KNOW AND UNDERSTAND HOW PLANTS ABSORB NUTRIENTS FROM THE SOIL.

It is imperative for a farmer to know and understand how the plants utilize nutrients provided for their growth, how these nutrients are used and taken up from the soil where they reside before absorption to the plant system.



This will enable the farmer to detect any obstruction or foul play in the plant system. Also, it will show whether the plants are truly utilizing the nutrients provided within the soils or its just a waste. It will also show whether the fertilizer applied is genuine, that is really efficient, or not. The knowledge of how the plants take up nutrients from the soil is really cogent and must be known to all farmers, as you read along you will get to know this.

Plants absorb nutrients from the soil mostly in the forms of ions. Plants need sixteen (16) essential elements or nutrients for good growth and yield, they are:

• Carbon.
• Hydrogen.
• Oxygen.
• Phosphorus.
• Potassium.
• Nitrogen.
• Sulphur.
• Calcium.
• Iron.
• Manganese.
• Magnesium.
• Boron.
• Copper.
• Zinc.
• Molybdenum.
• Chloride.

In the above listed nutrients, some of them are called mobile nutrients while some are called immobile nutrients.

The immobile nutrients are the type that are slowly translocated through the plant to the region where that are most needed. These nutrients are; Calcium, Iron, Manganese, Boron and Chloride. They accumulate in the lower regions of the plants such as roots and older leaves, consequently starving the young plants when these nutrients are in short supply in the soil. Their deficiency symptoms are usually more observed in the younger and upper parts of the plants.
The mobile or fast moving nutrients are Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Sulphur, Zinc and Molybdenum. They accumulate more in the younger and upper parts of the plants. Their deficiency symptoms are first observed in the lower parts of the plants.

Plants may obtain nutrients by absorption through either the leaves or the roots. Carbondioxide for example enters the plant almost entirely through the stomata, which are the small openings into the interiors of the leaves. Water is also absorbed through the stomata but the amount is small in comparison to the amount of water entering through the roots. Nutrients are supplied by the following processes.

1. Mass flow.
2. Diffusion.
3. Root interception.

Mass flow
Mass flow is the movement of plant nutrients through the soil in the moving water mass. Large amounts of water are transpired by plants, most of this water is first absorbed by the plant roots, then move through the roots and stems and finally lost through the stomata of leaves.

The continuous absorption and transpiration of water by plants  means that large volume of water must move through the soil. The water with the dissolved nutrients also called soil solution moves through the soil to the plant roots. There, the water and the dissolved nutrients are absorbed into the plant cells.

Diffusion
This is the movement of nutrients from the medium of higher concentration to that of lower concentration.
When plant roots absorb nutrients from the soil solution, other dissolved nutrients move from higher concentration zones to areas of lower concentration of such nutrients to ensure it is fully utilized.

Root interception
This is the absorption of nutrients by the root extensions. As plant roots grow, they ramify into new areas of the soil where they meet or intercept ions that are there in solution. This root extension decreases the distance needed for plant nutrients to move by mass flow or diffusion in order to arrive at the plant root surface.

Many nutrients, when sprayed, are capable of being absorbed by leaves of plants but plants absorb most nutrients through their roots.

USING HOME FLORESCENT TO CONTROL INSECT ON THE FARM

I know some people will ask, how can that be possible but when we think deep about this, we will definitely want to give it a try. Though this method is a old method that farmers use many years back but they did it with lantern but it really help. We all know light control some flying insect at night. This is because most insect that affect farm produce are nocturnal insect, light lures them at night , so why can’t farmers use this method to help control insect on the farm. Some farmers have spent a lot buying different insecticides but there are still lot of insects causing damages to the crop. This method really good for GREEN HOUSE farming a lot. All we need is just to get a plane white cloth or any plane surface, lamp/florescent or any light supplier.

HOW TO SET IT

We get a plane cloth that can serve as background, after placing this, we get a wide bowl with full water inside it and place it under the plane cloth we provided. We find a way to hang the light supplier to the plane cloth, so the water we provided down reflect back and control the insect to the water. We leave it on in the night till the second day. If we check the second day. There will be a lot dead insect inside the water. Doing this with little spraying of insecticide will definitely eradicate insect in our farm.

HAVING LIGHTING AROUND YOUR FARM HELP A LOT

Just because most activities on farm usually carry on in day, many think leaving farm in the dark till day brake is normal, some even think why will they install light because they doing farming but they don’t know it very useful in many ways having light around farm. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to do some necessary things in order to achieve best when doing anything but some people ignore many thing for the fact that people are not doing it, they all think it normal. Having information and getting know what we wanted to do better before we start really help a lot. This is why it’s look like magic when two people doing the same thing and one having good result than the other. Fundamental is very essential in anything we want to do. This goes for farmer that never thing having light around farm can help. Have you ever think of how much can this help you at all? No, that is it. Light is very good in many ways for farmers.

o   Security purpose

o   Control pest

o   Home farming

Many useful like that. Some farmers think because they are doing open field cultivation in small area, they don’t have to worry about that. well you might not but if you do, it helps.

Control pest: UV Light can be use effectively to control the activity of some nocturnal insect and thus reduce damage of fruit , vegetables and flower. Light lures insects by means of Ultraviolet (UV) light and destroy them on an electrically charged grid surrounding the florescent tube.

 Home farming: light is essential for home farming

Security purpose: Anyone planning to thief farm product will definitely want to come at dark time but if there is light everywhere, this will secure whatever cultivation we are doing from thieves.