Rubber Nursery Management

At last i found the best methods of planting the rubber based on the Mindanao, Philippines Climate. On this site all the preparation from choosing a seed, budding and nursery management was discussed. All you need to do is to find time to understand and apply all the methods.

Choosing a Right Variety of Rice

Plant the right variety Farmers often prefer new rice varieties, believing that these are always high yielding. However, a rice variety may be released based on reasons other than yield (e.g. good grain quality, resistance to pests and diseases, tolerance to cold or drought). Consult with your agricultural technologist on the best performing rice varieties in your area. 1. Factors to consider in choosing a rice variety to plant a. Adaptability to local climatic conditions. The varieties that you plant must be compatible with the local climate. There are varieties suitable for irrigated lowlands, rainfed lowlands, cool-elevated areas, saline-prone areas, and uplands. b. Duration or maturity. Varieties with shorter maturing time are less exposed to pests and peak typhoon periods. They also allow you to grow two or more crops a year; thus, increasing farm income. However, longer maturing modern varieties have higher yield potential because of better vegetative growth. c. Tolerance to drought. Varieties that can thrive under dry conditions for some time are advantageous especially when the crop is dry seeded or when irrigation is delayed. Varieties for rainfed and upland areas have some degrees of drought tolerance. Some of these varieties are PSB Rc1, PSB Rc14, PSB Rc16, PSB Rc36, PSB Rc38, PSB Rc40, and PSB Rc42. d. Tolerance to pests. Use varieties that are resistant to major pests common in your locality. e. Tolerance to problem soils. There are varieties that grow even in adverse soil conditions such as saline soils, zinc-deficient soils, phosphorus and iron-deficient soils, excess manganese and aluminum, and toxic soils. PSB Rc1, for example, is suited for acidic soils while PSB Rc48, PSB Rc50, PSB Rc84, PSB Rc86, PSB Rc88, and PSB Rc90 are suited for saline-affected soils. f. Resistance to lodging. The factors that affect lodging are: plant height, light intensity, spacing, amount of soil fertility, the method of crop establishment, wind velocity and rain, type of sheath, stem thickness, and root structure. Some of the varieties resistant to lodging include IR8, PSB Rc2, PSB Rc30, PSB Rc34, and PSB Rc74. g. Tolerance to water submergence. This characteristic is especially important when there is continuous rain and the floodwater does not recede in 2-3 days. 2. Note that the variety that you may choose does not have to possess all of the abovementioned characteristics. Select varieties that meet the needs and problems of your particular locality. 3. Minimize pest problems in your farm by practicing synchronous planting. This means you and your neighboring farmers (covering at least 20-hectare contiguous farm) should plant your rice crop within less than a month. 4. Plant certified seeds or good seeds of improved varieties suited to your farm. Certified seeds are pure, clean, full, uniform in size, and have a minimum germination rate of 85%. Use of certified seeds leads to healthy seedlings that grow faster and uniformly. All this can contribute to a 5-10% increase in yield. 5. Remember that healthy seedlings have more roots, grow faster, and produce a more even stand than poor quality seedlings. Thus, certified/good seeds ensure higher yields. Source: Open Academy

Flower Induction in Durian

Durian will soon be fruit for all season"

Durian has often been described as "a fruit that tastes like heaven but smells like hell".
However, to the ordinary durian consumers who are mostly minimum wage earners, the "hell"
pact is not the smell but rather the price,especially during the off-season, when prices could
become prohibitively high due to scarcity of supply.

But thanks to a study conducted by Roman Armenio, Jr., Myrna S. Cantilla and Milani Abad of
the Department of Agriculture-Southern Mindanao Integrated Agriculture Research Center
(DA-SMIARC), it is now possible to produce durian anytime of the year.

According to the study entitled "Flower induction in durian", certain growth regulators such as
Paclobutrazol and Multi-K, when sprayed on durian trees of bearing age at the time when the
flushes (new leaves) are already mature, will promote off-season flowering 10 to 21 days from
application.

The study further revealed that average number of off-season fruits production per tree was over 80 for those sprayed with Paclobutrazol and over 64 for those with Multi-K.

For durian farmers, this technology could mean additional income in terms of increased yield and
relatively higher prices during off-season while for the common durian consumer, more durian
fruit supply during off-season would eventually result to a slight decrease in prices.

Durian Pest and Disease Control Management

Insects	PlantParts/Stage of Growth Attacked	Control Measures
Beetles	Young seedlings	Spray with Roxion or Azodrin
Twig borers	Young plants, small branches or twigs of old trees	Prune damaged branch and burn
Psyllids	New shoots and leaves in young and old trees	Spray with Roxion, Azodrin or Decis
Brown scale	Young shoots and leaves	Spray with Roxion or Azodrin
Haplaphalora sp. (Bao-bao)	Young shoots, leaves, unopened flowers and fruitlets	Spray with Decis, Roxion or Gusathion
Diseases	PlantParts/Stage of Growth Attacked	Control Measures
Path canker or stem canker	Roots, trunk	Spray with Ridomil or Alliete
Pink diseases	Twigs and smaller branches	Spray with Tridemorph (Calixim); Triadimefon (Bayleton); Copper hydroxide (Kocide) or Bordeaux mixture
Rhizoctonia	Foliage	Spray with Triamefon- Bayleton, Thiophanate methyl (Topsin M)

source: http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:y0DT5-jmY38J:www.da.gov.ph/
wps/wcm/connect/resources/file/eb590c401514538/DURIAN.pdf+
distance+of+durian+during+planting&hl=tl&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=ph

Durian Cultural Management

Land Preparation

• Clear and remove all stumps and grasses.
• Plow twice and harrow thrice to loosen the soil.

Distance of Planting

• 5 x 10 meters = 200 plants/ha.
• 8 x 8 meters = 156 plants/ha.
• 10 x 10 meters = 100 plants/ha.

Preparation of Holes and Planting

• Dig a cubical holes measuring 50-100 m wide and 50-100 cm deep for clay soil type.
• Remove the plastic bag and plant the seedling into the hole without breaking the ball of soil.
• Prune spiraled roots to enhance root branching.
• Plant young plants at their dormant stage.
• Cover the hole with soil-manure mixture and press gently the surface of the soil.
• Plant during rainy season.

Maintenance

• Provide shade to newly planted durian seedlings for a period of two weeks to a few months depending on weather condition to enable the plant to recover from transplanting shock and to shade it from strong sunlight.
• Apply as basal 50 grams (5 tbsp.) of complete fertilizer (14-14-14) or based on soil analysis and cover with thin layer of soil. Rate of application increases as tree matures.
• Grow seasonal crops between rows of durian before they become productive.
• Ring weeding should be done before fertilization.
• Prune/remove dead, broken or diseased branches and water shoots to obtain desired canopy shape to enhance production of fruits.
• Mulch the tree with rice straw, dried leaves, cut grasses, or coconut husk during dry season.

Source:http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:y0DT5-jmY38J:www.da.gov.ph
/wps/wcm/connect/resources/file/eb590c401514538/DURIAN.pdf+distance+
of+durian+during+planting&hl=tl&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=ph

Durian Pests and Diseases

Minor pests in the Philippines are the white mealybug (Pseudococcus lilacinus) and the giant mealybug (Drosicha townsendi) which infest young and developing fruits.

Very few diseases have been reported. In West Malaysia, patch canker caused by Phytophthora palmivora was first noted in 1934. It is becoming increasingly common on roots and stems of durian seedlings. Infection in the field begins at the collar with oozing of brownish-red gum and extends up the trunk and down to the roots. Sometimes a tree is completely girdled at the base and dies.

Testing of 13 clones showed that all but 2 were susceptible. The 2 resistant clones succumbed after the stems were wounded and inoculated. It is evident that pruning injuries have provided access for the organism. The disease is encouraged by close-planting which shades the soil and promotes dampness. Weeds, grass and mulch around the collar are also contributing factors.

Budded trees are particularly susceptible because of their habit of putting forth low branches and the occurrence of cracks where these join the main stem. When these low branches are pruned, the wound must be immediately treated with a fungicide.

Source:

Minor pests in the Philippines are the white mealybug (Pseudococcus lilacinus) and the giant mealybug (Drosicha townsendi) which infest young and developing fruits.

Very few diseases have been reported. In West Malaysia, patch canker caused by Phytophthora palmivora was first noted in 1934. It is becoming increasingly common on roots and stems of durian seedlings. Infection in the field begins at the collar with oozing of brownish-red gum and extends up the trunk and down to the roots. Sometimes a tree is completely girdled at the base and dies.

Testing of 13 clones showed that all but 2 were susceptible. The 2 resistant clones succumbed after the stems were wounded and inoculated. It is evident that pruning injuries have provided access for the organism. The disease is encouraged by close-planting which shades the soil and promotes dampness. Weeds, grass and mulch around the collar are also contributing factors.

Budded trees are particularly susceptible because of their habit of putting forth low branches and the occurrence of cracks where these join the main stem. When these low branches are pruned, the wound must be immediately treated with a fungicide.

Source: http://www.destinationtropicals.com/tropical_plants/plant_25.asp#Pests%20and%20Diseases

Summer Coming Up

Well summer is coming. So its time to unwind myself from the pressure of my job. I will do it by accomplishing the plan that we had agreed with my father last two month. Well, this summer could be a busy day for me most especially i have only 1 week vacation. It is because i have a class this coming summer. Hopefully i could do this following task:

1. Putting fence around in our 3 hectares fruit farm(3 days alloted time)
   
2. Create a small payag at the center of the farm(3 days alloted time).

As of now I'm excited because mag-inum inum ra man ko og tuba ana(i will just coconut wine on that day).