Maize silage Easy to establish and reliable, maize produces a very palatable and high-energy silage provided that it is well chopped and ensiled properly. Typically over 11 Mj of metabolisable energy per kilo, it is a great way of storing crop to feed for livestock later. The main drawbacks are that it needs to be […]
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As we approach the potato planting season, good planning is essential to achieve the best from the crop and maximise your profits. We take a look at the steps to consider: Number 1 is certified seed; you do not need the crop to be held back by diseases such as Blackleg, Black Dot, and Rhizoctonia […]
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Choosing the right wheat variety is one of the most important steps to growing a profitable and reliable wheat crop. Disease resistance, yield, grain quality, sprouting risk, and many other factors should be taken into consideration so that the chances of achieving a high yield and Grade 1 quality with minimal risk and expenditure on […]
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The trials team certainly had high expectations for their Nakuru Maize Variety Trial, but this extraordinary average yield certainly opened their eyes. The Nakuru site is just one of the 8 sites across the country that we’ve test varieties in different climates over the past 12 months. Had we grown the top-yielding variety in this […]
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Sunflowers are a fantastic crop for Kenya and can provide extra income for farmers in the off-season as well as many rotational benefits to the soil. But to get top yields it is crucial to check on your herbicides and keep the crop free from weed competition for the first 6-7 weeks. Good planting ensures […]
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For the past three seasons growers have been reporting Fall Armyworm in the tips of cobs from silking right through to maturity, with damage at harvest similar to the photo below. Fall Armyworm numbers have clearly been on the decline since they first arrived in 2017, with some exceptions, and this year they appear to […]
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Bushel weight can make the difference between a profitable crop and one that you can’t even sell. Carrying on from our previous newsletter on how to improve your bushel weight, we take a look at how to get the fungicide program right to maximise your chances of getting a top price for your wheat. Fungicide […]
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When it comes to Potato Farming, Getting weed control right in potatoes is crucial. Furthermore, weeds generally make mechanical harvesting difficult and compete with the crop for nutrients just as the tubers really start bulking. Here, we take a look at some of the weed control herbicides options to receive great yields from Potato Farming: […]
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Yields in high value cash & export crops such as coffee, potatoes, avocados, pawpaws, watermelons, oranges, cucumber, passion fruit, etc, hugely depend on the pollination activities carried out by bees, butterflies, birds & other pollinators. Pollinators are essential to the production of many of the micronutrient rich fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and oils we eat. […]
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Plant nutrition is the study of the chemical elements and compounds necessary for plant growth, plant metabolism and their external supply. Without proper plant nutrition, plants tend to die off or produce little or no yield. In my line of work I visit hundreds of flower farms a year; the flourishing, the ticking over, and the ones in […]
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CROPNUTS, Flowerwatch and Dudutech have come together to organize a training on Botrytis Management. The three companies create a good balance to tackle the challenge of Botrytis completely, offering crop nutrition, crop protection and post-harvest disease management strategies. We are keen to address and train farms on how to manage Botrytis. We will have 4 training […]
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Importance of Molybdenum & Cobalt On Legumes Looking back through some of our legume crop field trials which have focused mainly on peas, the use of molybdenum and cobalt on the seed has consistently shown improvements in nodulation and yield. We know how important molybdenum is on legumes and brassicas in most Kenyan soils so […]
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Fungicides are biocidal chemical compounds used to kill parasitic fungi or their spores. Fungi can cause serious damage in agriculture, resulting in critical losses of yield, quality, and profit. Fungicide Classification Fungicides are mostly known by their brand names. But when you want to get scientific about farming, it’s important to understand a bit more about which ones to use in different crops, and […]
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Fall Armyworm control methods discussed in this article are tested by Cropnuts independent Agronomy team. The recommendations given in this article are independent and are not biased to any fall armyworm insecticide company in any way. Fall Armyworm (FAW) or Spodoptera frugiperda , is a new emerging invasive pest that is wreaking havoc in Kenya and many […]
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February 2020 Update The desert locust invasion has spread even further as the map below. This locust invasion is declared the worst in 70 years according to the UN On the shores of Lake Turkana, February 21 Isiolo County, February 23 Sagana, February 5 January 2020 Update The desert locust risk situation in Kenya remains […]
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Think Agronomy is our new, regular broadcast keeping arable farmers updated with tips, tricks and knowledge from our experienced team of independent agronomists. To subscribe to receive our Agronomy newsletters straight to your email inbox, please click here Farmers of every crop type including livestock are being urgent to make plans to deal with the potential locust plague […]
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Continuing our series looking at planters, this interesting offering from Claydon is particularly relevant to many farming situations in Kenya… Claydon uses a leading tine to open the soil ahead of a separate seeding tine, meaning that light surface compaction – from livestock grazing in the off-season for example – can be removed at seeding […]
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“What’s the difference between powdery mildew and downey mildew and what is used to treat them?” “What is this white powdery substance infesting my tomatoes? Pls help” are questions frequently asked by most first-time greenhouse farmers. Let’s figure out this puzzle together.. Powdery Mildew Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that causes destruction of leaves, […]
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Plant viruses are viruses that affect plants. Like all other viruses, plant viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that do not have the molecular machinery to replicate without a host. Plant viruses are pathogenic to higher plants. They can cause a dramatic decrease in yield, quality and shelf life and even plant death. Plant virus are made up of a strand of nucleic acid (DNA or […]
Read MoreCrop Nutrition Laboratory Services, Limuru, off Limuru road, P.O. Box 66437-00800 Nairobi – Kenya
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