1. 1
Sowing
GVSPP Q1-Q8,Q14,Q16

3. Before Sowing Make sure;2
Before Sowing
Make sure;
Seed that you going to sow is quality assured?
Land that you going to use for seed production is appropriate?
Soil of the land is suitable for seed production?
Check the details of seed and producer information before sowing

4. Before Sowing 2’
Certified seed quality is assured by the Department of Agriculture, but some of other seeds are not. If the seeds were not germinating, variety mixing, contaminated by disease, your efforts to produce seeds would be in vain. Please use the seeds that you can depend on the quality for seed production
please check your land for isolation distance, soil conditions (drainage, fertility, etc.), and accessibility to water before sowing. It is advisable not to cultivate same crop in same land. Continuous cropping causes serious pest & disease problems. Please rotate the land as much as possible
Apply organic matter/compost to the field to improve soil physical property. Improved soil prevents waterlogging, and helps the roots to develop well in the soil

5. Direct Seeding VS Nursery3
Direct Seeding
Nursery
Field nursery
Tray nursery
Pot nursery

6. Direct Seeding VS Nursery3’
There are 2 ways of sowing seeds;
Direct seeding
Nursery (transplanting to field at later stage )
Both methods has advantages and disadvantages
Depends on the crops, sowing method may differ

7. Direct Seeding VS Nursery4
Direct
Nursery
Either

8. Direct Seeding VS Nursery4’
Suitable for Direct seeding
Short cultivation crops: kolajathi, leek, etc.
Root (tuber)crops: carrot, potato, radish, etc.
Suitable for Nursery (Transplanting)
Long cultivation crops: tomato, brinjal, capsicum, cucumber, watermelon, cabbage, onion, etc.
Either: Okra, Pumpkin, Bitter gourd, Snake gourd, beans, lettuce, spinach,

9. Direct Seeding VS Nursery5
Advantages of Nursery
Less occupation period of land
Can raise strong & healthy seedlings
Less inputs are required
Season
YALA
MAHA
Month 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3
Direct
Nursery

10. 5’
Direct Seeding
Good things:
No need to transplant →less labour and no risk of seedling damage by transplanting
No need to prepare nursery beds or purchase nursery materials (trays or pots, etc.)→less labour and investment
Bad things:
Occupies the field for entire cultivation, from sowing to harvesting →lesser time of land preparation
Management area is large so that labour and inputs (irrigation, fertilizer, etc.) are intensive
Germination may not uniform
Empty hills may occur by dying of seedlings at early stage of the growth
Nursery
Germination is relatively uniform→uniform growth after field transplanting
Safer media (no infection of diseases) can be arranged→healthier seedlings can be raised
Easy to provide appropriate conditions (sunlight, water, temperature, etc.) for the seedlings→healthier seedlings can be raised
Seedlings can be raised in a small area→less labour, input, and easy management
No need to occupy the field at the beginning of the cultivation→1). more time available for farmers to prepare field, 2). mitigation of intensive use of the field
Need to prepare nursery beds or purchase nursery materials (trays or pots, etc.)→need additional labour and investment
Need to transplant→more labour and risk of seedling damage by transplanting

11. Raising Seedling Raising seedling is the most important stage6
Raising seedling is the most important stage
in the plant cultivation
Grow good (healthy and strong) seedlings is the key to harvest better quality fruits and seeds
Bad Seedlings
Good Seedlings
After transplanting good seedlings would perform the following characteristics in field:
Relatively resistant to pest & disease
Resistant to logging
Bear quality fruits and seeds
High survival rate when transplanting
Stem is thin
Height is tall
Colour of leaves is light
Damaged by pest & disease
Stem is thick
Height is short
Colour of leaves is dark
No damage by pest & disease

12. Good plants have tolerance to harsh environment
Raising good seedling is the most important stage in the plant cultivation
Almost all the plant growth is determined at the early stage (seedling) of the growth
Difficult to recover from unhealthy plants to healthy plants at the later stage of the growth
Good seeds (fruits) can only be harvested from good (healthy & strong) plants
Good plants are grown from good seedlings
Good plants have tolerance to harsh environment
Good plants have higher survival rate in drought or flood condition
Good plants have higher survival rate if infected by diseases
Good plants have higher survival rate in lodging by strong wind blow
Good plants have higher survival rate when transplanting 6’
WHAT IS GOOD SEEDLING?
Stem is thick
Not spindly (not too tall & too thin)
Dark colour leaves
No damage by diseases or insects
Manage good sunlight, temperature and water
Manage proper fertilizer application
Managed by proper chemical & facility

13. Field Nursery VS Seedling Holder7
Field nursery
Seedling holder
Environment control
Difficult
Easy
Germination rate
Relatively low
Relatively high
Seed requirement
More seed is necessary
Lesser seed is necessary
Sowing timing
Only during fine days
Anytime (under shelter)
Labour works
Transplanting
Survival rate after field transplanting is low
Survival rate after field transplanting is high

14. 7’ Field Nursery Seedling holder Environment Control
(Sunlight, temperature, water)
Difficult
Easy
Since seedlings can not be replaced from one place to the other, adjusting surrounding environment for seedlings to grow properly is relatively difficult
By covering the nursery bed by poly tunnel, be able to control roughly
Since seedling s can be replaced from one place to the other, adjusting surrounding environment for seedlings to grow properly is relatively easy
When sunlight is too strong and temperature is too high, move the seedlings under the shade
when rains, move the seedlings under the roof
Germination Rate
Relatively low
Relatively high
Difficult to control Soil, temperature, water conditions that may lead to lower germination
Difficult to sow seeds in the same depth so that germination timing is not uniform
Seeds may washed out by rain or irrigation water, or may eaten by animals before germination
Using good media in soil physical property and nutrients, seeds can easily germinate
Easy to sow the seeds at the same depth so that germination timing is uniform
Since the seedling holders can be moved, it can establish in a protected area (from hot temperature, rain, or animals), and it helps higher rate of germination
Seed Requirement
More seed is necessary
Lesser seed is necessary
Due to the lower rate and uneven germination rate, more seeds should be sown to secure the certain number of seedlings
Due to the higher rate of germination is secured, lesser seeds is necessary for sowing
Sowing Timing
Only during fine days
Anytime (under shelter condition)
It is difficult to sow seeds during rain due to the risk of seeds to washed out, and work environment for farmers
Damping soil condition by rains after sowing may inhibit seeds to germinate
Under shelter condition, seeds can be sown anytime so that farmers can plan the cultivation schedule easily in the season
No cultivation delays occur if heavy rains hit the beginning of the season
Labour Works
More or less the same
Need to prepare nursery beds (cleaning of field, plowing, raising beds, applying fertilizer, leveling the surface, making sowing holes/ridges)
May need to prepare poly tunnels for rain and insect protection
Farmers need to travel long distance for daily management if the nursery is far a way from their homes
Physical management area is larger than seedling holder nursery
Need to purchase or arrange seedling holders
Need to prepare nursery media
Need to move the nursery if surrounding environment radically changes
Travelling distance for farmers is less if the nursery is established near their homes
Physical management area is smaller than field nursery
Transplanting
Difficult (more stress to seedlings)
Easy (less stress to seedlings)
May damage the roots when remove seedlings from the bed
After remove seedlings from the bed, more time is needed to transplanting to the field
Less damage to the roots and easy for seedlings to recover after transplanting to the field
Holders can be brought into the field and transplanted right after seedlings removed from the holders

15. How to Grow Healthy & Strong Seedlings8
Before sowing
Select good seeds (shape, size, no contamination, new)
Prepare good drainage & water retention media
Sowing
Sow at the right timing (temperature)
Water the soil before sowing
Sow seeds at the same depth
After germination
Provide favorable conditions for seedling growth (temperature, sunlight, and moisture)

16. Sow seeds at the most appropriate timing in the season 8’
Before sowing
Use the seeds that quality is guaranteed (tested?, lot No.?, dependable company? Etc.)
Nursery soil should have good physical property, nutrients, free from pest & disease contamination
Sowing
Sow seeds at the most appropriate timing in the season
Germination would be late if seeds are sown at deep depth. Sowing at the same depth encourages uniform germination
After germination
Always think about the surrounding condition and provide the best condition for seedlings as much as possible

17. Preparation of Nursery Media9
Materials:
Virgin soil = Sterilized soil
(top soil not recommended)
Compost (well-decomposed)
Cocopeat or sand
Method:
Mix soil & compost 1 : 1
Add cocopeat or sand to the mixture
(amount is determined by accordance with the
soil physical properties of the mixture)
Good nursery media have good drainage & water retention properties and help root development of the plants
Sand
Soil
Compost
cocopeat

18. Top soil is not recommended for nursery soil
Materials
Top soil is not recommended for nursery soil
Top (field) soil has high risk of contamination from the previous cultivation
Use virgin soil or sterilized soil that free from pest & disease contamination
May cause a severe root damage if half-decomposed compost is used
Control soil physical property, water retention, & drainage levels by mixing coarse materials such as sand or cocopeat
Method
If foundation soil is clayey, add more coarse materials. If sandy, add clayey soil 9’

19. Preparation of Nursery Media10
①Try to use the soil that unnecessary to sterilize
Avoid using field soil (topsoil) for nursery media
→bring the soil from outside the farm
Ex. unoccupied lands, mountains, bushes, etc.
TOMATO
SEED

20. Preparation of Nursery Media
10’
It is better to use the soil from outside the farm for nursery media because of lower risk of disease contamination compare to field (farm) soil
If the nursery media is contaminated by disease, the seeds harvested after the cultivation can be contaminated too.
If contaminated seeds are sold at the market, disease can be spread to everywhere by those seeds
To protect other producers and products, contaminated seeds should not be produced

21. Preparation of Nursery Media11
If you have to use field soil for nursery…..
Due to:
your nursery is set up in farm
Difficult to bring soil from outside
etc.
②Use deeper soil from the surface (more than 30cm deep) Or
③Purchase nursery soil medium
④STERILIZE THE SOIL

22. Preparation of Nursery Media
11’
Sometimes nursery media cannot be brought from outside the farm (for field nursery or virgin soil cannot be found nearby)
If that is the case……
Use deep field soil. The deeper field soil is safer than top soil in contamination. Or
Purchase nursery medium product (compost, cocopeat, etc.) from agro stores. Commercial products should be free from contamination. Or
Sterilize the top soil. If the top soil is the only option for nursery media, it should be sterilized to prevent the plants and seeds

23. Soil Sterilization If you have to use the way of sterilization…..12
If you have to use the way of sterilization…..
Purpose:
To kill organisms of disease agent in the soil (fungus, bacteria, virus)
Method:
by soil disinfectant (chemical)
by heat (high-temperature steam)

24. Using chemical (disinfectant) and Using heat
Soil Sterilization
12’
Sterilizing soil is to kill pathogens in the soil. Basically there are 2 ways of sterilize the soil…
Using chemical (disinfectant) and
Using heat
Using chemical is effective to kill pathogens in soil, but it requires precautions;
Otherwise it may cause serious damages to producers and products

25. Soil Sterilization By soil disinfectant (ex. Metham Sodium, Basamid)13
By soil disinfectant (ex. Metham Sodium, Basamid)
Plow the soil and break the particles
Raise beds with the height about 30cm
Spray the chemical to the soil evenly (sterilization gets effective when the soil has medium moisture content)
Cover the beds with poly/plastic films immediately
Leave the beds for 5~15days(vary in chemicals)
Uncover the beds & degas for 3~10days(vary in chemicals)
Start cultivation after the gas is completely diffused

26. Soil sterilization by chemical
13’
Soil sterilization by chemical
If soil particles are too big, the chemical does not work effectively
If the chemical applied to a flat field, it is difficult to seal the chemical in soil and it may diffuse into air
The chemical should be applied into soil evenly
By covering the beds with the film, preventing the chemical to diffuse into air
if the application period is too short, pathogens in soil may survive
Follow the instruction of the chemical for covering period
If the chemical gas remains in soil, it is very toxic to human body and plants

27. Soil Sterilization 2. By heat (High-temperature steam)
2014/3/6 14
Soil Sterilization
2. By heat (High-temperature steam)
2-1. Utilize the solar heat
Spray water to the soil
Cover the soil with a transparent plastic mulch
Apply the cover for 30days

28. Utilize steam heat to sterilize soil
14’
Soil Sterilization
Sterilizing soil using heat is safer and more economical than using chemical
Utilize steam heat to sterilize soil
Solar heat (suitable for field nursery sterilization)
Spray water to field nursery evenly
seal the nursery bed by transparent plastic film
Apply the cover for as many days as possible
This method is only effective when sunlight is strong. Under cloudy condition, it does not work

29. Soil Sterilization 2-2. Utilize the wood fuel15
Soil Sterilization
2-2. Utilize the wood fuel
Prepare a double structure dram
Set water in lower and soil in upper layer
Ignite for 3~4 hours
Upper layer
Soil
Lower layer
Water

30. Fuel heat (suitable for tray or pot nursery)
Soil Sterilization
15’
Fuel heat (suitable for tray or pot nursery)
Hot steam can be get setting fire to boil water
Prepare a double structure dram. Inside the dram should be divided into half by a middle lid with many steam holes
Set water in the bottom layer and soil in the upper layer (on the middle lid)
Set fire from the bottom of the dram and let the steam to sterilize the soil
This method is effective to sterilize soil, but volume of soil to sterilize is limited and cost may higher due to using fuel

31. Sowing Plug Tray (for small seeds: solanaceae) 16
①Fill the tray with media
②Water the media
③Make shallow holes (5mm)
④Sow a seed per a plug
⑤Cover the seeds slightly
with the media
⑥Cover the tray with newspaper and water

32. When water, make sure to wet the media evenly & and up to the bottom
16’
Fill the nursery soil with media up to the surface and level (the surface should be flat)
When water, make sure to wet the media evenly & and up to the bottom
All holes should be at the same depth (do not sow so deep)
1 seed/hole (Hybrid seeds), 2-3 seeds/hole (local seeds or old seeds)
Make sure that seeds are completely covered by the media. Press slightly the surface with hands
Covering the surface of trays by newspaper or straw prevents seeds to washed away when watering and keeps moisture in the media

33. Plug Tray Alternatives17
Egg Tray
Mesh Container

34. Any material can be used for alternatives of trays BUT AVOID
17’
Any material can be used for alternatives of trays
BUT AVOID
A container with too much depth
More nursery media is necessary
If filled with not enough media, seedlings cannot get enough sunlight because of the brim of the container
A container cannot have holes at the bottom (need to have drainage holes)
shade

35. Sowing Pot (for big seeds: ex. cucurbits) 18 ①Fill the pot with media
②Water the media
③Make 3 shallow holes (1cm)
④Sow 3 seeds per pot
⑤Cover seeds with media
⑥Water the media

36. When water, make sure to wet the media evenly & and up to the bottom
18’
Fill the media up to the surface of the pot (after watering, level of media drops)
When water, make sure to wet the media evenly & and up to the bottom
All holes should be at the same depth (do not sow so deep)
Sow the seeds in the middle of the pot
Make sure that seeds are completely covered by the media. Press slightly the surface with hands
Make sure not to wash out the seeds when watering

37. Pot Alternatives 19
Plastic bag
Banana leave
Paper

38. Any material can be used as pots BUT
19’
Any material can be used as pots
BUT
The diameter should be between 8cm – 12cm
If too small
Cannot raise seedlings in enough size to transplanting
If too big
Transplanting delayed.
Should have drainage holes at the bottom

39. ⑥Water along with ridges
Sowing 20
Field Nursery
①Plow the field
②Remove stones, etc
③Apply compost & plough
④Level the surface
⑤Make ridges
⑥Water along with ridges
⑦Sow seeds along with ridges
⑧Cover & gently press surface
⑨Apply straw & water

40. To encourage uniform germination:
20’
If difficult to find seedling holder materials, raise seedlings in field nursery
To encourage uniform germination:
Plough the bed not to remain soil cluster
Rake the surface as much as even
Make uniform (in depth) sowing ridges
Sow seeds in equal distance
To avoid seeds to washed away by rain:
Cover the surface of the bed with straw OR
Make a polyethylene-tunnel to cover the bed

41. After Germination Remove applied cover (Newspaper, straw, etc)21
Remove applied cover (Newspaper, straw, etc)
Give ample sunlight to seedlings (but avoid direct sunlight when sunshine is too strong)
Avoid exposing the seedlings to rainfall
Place the seedlings under shade when air temperature is over 35℃

42. Remove the applied covers right after germination
21’
Remove the applied covers right after germination
It prevents growth of seedlings
If seedling holder is used, move the seedlings in the place of suitable conditions
If field nursery is used, use polyethylene tunnel to adjust surrounding conditions

43. Field Nursery Management22
After 1 to 2 weeks from the germination
Seedlings are too crowded that preventing sunshine & root development ✓
Thinning out the seedlings to give a space between the seedlings (leaves not touching to the next seedling)
Earth up the bottom of the seedlings not to fall down on the ground

44. Root development is prevented if seedlings are too crowded
22’
Root development is prevented if seedlings are too crowded
Highly populated seedling makes difficult to sunlight to cast the seedlings that planted in the middle of the bed
Seedlings in the middle get spindled
Too crowded seedling bed leads to outbreak of pests & diseases
Thin out the seedlings to maintain the distance between the seedlings (no touching leaves)
Always earth up after thinning out to prevent lodging and to protect the roots

45. Pot Nursery Management23
After 1 to 2 weeks from germination
Leave the healthiest & strongest seedling and thin out other seedling to make 1 plant per a pot

46. Many seedlings in a pot prevent healthy growth
23’
Many seedlings in a pot prevent healthy growth
Preventing root development in soil
Seedlings in the middle cannot get enough sunlight
High population leads to outbreak of pests & diseases
Difficult to transplant the seedlings if many seedlings are there in a pot
Very difficult to loosen the tangled roots