QUICK MEASURES TO OPTIMIZE YIELD WHILE TAKING PRECAUTIONS ON FACTORS AFFECTING MIXED CROPPING
You will agree with me that farming goes beyond the availability of funds. Though farming is not limited to established farmers or agriculturalists, it is vital that some significant knowledge be obtained about the crops to be cultivated. We had the option of cultivating either a two-month corn variety or a three-month variety. Though three months is obviously longer than two months, the yield of the former is much better, so I opted for the three-month variety.
Although there are a few crops that do well in dry seasons, corn is basically cultivated during the rainy season, which is between April and October here in Nigeria. As much as I would have loved to commence planting maize seedlings in April, I waited until early May, when the rains had improved. The weather from January to April was harsh, with no rainfall until the middle of April. There are limited modifications we can make to improve the rainfall, except to be optimistic. Overall, rainfall is an interplay of the weather and climate seasons. The rains have picked up recently, but with occasional breaks, it is nonetheless safe to begin planting maize and other crops. An alternative is applying the irrigation system, which would only cost more funds.
Basic studies state that loamy soil is best for crops, and right before the commencement of cultivation, an inspection of the farmland was done. We were lucky to obtain by lease a farmland that had been left fallow for a period of not less than two years. Nonetheless, there would be a need for fertilizer applications, which we hope to apply soon enough.
It would be unwise to mix crops that would compete for soil nutrients, thus the choice of intercropping maize with soybeans, which are cereals and legumes, respectively. Mixed cropping also helps to maximize land usage and, invariably, improve the farm yield.
Over the years, I have learned the need to constantly avail oneself to supervise the farmland, and this is advantageous when the farm owner has a good grasp and understanding of the cropping season. Even though one may require the services of contract laborers on the farm, it is important to be around for the purpose of supervision. Employing farm supervisors is not a guarantee that the farmland will be maintained optimally, as most are often reckless or nonchalant.
Different crops have different planting times, and some, like soybeans, are best planted in the month of June, when rainfall is at its peak, although they could also be planted in May or July. Maize is fine as long as rainfall is available to support it, especially for the first two months.
Some crops, like maize, require two weedings and fertilizer applications, which are often done at two weeks and six weeks, respectively, for a high yield. Crops like soybeans do not require fertilizer, but weeding should be done so as to reduce competition for soil nutrients.
Due to a gap in communication between me and the farm supervisor, the soybeans were planted concurrently with the maize. Though both crops are to run for three months, soybeans are usually planted a month after corn, especially in June when rainfall peaks. Notwithstanding, we were hopeful that both crops would do well. The farm site is about thirty minutes drive from the urban city and another thirty minutes drive from my house as a result of slight traffic due to ongoing road construction. Going to the farm often was not going to be easy, but now that I am on a three-week leave from work, I'll have more time dedicated to the farmland. We, however, went to the farm two days ago and were surprised at the stage where we met the farmland.
We had paid for the weeding of the farmland by manual laborers about two weeks ago, which would have just been about the second or third week since the planting of the corn. Immediately, we mandated the laborers to clear the farmland within the next two days. I made the call today, and I was informed that the clearing of the farmland had begun since yesterday, which is a step forward.
Maize crops usually should not have more than three to four tall grass stems in a spot, but we saw as many as thirty in just one spot. We could say this was wickedness, as it would not survive as a result of overcrowding and the need to compete for soil nutrients.
Either because the soybeans didn't have enough rainfall in May or because the planters didn't do a good job, we could only spot scanty growth of the soybeans. It was disheartening, knowing the yield would be adversely affected.
I would have preferred the application of chemical herbicides, but the availability of water in the environment to mix the chemicals would be an issue. However, since the manual weeding has commenced, our focus is to replant the soybeans and, equally, decongest the maize stems by uprooting the excesses. We would make a speedy arrangement for the fertilizer application, which had also been paid for. The cost of weeding an acre of land is ₦14, 000, and since it is a four acre farmland, we have paid ₦56, 000 for the weeding. The NPK fertilizer ranges between ₦40, 000 and ₦50, 000. We hope two bags will cover the four-acre farmland since it was a mixed crop and a fair amount of spacing was put in.
Since we have been able to quickly identify these challenges and put measures in place, we would likely get a few people to help out with the soybean replanting and fertilizer application once the weeding is concluded. We hope to have a good yield, be able to feed our nuclear families, give out some food crops, and yet make a light profit from the sales of farm produce.
ALL IMAGES ARE MINE
Thank you for reading. I would love to hear your comments and contributions.
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