Agriculture Sba

 Selection of site

The site was selected because of the   soil type and the ph. range .it was also selected because the site is fenced so to keep away stray animals and entrance of thieves.it was also selected because of the water source.

Selection of crop

The crop was selected because of the soil type, ph. and demand, the soil type which is clayey loam and its ph. was 6.5, tomatoes grow well on such soil.

Lay out

Lay out was to get the required measurement of the beds.it was done using a measuring tape. The measuring tape was used to measure the length and width of the beds.

Land clearing

Land clearing was done to remove unwanted vegetation and objects from the plot. This was done manually using a cutlass and a hook stick. The cutlass was used to cut the weed on the beds .a hook stick was used to heap the weeds on the bed. Land clearing was done since weeds compete with crops for soil nutrients, soil moisture, sunlight, and rootspace.Weeds are hosts for some pests e.g. insects and fungi.

Ploughing

Ploughing was done to break up surface soil and to turn the topsoil to a desirable depth. Loosing up soil particles allow free movement of water, air and plant roots among soil particles. Ploughing was done manually using the fork. The fork was used to turn over the soil and break up soil clods. Ploughing reduces the soil from becoming water logged in wet conditions.it also aerate the soil by speeding up the rotting of soil organic matter to humus, it also allow oxygen which is available for the respiration of root hair.it control crop from pests such as weeds and soil insects.

Harrowing

This was done manually using a cutlass, hoe and rake. The cutlass was used to break up the soil clods .the hoe was also used to break up the soil clods and level the beds. Rake was used to remove pieces of grass and plant roots that the fork upturned. Harrowing was done after ploughing to break up large soil clods into smaller ones. Since there is an abundance of small pore spaces, soils that are harrowed is better aerated and allows tiny roots and roots hairs of seedlings to grow freely

Construction of beds and drains

The formation of bed and drains allows the removal of excess soil water from the root zone of plants. Tools that were used to construct the beds and drains were hoe, and spade. The hoe was used to make raised beds and narrow drains. The spade was used to take out excess soil from the drains it is important to remove excess soil water because plant roots will eventually rot if excess water is not removed.

Application of organic manure

Organic manure was added to the soil to increase the supply of plant nutrients. The type of organic manure that was used is pen manure. It was broadcast over the plots and mixed into the soil with a rake and a fork slightly turning over the soil.

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