₦airaland Forum

My maize field so far

One important lesson I learnt was soil compactness in relation to top soil water availability to maize use during drought.

I noticed that most maize fields that failed were either planted on ridges with cassava or on a maximum tilled soil.

My explanation:

This created a semi top soil that is too loose and drained permitting water to easily drench through the soil layers or easily lost as intra layer evaporation.

The failure was bearable on minimum or zero tillage soils majorly due to soil compactness.

My conclusion: experience added
If you're planting early late or late late maize, minimum or zero tillage would be good. And also used high planting density if the variety permits it so as to create a pseudo shade to reduce soil water loss.

Otherwise if you're planting mid early maize with or without cassava.

My partner and I just roasted some maize we brought from home after work. We dey chop the corn dey yab the rain, dey yab devil hin vex do like say hin wan fall but scatter again , drizzled small con dey blow cool breeze now meaning hin don fall somewhere close, ours do still fall here we know but yabbing continues tomorrow after irrigation

The method was not fully compatible with single stands, we just had to water them enough singly then mulched them. Care must be taken if your local temperature is high as it could increase the temperature of the irrigation water in the plastics so better mulching to reduce this must be considered.

Mulching done... One thing I thank God for is relative humidity is high and wind speed is low, interchangeable with good sun radiance . If these three extremes came up now with rain stop, na wahala.

I picked those waste bottles, filled them with water, pricked it with a needle so the water could only drip, purged it at the top to allow air entrance, kept it inbetween the stands of maize, used something to support and balance it not to rest on the maize plants because if the soil became wet either through rainfall or after the irrigation water finished, the plant might become weak and susceptible to falling from excessive force of rest, then mulched it.

alakara:
We're in July/ Aug break.

July rain self reach? Even irrigation now is dependent on availability of water. Shey we go call this one climate change?

dragon2:
I also check my phone app for weather updates. Fingers crossed. Hopefully,the root zone water does not dry up before the rains return.

How many days of no rain now? Mulching might do o

Dayo1988:
Not only u bross i planted 11/2hecter but no rain d same age with urs , I have turned to meteorologist

Na die here. Almost two weeks no rain. Crops don dey fail here especially transplanted ones. We just dey pray to avert food crisis

This mid planting season lack of rain is just worrisome.

My candid advice for any maize farmer now is to think of irrigation especially if one's crops are attaining fruiting stage.

I did lot of cloud tracing and weather forecast readings for some days now and it has not been encouraging at all.

The one it drizzled here was less than 1mm yesterday when forecast predicted 8mm. Both are still low.

So far now, forecast is expecting 9mm on my farm location and it would even be once throughout this week, I couldn't imagine what the reality would be like except miracles happen.

I already worked out an irrigation plan that would be cheap yet efficient moreso, relative humidity and albedo are encouraging for soil water conservation for now.

I'll be sharing the updates today when on farm.

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I am currently having a very low outbreak of fall armyworm on my field and the emamectin I bought in preparation was still not used.

I have been trying to look into the reasons of this God's goodness, despite it heavy infestation on other fields then I saw this phenomenon

I can't identify this natural enemy but surely did contact IITA, but still expecting response and a prof of entomology at the Cornell University College of Agriculture, USA.

If you can, would be appreciated

Done yesterday evening but just posting it now.

Made the suggestion of evening towards night because of fertilizer volatilization especially sunny and dry period, considering the method of application, labour source and farm size. Can't buy 21kg of fertilizer and effective one that gets to the soil less than 10kg, that's wastage.

There hasn't been rain for four days now but we should have today. I'm praying.....

Dear potential buyer(s),

Please don't be annoyed for my delay responses to your messages.

The new number I used to reply the messages is also mine. I would have dropped it here but I don't know if off hand.

I'm trying to settle some things here reason for the delay. I have replied to them accordingly.

The rabbits are still very much available....

I got the fertilizer yesterday. 13.8kg of Urea + 7.2kg of NPK 20:10:10.

I will be going for the second split fertilizer application today towards the evening because I gaz open shop today and wouldn't be chanced this morning cos I need attend to my goat with probable urinary calculi.

More updates coming.....

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The rabbits are in good conditions and well medicated. Both the bucks and does are still delivering and active in service.

I need to sell some of them to reduce the cost of feeding as their rate of giving birth is becoming more than expected.

Waybill is possible to any part of the country but cost to be borne by the buyer.

Price is attractive and negotiable
Interested, contact 0 9 0 6 6 6 5 0 8 0 8.

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I will post the pictures now. We just closed from my shop and I'm less busy now to post them

I was not able to topdress the field last week due to my busy schedule. I was on the farm this morning to check the situation there. By God's grace. I'll be top dressing this week. At 5 weeks and some days, some stands are preparing to tarsel already. This would be better, as nitrogen availability is very important now.

Ndidi29:
If you have tme 419 cassava variant...show it here starting from the leave so that many will be carefully instructed.....A prospective farmer or entrepreneur can be deceived to buy whatsoever cassava stem that is presented to him or her in the name of tme 419.....
Take note tme 419 has broader leaves than other variant.....and it rarely has branches

Some of my close pals take me to their farms to show me their TME 419 cassava fields, just to get there to be disappointed seeing their branched cassava stands. When you asked "are you sure this cassava na TME 419?" you'd begin to hear different stories, I just agree with them because me no like all those arguments

RichieMichie:
You took courses from vet.medicine? We never did


The goal is to have a very big livestock farm, where most if not all the major livestock in Nigeria would be raised

Yes we did. Didn't you?

That's it. Dream big

RichieMichie:
In my own case, people mostly mistook my course for veterinary medicine. If I have the strength I explain the difference to them, if I don't, I agree, which isn't so much a big lie, after all, we're all concerned with animal welfare


I school in the south south

Lol. No time to check time but if you fit build yourself wella, you go still make money pass vet self. Because from the
animal science courses I took, made me see some reasons for animal science than vet if the animal science stands wella. I took courses from vet for 2 sessions and all I dey see be say, he be medicine of all animals but animal science na livestock oriented and who keeps all animals here? We keep major livestocks and farm animals and that's where the money lies once one is well built. Imagine managing 5000 birds and more, imagine colonies, herd of livestock. Bro, I dey feel like make I just see money as I dey now, go collect like 5000 birds, get like 50 hectares, farm and crop it, stock my store(shop) to the brim. As in massive Agribusiness dey hungry me

Munzy14:
Very Interesting thread...Keep the update coming....kudos!

Thanks sir.

RichieMichie:
LOL. You major in Agricultural extension?


Animal science here and final year too.

Agronomy is one aspect of agriculture I don't really pay much attention to, but seeing as I plan to have an integrated farm, it's inevitable, especially growing maize .
Kudos to the work. Seat collected

It is good that you really try to be OK at both. Na added advantage o. Agric full of business opportunities gan.

Tell me any professional course of study that while they're in school, they can make money fully with what they've learnt while still in school?

One thing I noticed, people out there don wan know what area of agriculture you're studying or you studied, all they know is that you're an agric graduate and should be able to do all that pertain to agric.

Your school southwest, north, or east?