Sunny days for sunflower growers

This crop is eliciting interest especially among small farmers who have historically grown maize. This is because the cost of producing maize has escalated exponentially over the last 10 years.

The high cost of farm inputs like fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides and the increase of fuel prices  has made maize farmers reduce their acreage of the crop. In a bid to sustain their income from the farm, farmers have started venturing to sunflower farming; a previously ignored crop.

Secondly, industrialists in Kenya who depend on the crop  for production have developed an interest in encouraging small scale farmers to venture into sunflower farming. They have been driven to that point by the ever volatile prices of edible oils in the international markets  that are making their operations expensive. This has created a boom in the sunflower business as growing demand creates a shortage in domestic market.

Current local consumption stands at 30,000 Metric tons against a production of 12,000; from small and large scale farmers. This has created a shortage of the seeds in the market, for oil production; as demand increases, has forced edible oils manufacturers to either import more or use other alternatives to sustain high production levels resulting to increased cost of vegetable oil and soap.

Currently, “Kenya is the lowest ranked in the region both in production and consumption of sunflower hence the need for the government and all other local players to come in and promote and enhance the growing of sunflower,” says Mr. Mbugua an Agronomist in the Ministry of Agriculture.

SUNFLOWER FARMING IN KENYA

Sunflower is turning into a hot commodity because of the prices being offered by oil processors is increasing  because of the growing shortage. Oil manufacturers have been forced to either import more or use other alternatives to sustain production.

Bidco Oil Refineries Ltd  and other oil refineries are offering to buy sunflower stocks across the country in the hope that this will encourage farmers into planting more, with a kilo of seeds being bought for Ksh. 25.

25/= Amount

in Kenya shillings offered farmers for 1 Kilo of sunflower seeds.

Though farmers have sited lack of suitable hybrid seeds, preliminary investigation indicate that Kenya seed company has developed 12 varieties, 4 among them in collaboration with Kenya Agricultural Research Institute. On the other Hand, KARI has developed one variety while Pannar seed company has 2 varieties being sold in the Kenyan market.

One interesting fact is; these varieties have a yield potential varying between 2-4 tons per Ha. With the current prices being offered in the Market, a farmer who has properly maintained his farm has the possibility of earning between Ksh. 50,000-200,000 per Ha after 160 days from date of planting. These earnings include the expenses incurred during production.

SUNFLOWER VARIETIES IN KENYA

Variety name or code	Year of release	Optimal production altitude range (Masl)	Duration to maturity (days)	Seed production tons per Ha
H067	1974	1500-2400	130-140	2-3
Kenya white	1957	1500-2300	160-170	2-3
Kenya Fedha	1981	1000-2300	130-135	3-4
Kenya shaba	1981	1000-2300	130-135	3-4
H.894	1988	1500-2400	125-135	2-3
H.893	1988	1500-2400	130-135	2-3
H.898	1989	1500-2200	130-135	2-3
H.8998	1992	900-2200	120-125	2-3
PAN7352	1994	1000-2200	120-150	1.9-2.5
PAN 7369	1994	1000-2200	120-150	1.2-2.5
Kenya Almasi	2008	0-2500	120-134	1.5-2.5
KS-H4038	2008	1500-2300	110-120	3-3.6
KS-H4088	2008	1500-2300	113-130	3.6-4

GROWING OF SUNFLOWERS

It grows in soils ranging in texture from sand to clay. The amazing feature about this crop is that it done not require high levels of fertility like maize.

The recommended spacing is 75 x 50cm and 2 seeds per hole  will result in a plant population of 55,000  in one Hectare. In Areas receiving little rainfall, maintain low  plant densities of 33,000-45,000 in one Hectare.

For the highest yield,  60kg/Ha of Nitrogen and 80kg/Ha of Phosphorus will be sufficient. Early planting is important since the crop is able to utilize rain well when it is at the peak thus develop bigger flowers and more grains. It is important thing to consider is the planting depth which has an influence on the yield. The most appropriate planting depth is 7cm; planting at a depth of 9-15 cm reduces yields by between 10-28%.

Sunflower has relatively fewer labor demands than do other crops growing for cash e.g. Maize. Sunflower is harvested by cutting the head of and transporting it to a suitable place for drying.

YIELD OF SUNFLOWER

The yield of sunflower is influenced by 3 factors

• Number of heads per hectare
• Number of seeds per head
• Average weight per head.

It is therefore imperative to consult an agricultural officer to determine the correct seeding rate and soil fertility requirements.

Finally it is not recommended to plant the crop in the same plot for a long time because of pest buildup.  The highest yield of sunflower recorded in Kenya is 4 tons per Hectare.

INFLUENCE OF ALTITUDE TO SUNFLOWER GROWING

A farmer must first determine the height above sea level in which his farm is located.  This can be done by consulting a map of your area or searching the internet.This will assist a farmer in knowing the most suitable variety bred for that area. Altitude has an influence on the temperature of an area, amount of rainfall received, sunlight intensity factors that are important in crop growth and production.Every variety has a special altitude in it best grows.  [Use the table above to identify the suitable variety]

WHERE TO GET SUNFLOWER SEEDS

Hybrid seeds can be sourced from Kenya seed company stockists and other Agri-Input suppliers. The next step is to sow the seeds in well prepared farm. A well prepared surface will determine the future agronomic practices that are going to be conducted e.g. weeding. A poorly prepared surface will increase the number of times weeding will be done.

 CHALLENGES OF SUNFLOWER FARMERS

 The greatest challenge they face is the area of marketing. A small scale farmer in a certain area may be willing to grow sunflower. Unfortunately the area is remote and he is the only one willing to do so. He cannot be able to harvest sufficient volumes so that he may benefit from the economies of scale. It may thus prove to be uneconomical for him to grow the crop and for a manufacturer to collect it from his farm. The solution for this would be farmers within a certain locality form a cooperative society, that will handle their issues.

Many large scale farmers are either contracted by Kenya seed company to grow hybrid seeds or by large oil manufacturers.

 

 

 

Small farmers approach to Fertilizing in greenhouse tomatoes Kenya.

Fertigation is combining the application of water and fertilizers through the irrigation drip system.A good fertility program ensures that all the 14 elements needed by plants are supplied. However there is a challenge in doing that; the cost involved since the various fertilizers required are rare and at times due to the different constitutions of fertilizers it is very difficult for farmers to know the appropriate amount and type of fertilizer to apply.

The suitable approach is to examine the locally available fertilizers to determine if a balanced nutrition is possible. After a lot of consideration, I identified the following fertilizers that have closely and after using them they met my expectations.The recommendation of scientists all over the world is that by the end of a growing season, 1 hectare of tomatoes will have utilized an average of ; 450kg of Nitrogen, 65kg of phosphorus and 710kg of potassium. These three elements are major elements since they required in huge amounts compared to other elements. This creates a special challenge for farmers especially in sub-Saharan Africa who lack technical skills how to mix fertilizers and who do not take the soil for testing.  

I have developed this simple strategy that solves this problem. It involves supplying greenhouse grade NPK fertilizer through fertigation combining it with foliar sprays and soil application of a specialty fertilizer known as Dolmax. This strategy utilizes locally available fertilizer mixes to achieve the above result while taking care of the required essential micro-elements. 

Why fertigation?

It is possible to apply the nutrients exactly and uniformly only to the wetted root volume, where the active roots are concentrated, therefore increasing the efficiency in the application of the fertilizer reducing fertilizer usage. This fertilizing method prevents under-fertilizing or over-fertilizing since it is adapted specifically to the crop throughout the growing season.  The other advantage is reduction of groundwater pollution caused by fertilizer leaching and finally actual nutritional requirement is easily met.

It is paramount to know the most favorable the daily nutrient consumption rate that results to maximum yield and production quality at the same time saving as money.

Dolmax fertilizer

This fertilizer has 9 elements out of the 14 required by tomatoes. So we need to get other fertilizers that provide most of the remaining elements because if we were to purchase single element fertilizers the total cost will be too high. If you carefully examine the above fertilizer, you will notice the major elements required by plants i.e. N, P, and K constitute a very small percentage of the total constitution of the fertilizer. We therefore need the following additional fertilizers.

 

Mixing the fertilizers

I have tried this combination of fertilizers giving me excellent results the figures for fertilizer requirement given here represent the amount of mix required for 1m2. Therefore to find the exact requirement for you greenhouse, multiply by the floor area covered by your greenhouse.

 

Requirements

NPK [19:19:19] – Buy a greenhouse grade NPK fertilizer that is highly soluble. I recommend that you buy from Osho industries Nairobi. Sold in from of 15 Kg bag, and the fertilizer is pink in color.

Agro-feed [12:10:8+ TE] 

This fertilizer is manufactured by Osho industries. It is sold in 5 litre container packs. The advantage of using this fertilizer is that it supplies elements like boron, cobalt, molybdenum and copper those are not supplied by Dolmax or NPK.

Method of applying the fertilizer Step1. Amount of N.P.K required by 1m2 is 0.24Kg. To get the amount your greenhouse will require multiply the floor area of your greenhouse by 0.24
For example Mr. Koech's greenhouse has the following floor area measurements length 30 meters, width 20 meters. Find the amount of NPK fertilizer required.

Solution area= L x W

               =30X20

               =600m2

Therefore to get fertilizer required will be 

                   600x0.24= 144 kg 

This is the amount of fertilizer required for the full season of 120 days. To get the daily fertilizer requirement we divide 144kg with 120 days to give us 1.2 Kg/day. This is what you will put in the irrigation tank every day for fertigation for 120 days. The solution is pumped by a moneymaker pump to the drip lines that supply every plant.

Step2. Apply two tablespoon of Dolmax fertilizer to every plant. The purpose of this fertilizer is to supply calcium, magnesium and micro elements to the plants. This should be repeated after every one month and should be stopped when the fruits have attained a diameter of 3 cm.

Step3. Apply Agro-feed [12:10:8+ TE] after every 2 weeks after the crop attains the age of 2 months. Put 40-50ml in a knapsack sprayer and add 20 litres of water and 10 ml of a wetting agent spray the leaves. 

Once the crop has started fruiting and fruits have attained a diameter of 3-5 cm discontinue all fertilizer application. 

 

 

 

 

 

Rude shock for farmers with small greenhouses in Kenya

The marketers did a good job saying
"Tomatoes are very profitable crops because they are very productive if maintained well. Data from the ministry of Agriculture indicate that the year 2010 was the most profitable to farmers since the price of 1kg of tomato was ranging between $ 0.4-0.9. In technologically advanced countries like Israel, 1 ha of greenhouse produces up to 100 tons of fruit. Scientists all over the world have established that other than cut flowers; tomatoes, sweet pepper and cucumbers are some of the vegetables that can be produced economically in a greenhouse. The best cultivars for greenhouse production are the indeterminate varieties. These varieties can grow up to a length of 15 meters. One plant has a potential of up to 10 kg at first harvest, going up to 30 kg by the time it has completed its full cycle". BUT….OOPS many farmers were in for a rude shock! - Their savior had let them down!

Potential Profits lured many farmers and non farmers into purchasing greenhouses that were being marketed by some Agri-input suppliers. Many people were eager to adopt this technology because of the following reasons.

• This technology is associated with the rich and famous politicians, multinational corporations and EX- PRESIDENTS SO T'WAS OBVIOUS that small greenhouses will attract a following. By the way who does not want to be the first in the village to own such a structure!
  
• The economy was performing well thus the availability of credit from banks who previously considered farmers to be risky but due to increased economic prosperity, they had to fund farmers coz of excess funds
  
• Government initiatives like youth empowerment fund and women empowerment fund that unlocked funding for farmers.
  
• Farmers were convinced that the shorter period of crop maturity of two months for greenhouse-produced tomatoes was a fair bargain compared to the 4-5 months for outdoor farming.
  
• Apart from huge savings on crop protection chemicals, which constitute a huge part of production costs, less labor is employed in a greenhouse, while exposure to chemical toxins associated with application is minimized or eliminated altogether. It is also good for the environment.
  

 

Because of the above reasons, farmers were convinced to invest in a greenhouse kit, the cheapest comprising a 500 liters water tank, irrigation drip lines, plastic sheet, seeds and chemicals has been put at Ksh150,000 ($2,239) for those participating in the project. These companies had put some efforts in providing extension services to the farmers who purchased the greenhouses but that was not enough because Farmers were scattered all over the country thus it became very expensive and difficult to manage them leading to a high failure rate of this project.

 

Unfortunately most of the farmers did not have prior knowledge on greenhouse management strategies; the FOLLOW UP/ EXTENSION SERVICES initiated by promoters did little to increase their knowledge base. Neither were they exposed to the methods of identifying diseases like bacterial wilt; a destructive disease, pest of agro-chemicals among other pertinent issues.

 

There is light at the end of the tunnel.

I abide by the fact that such type of farming is profitable but more needs to be done to increase the knowledge of the farmers on greenhouse technology. Many farmers are having challenges on controlling heat in their greenhouse, using the appropriate foliar sprays and hormones to boost the productivity, mixing of fertilizers, controlling diseases like bacterial wilt and pests like white flies, aphids and above all harvesting sufficient water to last for the entire season. Every farmer experiences a unique problem in his greenhouse and it is difficult if not impossible to develop a handbook detailing each problem a farmer is likely to experience, but thanks to technology a forum like this will enable us to share some of the challenges and come up with appropriate mitigation measures.

How to share your problem with us

Briefly describe the general condition of your greenhouse e.g.

1. Type of soil/media used
   
2. Size of greenhouse especially its height above the ground
   
3. Other crops that you planted in the greenhouse before moving to tomatoes
   
4. Type of agricultural inputs that you use foliar feeds, pesticides, hormones, fertilizers, fungicides e.t.c
   
5. If you experience diseases in the greenhouse briefly describe the symptoms of the disease and if you can share with us a photograph we will appreciate
   
6. History of the greenhouse
   
7. And any other information that may be useful in diagnosing the problem
   

This type of information will enable us to get the big picture and advice you accordingly.

 

Thank you.

Haron Mogeni.

Diagnosing diseases of tomatoes in the Greenhouse

1.Examine individual plants carefully, noting which leaves or other parts exhibit symptoms.2. Use a magnifying lens to look for signs of the presence pests themselves, eggs, cast skins, etc.), mold, and fungal spores on the top and bottom leaf surfaces.
3.Uproot a few plants from the soil or containers. Nematodes, worms and other pests feed on the roots leading to spreading of bacterial, fungal or viral diseases. This may lead to soft decay of roots and wilting of the plant.
4.Have an open mind. Where do symptoms occur most? Ask yourself this question. It may be where there is a drainage problem, where the roof of greenhouse is torn, at the openings. Solving this problem is the beginning of management of disease.
5. What is the history of the greenhouse? Consider the cultural practices that have been undertaken in the past. For example have you used manure for the first time, have you used any fertilizer/material at a higher rate than usual.
6.Seek advice from experienced farmers, literature, and notes from grower seminars, Extension agents, and consultants.
7. Form a tentative diagnosis, and send samples representative of early and intermediate stages of the problem to a diagnostic lab.
8. After knowing the problem, get rid of plants with transmittable diseases and take appropriate control measures.
9. Maintain watch on the crop carefully. The preliminary finding is just a part of the story. For instance: You established a powdery mildew infestation and treated the crop for them, but a whitefly infestation they were carrying might appear later.