September 07, 2022

Seedling propagation in Nigeria: Improved production practice leads to improved yields

Fresh Produce

Nigeria

In vegetable production, seedling propagation is one of the key field activities toward a successful agribusiness venture. Farmers have practised traditional seedling production in Nigeria over the years. This indigenous knowledge has been passed from generation to generation.

One prominent method employed is broadcasting an agricultural method where seeds are manually dispersed or spread over the prepared surface of the soil (seedling bed) by throwing the seeds across the bed. This method is quick, easy, and less labour-intensive. However, this method is highly discouraged due to poor germination rate where farmers lose over 50 per cent of the seeds, susceptibility of seeds to insects and pest attacks, easy washing away of seeds by runoff water or flooding, excessive rainfall, poor growth and damage of seedling’s tender roots during transplanting.

As part of 2SCALE’s intervention in the vegetable partnership with VD&S and Royal Blue Contractors, farmers in different clusters in Kano, Oyo and Ekiti states were trained on improved vegetable seedling production techniques in propagation units between June and September 2021. A total of 224 farmers were trained. About 6 months after this training, over 40 per cent of the farmers have adopted this improved technique and have seen the benefits it has brought to their vegetable farms. Some of the essential parts of training included how to build the propagation units, how to establish vegetable farms using nursery seedlings, use of coco peats, potting soil and the right quantity for each tray.

A seedling propagation unit is a place where seedlings are raised before they are ready for transplanting to permanent plots on the farm. This unit is essential due to the delicate nature of vegetable seedlings. They are constructed using affordable and readily accessible materials such as wood, nets and ropes. As opposed to broadcasting, seedling trays are used. This ensures better nutrient availability for each seed and significantly reduces transportation and transplanting shocks experienced using the traditional method. They are also built in a way that the seedlings are well-ventilated and have adequate access to sunlight. To avoid flooding, the seedlings are watered at pre-determined intervals. All these aspects lead to high germination rates and quality seedlings, usually transplanted after 21-30 days or when they are about 7-10 cm tall.

Success stories from the beneficiaries

Mr Adesokan Omoyele is a lead farmer from the Iseyin cluster, Oyo state. He has been farming vegetables for about 26 years, he planted in two batches: one batch using his traditional broadcasting method and the other batch in a propagation unit. He planted tomatoes, green pepper and cucumber. Unfortunately, he experienced a 60 per cent loss using the broadcasting method due to fungus and rodents. According to him, he lost less than 1 per cent of the seedlings in the propagation unit. He narrates:

The propagation units are easier to build and very cost-effective, I was able to build it myself using bamboo sticks and window nets. I plan to buy more seedling trays to plant more and increase my productivity, yield and income.

Mr Oludare from the Igbara-Oke cluster in Ondo state who has been farming for over 15 years experienced remarkable yields from his dry-season onion plantation. He attributed this to switching from the broadcasting method to the use of a propagation unit. He elaborates,

I had no casualty when transplanting my onion seedling. I also had no bacterial and fungi infections as it was easy to monitor the seedlings in my unit. I sourced the materials for the unit construction locally and I plan to expand my unit to accommodate the size of my farm because the seedlings could only cover one and a half plots while my farmland is about six plots of land.

Mrs Sunday Kehinde, who has been farming pepper, onion and cucumber for 7 years, also shares her experience,

We were taught how to mix our coco peats, potting soil properly, and how to plant the seeds and water them. There was no wastage when we were transplanting because it was easy to move the seedling from the trays to the farm. Right now, we have planted a new batch in the unit.

Another farmer, Mr Adeloye, from the Adofure cluster cultivates onions, tomatoes and cucumbers on his farm. He has been using the traditional broadcasting method for almost 10 years. He says,

I lost about 500 seeds out of the 2000 seeds I planted because the seeds were constantly competing with weeds and pests. I am grateful to 2SCALE because I have been able to learn and adopt a modern and efficient method of vegetable seedling production. With my propagation unit, I know the exact number of seeds I planted and I can therefore project how much yield is expected.

Mr Adeloye has started convincing his fellow farmers to adopt the use of a propagation unit.

Through this intervention, the partnership is helping farmers to improve their knowledge of improved and sustainable agricultural practices which has an effect on their livelihoods and food security. It also ensures that consumers have consistent access to nutritious food due to increased production using modern techniques.

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