<h1><strong>PRE-PLANTING OPERATIONS </strong></h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>Definition of Cultural Practices</li> <li>Types of Cultural Practices</li> <li>Pre-planting Operations</li> </ol>   <h2><strong>Definition of Cultural Practices</strong></h2> Cultural practices or operations refer to all the operations carried out on the farm from the beginning of the farming season to the end of the season. <h2><strong>Types of Cultural Practices</strong></h2> Cultural operations can be classified as; <ul> <li>Pre-planting operations</li> <li>Planting operations</li> <li>Post-planting operations</li> </ul> <h2><strong>Pre-planting Operations</strong></h2> These are the farming activities carried out before planting is done. These activities are carried out to prepare and make the soil conducive for the crop to be planted. <strong>Pre-planting operations in sequence are: </strong>selection of the site, surveying of the soil and land measurement, clearing, stumping, field plotting or farm layout, tilling or ridging, ploughing, harrowing, nursery and nursery practices. <h3>1. <strong>Selection or Choice of Site</strong></h3> The site selected should suit the purpose of production in term of size, fertility of the soil, topography, accessibility, availability of water <h3><strong>Factors Guiding the Siting or Choice of (Location) of a Farm</strong></h3> The success of a farm depends partly on the characteristics of the site on which the farm is located. Therefore, when choosing the site for a farm, a farmer considers the following important factors: (i)<strong> Availability of land</strong>: The size of the farm depends on the amount of land available.

<h1><strong>PLANTING OPERATIONS</strong></h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>Meaning of Planting Operations</li> <li>Planting Operations</li> </ol>   <h2><strong>Meaning of Planting Operations</strong></h2> These are operations associated with the actual planting or sowing of the planting materials. <h2><strong>Planting Operations</strong></h2> Planting operations include the following: <ol> <li>Seed treatment</li> <li>Determination of planting distance/spacing</li> <li>Determination of seed rate</li> <li>Determination of planting date</li> <li>Determination of planting depth</li> <li>Determination of methods of planting.</li> </ol> <h3><strong>Seed Rate</strong></h3> Seed rate is the amount or quantity of seeds or planting material used on a hectare of land. It is expressed in kilogram per hectare (kg/ha) in the case of seeds and in number of stands per hectare for vegetative propagation. NB: Calculation required

<h1><strong>POST-PLANTING OPERATIONS</strong></h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>Meaning of Post-planting Operations</li> <li>Post-planting Operations</li> </ol>   <h2><strong>Meaning of Post-planting Operations</strong></h2> These are the operations carried out after planting. They include thinning, supplying, mulching, manure/fertilizer application, weeding, control of pests and diseases, harvesting, processing, storing and marketing. <h2><strong>Post-planting Operations</strong></h2> Post-planting operations include the following: <ol> <li>Thinning</li> <li>Supplying</li> <li>Mulching</li> <li>Capping</li> <li>Fertilizer and manure application</li> <li>Weeding</li> <li>Staking</li> <li>Pruning and trimming</li> <li>Control of pests and diseases</li> </ol> <h3>1.<strong> Thinning</strong></h3> This is the removal of extra seedlings from a stand to give room for others to grow. The weakest plants should be carefully pulled up without damaging the remaining ones.

<h1><strong>EFFECTS OF TIMELY HARVESTING AND LATE HARVESTING</strong></h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>Meaning of Harvesting</li> <li>Harvesting Techniques</li> <li>Effect of Late Harvesting</li> <li>Effect of Timely Harvesting</li> </ol> <strong> </strong> <h2><strong>Meaning of Harvesting</strong></h2> Harvesting is the removal and gathering of mature crops for processing and storage. The sign of maturity differ for different crops. For crops like yam, cocoyam and ground nut, maturity is signified when most of their leaves are turn into yellow and drying. The purpose of production also affects the maturity, the stage at which the crop is to be used. For example, maize meant to be eaten fresh is generally harvested green while that meant for storage is harvested dried. <h2><strong>Harvesting Techniques</strong></h2> The following are techniques used in harvesting: <ol> <li>Tapping: rubber</li> <li>Cutting: cocoa pods, oil palm fruits and coconut fruits</li> <li>Digging: yam, cocoyam and potato.</li> <li>Uprooting: groundnuts and cassava</li> <li>Picking: cotton bolls.</li> </ol> <h2><strong>Effects of Late Harvesting</strong></h2> The effects of late harvesting include the following:

<h1><strong>POST-HARVESTING OPERATIONS</strong></h1> CONTENT <strong>Post-Harvesting Operations</strong> <ol> <li>Farm Level Processing - Methods of Processing; Importance of Processing</li> <li>Storage - Meaning of Storage and Importance of Storage</li> <li>Marketing</li> </ol>   <h2><strong>Post-Harvesting Operations</strong></h2> Post-harvesting operations include the following: <ol> <li>Farm level processing</li> <li>Storage</li> <li>Marketing</li> </ol> <h3>1.<strong> Farm Level Processing</strong></h3> These are series of activities used in converting harvested farm produce into clean and marketable forms. After harvesting, crops need to be processed so that they can be consumed or stored for future use. <h4><strong>Methods of Processing</strong></h4> (i) Shelling (ii) Dehusking