
• Plant hormones to initiate flowering and to regulate growth
• Foliar feeds to spur the different cycles of plant growth to maximize returns.
• Fungicides to manage diseases.

Where can I sell mature passion fruits profitably?

To get maximum returns for your passion fruit produce, you'll need a little marketing creativity. This creativity will involve avoiding selling the fruits in the local county government markets. Instead, you'll need to sell them to premium customers like supermarkets, high-end hotels, and exporters. Since these will be your target market, you need to have clean fruits, free of bugs and deformities.

There are many exporting companies that you can approach before starting your farm.

For example, Lagran group contracts farmers to grow passion fruit, Hass avocado, rosemary and other vegetables. 

Where to buy passion fruit seeds/ seedlings

I am sorry to break your heart. As we speak, in Kenya no seed companies are selling certified passion fruit seeds. The reason for this could be that the demand of the seeds is too low to persuade seed companies to start producing accredited passion fruit seeds.

So how do you get the seeds to establish your passion fruit orchard despite this limitation?

Check out our website in future for more details on this.

Although no seed companies are selling passion seeds, some nurseries have passion seedlings for sale. However, you can be too sure of the quality of those seedlings as the incubators are not certified. Unfortunately, you have to rely on their word—you can't be too sure that they've raised the seedlings correctly. That's why in the next one week I will finish writing on how to grow your seedlings. Keep checking this blog for details.

How do carry out routine management of my passion fruit orchard?

Passionfruit vines and fruits are susceptible to various diseases and pests that may prevent your success. Therefore, to avoid spending much money and time on managing diseases and pests, you have to start your orchard right. If you intend to grow purple passion fruit, establish your orchard with grafted purple passion seedlings whose rootstock is on yellow passion fruit.

Manage diseases and pests promptly. Since management of a passion fruit orchard is an extensive topic, keep checking this blog for a detailed blog post.

In conclusion:

Why continue getting coins out of your farm when you can earn millions from passion fruit? To get a comprehensive technical guide on passion fruit farming to contact me today on 0715-609 418 or haronmogeni@gmail.com.

Useful links on Passion farming
1. Passion fruit varieties in the World
2. Passion fruit growing stages
3. Grafting passion fruit like a pro
4. Where do passion fruits grow?

FIND YOUR PERFECT PHONE HERE

FUNCTIONAL USES OF INDOORS PLANTS.

Plants aid in creating a mood when used as a focal point in a room. To create different moods, lighting may be used on such a plant emphasizing it as a centre of interest.

Indoor plants are used as room dividers; when they are placed strategically, they help in creating a feeling of a distinct space, they also reduce the of noise levels in the room.

As you choose plants for use as room dividers; make a good selection. This can only be achieved if you know the characteristics various plants and their forms.

Characteristics of plants are their biological attributes that make them suitable for a particular setting i.e. shades loving plants are suitable for indoors and conversely for light loving plants.

When we consider form; it has to do with their shape, height and other attributes that make the plant suited either for indoors or outdoors.

Large indoor plants, hanging baskets, small potted plants on the shelves are combined in the plant arrangement as you define space in a room.

To achieve attractive plants arrangements; pots chosen should suit the room decoration, be of the correct size, colour and should be in harmony with the form of plant contained in them.

Plants effectively conceal architectural eyesores for example; waste water pipes, cracks in walls, old buildings- they almost go un-noticed when beautiful plants are arranged on or around them.

HOUSE PLANTS: MAKING A CHOICE BASED ON THEIR CHARACTERISTICS.

• House plants should have a capacity to tolerate shade of diverse levels of intensity.
• They should have evergreen foliage so as to retain a permanent decorative texture.
• Leaves should have a beautiful form or shape and colour. Green leaves can be attractive especially, if the shape is unusual or interesting e.g. Monstera deliciosa. Leaves of a different colour other than green are very attractive e.g. Coleus blumei, Caladonium spp, Begonia rex
• Indoor plants should not have a fast growth rate; such a rate would require regular change of the size of the pot.
• They should also have a compact growth habit as space becomes a limiting factor in any house e.g. coleus blumei.

HOUSE PLANTS: THEIR VARIOUS SHAPES.

1. Broad leaved grassy plants

They are the most widely grown of all foliage house plants e.g. chrophytum comosum.

Several growing plants also have grassy leaves of these types e.g. narcissus sp, billbergia nutans.

2. Bushy plants are a vast collection of varieties that do not fit in other groups. The standard pattern is an evergreen plant of several stems, arising from the corm or base with a growth habit that is neither vertical nor horizontal.

They may be small and compact like peperomias or tall and shrubby like aucuba. Some plants are bushy, producing side bushes. Others must be pinched out regularly to induce bushiness e.g. coleus blumei, begonia rex

3. Upright plants bear stems with distinctive vertical growth habit. They vary in height from an inch to the tallest house available.

Medium sized upright plants are essential components in a mixed group of plants since they provide a feeling of height, thus help in offsetting the horizontal effect created by rosette plants, trailing plants and low bushes.

The upright plants are often displayed as solitary specimens serving as effective focal points. e.g. ficus elastica, diffenbachia picta, dracaena sanderana, yucca.

4. Trailing & climbing plants

Trailing plants bear stems that grow parallel to the ground. For them to grow upright they need support; they are left to hang downwards if grown in a hanging basket.

They are used as; climbers trained on canes, strings, vertical poles, trellis walls or grown in wall mounted pots to frame windows and trimmed on stout supports to serve as room dividers.

Trailers spread horizontally thus are ground covers in the indoor garden or the can be left to trail the side of pots of hanging baskets. e.g. philiodenron scadens, hedera helix, scindapsus aureus, sedum marsanianum, hoya carnosa.

5. Rosette plants bear leaves that form a circular cluster around the central growing point.

Most of them are low growing, they combine well with bushy and upright plants in pots and groups in the indoor gardens e.g. sanseveria hahnii, African violet saintpaulia ionatha, aloe humilis.

6. Ball plants are leafless and have a distinct globular shape.

All cacti belong to this group; their stem surface may be smooth or curved with air and spines e.g. echinocactus grusonis and most mammilaria.

HOW MPESA, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND A GOOD POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT ARE CEMENTING KENYA’S POSITION AS TOP HORTICULTURAL PRODUCER.

 
Many policy analysts were worried of the future of the horticultural industry. The only people seemed making money were those in big business-but some of them were suffering.
For the small scale farmers their only hope was to persevere because everything seemed against them; the economy, weather and cost of production...just to mention a few.
But, Kenyan farmers proved their ability to overcome tough economic crises in Kenya and around the world and retain the country’s position of the as a top agro-commodity producer.
Currently small farmers still generate over 70% of Kenya’s agricultural export earnings and there is no letting down of this arrangement.
This situation will remain for a long time and probably they will contribute more if they are empowered and they organize themselves in credible farmer groups and cooperatives.
TOUGH TIMES MAKE KENYAN FARMERS TOUGH.
Hard economic times of the 1990’s to 2002, difficult EUROGAP regulations and poor infrastructure threatened the position of Kenya as a leading Horticultural nation.
Furthermore; horticultural investors around Lake Naivasha region, were threatening to relocate their businesses to Ethiopia and bordering countries because of loses they caused by the aforementioned reasons.
Incentives for investors in adjacent countries seemed better; the tax rebates, huge discounts on land, economic growth....among others; conversely! Kenya’s economy was shrinking.
Conferences were organized by stakeholders; reasons identified slugging growth were, growing competition from other countries, infrastructural challenges, expensive requirements for certification and a lack of knowledge on good agricultural practice.
An improved economic environment ushered in by mpesa and unexpected economic, political and social reforms changed farmers’ fortunes and ability to be resilient.

THE ROLE OF MPESA: IN IMPROVING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY.
Kenyans who owned a mobile phone were only a handful, in comparison with the general population making communication difficult.
This was soon to change, thanks to the reversal of year’s economic decline - a result of improved governance.
The increase of mobile phone penetration made it possible for small marginalized farmers previously written off; share market information on prices- an impossibility in the past.
A hard nut that beforehand disturbed policymakers was now partially cracked... thus; a glimmer of light could be seen.
Innovative thinking among GSM companies lead by Safaricom gave birth to mobile money transfer that was to revolutionize farming and the economy in general.
Farmers; most of them women... in far flung rural areas, could now receive money instantly from their husbands, other relatives and trading partners in cities and major market centers.
By 2007, over 10 million Kenyans owned a mobile phone and currently over 1 billion dollars is transacted in the mobile money platform; a great portion of the money is used in farming.
REGIME CHANGE: IT’S EFFECT ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION.
The propulsion of the NARC government to power in 2002 beckoned economic prosperity and opening of political and social space in Kenya.
People became bolder in criticizing government; and a robust parliament put the executive, judiciary in check and instituted police reforms-minimizing the excesses of corruption.
This led to an increase in government revenue, thus of roads to various production regions could be rehabilitated; dilapidated roads were responsible for post harvest losses of farmers.
Also significant investment in airport infrastructure commenced, for example expansion of Jomo Kenyatta international airport to allow larger cargo aircraft to land and the upgrading of Kisumu airport to international status.
The road network in the country is currently being transformed; it’s said it will be the best and most extensive in sub Saharan Africa.
The completion of Thika super highway, transport corridors and bypasses will make it possible to get to Jomo Kenyatta international airport and the city centre faster than before.
The access to credit has improved with the setting up of the youth enterprise fund, women enterprise fund and the current flexibility of commercial banks in availing credit to farmers.
The current major challenge is finding ways of reducing production costs. This role can only be played effectively by the farmers with assistance from other stakeholders.
This will happen when farmers make an in-depth analysis on the suitability of various enterprises in his/her farm and forming cooperative societies that cater for their interests.

HOW: TO PRODUCE ONION SEEDS.

Have you ever wondered how onion[allium cepa] seeds are produced? two approaches are used. My discussion will consist of production, harvesting, threshing, conditioning, storing, available varieties in Kenya and the yield per acre and the price of onion seed.

There are two ways of producing  onion seeds, namely;

• Bulb to seed
• Seed to seed

Onions can be open pollinated or hybrid seed. Hybrid seeds have greater uniformity, increased yield and disease resistance and also give greater seeding.  

BULB TO BULB METHOD

Bulb to seed method, is where onions seeds are produced  from previously harvested bulbs. Bulbs are harvested and stored and replanted the following season. Seeds are produced in the second season.

This method is said to expensive than seed to seed method, but it allows the grower to easily discard the off types, diseased or undesirable bulbs.

Bulb to bulb method is done for the preservation of onion seed stock.

 

SEED TO SEED METHOD

In this case, seed is used as the initial planting material and has the following advantages;

• It results in a higher seed yield than bulb to seed method, because of the closer spacing achieved when seeds are sowed meaning that more bulbs will be produce and latter flower to produce seeds.
• Less time is invested in bulb establishment.
• Overall cost is less than bulb too seed method.

The above reasons,  make this method the most preferred  for seed production. The major disadvantage of this method is the production of off-types thus rouging is required.

 

IMPORTANT CULTURAL PRACTICES IN ONION SEED PRODUCTION

Some of the very important cultural practices have a role in ensuring the seeds produced are viable It’s to pay close attention to pest and disease management when using seed to seed method.   .

1. Tillage

Leave the field fallow for at least 4 years and ensure it’s free of perennial weeds and soil borne diseases.

The soil should be ploughed to a depth of 10-15 cm, worked until a firm seedbed is achieved ensure it’s friable, fertile and well supplied with humus.

2. Planting

Plant seeds at a depth of 1-3 cm in rows of a width of 50-70 cm at a rate of 4.5-6.7 kg per hectare. Higher seed rates and close spacing yield more plants, thus more seed production.

In some varieties, more than one stalk is produced. Where soil fertility allows, adequate and reliable irrigation or rain is present, the inter row spacing can be reduced to 30 cm.

3. Fertilizer application

Onions respond well to fertilizer application because rooting structure is shallow and limited to a depth of 5 cm.

It is important to add organic matter to improve soil moisture retention ability and soil structure. An equivalent of 56 kg/Ha of Nitrogen should be applied as farmyard manure.

Application of nitrogen and potassium is not recommended at flowering because flowers become unattractive to bees; that are so important in pollination.

When the onions experience a copper deficiency, they become thin, poorly colored and have a poor bulb storage life. This can be improved by application of 22 kg /ha of Cuso₄.

Manganese deficiency common in onions; it is seen as leaf chlorosis. This is often observed in alkaline soils thus adding an acid based fertilizer e.g. ammonium sulfate will solve the problem.

Maintain the soil PH at 6.0-6.5 which is slightly acidic to prevent the incidences of manganese deficiency through regular soil testing. Ameliorate the soil PH when it becomes unfavorable.

4. Irrigation

You need a permanent source of water to keep soil moisture above 65% field capacity because the crop is shallow rooted. When the bulbs initiate flowering; stop irrigation.

5. Weeding

Onions are poor competitors against weeds as they are shallow rooted. They have a poor canopy structure thus can be easily shaded by weeds.

Weeds also interfere with harvesting and become contaminants of crop seed. Effective weed control is achieved through proper cultivation, crop rotation or using selective herbicides.

6. Pest and disease control

Onions are subjected to many insect pests and fungal diseases.

a) Diseases

Umbel blight is caused by Botrytis alli that infects the onion seed stalk consequently reducing seed yield and quality.

Onion downy mildew is caused by Peronospara destructor that is common during cool season’s causes chlorotic lesions on leaves and root stalk.

Pink root disease caused by Pyrenocheata tertris is a soil borne pathogen that infects onions at any stage of development and causes the root to turn pink then brown then black then die.

Fusarium basal rot- caused by fusarium oxysporum showing yellowing, die back from the top of the leaves.

b) Pests

Onion thrips feed on leaf surfaces causing them to turn white or silvery. They also feed on flowers, thus affecting seed formation. Scales are also a major problem of onions.

HARVESTING AND THRESHING

Harvesting commences, when onion heads contain some capsules that have turned black and are opening; the black color indicates that the seeds have ripened.

Although all onion seeds heads do not mature simultaneously, most farmers do a once all harvesting when seed heads are about 30% mature.

The harvesting is done by hand, cutting the plant 10-15 cm below the umbel head. The cut umbel head is put in sacks and stored for 1-2 days.

After the 2 days, the seeds will be dry enough for threshing as the capsules become brittle and readily break releasing small onion seed.

Seeds are dried at a temperature of 32⁰ C until they achieve a moisture content of 10% then at a temperature of 43⁰ C until a storage moisture content of 6% is achieved.

CONDITIONING THE SEEDS

After threshing, the onion seeds are conditioned to eliminate weed seed and chaff; onion seed that is light is unviable thus it’s also eliminated.

Initial cleaning is done by an air screen cleaner and gravity table.  The cleaner and gravity table allows the  offloading of on account of weight differences, heavy seeds sink on the other hand light seeds float and are unviable.

Wash and treat them for not more than 3 minutes;  they dried and stored as long as seed moisture content is less than 10%.

STORAGE of onion seeds

Onions seed deteriorate so fast when stored under hot, humid conditions. They become unviable in less than a year; proper storage will result to higher viability.

It has been established that when onions seed is stored at a moisture content of 6%; the seed will have a viability of 3 years and when stored at a moisture content of 3%, the viability will be more than 3 years.

returns per acre of onion

In most cases seed yield range will be 550-800 kg per hectare for open pollinated lines and 300-1200 kg per hectare for hybrid lines.  

When one is aiming to produce bulbs, one hectare can produce about 12-20 tons of onion bulbs.

Most farmers prefer growing red creole variety because can grow over a wide range of altitude and is suitable for open field planting and planting in the greenhouse.

Other varieties available in Kenya are

1. Red tropicana produces red bulbs.
2. Red tropicana F1 hybrid produces large red thick flat onions with a firm pungent flesh. it is highly productive and therefore demands high levels oif managment. it keeps well in a dry aerated store.
3. Bombay red this variety is for dry warmer areas. It is small to medium sized, globe shaped, purplish red and pungent.
4. Yellow granex F1 hybrid is an early maturing and high yielding variety, that is thick, flat with thin yellow scales. The flesh is medium firm, crisp and mild in flavor.
5. Texas early grano is an early maturing variety that takes 100-120 days. However, it has a short shelf life. Its a heavy yielder for high altitudes and ideal for fish salads.
6. Green bunching is a spring onion that does not produce bulbs. It has dark green attractive leaves. Its an early and highly productive onion grown for stems rather than bulbs and tolerant to sun scotch. 

STATUS OF MACADAMIA PRODUCTION IN KENYA

A feasibility study funded by Food and Agriculture Organization in the 1970’s indicated that the production of this crop in Kenya is viable. This was due to the high value of products from the tree and relatively low cost of maintenance inputs. After efforts were initiated for commercial production of the crop, through funding and technical advice by JICA; the crop now earns the country over one billion Kenya shilling every year. The potential of the country for production of this crop is so great! But; we are sleeping on the job.

Though we are currently ranked number 5 in the world, with production of 10,000 metric tons of macadamia, we can easily be number at production of 100,000 metric tons. There is an increasing demand from importing countries like USA, Germany, Japan and China among others, while our country’s production has stagnated.

This crop is considered as the world’s finest dessert because of its delicate taste and numerous health benefits, thus it is used in the manufacture of chocolate and oils. Unfortunately increasing production of this crop

CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE OF MACADAMIA IN KENYA

There is weak commitment from the government aimed at enhancing the production of the crop. Instead the government is concentrating on crops like sugar, coffee, tea, maize, rice that are regarded as food security crops. Small scale farmers whose land area is 2-3 acres produce 70% of the country’s production on the other hand large scale producers who number 500 account for 30% of Kenya’s production.

Secondly land fragmentation is threatening this crop as acreage under production reduces, people resort to developing real estate on the land a business that yields more. Thirdly there is stiff competition from alternative farm enterprises like; vegetable growing and dairy production that have higher yields. Compared to the crop produces after 5-6 months after flowering. On the other hand, a farmer engaging in horticulture will have earned money from vegetables that mature in 3-4 months solving his money problems in the short term.

WHY MACADAMIA PRODUCTION IN CENTRAL KENYA IS SO SUCCESSFUL

The communities living around Central Kenya have been pioneers in almost all areas of agricultural production/activities. It is no surprise that this crop is currently being grown in this area while western Kenya; a region with the greatest potential relying on the traditional food crops and industrial crops like maize, tea and sugarcane.

This is attributed to various reasons like the region’s close proximity to Nairobi-Kenya’s capital that has many agro processing industries, agro-export companies, secondly a vibrant enterprising population and a regional political class that is willing to attract investments in the regions they represent.

From the production of rabbits, chicken, coffee, apples, plums pears, dairy farming, oranges…virtually over 90% of all food crops found in the world have been grown, are grown or will be grown in this area.

The introduction of macadamia in Kenya was aimed at diversifying the income streams of coffee farmers; and the crop proved reliable during the years when the international market prices of coffee had hit an all time low. Secondly there were efforts championed by various NGO’s like JICA that saw the crop as a tool to reduce rural poverty considering the high demand of macadamia nuts worldwide.

It was introduced in Kenya in 1950 as an edible landscape crop by white settlers in home gardens. Commercialization started in 1970’s after realization it could be of export potential. It culminated into a technical cooperation between Kenya and Japan through JICA. Success of program made Kenya be the second largest exporter in the world but now currently the 5^th largest exporter due to drop in production. According to data from the ministry of agriculture, in 2007, the production stood at 10,000 metric tons. The production of the crop has stagnated at that level despite the enormous potential of the crop.

Indeed this crop proved to be a life saver for those farmers who adopted its production early when the coffee boom of the 70’s and 80’s was over. The price of the nuts became so good overtaking that of coffee by up to 10 times.

Currently the market demand for this product is so high that farmers cannot even meet a quarter of it. Although this is a blessing because of the improved prices, a societal problem of theft has been created. Thieves are harvesting farmer’s crops at night and during weekends thus robbing farmers their hard earned income.

This theft has created an additional problem of quality reduction of nuts destined for export. Ideally only nuts that have dropped from the trees are harvested because they are fully mature, have attained the required oil content among other quality requirements. Stolen nuts are often harvested by the thieves from the trees before reaching maturity. When these stolen nuts are mixed with other mature nuts during processing in a factory, they reduce the final product.

CHARACTERISTICS OF MACADAMIA TREE

This plant grows as a large spreading and evergreen tree to of height 12-15 meters. The bark of the tree is rough but not furrowed. Trees develop a proteoid root system. The growth of the trees occurs in flashes depending on water supply.

Pollination

This tree can self pollinate, although varieties vary from totally self compatible to totally self incompatible and in-betweens. Varieties grown in Kenya are cross pollinated with each cluster of flowers having 40-50 flowers that produce 4-15 nut-lets or nuts. These nut-lets eventually mature into nuts encased in hard corky shells that are protected by greenish brown fibrous husks. Just before harvesting the husk opens releasing the nut. In a natural setting, trees will have fresh growth. The falling of nuts is an indication they are ready for harvest.

VARIETIES RECOMMENDED IN KENYA

There are 6 varieties that are suitable for planting in Kenya

KRG 1, KRG 3, KRG 4, MRG 20, EMB 1, KMB 3

KRG 2

In Australia cultivars recommended include

H2 produces heavy fruit but the problem it is the stick type. It is preferable for nursery cultivation.

HAES 246 is a large spreading tree, slow to come to bearing, once it comes into production; it becomes a reliable tree whose canopy is very large. It is more suitable as a pollinator.

HAES 660-this is an upright tree suited for close spacing, since it produces small nuts with high kennel recovery and quality. Small kennel size is suitable for the confectionary industry e.g. in chocolate.

HAES 344 –this is an upright and hardy tree with very heavy tree. Has relatively good wind resistance, the problem is that it is prone to the nut borer than other varieties. It produces very well even in high limiting temperature.

HAES 741- this is an upright tree, moderate wind resistance less vegetative, kernels are of very high quality. They suffer from a problem called watermark where the kernel still remain wet at the bottom.

ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS OF MACADAMIA

This crop was introduced in Kenya in all coffee growing areas because these areas receive a minimum of 1000 mm of rain.

They tolerate warm to relatively cool environment as long as there is an adequate supply of water, for the tree to function properly, temperatures of between 24- 30 degrees are suitable.

Frost of about -6⁰ C will kill young trees. Light frosts do not affect the tree much. Long periods with maximum temperature of 40⁰ c will results to burning of leaves and subsequent reduction of yields.

WATER REQUIREMENTS

Rainfall of 1250-2500 mm under moist soil conditions can be optimal for production however in volcanic soil the crop is produced at a rainfall of up to 4000 mm. The heaviest rain should be in the nut and oil accumulation stage.

Strong winds are detrimental to growth of macadamia they reduce growth rates, flower production and flower set and ultimately affect yield. Violent winds can cause branch breakage.

PROPAGATION OF MACADAMIA

There are two ways; through sexual propagation or through asexual propagation. Sexual propagation involves raising seedlings from seeds on the other hand asexual propagation is by raising new plants from the parts of the mother plant by way of stem cuttings. Well matured branches from healthy and high yielding plants of pencil thickness with 2-3 buds are cut; the stem cutting is de-leafed to minimize evapo-transpiration, dipped in a rooting powder, then planted in plastic sleeves filled with well watered and manured soil. After two weeks, the cutting will have rooted. The cutting will be ready for transplanting to the farm after 2-3 months after forming an extensive root system. Another method of asexual propagation is through grafting on a rootstock that is resistant to soil borne diseases.

The following is the most appropriate criteria to follow when propagating macadamia through seed Inspection of seed that involves;

§ Picking a sample of 20 seeds and inspect for insect holes. If infection is above 60% in the lot do not use the seed lot.

§ Take a sample of 20-30 seeds, crack open the nut; kernel should ne fresh and mature. If shrunk and immature at 60% do not use.

§ Moisture content should be 15-18%, at higher levels; the viability of seed is diminished.

§ Floatation test should be used. Unviable seeds float.

§ Coloring test by use of tetrazolium chloride if it is applied to seed and it turns to a red color; the seed is alive and respiring. If 60% and over does not change color do not use the seed.

Yield

A single tree produces 55 kilograms per year. The current price of macadamia nuts is Ksh. 120. This means that you can earn Ksh 6,600 per tree. One acre can accommodate up to 70 trees when spaced at 8 m x 8 m. This means from one acre a farmers is likely to earn a farmer Ksh. 417,510 per year. Up to 7 tons have been reported harvested from one hectare.

Lawns

A lawn is defined as a living green carpet of spreading turf, which is a product of intensive husbandry and management. Lawns are used to create pleasant views for homes as they link the house to the garden. To produce a good lawn you are required to;

1. Eradicate species that are not grass or the wrong grass

2. Requires application of fertilizers and irrigation

3. Frequent mowing to control strong growth of the grass.

The resultant effect of the aforementioned activities is a stripped green carpet. Having a great lawn is public expectation. Only one type of grass should be grown.

Establishment of lawns

The following are considerations for establishment of lawn

1. Grass species should be suitable to produce a good lawn in the local climatic regime.

2. The method of propagation- lawns can be established from seed or vegetative material; Seed is more agronomic

3. During actual planting of lawns, the land is treated just like agricultural land; this means all activities associated with land preparation for good production are done. This includes plowing, harrowing and application of manure or fertilizer, however land preparation of the seed bed may require grading while removing foreign objects like stones.

4. Never try to bury objects in a lawn area. Ideally top soil should be removed. Remove as shallow as 3 cm and deep as 15 cm; scoop it and pile it on the side or along the paths, establish a gradient.

5. In every 3 to 5 meters, a drop of 6-10 cm should be created away from walks and buildings, sometimes from plants like trees to aid in drainage of water from objects.

6. The center of the lawn should be slightly raised. Fill back the top soil ensure that paths roads are 3-5 cm higher than lawn in general level. This also helps in preventing water logging on the paths. Secondly top soil; helps in smothering the area thus helps in avoiding small depressions or low spots which become a source of drainage problems.

A lawn is expected to be fairly flat. Where this is the case, during land preparation consider a heavy duty rotary cultivator. Afterwards you can do seeding, making sure you have fine seedbed. Cover grass seeds with 0.5 cm of very fine soil by raking the soil with dry branches.

On certain occasions, the land may require grading which is a process of leveling uneven land using machinery. During grading, the original land may be altered depending on the owners’ capability. During certain instances, large trees may be encountered that need to be preserved.

Two approaches have been instituted; when grading involves removing of soil and you encounter a large tree; carefully remove soil from the tree area, leaving a slope from the tree that acts as a mound around the tree covering the main roots.

If grading involves raising the level of the slope; and you encounter a tree use the well. Construct a well around the tree with loose stones. Fill the area up to the walls leaving a depression. If you are in a high rainfall area use aggregate materials to increase drainage.

Steep slopes present great challenges in establishing a lawn on them because they dry fast and the danger of surface run off. At times machinery is not able to move on the surface.

If your land has steep slopes, think of retaining a series walls. Do some cutting and filing to form terraces. If this is being done by machine, there might be some compaction and you may require sub-soiling to enhance drainage.