Robert D.

Babas HELE
BSED IV-A Fe E. Vasquez
CHAPTER 3:
1. Explain the importance of proper soil preparation.
In selecting soil for vegetable growing , a sound farmer considers good texture and structure.
Deficiency of organic matter of nutrients can be remedied by the liberal use of manure or by
growing soil and improving crops with appropriate applications of lime and fertilizers.
Analyze the soil to know the type of vegetables which could be grown . This will enable you to
find out any mineral in excess you can adjust the fertilizer accordingly.
If the soil is the deep and porous, roots easily get sufficient anchorage. The greater the volume
of soil the roots can reach , the greater feeding volume possible. The greater the feeding
volume , the better it is for the plants.
2. What are the methods of soil preparation?
Pulverize the soil to fine tilth and mix thoroughly with farm yard manure or compost. Apply
compost at the rate of 2 kilos per square meter of land.
Treat the soil before planting. Soil treatment will kill the disease-causing organisms, insects and
some seeds found in the soil.
Soil may be sterilized by the boiling method. Pour boiling water directly into the soil. Cover the
soil with paper canvas or plastic sheets until it cools. As soon as the soil has cooled, it is now
ready for sowing of planting.
3. What are the various tools and equipment used by the farmers?
The used for digging small and big plots are crowbar, pickmattock , garden hoe , shovel , spade
and handtrowel.
Tools used for breaking and pulverizing the soil are the plow and harrow.
Equipments for loading and transporting soil, fertilizers, harvested crops and farm waste
products are wheelbarrows, wooden box , water pail and sledge.
4. Why should you select good quality seeds for planting?
Here are some tips for the proper selection of seeds:
Pick only mature fruits or nearly mature fruits for seeding.
Collect seeds only from healthy, vigorous trees with good form and growth.
Avoid picking from isolated trees of naturally cross pollinating species because
they are of low viability.
 Wash and dry seeds covered with pulp or with fruit juice.
Dry good seeds quickly under the sun.
Light and worthless seeds should be separated from good seeds by winnowing.
5. What are the methods of testing for quality seeds? Explain each.
The quality of seeds affect their storability and the kind of seedlings in the yield.
Visual Inspection
To measure the cleanliness of a seedlot , check its composition. Scoop out a handful
from a well-mixed seedlot. Remove the immature , broken , undersized , shriveled ,
diseased ( with fungus and fungal stains) and infested ( with holes or partly eaten by
insect) seeds, weed seeds, other crop seeds , chaff , stones , soil , etc. Note the
remaining pure seed fraction left. In case there is a large portion of impurities , clean the
seedlot first before storing or planting.
Water Treatment (Flotation)
Soak the seeds in tap water until all seeds are thoroughly wet. This may take a few
minutes to a day. Take out floating seeds and retain the sinkers. Defective ones often
float while those that sink often are of better quality. However , few species, even if still
viable, are natural floaters because of their composition or the nature of their
composition or the nature of their seed coat.
Germination Test
The most reliable method of determining seed viability is seed germination.
Germination is the spouting or the start of developing growth of the seed. The results
will serve as a guide in determining planting density or need for pretreatment. Count
normal seedlings after 1-3 weeks.

Percentage= No. of normal seedlings x100

Total no. of seeds tested

Seeds with 50% or less germination will not keep long and will produce less vigorous
plants. They should either be planted immediately of replaced for storage.
Rapid Viability Test
Use Tetrazolium Chloride (TTZ). This is a quick method of testing seed viability (1-2)
days. The TTZ is available from chemical stores in 5 to 10 g bottles. Seeds with
completely colored bright red tissues are alive.
6. How are plant seeds stored? Explain each method of storing seeds.
The following are tips in storing seeds:
Thoroughly dried seeds should be placed in glass bottles or in glass jars. Do not fill the bottle to
the brim; leave around 1/5 space. Fill up the space with dry pulverized charcoal. The charcoal
helps preserve the seeds by absorbing the moisture and gasses that may be produced by the
seeds.
The bottle should be tightly corked and placed in a dry cool place.
Seeds kept for one year should be stored with greatest care.
Examine the bottles without opening, once a month for possible fungi or insects.
Open the bottles once you fungus growth or insect attacks , and dry the seeds under the
sun.
Clean the bottles once you see fungus growth or insect attacks , and dry the seeds under
the sun.
Clean the bottle , replace the seeds and place fresh charcoal.
Label the bottle properly as the name of the seed and the seed and the date saved.
Protect the seeds by using naphtaline balls ( 1 or 2 pieces/ 10 kg seed).
7. Discuss the different methods of planting.
There are two ways of planting seeds:

 Direct Seedling
These seeds are planted directly into the field of plots. Vegetable seeds, such as okra ,
cucumber, squash, radish , patola , ampalaya and monggo , are seeded direct into the
ground. Directly seeded vegetables experience severe root damage when transplanted.
 Transplanting
This method consists of planting the seeds first in a seedbox to produce seedlings which
are then transplanted into the garden plot or field. Vegetable crops, such as pechay ,
lettuce , tomato , mustard , pepper , cabbage and eggplant , have scattered and
branched root system which recover easily after transplanting.
8. Give the correct depth and rates of planting vegetable seeds and seedlings?
The spaces between the plants depend on the height and breadth of the plants when they grow
to maturity . Plants which grow taller but slimmer maybe planted closer to each other. Crops
that grow shorter but spread wider should be given more space in between.
The depth and rate of planting vegetable seeds and seedlings vary according to types.
9. What are the factors affecting successful growth of seeds and seedlings.
Temperature and Light- Germination was determined in growth chambers under constant ( 10,
20, 30, 40 C.) or functuating day /night temperatures (10/20, 30/20, 40/30 C) .Photoperiod was
set at rescent lamps were use to produce a photosynthetic photon plux density of 200 umol m-
2 S-1.
Seed Production and Characterization
Seed from each plant ( naturally dehisced and hand harvested) were counted to estimate seed
production potential. Only naturally dehisced seed were used in the experiments because
hand-harvested seed were not allowed to naturally dehisce and may not have been fully
mature at time of collection.
Prechilling
Seed were exposed to prechilling in attempts to break any dormancy mechanism exposed on
seed kept at room temperature. Prechilling is described as the exposure of seed to cold and
moist conditions for the required period.
10. Explain how to raise seedlings other than by the use of seeds.
You can raise seedlings by the use cuttings. Cuttings are planted in a sandbox measuring 2 feet
long , ½ foot wide , ½ foot high and filled with stones at the bottom. Place dry grass on top of
the stones about 2 inches thick. Put rich soil mixed with 75% sand on the top of the grass.
Then, cover the surface with mulch . The bottom of the box should have a few holes for
drainage.
A clean slanting cut is made is with a sharp knife at both ends of the branch selected for cutting.
It should be at least four to five buds. Place where cutting in slanting position with one bud
above the soil . Keep the sand box in a party shaded place.