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Discuss onion farming in Kenya under the following subheadings: (a)Ecological Requirements. (b) High Yielding Varieties. (c) Land Preparation. (d) Nursery Preparation. (e) Transplanting. (f) Planting.

Discuss onion farming in Kenya under the following subheadings:
a)Ecological Requirements.
b) High Yielding Varieties.
c) Land Preparation.
d) Nursery Preparation.
e) Transplanting.
f) Planting.

Answers

Francis
Ecological Requirements;
Topology:- The land should be more or less flat and have access to irrigation water.

Soil Type:- The soil should be light and well-draining. It must be free of aggressive weeds like couch grass and should also be in full sun. The soil should be tested to determine soil fertility
Soil pH:- Onions need a pH of 6 to 6.8. If the pH is below 6, apply calcitic lime at the rate recommended by your soil test results.

Seed Rate:- An acre of land will need about 1kg of seeds. Mix them with the same amount of sand. Fill the furrows evenly with the sand-seed mix.
High Yielding Varieties;
High yielding varieties in Kenya today include:-
- Jambar
- Red Pinoy
- Red Comet
- Red passion
Land Preparation;
Prepare the land about a month before and incorporate about three tonnes of chicken manure. Loosen the soil deeply and prepare the land to a fine tilth.
Nursery Preparation;
Start with a small seedbed, which can either be raised if water is not a problem or sunk to capture more water. Prepare it 4ft wide with eight rows 10 to 15cm apart. Make 1cm deep furrows along the rows.
Transplanting;
Transplant when your seedlings have gained the size of a pencil and show four to five leaves. Prior to transplanting, water the seedbeds heavily until they are saturated to avoid damage to the seedlings.To help your seedlings recover quickly after transplanting, prepare a liquid fertiliser from comfrey leaves, which contain Vitamin B12. Mix it with some soil and fresh cow manure until it forms a kind of sludge.

Pull up your seedlings from the wet seedbed carefully or use a trowel. Dip them in the manure-comfrey mix so that the roots are covered in it. Bunch about 50 seedlings together and cut off 50 percent of the green tops. Transport them to the field and transplant as soon as possible.
Planting;
You can grow onions using transplants, seeds or sets. Transplants are seedlings that usually are started in the growing season; they usually form good bulbs within a short time 60 days or less.

Sets are bulbs that are not yet mature from the previous season. They are very easy to plant, harvest and are quite resistant to diseases. The only downside they have is they may bolt (shoot up a flower stalk prematurely).
franco crick answered the question on January 31, 2018 at 08:01

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