Aung Win Htut - How to grow crops

Part (1)

Farming

1. Rice cultivation

Soil type ,

It can be grown in any soil type, but it is better to grow it in clay soil with a high content of organic matter. Soils containing a mixture of clay and silt are easy to cultivate and have good water retention. Since irrigation water is easy to drain, it increases the yield of rice by ensuring uniform harvesting and ripening of rice.

The optimum water infiltration rate is 0.5 cm per hour. Flooded fields are not subject to water erosion. Rice can be grown within a soil pH range of 4.5 - 8.2, but rice grows best when the pH is between 5.5 - 7.5.

Land improvement

When improving farmland, the following steps must be taken: (a) plowing, (b) preventing burning of stubble, (c) repairing ditches, (d) repairing irrigation and drainage channels, (e) plowing, and (f) plowing.

Ploughing means turning the soil in the harvested rice fields before the moisture is depleted. Ploughing has the following benefits: preserving natural fertilizers, killing soil pests, and improving soil quality. Ploughing in this way is very helpful in intercropping. If ploughing cannot be done after harvesting for various reasons, it should be done mechanically in the summer.

Burning stubbles indiscriminately destroys natural soil nutrients. Only fields that are really needed for intercropping and those that have been infested for 2-3 years should be burned. The remaining fields should not be burned unnecessarily.

In the improvement of ponds, only good ponds can increase yields. Only good ponds can provide the necessary water conservation for the farmland. If there is no water conservation during the rice harvest, the yield will decline. Only good ponds can be used to prevent flooding and prevent flooding for irrigation.

Only a good pond can retain water and maintain soil fertility. Therefore, unwanted holes and gaps should be blocked. New ponds should be dug in necessary places. When making a pond, the width (2) feet and the height should be as much as necessary to retain water according to the condition of the land.

Repairing irrigation ditches is an important task in increasing rice production. If the irrigation ditches are clogged, they will not be able to drain water during floods,

When water is needed, it is difficult to import water. Therefore, if the irrigation ditches are shallow, they must be dug and repaired.

Plowing is the most important and basic method for good soil. There are two types of plowing, spiral and ridge. If only one type is used every year, the soil level will become uneven. Therefore, it should be changed every year. Depending on the soil conditions, the plowing should be done to achieve a good soil depth of (4) to (6) inches. The most important thing is to take special care not to leave any ridges.

Ploughing should be continued after ploughing. In order for plants to absorb the necessary nutrients from their roots, the nutrients in the soil must be well distributed in the soil. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain a soil mass and a soil density that are suitable for the rice plant. When ploughing, depending on the length, width and height of the field, the methods such as horizontal, vertical, square, angular, and cross-cut should be used to achieve a uniform soil. Depending on the condition of the field, at least (6) and (12) rows should be ploughed in rotation to ensure that the soil rots.

Weed heads and debris that are not properly decomposed should be picked up and thrown away.

Breed selection

When selecting a variety, it should be good for milling, good for cooking, good for eating, good for yield, stable for yield, resistant to pests, resistant to drought, good for germination, and good for yielding. Even with a small amount of fertilizer, the yield of rice should be reasonable.

Generally, rice plants are classified into four types based on their age. They are:

(1) Harvested paddy - The maturity period is (140-150) days and it only ripens around the full moon of Thadingyut.

(2) Long-grain rice - The maturity period is (150 - 170) days and is around the beginning of the lunar month of Ta Saung Mone.

Ripe.)

(3) Large rice grains - last for 170-200 days and only ripen around the new moon of the Nattaw month.

(4) Myrin rice - This is a rice grown in the autumn season. The duration is (140 - 150) days.

The following are the varieties to be selected and planted according to water, soil, and regional cropping systems recommended by the Agricultural Research Service (Yesin).

The rice varieties that should be grown in the rain-fed areas are: Kyaw Zeya, Manaw Thukha, Shwe Wa Tun, Shwe Thwe Tun, Sin Thi Sin Ek Ye-2, Sin Ek Ye-3, Sin Thi Sin Shwe Wa, Sin Thwe Lat, Sin Nwe Yin, Maw Bi 1, Maw Bi - 2, Maw Bi - 3, Maw Bi - 5, Shwe Thwe Yin, Shwe Myanmar, Ye Sin Lone Thwe, Su Khin, Pal Thwe, Shwe Thwe Lay, Lone Thwe Hmwe.

For fields with about one cubit of water, they are: Kyaw Zeya, Eyra Min, Shwe Mann - 1, Inn Ma Ye Baw, Nga Kyaw, Pa San Hmwe, Pa San Yin, Ye Ta Luk, Ye Net - 3, Ye Net - 4.

The deep-sea areas are: Deep-sea-1, Deep-sea-5, Si Paek, Taung Poe, Taung Hti, and Yodaya.

For areas with saline water, they are: Saltwater-2, Saltwater-3, Saltwater-4, Lak-Yang-Gyi, and Rakhine.

For arid regions, the following varieties are suitable: Ya-2, Ya-4, Ya-5, Ya-8, Ya-9, Ya-2 Tun, and Khao Din.

The paddy varieties for the hilly areas are - Thidat Yin, Sin Shwe Ya, Hmaw Bi-2, Sin Ek Yi-3, Sein Talay, Shwe Yin Aye, Ye Sin Lone Thawe, Su Khin, Basmati-370, Kon Myint-2, Kon Myint-4, and the paddy varieties are local varieties.

. Varieties for summer rice (direct seeding system) are - Shwe Yin Thwe, Thedi That Yin, Yadanar Aung, Shwe Myanmar, Ye Sin Lone Thwe, Su Khin, Ye Sin “2, Sin Nwe Yin and Yadanar Toe.

Tillage

The following steps must be followed when cultivating.

Planting - It is best to plant as early as possible depending on the weather conditions. When choosing a site for planting, it should be easy to irrigate and not waterlogged.

Nursery Land Preparation - Plowing the nursery land to obtain good soil will make it easier to transplant. (Seedlings from one (1) acre of nursery land can be sufficient for ten (10) acres of plantation.) The soil should be more than (3-4) inches deep when plowing. If the soil is deep - the roots of the seedlings will be long and it will be difficult to transplant. Special care should be taken to ensure that the surface of the nursery land is even and even, both wet and dry. Therefore, when plowing, the plow should be pressed to obtain the required depth in the hard soil and the plow should be controlled to make it deeper than necessary in the soft soil.

Sowing - When sowing, the seeds must first be soaked in salt water or mud to ensure successful germination. Dissolve (4) pounds of salt in (4) gallons of water and soak (5) grains of rice in it. Remove the seeds that float on the water and remove the seeds that are submerged and rinse them thoroughly. This can be done (5) times at the rate of (5) grains of rice in the salt water. After rinsing, soak the seeds in water for (36) hours. Change the water after (14-16) hours.

After soaking the seeds, spread the seeds evenly on a 2-3 inch thick layer of burlap sacks on the prepared area. Then cover the seeds with 4 inches of burlap sacks or straw. Stir the seeds up and down once a day. Water them every 12 to 14 hours to keep the moisture level high. After 36 hours, sprouts will appear.

To strengthen the seedlings and make it easier to pull them out (to loosen the soil), cow dung, composted waste, leaf compost, straw compost, and machine-made ash should be added to the soil. (28 pounds) of urea fertilizer should be applied and covered with a plow.

When sowing in the nursery, there should be about one inch of water. Only then will the seeds be properly planted on the soil surface because the water will accelerate the germination. (Some people only sow after draining the water from the nursery before sowing.) To speed up the growth of the rice seedlings, water them frequently. In hot weather, be careful not to overwater the young rice seedlings.

It should be noted that there should be only (2 -3) inches of water in the nursery bed. If there is too much water, the seedlings will stretch out and become weak and will not take root. Since the high-yielding varieties of rice are those that bloom according to the season, they should be planted according to the time you want to harvest. When the seedlings are (2) inches long, only add water to a depth of (1) inch. In areas with high rainfall, it is necessary to make holes in the nursery bed until the seedlings are (4-5) inches long.

Planting -

When transplanting, high-yielding rice can be transplanted within 25-30 days. If transplanted earlier, the seedlings will be too young and will not be able to handle the transplant. If transplanted later, the seedlings will become too old and the plant will not grow well, which will affect the rice yield. However, if any rice can be transplanted early, the plant will grow well and the rice yield will be high.

When pulling out seedlings, pull them out by hand to avoid injury (not to break the back). To make it easier to pull out seedlings, it is necessary to have good moisture before the seedlings dry out. When pulling out seedlings, be careful not to break the head of the seedlings, not to break the back, and not to hurt the seedlings. If such seedlings are pulled out, they will fail to sprout, the roots of the seedlings will be delayed, and the plant will grow slowly. Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that the seedlings are strong and free of damage.

Land preparation - The field to be planted should be ploughed to a depth of (6) inches and ploughed at least (8) times to break up the soil well. Harrow to remove weeds. Then, water the field and spread ammonium phosphate (soybean seed fertilizer) evenly at the rate of (3) pounds per acre.

Planting - Plant the rice at a distance of (1) inch from the required depth. Plant in rows. If you plant only (1) inch, the rice plants will lose their roots and the number of plants will increase. If you plant more than (3) inches, the rice plants will compete with each other, resulting in less plant growth and delayed plant production. Insects will multiply and cause more seed costs.

If the soil is poor, the distance between plants and rows should be (9x4 ) inches (or) (6x6 ) inches. In medium and good soil, the distance between plants and rows should be (8x6) inches. Plant seasonal rice at (8x8) inches. The plants are transplanted on the (3)th day after planting. A plant that is (15) days old produces (3) more seedlings than a plant that is (30) days old. A plant that is (20) days old produces (2) more seedlings. A plant that is transplanted about (10) days late produces (2) more seedlings than a plant that is transplanted about (10) days late.

Therefore, rice should be planted between (15) and (20) days after planting. The damaged rice should be patched six days after planting. If patching is delayed, the time of emergence and maturity may not be the same, and green rice will be harvested.

To prevent the rice plants from wilting and the roots from being damaged by the sun, water immediately after planting. When watering, the water should be stagnant up to two-thirds of the height of the rice plants. The stagnant water should be maintained for about (7) days. (Be careful that if the water level is only (3) inches, the rice plants and roots can be damaged by the hot water.) If there is little rain and it is not long before the rain, drain the water after (7) days. Only then will the roots develop strongly and the plants will grow strong and vigorous.

Direct seeding methods

Direct seeding should be practiced in areas with limited labor, irrigated areas, and summer rice growing areas. There are (2) types of direct seeding systems: wet-bed direct seeding and dry-bed direct seeding.

Direct sowing of seeds in wet soil

The methods for direct sowing of wet sandalwood seeds are:

• Pulling a string and dropping the seeds in a row.

Pulling a string and throwing the seeds in a continuous loop.

Sowing seeds.

- Sowing seeds with a seed drill.

Sow seeds by placing them in a water bath (4) inches deep.