CROP PRODUCTION

Marshmallow plant (Althaea Officinalis)

2012-02-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

It is an indigenous plant, belonging to the Natural family Malvaceae and to the Linnaean class and order Monadelphia Polyandria.

A perennial herb with a yellow, branched root, tall, erect leafy stems and large alternate, lobed an irregularly toothed leaves.

Pale pink flowers bloom in late summer, followed by round, flattened fruits and the long perennial roots are cream colored.

Marshmallow has a widespread distribution from western-Europe to Siberia. In the British Isles, where it is native, it is locally common in salt marshes and on banks near the sea.

The flowers, leaves and roots of marshmallow and many of its cousins have been used around the world as a source of a mucilage that is moistening, soothing , anti-inflammatory, and softening.

The herb contains very high levels of large sugar molecules called mucilage. Which appear to exert a soothing effect on mucous membranes.

There are many species of mallow growing around the world, often used as food or medicine and possessing similar properties.

Marshmallow plant (Althaea Officinalis)

The Origin of Lemon

2012-01-11T22:38:00.000-08:00

The lemon, Citrus limon, owes its name entirely to the botanies, for its was unknown to classical writers.

The origin of lemon, has been a mystery, although there exists some indication that is a native of southeastern China, and it was cultivated before the Sung dynasty.

There was a suggestion that lemon originated in the foothills of Kashmir and reached the province of Kuan-tong by 1900 BC.

Apparently the lemon was introduced to Persia and Palestine at the beginning of the twelfth century A.D as it was then commonly grown in those countries and is described in many Arabia works of that period.

From the tenth century AD onwards the Arabs, took it all around the Mediterranean basin, eastwards to Greece by way of Constantinople, westwards to Spain by way of the Maghreb and Fezzan.

The transmigration to Europe belongs to the invasion of the West by those mighty caliphs, who from the heart of Southern Asia, extended their conquests to the foot of Pyrenees, leaving everywhere traces of their power and of their knowledge.

The lemon, thus transported by the Arabs into every part of their vast empire where it would grow, was found by the Crusaders in Syria and Palestine towards the end of the eleventh century.

The lemon was brought to northern Africa, Spain and Sicily, probably by the Crusaders, who followed the activities of the Arabs in spreading citrus culture.

The crusaders conquered Granada in 1492 and reunited the whole Spain. It seems likely that a range of lemon trees was already growing there and that the now colonist would have continued to cultivate as the Moors had done previously.

Once Spain and Portugal colonized most of the New World and they then introduced lemon to the Americas.
The Origin of Lemon

Fruit of Mulberry

2012-01-03T20:56:00.000-08:00

Mulberry are members of the Moraceae, consisting of mostly trees and shrubs of tropical regions.

When ripe the fruit is juicy and has the appearance of an elongated bramble fruit.

Three are three types of mulberry, named according to the color of the fruit.
*Red Mulberry
*Black Mulberry
*White Mulberry

Black mulberry is more commonly used for its fruit while white mulberry is better known for its connection with oriental silk production.

Recently tea made of mulberry leave has become popular in some countries.

Mulberry leaf is rich in gamma-aminobutylic acid, effective against high blood pressure and in alanine, effective giants hangovers.

The processed of mulberry tea is similar to that of green tea, which includes the procedures of leaf harvesting and washing, chopping, steaming, rubbing, baking, cooling, sieving and storage.

Mulberry tea is drink in the same way as green tea. In Chinese medicine, it is believed that this beverage nourishes the kidneys, clears heat and improves eyesight.

It also has a whitening affects that can definitely boost our skin.

Mulberry juice is used in folk medicine remedies for tumors. It is reported that white mulberry is used in folk medicine for arm ache, asthma, bronchitis, bug-bites, cold, cough dropsy, constipation and diarrhea.

Medicinally, fruits are laxative, refrigerant in fevers and used for treating sore throat.

Mulberry ripen unevenly, and are highly perishable, which are the main reason why they have never achieved commercial significance.

The ripe fruit is delicious eaten but also can be made into wine. In medieval England, mulberries were made into murrey, a blue black puree added to spice meats or used as a pudding.
Fruit of Mulberry

Rye cereal in general

2011-12-24T03:05:00.000-08:00

Rye is a cereal grass that is second only to wheat in world popularity for bread baking, It has strong hearty flavor in bread and as a cereal.

Botanically name: Secale cereal L. The word ‘rye’ traces to the Old English ryge and seems similar to the Old High German rocko and Lithuanian rugys.

Whole rye flour is dark and contains most of the nutrients of rye berries. Light rye flour is a refined product.

Rye grains resemble those of wheat, but are longer and less plump, varying in color from yellowish brown to greenish gray.

Cracked rye is crushed rye berries. It can be cooked like cracked wheat or oats, as a breakfast cereal. Rolled rye flakes are produced by heating rye berries until soft and flattening them with steel rollers.

Rye is used to produce crackers and rye flakes are used as a hamburgers extender. In the United States, however, one of the main uses for rye is rye whiskey.

The health effects of rye have been the target of intensive research during the last 15 years. Rye is a good source of dietary fiber, phenolic compounds, vitamins, trace elements and minerals.

Rye cereal in general

Blueberries plant: Easy to grow

2011-12-01T02:37:00.000-08:00

Blueberries are one of the easiest and most rewarding small fruits to grow. If the soil pH can be adjusted so that it is low enough to support the acid soil requirement of blueberries, cultural practices should not be difficult.

Blueberries need a good drainage. Though they like a descent of water, they do not like to have their feet wet all the time.

If the soil is full of clay, add materials such as compost and sand to improve aeration and drainage.

A mature bush can give up to 20 Ibs. of fruit, so they are well worth growing even if the condition are less than ideal.

In addition to being a fruit plant, blueberries make an attractive landscape plant ether as single plant or planted in a hedge.

Blueberries fit into small spaces. The plants are attractive with pretty white flowers in spring and leaves that turn a vivid red in autumn.

The spring blossoms are very fragrant and the fall foliage is a beautiful red. The berries attract birds who come to feed on them.

It is much easier to cultivate blueberry s in areas of the country where they grow naturally. Any commercial production is usually restricted to these areas.

The fruit of many species of wild blueberry are harvested for local use, but those of three species – Vaccinium corymbosum Vaccinium ashei and Vaccinium angustifolium, are today sold in a large commercial scale.

Many blueberries grow in the wild. There are two major cultivated species of blueberries, the highbush and the rabbiteye.
Blueberries plant: Easy to grow

Pesticide use for Crops

2011-10-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

The increases in crop yields throughout this century have been partly credited to pesticide technology.

Pesticides have contributed greatly to increased agricultural productivity and crop quality.

Pesticides are applied annually to the majority of the crops. One or more pesticides are used to control weeds and other pests of crops.

Use of pesticide in corps is dependent on the disease and pest infestations and also type of crops grown.

There is widespread acceptance that modern varieties of crops are much more prone to insect, pest and disease infestations.

There are many types of pesticides. They are based on their mode of action and this bais they could be group as follows:
*Repellants
*Fumigants
*Smokes
*Stomach poisons
*Contact poisons
*Systemic poisons

Pesticides play an important role in food production – controlling plant disease, weeds, insects and other pests.

Pesticide protect crops and ensure a substantial yield, thus assuring consumers of a wide variety of foods at affordable prices.
Pesticide use for Crops

Crop of Licorice

2011-10-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

Licorice consists of the dried roots and stolons of plants in the genus Glycyrrhiza (family Leguminosae) and is one of the oldest herbs, known for 3000 years.

Licorice is the extract obtained from the sweet-tasting root and rhizome of the licorice plant – Glycyrrhiza, a member o the legume or pea family.

Over 20 species of licorice plants native to Europe, Asia, North and South America, and Australia have been identified.

The most family licorice plant in the western hemisphere is European licorice or Glycyrrhiza glabra, a shrub with pale resembling lilacs grown mostly in the Mediterranean region.

The licorice plant is found between the 30th and 45th starting from the northwest part of China, followed by the former Soviet Republic, the eastern part of Turkey, central Syria, Iraq, Iran the central part of Spain and the southern part of Italy.

It is often found growing near streams, in sandy soils, and in scrubland and is sometimes quite weedy.

The above ground portion of the plant has no commercial value and is normally discarded during harvesting. The licorice root extends both vertically and horizontally. It may extend as much as 25 feet in search of moisture during the dry, hot weather.

Licorice is grown for yield of commercial licorice, used in medicine, industry and as a flavoring. Licorice is rarely used in domestic cookery, but is employed in commercial cooking.

Since plants can grow in limited regions in the world in the temperate zone of the Eurasian Continent, some countries need to import large qualities of licorice.

Commercial licorice is marketed in several forms, including peeled or unpeeled sticks, solid extract and juice.
Crop of Licorice

World barley production

2011-09-17T05:09:00.001-07:00

Barley has played a major role from the era of hunting and gathering, through the transition to agriculture, up to the present era.

Barley as the fifth most productivity crop in the world today involves massive amounts of resource and people working in production agriculture, commodity transportation and trade; processing and end use product manufacture, transportation, marketing and consumption as well as research and development.

It is also the fourth most produced cereal on an approximately dry weight basis. Barley is generally planted in those areas where climatic conditions do not permit a food crop of wheat. Thus may due to lower rainfall, shorter growing season or less fertile soils.

It is estimated about 85% percent of today’s world barley production is used for feeding animals. Following the leading sector of feed barley, it is the malting industry that mainly relies on the supply of suitable charges of malting barley.

Barley is the most important of the raw materials used for beer production. Different cultivars of the spring barley with exceptionally suitably properties are used as brewing and malting barley.

The United States was the fifth largest barley producing country in 1990-1991, behind Germany, Canada and France. The countries with highest average per acre yields are in Europe, where Switzerland averaged an amazing 107+bushels/acre and Belgium-Luxembourg, Demark, France, Ireland, Netherlands and Czechoslovakia all averaged over 100 bushels/acre in 1990-1991.

Germany is the largest barley producer and it is the barley in Germany is generally categories into winter and summer barley, based on the time of sowing. In Germany, malting barley comes exclusively form summer barley crops because of its higher fermentation quality compared to winter barley.
World barley production

Corn Processing: The Making of Bourbon

2011-08-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

Bourbon is the best known and probably the most popular whiskey produced in the United States.

Bourbon whiskey takes it name from the old Bourbon County of Kentucky to the west of Virginia.

Bourbon has a distinctive taste, and to substitute another whiskey when the recipe calls for bourbon is a little like saying any old spice will do when preparing a meal.

Bourbon whiskey must be produced and matured in the USA, according to the following restrictions:
*The grain must contain at least 51% corn
*Maximum distillation strength must be not more than 80% ABV
*New make whiskey must enter the casks at no more than 62.5% ABV
*Maturation must be carried out in newly charred American white oak casks for a minimum of two years.
*Bottled at a minimum of 40% alcohol

The corn is milled to a specified particle size, mixed with local limestone water and then steamed in a large cereal cooker.

The basic sweetness of the sprit comes from corn, the predominant grain ingredient used in bourbon.

After cooling, milled malted barley and rye are added to provide enzymes for hydrolysis of the starch to fermentable sugars.

Enzymes in the barley assist in the conversion of the starch on the mash into simple sugars that will become alcohol during the fermentation process.

Spent mash from previous distillation is added at this stage or just before the pitching of yeast. The mash then cooled and fermentation proceed for several days.

During the fermentation. Organic compounds called esters or fruity flavor substances are created that add flavoring qualities to the fermented mash.

The routine aging of bourbon began in the mid 19th century. Aging improves the taste of the bourbon significantly, enriching, mellowing, and polishing it.

Bourbon are often charcoal filtered whiskeys that are aged in new oak barrels.

Straight bourbon must be aged for at least two years. It usually is aged for four to six years and may be aged for 20 years or more.

During aging, the bourbon evaporates through barrel, the portion lost is known in the industry as the “angle’s share.” As a result, the alcohol content rises.

Most bourbons are released from the barrel and then diluted to make a minimum of 40% ABV but some are ‘barrel proof’ and bottled straight from the barrel.
Corn Processing: The Making of Bourbon

Coffee in Ethiopia

2011-08-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

Coffee originated in Ethiopia and is a center part of the economy. Since the establishments of agriculture 2000 years ago in Ethiopia, Coffee arabica has been grown in the natural forest of the south western massive highlands of the Kaffa and Buno districts of the country.

Ethiopia depends on exports of coffee for around 40 percent of foreign earnings. Coffee is also crucial to the Ethiopian economy because it contributes 10% of the country’s gross domestic product.

With about 2.3 per cent of the global coffee market, it is Africa’s third largest exporter of coffee behind Ivory Coast and Uganda. Ethiopia is currently the seventh largest coffee producer worldwide.

It is sold as green coffee beans, with further processing like blending, roasting and grinding taking place elsewhere.

Coffee production systems in Ethiopia remain predominantly traditional, and diseases and insect pests greatly reduce the productivity and quality of the produce.

The estimated area devoted to coffee is about 400,000 ha with average annual production amounting to about 250,000 ton.

Coffee is produced in four main production systems: forest, semi-forest, cottage and plantation, which account for 10, 35, 50 and 5% respectively.
Coffee in Ethiopia

Fruit of Blueberries in North America

2011-07-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Fruit of Blueberries in North America
Blueberries grow wild in many parts of the world. Blueberries are mainly important in Canada and the USA.

Other producers include the countries of Scandinavia and eastern Europe. In recent years there has been increased planting in New Zealand, France and UK.

North America farmers grow over 103 million pounds of blueberries a year. Canada and United States supply almost 95% of the total blueberries for the food industry.

Cultivation highbush harvesting begins in the spring in the southern United States and continues in Nova Scotia and British Columbia into October.

Cultivated blueberries grow in clusters and the berries do not ripen all at once. The berries at the bottom of the cluster may be ripe, while the ones on top are still green.

Highbush berries are grown in British Columbia and on much smaller scale in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes.

Canada is top wild blueberry producer in the world, while Nova Scotia contributes one-quarter of the total amount.

Domestic and international demand for berries is on the rise with increased public awareness of the many health benefits associated with berry consumption, including high fiber content and antioxidant activity.

Canada acreage of cultivated berries has more than double in western Canada during the past decade.

British Columbia is the largest blueberry producer in Canada, About 60 to 70 percent of the blueberries sold in North America are cultivated.

Half of the commercial blueberries are turned into jams, pies and other bakery products and processed food.
Fruit of Blueberries in North America

The Tree of Mango

2011-07-15T02:09:00.000-07:00

Mango is one of the most productive tropical plants. Mango contains protein, fat, carbohydrate, minerals, vitamins A, B, C, amino acids, resins, natural sugars, and citric tartaric and malic acids.

The mango tree is believed to have evolved as a canopy layer or emergent species of the tropical rainforest of South-east Asia.

The trunk of the tree is covered by a dark grey, cracked bark, when old. The young plant, to be sure, has a green outer skin called epidermis, like annual herbs.

Mature trees can attain a height of 40 m or more and can survive for several hundred years.

Mango trees that have been domesticated by selection from openly pollinated seedling populations show variation in tree architecture.

The tree is an arboresent evergreen. Leaves are simple and alternate, with petioles that range in length from 1 to 12.5 cm.

The petioles, besides placing the leaves in such position that they can get light, also save them from being torn when wind blows very strongly as they are springy.

Leaf morphology is highly variable, depending on the cultivar: leave can be lanceolate, oblong, ovate and intermediate types involving these forms.

Leaf length ranges from 12 to 38 cm and width can be between 2 -13 cm. Young leaves are copper colored, changing gradually to light and then dark green with age.

The leaves are spirally arranged in whorls and are produced in flushes. The canopy is normally oval, elongated or dome shaped.

The leaves of mango tree contain saponins, glycerine, sterols, polyphenols an benzoic acid and posses antibiotic properties.

Mango tree is able to keep its leaves on all the year round and thus can keep its root much cooler than a tree which has at times no leaves.

The juvenile period of seedling trees can range from 3 to 7 years. The root system consist of along, vigorous taproot and abundant surface feeder roots.
The Tree of Mango

Corn Belt in United States

2011-07-01T23:14:00.000-07:00

Corn Belt is a region of the Midwestern United States where corn has, since the 1850s, has been the predominant crop, replacing the native tall grasses. This region has dominated American farming for the past century.

The Corn Belt includes the prairie plains from Ohio westward through Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska.

Most corn is fed to livestock, especially hogs and poultry. It produces about 70% of the US corn crop and includes the top five corn producing states in the USA: Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota and Indiana.

In the heart of the Corn Belt, the state of Iowa alone accounted for more than 16% of US corn and soybean export value.

Booms and busts periodically been common in Corn Belt history. New technology to increase agriculture production now seems to lie more in the era of genetic research than it does with larger machines or more powerful agrochemicals.

Despite giving it’s the name to the region, corn was never the only crop grown. Rather, it formed part of a triangular feed crop rotation, with small grains and hay, the products of which were marketed “on the hoof” as high quality pork and beef.

Corn Belt agriculture today is oriented towards corn, soybean and meat production.
Corn Belt in United States

Garlic crops

2011-06-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

The Allium crop species are probably the most economically important vegetable species consumed throughout the world.

Onion and garlic are the premier crops enjoying a place of pride among the Allium species.

The name garlic is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words gar-spear and lac-plant that refer to the shape of garlic leaves. Allium sativum is a member of the Liliaceae family, which also includes onions leeks, scallions or chives.

Garlic herbs have a bulb consisting of a cluster of smaller bulbs. The leaves are long, linear and sword shape.

The process of growing garlic begins with the planting which is done sometime in the fall or winter depending on the location and the variety of garlic.

Cultivated garlic is reproduced from cloves, and the new plants are generally referred to as clones, Garlic is a very labor intensive crop, since much of the work must still be done by hand.

It is also a relatively high risk crop, with some varieties being riskier than others.

Garlic is sold year round, though new crop garlic is the best choice. Garlic is harvested in mid-summer and hung in sheds to dry.
Garlic crops

The Economy of Cereal Grains

2011-06-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

Of all the plants on which humans have depended for food, those that produce the cereal grains are by far the most important, as they have been since earliest recorded time.

Cereal grains are the seeds of cultivated grasses that include wheat, corn, oats, barley, rye, rice, sorghum, and millet.

There are a number of reasons why cereals have been so important in our diet. They can be grown in a variety of areas, some even in adverse soil and climatic conditions.

They give high yields per acre as compared to most other crops, and once harvested, their excellent stored stability combined with their nutritional value makes them the most desirable of foods for holding in reserve.

They are easy to package and transport and they can be used to produce a large variety of highly desirable foods both for humans and animals, as well as beverages for human consumption.

Cereal grains are the most important source of the world’s total food. Rice alone is reported to supply the major part of the diet for more than one half of the word’s population.

Cereal grains are the staple food of the peoples of developing countries, providing them, with about 75% of their total caloric intake and about 67% of their total protein intake.

The grains are eaten in many ways, sometimes as a paste or other preparation of the seed, more often milled and further processed into flour, starch, oil, bran, syrup, sugar, dried breakfast forms, and so forth. They are also used to feed the animals that provide us with meat, eggs, milk, butter, cheese, and a host of other foods.
The Economy of Cereal Grains

Postharvest Technology of Rice: Harvesting and Threshing

2011-06-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

Postharvest Technology of Rice: Harvesting and Threshing
When the rice grain is harvested, it is unusable as human food until the inedible hull is removed. Since the grain is usually consumed as white rice, the bran layer must also be removed (through a process called polishing or milling).

Thus, the normal sequence in the handling of a rice crop after it matures is harvesting, cleaning, drying storage, milling and distribution to the market (or retention for farm family consumption).

Parboiling, if done, occurs sometime before milling.

The chief consideration in harvesting is the degree of maturity of the grain, which is determined by measuring moisture content. The optimum moisture content of the rice grain at harvest time is 21 to 24 percent.

Under tropical conditions this point is generally reached 28 to 32 days after flowering. If the crop is allowed to stand d in the field after it reaches maturity, large losses occur in the both the field yield of the crop harvested and the percentage recovery of head rice after milling.

Early harvesting produces a higher quality milled rice. When grain is allowed to remain in the field after it is mature “sun checking” (cracking of the grain) occurs and many of the grains break during the grain is wetter and requires more drying before it can be stored. In addition, threshing early harvested paddy is more difficult.

Mechanical threshers remove the drudgery from the process and save time. Although they require a capital investment, the cost of operation is low. Small portable threshers powered by horsepower engines are available and are light enough to be carried readily from field to field.
Postharvest Technology of Rice: Harvesting and Threshing

Wheat Structure

2011-06-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

Wheat Structure
Wheat structure is a single seeded fruit, 4 to 10 mm long, consisting of a germ and endosperm enclosed by an epidermis and a seed coat.

The fruit coat or pericaprs (45 to 50 um thick) surrounds the seed and adhere closely to the seed coat.

The wheat color, depending on the species and other factors is red a to white and is due to material present in the seed coat.

Wheat also is classified based on physical characterizes such as red, white soft, hard spring or winter.

The outer pericaprs is consist of the epidermis and hypodermis. The epidermis consists of a single layer of cells that from the outer surface of the kernel.

On the outer walls of the epidermal cells is the water impervious cuticle. Some epidermal cells at the apex of the kernel are modified to form hairs.

The hypodermis is composed of one to two layers of cells. The inner pericaprs is composed of intermediate cells and cross –cells inward from hypodermis.

Long and cylindrical tube cells constitute the inner epidermis of the pericaprs. In the crease, the seed coat joins the pigment strand, and together they form a complete coat about the endosperm and germ.

Three layers can be distinguished in the seed coat: a thick outer cuticle, a “color layer” that contains pigment, and a very thin inner cuticle.

The bran comprises all outer structures of the kernel inward to, and including the aleurone layer.

This layer is the outer layer of the endosperm, but is considered as part of the bran by millers.

The aleurone layer is usually one cell thick and almost completely surrounds the kernel over the starchy endosperm and germ.

The endosperm is composed of peripheral, prismatic and central cells that are different in shape, size and position within the kernel.

The endosperm cells are packed with starch granules, which lie embedded in a matrix that is largely protein.
Wheat Structure

Crop of Peanuts

2011-05-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

By 500 to 100 BC peanuts were so common on the coast of Peru. Peanuts were eaten in exactly the way they are eaten today – toasted in the shell as a snack.

The peanut made its way to Africa a half millennia ago and with the slave trade found its way to North America.

The peanut (A. hypogaea), also called groundnut and earthnut, among other names, is technically a pea not a nut. It is the most popular nut in the United States.

Peanuts are important legume crop in the warm climates of the world.

Peanuts are produced in Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. India and China together account for more than 50% of the world’s total production.

It is an unusual plant in the sense that it flowers above ground, but fruits below ground.

Peanuts is a food high in proteins, monosaturated fat, and the antioxidant reservratol, the peanut is showing it self to be an able protector of the human heart and blood vessel.
Crop of Peanuts

Mangosteen

2011-04-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

Often describe as one of the world’s best flavored fruit, the mangosteen is highly esteemed in Southeast Asia.

The mangosteen is an important export crop to many international markets, fresh fruits command a high price in Hong Kong, Japan and Europe.

Mangosteen belongs to family Clusiaceae, formerly known as Guttiferae which includes 9 genera and 86 species. Genus Garcinia has 68 species and the most esteemed member of this genus is Garcinia mangostana, the mangosteen.

Mangosteen is found only in cultivation and only female trees are known.

The tree is evergreen and grows to a height of 10-25 m with a dense canopy of large dark green, opposite leaves that are ovoid to oblong and have short petioles.

The mangosteen grows in high rainfall areas over 2,500 mm per year, because of the high humidity, few commercial crops can be economically cultivated.

It growth in shade on well drained, slightly acidic soil that is rich organic matter.

Mangosteen is commonly propagated by seeds, since its seeds are azygotic and produces trees like mother tree. Seeds are formed from nuclellar tissues of carpel walls of fruit.

The tree is a slow growing evergreen. It thrives best warm, humid, rainy climates with few seasonal variations in rainfall and temperature.
Mangosteen

Crop of avocado

2011-04-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

The avocado Persea americna Mill is a major fruit crop of the tropics and subtropics. Avocado ranks 10th in total production among fruit crops after Musa spp. (banana and plantain).

The major production areas are in the Western Hemisphere. The most important producing countries are Mexico, the United States, Brazil, Dominican Republic and Indonesia.

Botanically, avocado fruit are considered berries. They consists of a single, large seed with two cotyledons surrounded by the tick fleshy, edible mesocarp and the rind.

Avocado prefer mild winters of tropics and subtropics. Plants are extremely sensitive to poor drainage, heavy clay and saline conditions and windy situations.

Oil may be obtained from the fruit pulp and pit. It has a high nutritional value since it contains essential fatty acids. Minerals, proteins and vitamins A, B6, C, D and E.

The content of saturated fatty acids in the pulp of the fruit and in the oil is low; on contrary, it is very high in mono-unsaturated fatty acids. The oil content of the fruit is in the range 12-30%.
Crop of avocado

Fruit of Prune (Prunus domestica) Crops

2011-04-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

A plum (Prunus domestica L.) is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. Their skin is very smooth, shiny and can be red, purple and yellow color.

They have a yellow flesh, are sweet tart and are less juicy than Japanese varieties, making them the best for cooking and drying.

World wide, this is one of the main species grown. Trees are taller, more upright, longer lived, more cold hardy and later blooming than Japanese plum.

It has been cultivated for over 2000 years and was taken to America by the colonists. This European plum originated in eastern Europe and western Asia. It is the hybrid of the sloe plum and another wild plum.

Fruit are generally oval, smaller and more variable in color than with Japanese plums. In the United States, Prunus domestica is used for prunes, fruit cocktail, or other products and rarely eaten fresh.

In Europe it is the most important commercial crop. The fruit make an excellent jams and pie filling.
Fruit of Prune (Prunus domestica) Crops

Passion fruit crop

2011-04-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

Passion fruit is a member of the Passifloraceae family which contains twelve different genera and approximately five hundred species.

Passion fruit is popular fruit in many subtropical countries, both hemispheres at medium to high elevation where temperatures are moderate.

The purple passion fruit is adopted to the cooler subtropics or at high altitudes in the tropics, while the golden passion fruit is more suited to tropical and low conditions.

The fruit can be cut in halves and the pulp scooped out and eaten fresh by itself or added to fruit salad, ice cream and fruit juice.

Other products include tropical fruit cocktail, passionfruit sherbet and ice, and jelly and jam combination.

It adds a unique flavor to other fruit based beverages. The yellow passion fruit is preferred for processing because of its higher juice yield and acidity.

Passion fruit also good source of vitamin C, containing between 20 and 30 mg of vitamin C and 1272 IU of vitamin A per 100 g of fresh fruit, as well as other vitamins in smaller amounts.

Passions fruit is used as food, which has content of iron and vitamin C. Because of that it can reduces iron deficiency anemia.

It is one of the most attractive of all flowering plants, produces a fruit with unique flavour and aroma. It is popular in many subtropical and tropical countries.

Passion fruit plants grow very quickly after planting. Also the plant normally gives fruit for only three years and new plants must then be planted.

These species are characterized by their climbing habit, with tendrils and their attractive flowers.
Passion fruit crop

What is organic farming?

2011-03-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

Organic farming is practiced in nearly all countries of the world, and a growing number of farms occupy an expanding land area.

The term organic farming goes back to the 1940s when a British writer, Lord Northbourne, describe an integrated farm as a ‘dynamic living organic whole’.

Organic farming means crop rotation – changing the crops grown in a field each season, to build healthy fertile soil that has few pest problems.

Organic farming comprises all agriculture production methods that cultivate the soil or livestock without using substances that endanger life. They do this by employing measures of cultivation according to nature.

This agriculture promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity.

It promotes environmentally, socially and economically sound production of food, fiber, timber etc.

Markets for organic products are growing rapidly within and beyond North America, Japan and Europe.

The organic products are not only being processed and consumed locally. Trade with organic products all over the world is a growing reality and organic products from developing countries.

Many proponents of organic production methods claim this is the only viable strategy for cleaning up the environment and creating a sustainable food system based on contemporary energy and other resources.
What is organic farming?

Water Seeded Rice

2011-01-26T18:54:00.000-08:00

Water Seeded Rice
The practice of water seeding rice originated and is still followed, in parts of Asia, including India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand. It is widely practiced in the United States, southern Europe, Russia and Australia.

For water seeding, precise water control is must, and more seeds are required than for the transplant method. Good seed viability is essential. Oxygen deficiency does not appear to be limiting factor in stand establishment of rice in water seeded rice.

Satisfactory drainage is necessary in areas subject to flooding. Proper land preparation and leveling ensure the uniform spread of water during irrigation and facilitate easy drainage when required during crop establishment.

With inadequate water control and poor drainage direct seeding may run risk of early stage submerge and crop failure.

There are three basic water seeding systems:
1. Continuous flooding
2. Pinpoint flooding
3. Delayed flooding

Water seeding is preferred over dry seeding in certain rice producing regions, due to factors such as , red rice suppression, rapid stand establishment, and tradition.

In southwestern Louisiana, water seeding is the most extensive planting method used because significant rice hectarage is severely infected with red rice.

Control or suppression of red rice is highly dependent on the water seeding system used.

Water seeded rice is the major system of rice culture in California. It is intensively managed with varying external inputs of farm equipment, fertilizers and pesticides.

The usual practice in California is to soak the seed for 18-24 hours , drain for 24-48 hours and seed by airplane into field flooded to a depth of 7.5 – 15 cm.

Continuous flooding is the primary cultural system in California. The system provides excellent weed control, especially when coupled with herbicides. Design of most irrigation systems with continuous flooding in California includes floodwater recirculation to minimize pesticide movement to public waterways.

Pinpoint flooding is the most popular water seeding practice is Louisiana, especially in the southwestern area. In this system, fields are flooded, seeds are sown aerially and then fields are drained within 1 to 3 days. The floodwater is removed for a very brief period of time, generally 3 to 5 days and a shallow, permanent flood is then established.

The brief drainage period in this system encourages better seeding anchorage the typically occurs with continuous flooding. A disadvantage with continuous flooding can be poor root anchorage, which occurs with varieties that possess poor seedling vigor.

In water seeded delayed flooding system, the basic difference in water management form continuous and pinpoint is the extended drainage period after seeding. The permanent flood is not established until 15 to 20 days after emergence. Adequate moisture for seedling growth and establishment is maintained by rainfall or flush irrigation.
Water Seeded Rice

Taxonomy of Coffee

2010-12-13T02:56:00.000-08:00

Taxonomy of Coffee
The genus Coffea belongs to the family Rubiaceae. This family comprises many genera including Gardenia, Ixora, Cinchona (quinine) and Rubia.

The later includes Rubia tinctoria (Turkey Red), from which the name of the family Rubiaceae was derived. The genus Coffea covers approximately 70 species.

The main species of coffee tree cultivated on a worldwide scale are Coffea arabica and C. canephora var. robusta.

Minor cultivated species include C. liberica and C. excelsa, which are mainly restricted to West Africa and Asia, and account for 1-2% of global production.

In the past, coffee classification has undergone frequent alterations and the present system of classification is not yet the final version.

Specialists are well aware that further native species of Coffea are likely to be discovered in Africa and possibly elsewhere.

In addition, genome studies involving cellular studies and molecular chemistry, will undoubtedly highlight factors that will refine and simplify present day coffee classification.
Taxonomy of Coffee