How to Grow Sun Flower ?

Preparation of Soil

Sunflower adapts relatively well to a wide variety of soil types. Traditionally, sunflower cultivation has been limited to soils where the clay percentage varies between 15 and 55 %, In other words sandy loam to clay soil types. At present the major planting areas are in soils with a clay percentage of less than 20 %.
Well drained sandy loams, black soils and alluvial soils are suitable. Water logged areas should be avoided.
Primary cultivations, such as ploughing with a mouldboard plough or chisel plough, are suitable. The following characteristics of soils will limit successful sunflower production and should be avoided: Sunflower is very sensitive to wind damage in the seedling stage and for this reason, cultivation on light-textured soils susceptible to wind erosion, should be avoided unless wind erosion is being combated successfully. Sunflower is very sensitive to waterlogging. Sunflower is very sensitive to high aluminium levels and should not be planted in soils with a pH lower than 4,6.

Sowing

Normally sunflower can be planted from the beginning of November until the end of December in the eastern areas and until mid-January in the western areas,
Seed rate: Rainfed: 2.5 kg/acre Irrigated: 2 kg/acre Maintain a single seedling/hill at 10-15 days after germination. Spacing: 45 x 30 cms for light soils and 60 x 30 cm for heavy soils. Sowing time: Rainfed: September – 1st fortnight of October Irrigated: November
Summer: 15th January to 1st week of February Supplemental Pollination: Effective pollination can be achieved by maintaining two bee hives/acre. Supplemental hand pollination on alternate days preferably in morning hours for 2 weeks should be done wherever bee activity is low.

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How to Grow Chilli ?

Preparation of Soil

Light to medium heavy soil with good drainage is required.
Chilli is planted in well pulverized and leveled field.
Sowing

Sowing time- Kharif: June- July, Rabi: Sep- Oct and Summer- Jan- Feb
Seed Rate- 120 gm/ acre or 300 gm/ hectare
Spacing- 45X60 cm or 60 X 75 cm depending upon soil fertility & agronomic practices

Fertilizer application

Before transplanting , apply NPK 40:30:30 per acre and make light ridges and transplant
Periodic top dressing of MOP and Ammonium sulphate is recommended @ 20 kg & 10 kg.

Irrigation

Irrigate once in 4- 5 days depending on weather & soil conditions
Chilli crop is very sensitive to excess water but to some extent it can tolerate drought.
Heavy soils or in heavy rainfall areas proper drainage should be provided to withdraw excess water.

Continue Reading at : http://www.nuziveeduseeds.com/how-to-grow-chilli/

How to Grow Okra

Preparation of Soil

• Growing okra requires well-drained soil that’s neither over fertilized nor over watered.
• Well drained, sandy soils are preferred. Addition of manure or other organic material is usually beneficial on such light-textured soils. Okra grows best in neutral to slightly alkaline soils, pH 6- 6.8.

Sowing

• Okra seed numbers approximately 8,000 per pound. Use approximately 3 Kg seed/acre. Plant 1 inch deep, 4-6 seeds/foot of row. Thin to desired spacing when plants are 3 inches tall. Germination many be enhanced by soaking seeds several (4-6 hours) hours or overnight immediately before planting. The seed will need to be surface dried for mechanical planting.
• Spacing should be 30X45 or 20X60 cm. Tall or spiny cultivars require wide spacing.
• Growers interested in early fresh market or in short growing season areas may find it profitable to transplant. Sow seeds in 2-inch pots or cell-packs, 3 seeds per pot, 1/4 inch deep, 4-5 weeks ahead of transplanting. Thin to 1 plant per pot or cell.

Fertilizer application

• Two weeks before sowing, apply 10 tonnes of FYM/acre ( 25 Tonnes/ha).
• Apply NPK 40:30:30 per acre before sowingof seeds. 3.After 30 days apply 20 kg of N/acre . Nitrogen should be given in form of Ammonium sulpahate.

Nuziveedu Seed Testing Laboratory Accredited by ISTA

A team of two members – Ms. Florina Palada and Ms. Rita Zecchinelli form ISTA (International seed Testing Association) had visited our Seed Testing Laboratory located at Kompally on 24th January for the purpose of auditing.

Later on 2nd June 2014, our laboratory has been accredited by ISTA. Mrs. M. Rajani and her team consisting of 10 members had successfully completed the ISTA accreditation audit and she is the only and first lady in INDIA to get the laboratory certified by ISTA.

Ours is the 5th laboratory in India that is accredited by International seed Testing Association (ISTA).

Some Key Facts of Paddy

Rice is a universal crop and It is grown in all the continents except Antarctica, occupying 150 million ha, producing 573 million tons paddy with an average productivity of 3.83 tonnes/ha. Its cultivation is of immense importance to food security of Asia, where more than 90% of the global rice is produced and consumed.

Paddy is the second highest worldwide production after maize (corn).
Paddy is a globally produced, milled and traded staple food.
About 35 million metric tons of Paddy annually is traded internationally.
Paddy is the most important grain for human consumption.
Medium and short grain Paddy contains amylopectin which is the waxy starch.

How To Grow Tomato ?

Preparation of Soil

• Tomato is grown in many types of soils from sand o heavy clay. A well-drained, fairly light fertile loam with a fair moisture holding capacity is ideal for growing a good crop of tomato. Good texture of the soil is of primary importance. Even poor and medium quality land produces good early crop, if managed properly.
• Tomato crop prefers a soil reaction ranging from pH 6.0 to 7.0. In acidic soils, liming was beneficial.
• Tomato is planted in well pulverized and leveled field.

Sowing

• About 400 to 500 g seeds are normally needed for raising crop in one hectare. The seed quantity varies with season and region of cultivation.
• In North India for spring-summer crop, the seeds are sown in late November and transplanted in second fortnight of January. In area where frost does not occur, only one sowing is done in July-August with transplanting in August-September. For autumn crop in North India, seeds are sown in July-August and transplanted in August-September. In hilly areas, seeds are sown in March-April with transplanting in April-May.
• Seed treatment with hydrogen peroxide (0.2 to 0.6 percent) for 2 to 4 days at 21°C gave an early emergency of seedlings by 7 to 8 days and also yielded 22.8 percent higher yield.
• Tomato is normally planted in raised beds of 60 to 75 cm width.

Fertilizer application

• Apply FYM at 20-25t ha-1 and fertilizers 100N, 50 P2O5, 50 K2O kg ha-1
• Per ha 150 kg N, 25kg P2O5 and

Irrigation

• Frequency of irrigation depends on the nature of the soil.
• Light soils need frequent (weekly) irrigations than heavy soils (10-15days).
• Plants should not be subjected to stress during flowering.
• Double ring method of irrigation is ideal. Drip irrigation greatly economises the irrigation water.

Crop Management

• Pest – Shoot and fruit borers- Spray carbaryl 50 W.P @ 2.5g l-1 quinalphos @ 2.0ml l-1 or endosulfan @ 2.0 ml l-1 or monocrotophos @ 1.6ml l-1 or carbaryl @ 3.0g l-1. Repeat the spraying on need basis.
• Spray dimethoate @ 2.0ml or methyl-o-dememton @ 2.0ml monocrotophos @ 1.5ml or triazophos 1.5ml l-1 of water.
• Diseases- Damping off (Tomato) -Raise the nursery in raised seed beds. Treat the seed with thiram or captan @ 3g kg-1. Drench the bed with bordeaux mixture 5ml or coper oxychloride @ 3g l- Early blight (Tomato)
  
  Spray mancozeb @ 3g l-1 twice at 15 days interval.
  
  Little leaf of brinjal (MLO disease)
  
  Remove and destroy the infected plants.

Harvesting, Storage and Drying

• The harvesting of fruits can be done at an interval of 5 days during the morning hours to prevent the weight loss.
• Yield: 20 – 25 t/ha
• For long distance transport, the fruits are harvested at the mature green stage when the cream colour starts at the bottom. Tomatoes for local and near by markets are harvested at the breaker or ripe stage when the blossom end turns pinkish or reddish. At the fully ripe stage, the surface is pink or red and this is suited for canning purposes. The fruits are to be cleaned, sorted and graded. The fruits are then packed in wooden boxes or cartons.