₦airaland Forum

TME 419. How do I identify it? Frankly speaking it could be very tricky to identify a variety of crop from others of the same kind even by experts who develop these varieties. It will take a kind of genetic investigation. It is just like trying to differentiate near identical twins of same sex at first hand. It will surely take time and close observation and guidance from their parents especially the mother to pass you when you say this is the first, when it is the second and vice versa.


Spot identification could just be expressed in terms of accuracy, say 60-100%. Therefore, whatever I put here is still subjected to some level of error as dictated by knowledge and innovation advancements in plant breeding.

Characterisation of TME 419 (I will post pictures to buttress the explanations)

1.Height
It could usually attain a relative high height compared to other varieties but the earliest TMS too are usually high, so is that a base? I will buttress more

2. Branching
TME 419 does branch but this is not common and not too rear. Usually the branches don't pass more than 2 and uncommonly 3 but all usually originate from inside the soil or heap. Those of the earliest TMS could pass more than 2 and as much as 6 and all also originate from the soil or heap. Also, there could be branching, usually 2 at the top of TME 419, this is usually short and uncommon.

3. Stem cuttings
Because of its unusual branching habit, mature stem cuttings are usually robust compared relatively to other cassava varieties of same age. Close to this is TMS 4(2) 1425 but it is not as big as TME 419. It stems are usually slender and at maturity not larger than indigenous varieties.

4. Internodes of stem cuttings
What is internode? The space between two successive ( leaf that follows the next available one) leaf node (point where leaf attachs to the stem). This is usually not too close in TME 419 and not too far, not more than 5-10cm apart. Close to this is TMS 4(2) 1425 but it is slender.

Colour of stem (transcribes to stem cuttings)
You see, TME 419 was based on efficient use of sun energy to make starch, therefore is it highly greenish (plants use chlorophyll which is green in colour to make sugars which becomes starch after some storage of some sugars). If you look at the stem, the colour usually range from creamy ash to creamy bluish green, if you peel this slightly, with low effort, you will see a layer of well greenish part. This is why this is used to estimate the duration of stay of stem cuttings before planting as the colour quality drops as it stay longer on ground. This is also present in TMS 96/023 (thereabouts). What difference?

5. Leaf colour
(A) Young leaves (emergence leaves)
I. Colour: Due to low anthocyanin (purplish) content, the young leaves are usually greenish and not the conventional brownish purple. This is also present in TMS 96/023, TMS 4(2)1425, TMS 98/0510. Let's differenciate.
TMS 98/0510's young leaves are not usually greenish but greener than other varieties apart from above. So you arrange it in increasing order of greeness. Yeah that's it
Other varieties - TMS 98/0510-TMS 4(2) 1425- TMS 96/023 - TME 419

(B) Mature leaves
Colour: very green and near ruby green. Also seen in the above TMS(es) outlined in the above explanation and not in so you arrange it.

(C) Leaf petiole (that long part at the end of the leaves that connect the leaves together with the stem) yeah, you got it?
TME 419's petiole is green. TMS 98/0510 is also green but more space between internodes (I explained above) and young leaves not as green as TME 419's, while that (petiole) of TMS 96/023 is somewhat red towards the leaves end and green towards the stem part

I'm damn tired now from field work and moreover by battery is draining but I'll try post pictures to buttress the explanations although with brief note attached, that's if they load.

To be continued next time..........

Christistruth00:
What are the properties of the 419 Cassava variety

I remembered this post today as I was walking through an old cassava field. Although the cassava planted by the person are multivariate
(many varieties) but I sighted like two stands of TME 419. I will post the pictures here tomorrow as long as I remember to do this. And I think you will be able to judge its performance compared to others while not be cared for at all and under zero tillage.

IamAsiri:
So it's possible to plant honeybeans number 1 here in the southwest?

Yes sir. But let see how it goes. What were once impossible are becoming possible now. Agriculture has really advanced sir.

Planting to be done tomorrow right inside the dying bush tomorrow

Nodumax

Spraying continued today

This part sprayed 3days ago

Glyphosate brand used

Butachlor brand used

Unit B

Land preparation
Also zero tillage. No bush clearing at all.

Chemical application:
Double knockout system

A. Systemic herbicide: Glyphosate with isopropylamine salt

B. Contact herbicide: Paraquat dichloride

C. Preemergence: Butachlor (tolerated by rice and legumes)

Rate: 200ml of A + 10ml of B + 100g of C in 16 litres of water using knapsack sprayer (1 load)

Contact herbicides must be applied with care in double knockout system. Systemic herbicides need parts that are alive to be absorbed and effective and contact herbicides kill those parts. The essence of the system is to provide a wide range weed control especially in areas where different weed types are found and also to provide a rapid killer effect from the outside to the inside as different weeds are sensitive to different herbicides.

Seeds have begun germinating as at today. They were planted on 11th September.

Planting operation: UNIT A

Land preparation: UNIT A

Ife Bimpe

FUAMPEA 2

Planting date:
Usually cowpea is planted in South west on or before the 15th August as the crop must be fully established before the end of the rain but climate change is here

Mid September was chosen because the varieties planted are not photoperiod sensitive meaning, the length of daylight does not affect their fruiting. Some varieties of cowpea and soybeans will begin to fruit in November irrespective of when planted.

Reason for mid September
1.Local weather has been tracked for some weeks. Good days of sunlight, rainy towards night and not too heavy. Cowpea is sun loving and require minimal but adequate water

2. Prevention of excessive vegetative growth
Excess vegetative growth gives poor seed sizes. Therefore, less likely to occur this period as rainy days are coming to an end gradually.

3. The varieties planted are semi erect (does not crawl much at all) , and seed carried over the canopy and not creeping.

Total land areas was divided into units.

Unit A
Entirely FUAMPEA 2

Land preparation:
Bush clearing was done and residuals was stocked up

Seed dressing: seed was dressed with Nodumax legume innoculant (consists majorly of rhizobium), a type of bacteria that attach themselves to the roots of legumes and help them to convert the nitrogen in air to fertilizer.

Planting:
Seeds were planted two seeds per hole at 50 by 25cm spacing

Chemical application:
Glyphosate with isopropylamine salt was used as preemergence at the rate of 200ml in 16 litres of water using knapsack sprayer (1 load). It is systemic and would have to be absorbed by the weed plants' parts to work irrespective of whether leaf is present or absent in as much the parts are alive, unlike paraquat,therefore as they die slowly, the crops thrive

Disadvantages
Glyphosate reduces the number of rhizobium present in soil, if the rate applied is much to cause damage, cowpea may have a bad start. This was the reason the seeds were pretreated with nodumax

The cultivation used zero tillage (no form of soil disturbance except during planting)

Varieties planted:
1. FUAMPEA 2
Rough to near smooth seed coat,
Brown color with brown hilium,
Medium seed size, Indeterminate
Medium maturing (70–75 days)
Short cooking time
Resistant to Striga.
Good for intercropping
Sudan, and Northern Guinea ecology loving.
Known as Honey beans number 1

2. Ife Bimpe
Mutant of Ife Brown (earliest honey beans)
Alias Branching Peduncle Cowpea
Late maturing (80-85days)
Semi Erect and uniform
maturity,
Pods held above the canopy.
Derived Savanna and Forest Zones loving
Sweeter and known well to older generation


Welcome on board........

I just received a message now from my partner. Compliance level increasing and more people subscribing. We have decided to set up follow ups for our clients for checks and I had the opportunity today to share this with a group of academics today, the reason for documentation and checks and balances on our side. We can't afford to lose focus. This in turn has really improved sales.

More updates coming............

Alright. I'll contact you via whatsapp and you can remove your contact too if you want, reason I'm not quoting you.

More power......

Can you please share your whatsapp? I would like to inquire one or two things from you

Riverville:
Nigeria market women are very dubious... One bought some of my maize farm. After agreeing on 40k. This woman came to harvest. after harvesting, this woman say she nor fit pay 40k o. I was so mad. Now before you touch my crop, you will pay me. I hate tricks

This is funny.
They could be dubious and selfish too.
if they are not we'll managed. I had to leave farm for an emergency. I just handed over the stuff to my partner

The women did comply with our agreement. I would have updated this today but I had a flat battery.

I sold another sack today 8k to them. Market has been smiling at them.

No pictures today due to flat battery.

Sales began today.

The first set of women I asked to come, did early when we got to the farm, with the way they were doing and saying stuffs, I knew this ones would never change. They seemed to have vowed with the demons in some of our politicians to make things hard.

After they harvested some samples of maize, they began to murmur that I make it five for a hundred Naira, I agreed but I decided to speak with their transport guy, man to man, the guy told me irrational stuffs these women do not only in cheating the farmers but also lying to consumers, he said he had known them for some times now and would be available to them anytime they need his service.

The thing vexed me, coupled with their predisposition and the way they were doing in farm despite our agreement, I just told them to leave and I collected the all the samples from them.

I might not be the government or any body in power but I have rights on my maize. My maize is my product and I'm concerned with the well delivery to meet the demand of its consumers even their pockets.

I called the other set of women from the other town and they came, they did well a little. I sold a bag (the 50kg size used in packing flour) and quarter for them #7,900) . They begged if they could come tomorrow and I said yes

I asked if they know the rules and they agreed.
But I bet they don't know what they're into, I made findings yesterday about their sales points. In the next 2-3 hours, I'll ask someone to go buy #50 maize from them. If they deviate from the rules, no maize. At least if the common man cannot eat packaged food, he should at least enjoy what is easily processed in his local environment.

More updates coming.... .. ...

Multiple entrIes, one deleted

Please referred to my thread on my maize farm cultivation.

After I was done at school, I left for the sales outlet we had an agreement to come and purchase my maize at once but those guys wanted to reap more than the sower so I told them that won't be possible because I was very analytical with them. I already made the calculations from home, their profit, their cost and all on a presentation, and I patiently explained to them and they were surprised. I am a very principled person though flexible in consideration, so I told them not to call me, no matter how well they reconsidered it, that right there I had made my decision and it was final, my maize won't be sold to them.

Usually they were not expecting me because what they do is to get to your farm and after harvesting your crop, they begin to bargain which they know you're at their mercy because no way one can put the maize back to their original place and once I stays so long on ground, value reduces.

The reason why food is expensive is not the farmer, they buy this thing at a considerable price from us but these middle men sell it so high. Imagine buying a basket of tomatoes for 5k and you want to make a profit of 6k out of it excluding other costs eg transportation

So I got to the farm yesterday I saw how things were and I began to think. I resolved to using market women.

I made another presentation of cost and profit analysis using some rough papers and I mobilized these market women on a one and one basis, I told them we don't have to make things hard for Nigerians, I would definitely sell this maize to you a very considerate price, this and this you'd buy, your profit this, and food would be available for everyone. I told them other stuffs and I told them to remember that some people lunch is that maize, so selling it out should be very considerable too. Some of them were very receptive and began to swear to God and some were saying this is true 'one day we will give account to God, I want to give account on how well my business was not made a burden to buyers'

I choose two leaders for them and divided them into two groups. This evening, info reach other women at the other town and they came looking for me, they told me what they've had which I asked them to explain and they did.

We agreed 4 maize for #100 while they sell #50 each.

Pictures will be added when the time is right........

Jonnic1:
Thank you for this scholarly breakdown sir! Those of us who are viewing and following this highly informative write ups should please comment to keep this thread alive.

Thank you sir, I am glad you are able to get something sir.
I've been very busy so far. My final year research proposal got accepted by the research committee yesterday after many palavas, and I'm working on an ancient agriculture. The agriculture of indigofera species (those plants used in making dyes)

The maize is ready for sale and I'll be creating a thread towards that also I have been supervising the cowpea cultivation which I'll be making a thread for that too.

If you must give your goat remains of human food, it should not contain much oil or fat to reduce the chance of bloating.

We will look at goat nutritional disorders next

1. Bloat
2 Acidiosis
3. Laminitis
4. Urinary calculi
5. Milk fever
6. Enterotoxaemia

Stay tuned......

Eefosa1:
Please i want to know more about urea inclusion on their feed

Urea is actually intended for the natural set of microorganisms that live in the gut of ruminants (cattle, goat, sheep etc) . It is a non dietary source (non feed source e. g proteins) of nitrogen in their diet.

These microorganisms ferment feed materials and when urea is available, they can use it to provide energy for themselves and use them to make amino acids and some proteins which they can share with the ruminant. With these, they could also increase in number and better digestion process.

It is usually encouraged when ruminant are fed with low quality feed stuffs or forages e.g in dry season

Please note that care must be taken when given to goat and should be used as recommended as they are more sensitive to urea compared cattle. It is used in cattle more.

And please note that oral antibiotics are not encouraged for your goat at all, because most of those microorganisms are bacteria

I am this late available due to my schedules. Business, farm, and school. I hope you understand? OK back to topic

The feed I used for Charlotte contained high crude protein level and total digestible nutrients (that part of the feed or ration that could be digested by the goat e.g unprocessed palm kernel shell that got missed with the PKC during oil extraction cannot be digested by the goat) compared her age. I was thinking more of her body gained compared her health .

It was formulated as follows:
Maize 3.5kg
Wheat bran 2.5kg
Palm Kernnel Cake 1.5kg
Groundnut cake or Soya meal 1.5kg
Not too Finely grounded bone meal 200g
Weaner vitamin premix 75g
Mineral salt lick 50g
Coccidiostat as directed by the manufacturer and when necessary

Firstly in the morning, she was fed the common fruit leave, brachiaria grass (when available) and these legume commonly used for fencing (I'll attach the picture tomorrow). I usually cut in overnight and keep it to make it free from morning dew and other things that could contaminate them e. g larvae. After some break, usually finished it in about 20-30 minutes, 1-3 handful of the above formulated feed was given, water readily available. After then, any human food available, she ate (please let's be careful when we give our goats nylon rapped food, they could end up eaten the nylon with the food which is not good and could lead to reduced free low of stuffs in their intestines)

In the afternoon, forages were supplied. Different kinds this time, they might have dried and if it appears to rain, we get before then. Sometimes cassava fibres from garri or fufu processing were collected from folks involved with them and I would make sure this was collected during the rinsing process because some cassava could be high in cyanide

She was left to move around for the day and night, same as morning repeated. She sometimes eat at night too

I will be dropping it bit by bit as I want to also include nutrition disorders in goats with it. More so, people waiting to buy my maize have been calling so anytime call could just interrupt. I will try and type on my phone's note app and paste it here.

Stay tuned.

Jonnic1:
Thank you once again. We are following. I am a maize, cowpea, rice, yam and groundnut farmer. Happy to read about your experience and your depth of knowledge considering the fact that you are studying agriculture. Can you elaborate more on 'lethal necrotic disease'? and how to detect and deal with it? Thank you and keep up the good work. We your students are following with keen interest. by the way how do you deal with weed on your farm?

Maize lethal necrotic disease

I won't bore you with unnecessary talks. It is caused by a group of viruses, each with their havoc and could be interpreted as a curse in African culture. Lol. It can attack maize at any growth stage, any growth stage means any, the worst being during tarseling because it will damage the inflorescence, caused them to malform. Just any stage maybe while fruiting or preparing to fruit, while setting kernels etc.

How can I identify it roughly on spot?
The maize leaf begins to dry from the blade till it get to the main rib. That is, from outside the leaf to inside the leaf resembling a chemical burn. The spot affected will be scattered, one spot here, another there, another somewhere else and even a sick one might stand with a healthy one. So reasonably one would think chemical burn or salt stress and not even blight or any other type.
It is also quick to spread and the results are bad reason for the lethal

How can I prevent it?

Seed sanitary (Usually seeds are screened for it if from genuine supplier, seed could be treated against it too)
Farm sanitary (controlled movement of workers, choose a uniform mainly used in the farm for workers, instructions to be careful visiting places where maize monoculture is practiced, most importantly, extend the knowledge to commercial operators of farm machines, so as to keep the machines clean after each use)
Crop rotation
Not known effective chemical control
Plant resistant variety

Jonnic1:
Thanks man. This wonderful and sacrificial on your part. Thank you so much Dawson. What is 'gibberelin' and what is its work on maize plant? Thanks

What is gibberellin?

Gibberellins are plant hormones and derivatives of gibberellic acid. Gibberellins are the many forms found in plants but the one available for agriculture is gibberellic acid in forms of tablet, powder or solution. They are growth regulators and promoters in plants, and are responsible for apical growth in plants that is, they make plants grow tall, larger tuber settings etc. They're widely used in potatoes cultivation and grasses cultivation ( sorghum ,maize, etc and widely used in rice)

Sometimes our crop don't do well not because the soil nutrients and structure, or our farm practices are bad, normal plant growth could be disturbed too e.g plant coordination (hormonal control). A plant having issues with gibberellins will not grow tall no matter how good other things are, a plant also having issues with Auxins will not do well either. Both with cytokinins are very important growth hormones.

Any effect on human body?

One might say, 'you're feeding us hormones' but the truth is that hormones are over exaggerated. Plants hormones are not like animals' even in structures. Most of animals' are proteinous while those of plants are simple structured organic compounds. And do you know? Most herbicides we used are actually hormones, growth hormones e.g 2,4-D etc. It is a type of auxins. Grasses don't seemed affected because non grasses are very sensitive and susceptible to it even generally auxins e.g Indo Acetic acid. If you use it at more than the recommended dosage, it can harm your grass even at a certain growth (especially fruiting) stage of your grasses, yield could be affected but unnoticeable and danger of leaving the weed or cost of manually weeding could be more than that of applying the chemical

Therefore Gibberellins could be used to treat dwarf plants and human bodies have no receptor for them.

What kind of crops can it be used on?

Virtually all crops and even trees but some respond better to it while some respond better in the presence of Auxins. Tubers respond well to it (widely used in yams and potatoes, usually rubbed with tuber sets from seed companies), grasses, vegetables also do well

Where can I buy it?
It is readily available with agro dealers especially those dealing with rice and potatoes cultivation inputs. Some go by the name, UJALA or so, Zibberelins etc