Medicinal Plant: Duranta
By goGreen | May 19, 2012
Family: Verbenaceae
Scientific Name: Duranta repens Linn.
Common Names:
- Golden New Drop (eng.)
- Duranta (tag.)
Topics: Medicinal Plants (Halamang Gamot), Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Medicinal Plant: Dayap(Lime)
By goGreen | May 19, 2012
Family: Rutaceae
Scientific Name: Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.)
Common Name: Lime(eng.)
Botany
Small tree or shrub, 2-4 meters high, smooth throughout, branching with slender, solitary, sharp spines 1 cm or less. Leaves are oblong-ovate to elliptic-ovate, 4-6 cm long. Petioles are 1-1.5 cm long. Racemes are short, bearing few flowers, white and fragrant. Petals are 4, oblong, 10-12 mm long. The fruit is almost spherical, 3-5 cm in diameter, yellow, thin-skinned, 10-celled or more.
Topics: Medicinal Plants (Halamang Gamot), Miscellaneous | No Comments »
How To Protect Fruit Tree From Birds
By goGreen | May 18, 2012
When it comes to pests, one of the pests you really want to protect fruit tree from is birds. Birds can do so much damage to fruit trees, especially once the fruit ripens. There are plenty of things you can do to protect fruit tree from birds and the damage they can cause. By providing fruit tree bird protection to your fruit trees, you will harvest more fruit.
How to Keep Birds Off Your Fruit Trees
If you want to know how to keep birds off your fruit trees, you need to realize there are various forms of fruit tree pest control. You can trap the birds. You can use bird netting for fruit trees to keep the birds from getting at the ripening fruit. You can use chemical repellants to keep the birds and other pests away from your fruit trees.
Fruit tree pest control is best done before the fruit ripens. Understanding how to keep birds off your trees is not so difficult. Trapping the birds, especially blackbirds and starlings, can be done when they first show up for the season and up to about 30 days before the fruit ripens. All you do is bait a trap with water and any sort of food that would be attractive to the birds. This is a good form of fruit tree bird protection because once you capture the birds, you can release them. Check with local laws in your area before killing and birds as most birds are considered protected animals and it is illegal to kill them.
When it comes to bird netting for fruit trees, you want to use about 5/8 inch netting. This can prevent the birds from even reaching the fruits as they ripen. Wire can help you keep the netting away from the fruits so you don’t damage them while providing fruit tree pest control.
Chemical repellants are useful in fruit tree pest control, often helping to protect fruit tree from birds and other pests. Methyl anthranilate is one chemical that can be used. It will have to be repeated if you find that bird damage is continuing. Hinder is another chemical pest control that can be used. Simply dilute it 20:1 with water and apply it every three to ten days. Also, make sure to reapply after a heavy rain. Electronic fruit tree bird protection is also available. These electronic devices will keep the birds away by emitting a sound that frightens them.
As you can see, there are many different ways to provide fruit tree bird protection. The purpose of growing your fruit trees is to harvest the fruit. Sometimes sharing the fruit with the birds is inevitable, but you don’t want them to get all the fruits of your labor.
SOURCE: Gardening Know How
Topics: How to, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Providing A Garden Snake Habitat
By goGreen | May 18, 2012
They may seem scary at first, but most of the time finding a snake in a garden is a good thing. In fact, providing a garden snake habitat is a great way to keep many rodents and insect pests to a minimum in the landscape. Keep reading to learn more about how to attract snakes to your garden and take advantage of what they can offer.
Significance of Garden Snakes
For some people, the thought of attracting snakes to the garden would seem absurd, but for die-hard gardeners with a slug, snail or small mammal problem, they are the perfect solution. Garden snakes, also known as garter snakes, can, in fact, be a gardener’s best friend.
Garter snakes are harmless to humans and love to bask in the warm sun in and around garden areas. Unfortunately, many people kill these garden snakes before they realize just how beneficial they can be. The broad diet of a garter snake can effectively keep annoying and crop destroying pests out of your garden all season long.
Black snakes may also be beneficial in the garden. The significance of garden snakes like these can be found in their diet of small rodents, which commonly feast on garden bulbs, and will also take care of poisonous snakes, such as copperheads, which can pose a big threat to people.
Many smaller, lesser known snakes can also be of use in the garden. There’s no need to employ expensive or time-consuming efforts to keep your garden safe when you have a snake around.
How to Attract Snakes
Attracting snakes to the garden is easy. If you value the presence of a snake in a garden, you can be sure to attract and retain your very own garden bouncer by providing a garden snake habitat. First and foremost, snakes need a place to hide. You can easily provide sufficient shelter using an old piece of plywood, an old stump or a piece of metal roofing panel. Virtually anything that provides a “safe place” for the snake works well.
Snakes, like all animals, need a source of fresh water. Ground level birdbaths or a small, shallow fountain will do the trick as long as the water is clean and accessible.
Remember, however, to reduce the chance of accidentally killing your snake friend with the mower or weed eater by walking around before you mow. Your garden friend should retreat to its hiding place when it hears you coming.
Attracting Snakes Means No Chemicals
Eliminating the use of any harmful chemicals in the garden is crucial if you want to attract and keep snakes in your garden. Going organic is not only better for you and the environment but also for your garden snake friend.
Harsh fertilizers and herbicides will harm snakes and eliminate their food source. Although changing to organic measures such as using well-aged manure, companion planting, crop rotation and other non-toxic gardening techniques may take some time, it is well worth the effort for everyone.
SOURCE: Gardening Know How
They may seem scary at first, but most of the time finding a snake in a garden is a good thing. In fact, providing a garden snake habitat is a great way to keep many rodents and insect pests to a minimum in the landscape. Keep reading to learn more about how to attract snakes to your garden and take advantage of what they can offer.
Significance of Garden Snakes
For some people, the thought of attracting snakes to the garden would seem absurd, but for die-hard gardeners with a slug, snail or small mammal problem, they are the perfect solution. Garden snakes, also known as garter snakes, can, in fact, be a gardener’s best friend.
Garter snakes are harmless to humans and love to bask in the warm sun in and around garden areas. Unfortunately, many people kill these garden snakes before they realize just how beneficial they can be. The broad diet of a garter snake can effectively keep annoying and crop destroying pests out of your garden all season long.
Black snakes may also be beneficial in the garden. The significance of garden snakes like these can be found in their diet of small rodents, which commonly feast on garden bulbs, and will also take care of poisonous snakes, such as copperheads, which can pose a big threat to people.
Many smaller, lesser known snakes can also be of use in the garden. There’s no need to employ expensive or time-consuming efforts to keep your garden safe when you have a snake around.
How to Attract Snakes
Attracting snakes to the garden is easy. If you value the presence of a snake in a garden, you can be sure to attract and retain your very own garden bouncer by providing a garden snake habitat. First and foremost, snakes need a place to hide. You can easily provide sufficient shelter using an old piece of plywood, an old stump or a piece of metal roofing panel. Virtually anything that provides a “safe place” for the snake works well.
Snakes, like all animals, need a source of fresh water. Ground level birdbaths or a small, shallow fountain will do the trick as long as the water is clean and accessible.
Remember, however, to reduce the chance of accidentally killing your snake friend with the mower or weed eater by walking around before you mow. Your garden friend should retreat to its hiding place when it hears you coming.
Attracting Snakes Means No Chemicals
Eliminating the use of any harmful chemicals in the garden is crucial if you want to attract and keep snakes in your garden. Going organic is not only better for you and the environment but also for your garden snake friend.
Harsh fertilizers and herbicides will harm snakes and eliminate their food source. Although changing to organic measures such as using well-aged manure, companion planting, crop rotation and other non-toxic gardening techniques may take some time, it is well worth the effort for everyone.
Topics: How to, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Cacao industry gets a lift in R&D
By goGreen | May 17, 2012
Now that the coffee industry in the country has been revived, the local cacao industry is waiting for the much needed boost for it to become competitive in the local and international markets for cacao’s famous by-product-cocoa.
According to the cacao industry situationer posted by the High-Value Commercial Crops (HVCC) Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the industry took off in the 1980s particularly in Mindanao, as more investments were poured on commercial farms and on grinding facilities before cacao production dwindled in the 1990s.
In order to renew the interest of farmers and stakeholders in planting cacao, the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) hosted a consultation meeting with the private sector and DA units concerned in crop research and development (R&D). The meeting was held on 8 August 2008 to discuss the status of the cacao industry in the country and explore possible areas of collaboration.
At the meeting, Jenny Remoquillo of DA GMA-HVCC Program said that cacao is now part of the commodities prioritized by HVCC because of its market potential and the thrust of the program to shift to other commodities that will help start new industries.
The meeting was highlighted by the presentation of Josephine Ramos, field operations manager, Cocoa Foundation Philippines, Inc. (CocoaPhil), on the proposed strategic action plan on the Philippines Cacao Roadmap.
“The plan is to intercrop at least 50 million cacao trees with coconut, thereby producing at least 100,000 metric tons of export-quality cacao beans. If this happens, a P60,000 to P80,000 additional annual income per hectare can be gained from cacao harvest. This is definitely a big opportunity for families in rural areas,” said Ms. Ramos.
To realize this goal, CocoaPhil is seeking to collaborate with DA to empower the farmers to plunge into cacao farming by making good quality planting materials accessible to them as well giving them assistance to learn proper crop management up to postharvest to ensure that our cacao would meet the quality standards required by the market. Moreover, market linkage and applicable credit schemes are seen as critical in establishing the industry where small farmers would benefit from.
“We also need to establish the Philippine National Standard for this crop and complement a continuous R&D for the package of technology and varietal development. I’m glad that we had this meeting at DA-BAR as we can now design a comprehensive R&D program for cacao,” said Ramos.
The research managers and representatives from DA’s Regional Integrated Agricultural Research Centers (RIARCs) and Agricultural Experiment Stations presented in the meeting giving brief status reports on the cacao production in their respective areas such as in Southern Mindanao, MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan), Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Southern Tagalog.
The biggest cacao-producing area in the country is Southern Mindanao, particularly Davao, followed by CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), particularly Quezon and Cavite.
Recognizing the potential of the industry’s growth in the region, BAR is funding its Integrated RD&E Program for Cacao from 2008 to 2012, implemented by the Southern Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center (SMIARC). Cooperating agencies from different sectors in this project includes the University of Southern Mindanao (USM), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), University of Southern Eastern Philippines (USEP), provincial local government units (PLGUs), and CocoaPhil and its partner organization, Agricultural Cooperative Development International and Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI/VOCA).
According to Ramos, the Criollo is the most sought-after and expensive variety of cacao because of its quality and rarity. The variety, which can be found only in Ecuador and the Philippines, is also known as “porcelana cacao” because of its seed’s white color. Criollo is now rarely found in the country because it is highly susceptible to pests and diseases.
“I believe that if we could establish a strong R&D program and develop our standards, we could proliferate this variety and cash in from this definite competitive advantage,” said Ramos.
BAR Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar expressed the bureau’s enthusiasm to support the revival of the cacao industry in the country. He said that he will seek the involvement of other concerned agencies from the different stakeholders of the bureau to integrate all R&D efforts for cacao. “We could also look into the opportunity of growing cacao organically as this will appeal to the market better and look for ways to use the wastage from its postharvest to maximize our gains from the crop,” said Director Eleazar
SOURCE: Bar Online
Topics: Agri-Business, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Shrimp growing touted as farm income booster
By goGreen | May 17, 2012
LAUREL, Del. (AP)–Tilapia taught Tom Handwerker a lesson.
The fish was once popular in the Lower Shore’s aquaculture market, though growers lost some interest in tilapia when they found it was difficult to sell, said Handwerker, an agriculture professor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Initially, farmers were given one primary broker to peddle the fish, he said. A price war broke out, which eventually hurt the growers.
“We taught them all how to grow it, but not how to market it,” Handwerker said.
Now, seafood is again being promoted as a way for farmers on the Delmarva Peninsula to diversify their income, and Handwerker hopes to learn from those mistakes in his newest venture, “Just Shrimp.”
As company president, Handwerker explained his aquaculture plan for farmers in an introductory meeting with Delaware and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials and potential investors.
Handwerker said the selection of shrimp came down to what product was most viable.
“In the United States alone, shrimp imports represent 80 percent of the seafood sales,” he said.
After three years and a grant from the USDA, Handwerker opened his operation at a farm on the outskirts of Laurel.
At the farm, Handwerker said the company will develop the shrimp in a nursery and then ship them to a Sussex County farm production site.
Under the supervision of contracted farmers and Just Shrimp, he said company staff will harvest the product when it matures after a four-month cycle.
Once Handwerker introduces the system to Sussex farmers in May, he hopes to have 10 sites helping him create between 350,000 to 500,000 pounds of shrimp a year.
“We hope to control the market everywhere within a four-hour distance,” he said.
Handwerker said the contract growers would have to supply the site, capital for a facility and pay operating costs.
Despite the projected upside, Handwerker stressed the aquaculture business is not meant to replace Sussex County’s traditional farming staples of poultry and soybeans.
“This is not in competition,” he said. “We’re looking at the capacity of blending.”
Marlene Elliot, Delaware/Maryland director of USDA Rural Development, said growing shrimp is another way for farmers to supplement their income.
“It’s important we provide Delaware farmers with every opportunity,” she said.
Rep. Michael Castle, R-DE, was encouraged by Handwerker’s plan.
“It could be tremendous,” he said of the potential impact. “All of us have our fingers crossed.”
With some development and with lessons learned from tilapia, Handwerker hopes now to establish seafood growing as a strong option for farmers.
“We want to be on the map just like poultry,” he said.
SOURCE:
Topics: Agri-Business, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
300 tons tomatoes per hectare!
By goGreen | May 16, 2012
MANILA, Philippines — How can vegetable farmers in a desert produce 300 tons of tomatoes in one year per hectare? They don’t have fertile soil and they have only little water, yet the Israeli farmers in Arava , the southernmost part of the Negev desert in Israel, are producing just that.
The amazing feat is the result of technology developed through sustained innovative research and development program, plus an active extension service that keeps the farmers abreast of the latest develop-ments in farming.
The Arava area is sparsely populated. There are only about 600 families in eight settlements consisting of about 3,000 people. Yet, they are able to produce about 150,000 tons of vegetables a year in greenhouses. Most of the vegetables are exported to Europe and elsewhere, accounting for about 60 percent of the total vegetable export of Israel.
Each family usually cultivates five hectares for growing vegetables and other crops like melons, flowers and ornamental plants. One of the first settlers in 1959 is 74-year-old Amnon Navon of the Ein Yahav settlement. He was not even 18 when he arrived in Arava with practically no facilities for farming in the desert. Yet he and other settlers persisted, eventually helped by the government through the initiative of no less than the then Prime Minister Ben Gurion.
Amnon loves desert farming. He has greenhouses on five hectares where he produces mostly peppers and tomatoes. Cultivation is mechanized. He has three tractors to cultivate the soil.
There are only eight workers taking care of the five-hectare farm. These include Amnon himself, his wife Ora and a daughter, and five Thai workers. The Thai workers, he said, are hardworking and uncomplaining. But of course, they are adequately compensated with 22 Shekels per hour. That’s about US$50 per day or $1,500 per month, something they could never dream of receiving in their native country.
Amnon simply concentrates in producing his vegetables. His harvests are marketed by a cooperative. He considers his operation very simple. All he does is produce a good crop which he delivers to the cooperative that markets the vegetables locally and abroad.
Right in Ein Yahav, there is a big packing house that takes care of processing the harvest in the settlement. This is the Gilad Desert Produce Packing House managed by Eyal Sahar. This facility processes anywhere between 60 and 70 tons each day. The one day that they did not operate was when the Thai workers had a holiday in observance of Father’s Day, a holiday for the Thais. The packing house has at least 25 Thai workers.
Fertigation is the key to bumper harvests with very little water in the desert area. This is the use of drippers where water is delivered drop by drop including the appropriate fertilizer in the root zone.
Israel is considered the pioneer in drip irrigation. The biggest drip irrigation company in the world is the Netafim, followed by Jain Irrigation Systems in India, which incidentally has recently acquired another company in Israel, now known as NaandanJain.
In fertigation, the exact amount of water and fertilizer is supplied to the plants. This has several advantages. One is that there is economy in the use of water and fertilizer. Fertigated crops are earlier-maturing. The har-vest is higher, and is of better quality. Fruits are usually sweeter.
Genetics is also very important. Plant breeders in Israel are continually developing new varieties that suit the growing conditions in Israel. These include crops that are not only high-yielding but are also resistant to pests and diseases, tolerant to drought conditions and the like.
Crops are not the only products grown in the Arava area. Fish culture is also flourishing. One example is the Ginat Fish Company that specializes in producing aquarium fish for export. The company produces some 2 million guppies a year which are exported mostly to Europe.
Guppy is a cheap species that comes in many variations. One guppy usually sells for one Euro in Europe. The Ginat family has chosen this cheap fish for their own good reasons. Being cheap, it is one of the favorites of parents who want to give their children something to get busy with. If the fish dies, the parent can readily buy a replacement.
Aquarium fish breeding does not require as much water as the vegetable crops because it is just confined in a small area.
What is also very important in Israel’s success in agriculture is the very active extension service provided by the government. The extension service of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, from the early days, has been responsible in training inexperienced farmers, most of them new immigrants, so that they could produce crops with their limited resources.
The extension service has formed work teams around the country that conduct training, resulting in the pro-fessional advancement of agriculture in very competitive market conditions. The extension service serves public and private interests. There are 14 professional departments, specializing in the various branches of agricultural production. These are complemented by departments which provide professional support such as crop protection, field service for irrigation and fertilization, farm management and production economics, and mechanization and technology.
Production and extension are not the only major players in the agricultural industry in Israel. The Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute is also doing a big contribution to the progress of Israeli agriculture.
This is a non-profit organization founded in 1958 as the Israeli Export Institute by the government and the private sector. The Institute is responsible for the promotion of all kinds of Israel’s exports.
Foreign visitors will witness many of the new developments in agriculture in Israel if they will visit Agritech 2012, the international agricultural exhibition that will be held on May 15-17 in Tel Aviv.
SOURCE: Manila Bulletin
Topics: News & Updates | No Comments »
Why Grass-Fed Poultry is Best
By goGreen | May 15, 2012
Poultry raised on open grass, instead of in overcrowded lots, are high in beneficial fats and other factors that lower cholesterol and greatly reduce degenerative disease In the consumer! Eating large proportions of living green plants, while foraging for insects and seeds and myriad other natural commodities that science hasn’t identified yet, and with minimal need for medication, grass-fed animals create more vibrant health than other poultry. Moreover, the meat and eggs are incredibly tasty compared to general market chicken.
Why Raise Poultry on Pasture?
1. Better Food.
Substantial increases in nutritional value of pasture poultry, particularly in Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin A, and a significant decrease in total fat,
2. More Satisfying Flavor.
Poultry raised on pasture, in fresh air and sunshine, taste superior to confinement raised poultry. Naturally raised poultry has a firmer texture and more satisfying “gamey taste”.
3. Lower Cost Entry.
Small-scale and limited resource farmers can start a profitable farm enterprise for a fraction of the cost of conventional, integrator-controlled poultry housing.
4. Fertility and Pasture Management.
Moving poultry across the pasture is a way to spread manure and fertility without using excessive equipment or labor.
5. Multi-Cropping.
Poultry can be used to scavenge crop residue, and hog down weeds and grasses in multi-crop fields being used for horticulture and floriculture.
What Methods are Used to Raise Poultry on Pasture?
1. Day Ranging. The poultry are sheltered at night from predators and weather, and allowed to graze in the
daytime.
2. Free-Range, has been practiced for a century or more. This method fell out of favor in the 1960?s due to disease and predator inroads, and was mostly replaced by commercial confinement poultry production, Free range generally means a fenced pasture surrounding the barn or poultry shelter.
3. Pasture Pens/Chicken Tractors are bottomless pens that hold chickens, and are moved daily or as needed to give the poultry fresh pasture. It is the most commonly used pasture poultry method at present. A typical pen is 10-x12-x2-feet, and holds 80 broilers. About 2/3 of the top is roofed; the rest of the top and sides are covered with poultry wire.
SOURCE: Entrepinoy ATBP
Topics: Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Darag Native Chicken
By goGreen | May 15, 2012
“Native chicken has the great potential of becoming a big industry,” words of Dr. Ricardo A. Provido, a successful agricultural entrepreneur and the present chairman of the Regional Agricultural and Fisheries Council (RAFC) Region VI, as he shared his experiences and marketing ideas in a recent interview.
It’s the distinct taste of the Darag that makes it inimitable from the commercial breeds. He added that the free-range management of native chicken made it possible for them to accumulate natural nutrients directly from the soil which cultured broilers and layers do not acquire.
The Darag native chicken has already launched its name in the local markets and started to play side by side with the commercial ones. Through the intervention of available technology, it has also evolved into a more complex production process and marketing system.
Available resources for interested individuals are accessible, resulting to a greater market potential and competitiveness.
“It’s about time that the Darag native chicken should be projected to the public as one of the region’s flagship commodities,” Provido said. – thenewstoday.info
Background
Zoologically, the native chicken belongs to the genus Gallus of the family Phasianae. The domestic chicken is simply called Gallus domesticus.
The wild ancestors of the domestic chicken probably originated in the South east Asia and four species of these white jungle fowls are still known in the area. There are: Gallus gallus, the red jungle fowl; Gallus layette, the Ceylones jungle fowl; Gallus sonnerati, the gray jungle fowl; and Gallus various, the black or green jungle fown.
However, the red jungle fowl has the widest distribution of the wild species and may well be
the chief ancestor of the modern breeds.
Description
The early domesticated native chicken still resemble their wild ancestors in many characteristics. The wild adult male has a shiny red plumage with light brown hackle and black tail feathers while the female has flat yellowish-brownish pumage. The native chicken’s combs are of single type, and the color of their shanks ranges from yellow to gray. The combined effects of mutation, natural selection, selection for cockfighting, and the indiscriminate crossing with the exotics led to the evolution of the so-called indigenous chickens.
Some of the Philippines native chickens that are raised in the backyard of many farmers in the rural areas still resemble their wild ancestral type. They are nervous, flighty, but the female has string maternal instincts. They are hardy and can reproduce and survive with minimal care and management.
In the Philippines, native chickens constitute a large portion of the total chicken population. For many years, these chickens have been part of the natural setting and provide additional sources of income for so many rural farmers.
The Darag
Darag is a general term used of the Philippine native chicken strain indigenous to and most dominant in Western Visayas. It evolve from the Red Jungle fowl.
The male locally called labuyo has red wing and hackle and black feathers and tail. The female, also called Darag, is typically yellowish-brown.
The comb is single, the earlobe is whitish and the shank gray for both male and female. The
adult male weighs an average of 1.3 kg while the female weighs an average of 1.0 kg.
The Stages of Development
- Mature Darag hens, called breeders, lay eggs.
- Eggs will hatch from 18-21 days
- Chicks go through brooding stage from the first week to the twentieth day.
- From 21-45 days, chicks go through the “hardening” stage. During hardening, chicks are prepared for the rugged conditions of the environment, thus improving the livability of chicks.
- “Hardened” chicks are then left to grow in the field.
- At age 75-120 days, the chickens are mature and ready for slaughter.
Benefits
Slowly, the value of native chicken has been recognize. In addition to its common contribution in the form of eggs and meat, as a source of additional income to the rural farmers during lean months of the year and as object for recreation in the form of cockfighting. Many people in the urban areas are now looking at the native chicken as a source of nutritious food.
City residents who lead a more sedentary life prefer foods that are low in cholesterol. Their preference is now shifting to the eggs coming from native chicken which, being small, are also believed to supply a small amount of cholesterol. Aside from that, native birds and eggs are tastier and more savory than the improved breeds. This explains why, kilo for kilo, native poultry products are more costly than those of the exotic breeds.
In 1998, PCCARD finally characterized the Philippine native chicken as the common backyard fowl, which is a mixture of different breeds. They are small, active, sensitive and capable of great flights when frightened. The hens are fairly good sitters and mothers, but unlike the native cocks that are being raised for cockfighting and fed with the best feed and sheltered comfortably, the native hens are not good in nests. At best, bamboo baskets covered with dry grass of banana leaves placed under the housed hens to serve as nests, and the trees that grow in premises serves as their perches. Despite all these, a native chicken lays about 40-60 eggs in a year. However, recent findings showed that wehn properly managed and fed with the right quality and amount of feeds, tha native hen can produce as much as 130-200 eggs in a year.
They also serve as cheap source of animal protein through their meat and eggs. Although native chickens grow at a slower rate and produce less number of eggs than improved commercial breeds, meat from native chickens are preferred by many Filipinos because of taste, leanness, pigmentation and sustainability for special dishes.
SOURCE: Entrepinoy ATBP.
Topics: Miscellaneous, News & Updates, Poultry | No Comments »
Pagpapatubo ng punla sa pamamagitan ng basang punlaan (Wetbed Method)
By goGreen | May 14, 2012
1. Maghanda ng 400 m2 punlaan. Ito ay maaaring:
10 kama na 2 metro X 20 bawat isa
20 kama na 1 metro X 20 metro bawat isa
40 kama na 2 metro X 5 metro bawat isa
2. Maglaan ng 40 sentimo na agwat sa pagitan ng mga kamang punlaan para sa mas madaling pamamahala nito.
3. Itaas ng 4-5 sentimetro and kamang punlaan.
4. Maglagay ng 5 bag ng organikong pataba.
5. Patagin ang ibabaw ng kamang punlaan para sa pantay-pantay na daloy ng tubig at upang mapadali ang pag-agos nito.
6. Para sa isang ektaryang bukirin, magpunla ng 20-40 kilo sa metro kwadrado na kamang punlaan.
7. Magpunla ng mga buto sa daming 50-100 gramo/metro kwadrado (mga isang dakot). Diligin ang kamang punlaan 2-3 araw pagkatapos magpunla. Unti-unting patubigan ng mga 1-2 sentimetro, depende sa taas ng punla.
8. Regular na bantayan ang kamang punlaan para sa maayos na pamamahala.
Source: Pinoy Rice Kowledge Bank Handout Series
Topics: Agri-Business, Farming Methods | No Comments »
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