Zambia Agribusiness Society

1. Types of Soya Cultivars Available a. Determinate vs. Indeterminate Soya bean seed has two types of cultivars which is determinate and indeterminate. Determinate - Will grow vegetatively for about six weeks, then begin their reproductive stage which is flowering, pod development, seed development and maturity having put on 12 leaves no further new leaves are produced on the main stem. Therefore, in simple terms we can conclude to say determinate cultivar have a specific height they tend to reach and cannot grow further from there. Whereas indeterminate grow vegetatively for about six weeks, then begin their reproductive stage when the main stem is about 10 leaves, and continue to grow and produce another five to seven leaves. Therefore, in simple terms these types of cultivar do not have a specific height, they tend to grow taller depending on how you manage them. Indeterminate cultivars tend to grow taller than determinate cultivars. b. Maturity In soya beans we only...

Below is the cost estimate prepared by ‘Kuku Kenya’ for raising 100 improved kienyeji chicks up to the time they start laying eggs, mostly at 5 to 6 months of age. Note that the calculations are based on the current market prices which may vary with time and locality. The estimates are broadly based on the major expenses and may not include other unpredictable costs. We assume you have the structure and equipments ready. STEP 1: Purchase of Chicks Kuku Kenya Ltd. sells 3 days old improved kienyeji chicks (kari, kuroilers, rainbows, kenbro, premium kienyeji and sasso) vaccinated against mareks at 90sh each. Totalling to 9000ksh, call +254-725-285599 to make your order. STEP 2: Feeding First one week give about 1.5kgs of chick mash for the 100 birds. At 2 to 3 weeks of age give about 3.5kgs of chick mash. At 7 to 8 weeks give about 60g of growers mash per bird amounting to 6kgs for the 100 birds. Above 28 weeks give 140g per bird per day amounting to 14kgs for the 100 bir...

Unlike the rest of the developed world, crop production in Africa is not keeping pace with population growth. Yields in many areas are actually falling. A major cause of this is declining soil fertility, often caused by our way of farming. The rising population has forced farmers to abandon traditional practices that left the land fallow for several years, and to cultivate ever-smaller plots. Intensive tilling and hoeing year after year can produce a hardpan in the soil that restricts root growth and stunts plants. Rainwater pounds the bare soil, forming a surface crust that the water cannot penetrate. It runs off, taking the valuable topsoil with it. Erosion in some places is so severe that there is little soil left to get a good yield, farmers often apply more and more fertilizer. With less moisture in the soil, plants are more vulnerable to drought. They start to wilt after a few days without rain. Conservation agriculture enables farmers to reverse this trend. It prevents har...

Lettuce is a high value crop, which in Zimbabwe can be farmed in many regions as the temperature range requirements are compatible with most places. In an unfortunate scenario, when one considers market gardening projects to undertake locally, lettuce is hardly top of the list, whilst it is relatively easy to farm and is not financially intensive. This is simply because it requires no major infrastructure development and can be done at a small scale. The following are basic guidelines which should provide a knowledge base for one to undertake lettuce production. Climatic Conditions Lettuce is a cool season crop that grows best within temperatures of 12 to 20°C. It does not suffer from light frosts and winter cold except near maturity. Severe frost before harvest can scorch leaves and heads. Temperatures above 27°C affect head development and plant edible quality and also promote premature seed stalk development. High temperatures also inhibit germination and can cause a high incide...

Everyone knows that eggs are healthy and a great source of high quality protein, especially egg white. One whole egg contains six to seven grams of protein, along with vitamins, minerals, iron, carotenoids, and disease fighting nutrients like zeaxanthin and lutein. It also contains all nine essential amino acids in the right ratios. Getting enough protein is very important for bodybuilders in order to build their muscles, which is why, they usually consume a lot of egg white in a day. It is also very important for every other individual to consume required amount of protein to keep their bones, tissues, blood, hair, and skin healthy. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the amount of a nutrient you need to meet your basic nutritional requirements. The RDA for protein is more than 0.6 gms of protein per kgs of body weight. §   It helps to maintain and repair body tissues, including muscle. §   Egg protein strengthen the immune system and keeps it healthy. A strong immune ...

1. Select and Plant only the Best Varieties: Make your initial selections carefully by using third-party yield information, and only accept substitutions with proven yield potential. 2. Correct Low-testing Soils Now: Carefully evaluate soil test results. If you’re unsure about fertility levels, conduct a soil test in the spring. Once planted it’s too late to fix deficiencies. 3. Plant Early: In most areas, soybean yields respond to early planting but only into good soil conditions. Avoid planting in extremely dry soils. 4. Plant in Narrow Rows: Soybeans planted in narrow rows will out-yield those planted in 30-inch rows or wider. You can expect approximately 5% of yield advantage for every 10 inches of narrowing down to about 10 inches. This is where we will be ending our discussion for today. Do you have any questions or other forms of contributions, kindly use the comment section below for all your contributions. You are also encouraged to kindly share this information with your love...

To obtain maximum broiler production potential, management of the poultry house environment is essential. An important measure of a suitable environment is proper maintenance of poultry litter. Litter is defined as excreted manure mixed with bedding material. Both heating and ventilation systems must be continually monitored to ensure that the moisture content of the litter is controlled and the litter remains friable. If the moisture content becomes elevated and the litter is allowed to become "sealed," then the birds are being grown on a continually damp, slippery and sticky surface. This sealed litter is often referred to as being "caked." In this condition, the litter is simply saturated with water and the water is unable to escape. A severe litter moisture problem can result if large areas of the house floor surface are caked. It is more common, however, to find localized areas of caking near leaky watering cups, nipples, troughs or roofs. The litter in th...

When we first delved into the world of chicken keeping, we read every book we could get our hands on to prepare. Our biggest concern was the chicken coop, and how to make our new flock of hens happy and comfortable on our little city lot. The advice we received was all over the place. So we ended up mostly winging it and hoping for the best. Back then there was not a lot of information out there about raising chickens, especially not about raising a small urban flock. Needless to say, we made a ton of mistakes, and having now corrected them, I’m happy to report our chicken raising adventure is going very well. These are the ten things I wish someone had told me, the ten biggest mistakes you can make while building and maintaining your chicken coop. If you can manage to avoid all of these, you’ll be well on your way to a very happy, healthy, and safe flock of chickens! The Top 10 Chicken Coop Mistakes Mistake #1: Not Planning Before You Build When you are ready to build a ch...

Testing your soil pH is crucial if you want to avoid losses. Your soil pH is key to understanding if essential nutrients will be available to the roots of your plants. Plants can only access these nutrients if the soil pH is within a certain range. If it isn’t, your crops will never make it no matter how much fertilizer you add. Let’s go back to school for those that don’t know what pH is. What exactly is Soil pH? pH is short for “potentia hydrogenii” – the power of hydrogen. It is a measure of the number of hydrogen ions present in a substance. For a farmer, pH is a measure of how alkaline (sweet) or acidic (sour) something is. In this case, you should use it to test our soil. However, the pH of the water you use or the pH of rain water can also affect the quality of your soil. The pH measurement is a logarithmic scale that goes from 1 to 14 with a measurement less than 7 being acidic, 7 neutral, and a measurement higher than 7 alkaline. Because it is a logarithmic scale, each value ...