CROP SCIENCE 2

Practices in Crop Production

(Lecture 5)
Planting Materials Selection
 PLANTING MATERIAL SELECTION

Factors to consider in the selection of species / varieties of

planting materials:

• Market demand

• Suitability of the area for growing

• Yield quantity and quality

• Tolerance to environmental stresses

• Other traits unique to species / variety

• Farmer’s preference
Basis for Selecting Variety
Economic yield
Crop Yield (t/ha)
Mango 8-10
Papaya 15-20
Rambutan 4
Banana 40-50
Calamansi 2-3
Durian 3-4
Planting Materials ( Annuals)
a. Seed
b. Vegetative Planting Materials

a. Seed
• All Grain Crops
• Vegetable Crops
• Grain Legumes
• Fiber Crops
b. Vegetative Planting Materials

• Stem cuttings
• Tuber
• Bulb
• Corm
• Rhizome
Vegetative Planting Materials

• Stem cutting

- matured stem with nodes & internodes

- e.g. sugarcane, sweet potato, cassava,
forage grasses

• Tuber

- underground stem
- white potato
• Bulb

- leaf bud comprised of clustered leaves

underground stem
- e.g. multiplier onion, garlic

• Corm

- underground solid system stem that contain

nodes and internodes cut into several pieces
- e.g. taro, banana, abaca

• Rhizomes

- subterranean “rootlike stem” that have roots

in lower portion & shoots in the upper portion
- e.g. ramie, ginger
 Planting Materials (Perennials)

a. Seed

• Fruit Crops

o Papaya, pili, jackfruit, mangosteen, atis,

guyabano

• Plantation Crops

o Coconut, oil palm, coffee, cacao

- Propagated by seeds & rootstock from seeds

b. Vegetative Planting Materials

• Runners
• Slips
• Suckers
• Corms
• Root / Leaf bud / Stem cuttings
• Asexual materials (g, b, l & m)
• Plantlets
• Runners

- growing stem that arise from leaf axils and

form roots, i.e. strawberry, black pepper

• Slips

- leafy shoots originating from axillary buds

borne at the base of the plant or fruit
i.e. pineapple, cabbage

• Suckers

- adventitious roots that arise from underground

stem, i.e. banana, abaca
• Corms

- underground solid stem that contain nodes

& internodes ---- cut into several pieces
i.e. Gladiolus, banana, abaca

• Root cuttings

- i.e. breadfruit

• Leaf bud cuttings

- derived from axillary buds in stem

i.e. black pepper, vanilla
• Stem cuttings

- mature stem with 2-3 nodes and internodes

i.e. sineguelas, macopa, grape, black
pepper, vanilla, kapok

• Asexual materials

- produced from layerage, marcotting,

graftage, budding
• Plantlets
- derived from micro-propagation-tissue culture from
embryo, endosperm, mature seeds, stems, shoot tips, root
tips, meristem, single cells, pollen grains

- i.e. banana, orchids, citrus, bamboo, rattan and

macapuno
 Planting Material Preparation

• Seed (Annuals)

o Seed Storage

- control of seed moisture content,

storage temperature and oxygen level

- variable in orthodox, intermediate and

recalcitrant seeds

- Seed inoculation
o Pre-Germination Treatment

- Seed treatment with fungicide- ex.

Use of metalaxyl to control downy mildew in
corn and vegetative stage

- Vernalization or cold treatment

 Planting Material Preparation
• Vegetative plant parts ( Annuals)

o Cassava – mature portion of stem is cut

into 20-25 cm length pieces; viable for 5 mos. If
properly stored

o Sugarcane – top portion of stalk is used

with at least 3 nodes

o Sweet potato – cuttings of 25-30 cm from

tip of the vine

o White potato - tuber cut into seed

pieces, each contains bud; fungicide treatment
 Planting Material Preparation

• Seed Variability ( Perennials)

o Recalcitrant seeds

- moisture content is initially high and

drying (below 20% in rambutan and rubber seeds
) loss in viability

- Mango, Durian, rambutan,

mangosteen, lanzones, santol, jackfruit, tea, citrus,
rubber, oil palm
o Storage

- sand sawdust or charcoal

moistened to 10% in polyethylene bags at
27oC

- or refrigerated condition may

prolong viability from 1-2 week to 1-4 mos.
o Orthodox seeds

- can be dried at 5-14 % to prevent

respiratory process and placed in airtight container

- atis, chico, guyabano, passion fruit,

tamarind, coffee

- Storage:

o Refrigeration and use of desiccants

can prolong viability for >1 yr
o Intermediate

- can withstand desiccation to around 10-

12% MC and can be stored successfully in hermitic
containers

- loss viability more rapidly at low temperature

(<10 o C) than at warmer temperature (12-21oC)

Examples:

Coffee
 Important Characteristics
of Good Seeds
1. Damage Free
2. Good germinating ability
3. Free from mixture with other varieties
4. Free from seed-borne diseases