Agricultural to the 21st Century: Tips, Tools & Technologies By Ms. Keeley Holder May 20 th, 2010
Who Am I? Farmer Produce Growers Ltd Scientist Integrated Pest Management Specialist President Barbados Society for Technologists in Agriculture (BSTA( BSTA) Vice President Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association Board Member Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS( BAS) Technical Volunteer Caribbean Farmers Network (CAFAN( CAFAN) Committee Member Barbados Agri-Preneurs Project A girl all the way from Barbados
Technology Trade-Offs The Best Way? In Agriculture? NO WAY! Technology Use Requires knowledge Maintenance Implementation Decisions Environment Culture Costs Innovation vs. Adaptation It!
Agri Breakdown The Science Agro-Meteorology & Crop Planning Land Preparation Seeds & Planting Material Fertilizer & Irrigation Flowering & Pollination Insect Pests, Pathogens & Weeds Harvest & Post-Harvest The Business Cost of Production Crop Planning & Farm Management Marketing
Agro-Meteorology & Crop Rotation Caribbean Agro-meteorological Initiative (CAMI)) Project Application of weather & climate information www.cimh.edu.bb Precipitation outlook Crop Planning Soil conservation Crop rotation Dry season vs. Wet season decisions Storage & shelf-life life
Agro-Meteorology & Crop Rotation Question: Which of the choices below represents a good crop rotation? (a) Pumpkin zucchini beans - cucumber (b) Tomato pepper sweet potato pea (c ) bean cabbage pumpkin carrot (d) bean broccoli cabbage cucumber
Land Preparation
Land Preparation Types of Tillage Full Tillage Mouldboard plough Conservation Tillage Harrow, chisel plough Leaves 30% soil covered by crop residues Stubble/plant residues not completely incorporated Zero Tillage
Seeds & Planting Material Seeds Open Pollinated vs. Hybrids Heat-tolerant tolerant Drought-tolerant tolerant Resistant to diseases TMV, Downy Mildew, Blight High yielding Dwarf-size plants Large fruit, miniature fruit Long shelf-life life Brix (Sweetness) Flavour Genetically-modified
Seeds & Planting Material
Fertilizer & Irrigation Photosynthesis Elements required by plants for growth
Fertilizer Primary Macro-nutrients Nitrogen (N) Phosphorus (P) Potassium (K) Secondary Macro-nutrients Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) Sulfur (S) Micronutrients Boron (B), Manganese (Mn( Mn), Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Molybdenum (Mo) Selenium (Se), Sodium (Na), Chlorine (Cl( Cl)
Fertilizer & Irrigation Balanced Plant Nutrition Soil Testing Leaf-Tissue Analysis Phyto-monitoring
Irrigation Drip Irrigation High efficiency, Minimized soil erosion, Reduce risk of disease
Irrigation Irrigation Scheduling Crop Water Needs Effective Precipitation Evapo-transpiration Crop Coefficient Greater Efficiency Fertigation & Chemigation Injectors Automation Filters Solenoid valves Controllers
Water Storage Irrigation
Flowering & Pollination Bees are the BEST pollinators in the world 8 bee visits for optimal pollination
Insect Pests, Pathogens & Weeds IPM Holistic approach to pest management Combination of practices Not a one-stop shop How? Scouting Know life cycle of pest/pathogen Know environment How quickly will problem spread? Healthy Plants Are Like Healthy Children Less susceptible to disease & pests than unhealthy ones
Insect Pests, Pathogens & Weeds Pesticides Pesticides don t t kill people, people kill people Judicious use of pesticides Bio-controls Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)) Certified Application Does it require sunlight for efficacy? Avoiding spray drift Wind direction, wind speed, equipment use
Insect Pests, Pathogens & Weeds Weed Management Herbicides Mulch Organic Plastic Fabric
Harvest & Post-Harvest Harvesting When is the right time to harvest? Appropriate age of fruit/vegetable Time of day? Flavour Shelf-life Handling produce to avoid damage Reducing post-harvest spoilage Correct packaging Optimal storage temperatures Climacteric vs. Non-climacteric Ethylene-sensitive produce
Business & Technology Cost of Production Analysis & projections made easy Farm Management Record Keeping Spreadsheets, databases, accounting software (Excel, Access, Quickbooks) Farm Scheduling MS Project, GNATT charts Information & Communication Technologies (ICTs)) and Marketing Mobile Telephony Email, Social Networks (Facebook, Twitter ) Market analysis Assessing trends
THE END Thank You