How To Use Manure In Maize Farming (Beginners Guild)
Blossom end rot: meaning, causes and prevention
As a farmer or a gardener, you may have heard of the word blossom end rot or tomato rot if you probably don't know what this really means or you want to further increase your knowledge about this physical dysfunction them this article is for you.
Read through to the end to get the best out of it.
What is blossom end rot?
Being a farmer or a gardener, you may have once or twice notice a depressed water-soaked effect on the blossom end of your tomato fruit (like in the image below), this is know as blossom end rot.
Source: shutter stock.
blossom end rot in tomato fruit
It occurs when the tissues in the blossom end of your fruit breaks down typically due to calcium deficiency in the plant which may be as a result of insufficient calcium in the soil or there is lack of or excess water in the soil which hinders calcium uptake by the plant.
Blossom end rot affects the fruit when dey are still green or at their early stage of ripening. After affecting the plant, the later stage results to a black or brownish leathery coat which can affects up to half of the fruit. You may also want to read our article on
How to prevent bacterial wilt of tomato plant
Fruits affected by blossom end rot can still be eaten by simply removing the affected parts of the fruit.
What crops does blossom end rot mostly affect?
It mostly affects:
- Tomatoes
- Eggplants
- Pepper; and
- Quash.
What are the causes of blossom end rot?
- Blossom end rot is typically caused by calcium deficiency in the plant. This deficiency may be due to the inability of the plant to absolve the calcium in the soil because it is only in rare cases that calcium is actually lacking in the soil.
- Lack of or excess water in the soil: lack of water in the soil prevents the plant from being able to absolve calcium from the soil. Similarly, excess water in the soil also prevents the plant from taking up the calcium in the soil.
- Damaging or cutting off of the plant root. During the course of weeding, farmers also tend to by accident cause damages to plants (such as cutting off of some plant's root), this makes the plant susceptible to blossom end rot as the ability of the plant to absolve calcium and other necessary nutrients in the soil through its root is dropped.
- Excessive fertilization such as high nitrogen in the soil can also worsen blossom end rot.
- Additionally, abnormal pH scale (higher than or lower then 6.5) also may result to blossom end rot.
Source: shutterstock
Prevention and control of Blossom end rot
Though fruits affected by blossom end rot cannot be revamp to their initial look, but it can be prevented from spreading to other parts through the following ways:
- Try to always regulate the water content of the soil I.e provide proper drainage system in your farm or garden for free flow of excess water (run-off).
When there is a drop in rainfall (drought) use irrigation to supply the crops with the much needed water.
Also try to avoid over watering. - Use mulch to avoid excessive loss of water through evapo-transpiration.
- Test your soil periodically and try to maintain a pH of 6.5 (slightly acidic) as it is a suitable pH scale for growing most vegetables. Plants grown on a soil with a pH of 6.5 are most likely to take up the nutrients in the soil very easily.
- Avoid over fertilization. Excess nitrogen worsen blossom end rot. If possible use organic manure or fertilizers with moderate calcium and lower nitrogen content.
Was this article helpful? Drop you comment as feedback on the comment section below.
Get our next article on our Facebook page at UgNaija or directly into your inbox by subscribing below
Trending posts
How To Use Manure In Maize Farming (Beginners Guild)
In less than six months from now the rains will come by in approximately every part of Nigeria. So I guess you are already preparing to produce your maize as usual. maize farm While I may not know the approaches that you have been using to produce your maize, I hope you are not doing what most persons are doing out there which are: farming (growing maize) on the same piece of land year after year... without adding manure/fertilizers... And using not or less improved seeds.. Well, if you have been doing these or simply want to venture into maize production as a complete beginner then this article is certainly for you. In this guild we are going to strictly deal with the use of organic manure (specifically poultry droppings). You may also want to read through the importance of fertilizer application in maize production . How to use organic manure in your maize farm Firstly and obviously you have to clear your land. After clearing, pack your debris away from the farm land Av
Fertilizer Application in Maize production: Why should I?
Did I just heard you right? did you asked why should you apply fertilizers in your maize farm? Well, maybe that's because you haven't read through the factors that increase profitability in maize farming . If you have, then let me walk you through the importance of fertilizer application in maize production, but before then, let me give you a quick introduction of what I experienced last year. Last year, I cultivated lands and grew maize in two different locations. In one of the plot, I applied Fertilizers and in the other I didn't. After 3 - to - 4 days, I noticed that almost every seed grew in the plot where I applied Fertilizers while in the other almost about 30% didn't grow on time. Furthermore, I noticed that there were uniformity in the growth of the maize in the plot with manure/fertilizer because there was a uniform distribution of manure/fertilizer in the entire plot, while in the other there weren't. In fact, many of the maize plants in the plot withou
How To Grow Tomatoes At Home Or Gerden
Are you tired of the high cost of tomatoes in your area? Or maybe tired of cooking with not so fresh tomatoes? Or....? Well, which ever way you feel I will teach you how you can actually grow tomatoes at home or in your backyard garden, so relax and read to the end. First of, you have to know that tomatoes are propagated (grown) by seeds as explained below before transplanting them to their permanent location where they develop till fruiting and eventually die off. A tomato plant How to grow tomatoes by seeds at home Firstly, ensure that you purchase viable and high quality seeds from reliable producers or you can use seeds extracted from the fresh tomatoes you bought from the marked (note: they may not be as highly prolific as those from known producers). Now get a plastic bow and fill it with soil mixed with a moderate amount of fertilizers (preferably organic fertilizers) Thereafter, apply water on the soil to keep it wet but not water logged (full of water). Furthermor
Comments
Post a Comment