SELECTION AND PREPA

RATION OF PLANTING M
ATERIAL

Pompe C. Sta. Cruz, PhD

Crop Science Cluster, UP Los Baños
Planting Material Selection
 Species/Varieties
 Source Farm
 Mother Plants in a Farm
 Fruits & Seeds from Mother Pla
nt
 Nursery or Seedling Stage
Planting Material Selection
 Selection of Species/Varieties
 Market demand
 Suitability of the area for growing
 Yield quantity and quality
 Tolerance to pest & diseases
 Tolerance to environmental stresse
s
 Farmer’s preference
Planting Material Selection
 Selection of a Source Farm
 Crop stand
 Yielding ability
 Quality of harvest
Planting Material Selection
 Selection of Mother Plants in a Fa
rm
 Uniformity
 Overall vigor
 Yielding ability
 Free from pests/diseases
Planting Material Selection
 Selection of Fruits & Seeds from
Mother Plant
 High & uniform grain ripening in ann
uals
 Uniform maturity & medium to big s
eeds/fruits in fruit & plantation crop
s
 Free from pests & diseases
Planting Material Selection
 Selection at Nursery or Seedling
Stage
 Early germination (seed)
 Seedling vigor
 # leaves
 stem diameter
 height
 root development
 Pest- & disease-free
Basis for Selecting Variety
 Annual Crops
 Plantation Crops
 Fruit Crops
Basis for Selecting Variety
 Annual Crops
 Yield quantity and quality
 Resistance to pests & diseases
 Tolerance to adverse/stress conditio
ns
 Farmer’s preference
 Others
Basis for Selecting Variety
 Plantation Crops
 Yielding ability
 Earliness & regularity of fruiting
 Resistance to pests & diseases
 Quality of processed products
 Other factors unique to species
Basis for Selecting Variety
 Fruit Crops
 Eating quality for fresh fruits
 sweetness, texture, color, fruit or seed size,
etc.
 Juice processing
 acidity level, soluble solids, juice color, proc
essing specifications
 Early-bearing tendency & rapid attai
nment of peak production
Basis for Selecting Variety
 Fruit Crops
 Regularity of fruit-bearing
 Resistance to aerial & soil-borne di
seases --- use of resistant rootstock
 Farmers’ preference
 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

 Seed
 All Grain Crops
 Vegetable Crops
 Grain Legumes
 Fiber Crops
 Planting Materials
Annuals
 Vegetative Planting Materials
 Stem cutting
 matured stem with nodes & internodes
 sugarcane, sweet potato, cassava, forage g
rasses

 Tuber
 underground stem
 white potato
Planting Materials
Annuals
 Vegetative Planting Materials
 Bulb
 leaf bud comprised of clustered leaves – un
derground stem
 multiplier onion, garlic
Corm

-underground soli
d stem that conta
in nodes & intern
odes cut into sev
eral pieces
taro, banana, aba
ca
Planting Materials
Annuals

 Vegetative Planting
Materials
 Rhizome
 subterranean rootlike ste
m that have roots in lowe
r portion & shoots in the
upper portion
 ramie, ginger
Planting Materials
Perennials

 Seed
 Fruit Crops
 (papaya, pili, jackfruit, mangosteen, atis, g
uayabano)
 Plantation Crops
 (coconut, oil palm, coffee, cacao)

 Propagated by seeds & rootstock from

seeds
 Planting Materials
Perennials
Vegetative Planting Materials
 Runners
 growing stem tha
t arise from leaf a
xils and form root
s
 strawberry, black
pepper
Slips

-leafy shoots or
iginating from a
xillary buds bor
ne at the base
of the plant or f
ruit
pineapple, cabb
age
Planting Materials
Perennials
 Vegetative Planting Materials
 Suckers
 Shoots that arise adventitiously from roots
 banana, abaca

 Corms
 underground solid stem that contain nodes
& internodes buds are produced at the up
per nodes and roots from the lower surfface
cut into several pieces
 gladiolus, banana, abaca
Planting Materials
Perennials

 Vegetative Planting Materials

 Root cuttings
 breadfruit

 Leaf bud cuttings

 derived from axillary buds(bud formed in th
e upper angle between a twig or a petiole a
nd the stem) in stem
 black pepper, vanilla
Planting Materials
Perennials

 Vegetative Planting Materials

 Stem cuttings
 mature stem with 2-3 nodes & internodes
 sineguelas, macopa, grape, black pepper, v
anilla, kapok

 Asexual materials
 produced from layerage, marcotting, grafta
ge, budding
Planting Materials
Perennials

 Vegetative Planting Materials

 Plantlets
 derived from micropropagation-tissue cultur
e from embryo, endosperm, mature seeds,
stems, shoot tips, root tips, meristem, singl
e cells, pollen grains
 banana, orchids, citrus, bamboo, rattan, m
acapuno
Planting Material Preparation An
nuals

 Seed
 Seed Storage
 12-13% MC and refrigeration To or dehumid
ified condition
 Airtight containers

 Use of desiccants
Planting Material Preparation An
nuals

 Seed
 Pre-Germination Treatment
 Seed treatment with fungicide
 Metalaxyl to control downy mildew in corn at v
egetative stage

 Vernalization or cold treatment

 4-6 months storage at 40o F or GA treatment (
soaking for 12 hr in 500-2,500 ppm solution) e
nhance early flowering in gladiolus
Planting Material Preparation An
nuals

 Seed
 Pre-Germination Treatment
 Seed inoculation
 Seeds coated with inoculants (Rhizobia) to enh
ance N-fixing ability of legumes
Planting Material Preparation An
nuals
 Vegetative Plant Parts (Preparati
on)
 Cassava
 mature portion of stem (7 months old) is c
ut into 20-25 cm length pieces
 Viable for 5 mo if properly stored

 Sugarcane
 top portion of stalk is used, with at least 3
nodes
Planting Material Preparation An
nuals

 Vegetative Plant Parts (Preparati

on)
 Sweet potato
 cuttings of 25-30 cm from tip of the vine

 White potato
 tuber cut into seed pieces, each contains a
bud
 fungicide treatment
Planting Material Preparation
Perennials

 Perennial Seeds
 Disadvantages of Propagation
by Seed
 Trees  longer time to bear fruits (lanzone
s, mango, etc.)
 Trees  tends to develop large crown

 Cross pollinated  do not usually retain cha

racteristics of parents
Planting Material Preparation
Perennials

 Perennial Seeds
 Disadvantages of Propagation by Se
ed
 Variability in terms of:
 productiveness
 fruit quality
 regularity of fruit bearing
 growth habit
 floral behavior (apomixis)
Planting Material Preparation
Perennials

 Seed Viability
 Recalcitrant seeds
 moisture content is initially high & drying (b
elow 20% in rambutan & rubber seeds)  l
oss in viability
 Mango, durian, rambutan, mangosteen, lan
zones, santol, jackfruit, tea, citrus, rubber,
oil palm
Planting Material Preparation
Perennials

 Seed Viability
 Recalcitrant seeds
 Storage
 sand, sawdust or charcoal moistened to 10% i
n polyethylene bags at 27oC
 or refrigerated condition may prolong viability f
rom 1-2 wk to 1-4 mo
Planting Material Preparation
Perennials

 Seed Viability
 Orthodox seeds
 can be dried at 5-14% to prevent respirator
y process & placed in airtight container
 Atis, chico, guayabano, passion fruit, tamar
ind, coffee
 Storage
 refrigeration & use of desiccants can prolong vi
ability for > 1 yr
Planting Material Preparation
Nursery Operations (except direct-seeded plants)

 Site or Infrastructure
 Open field  field-grown crops & tra
nsplanted rice
 Seedbeds, concrete pavements
 Seedboxes

 Seedling trays
Planting Material Preparation
Nursery Operations (except direct-seeded plants)

 Site or Infrastructure
 Nursery  vegetables, fruits, plantat
ion crops
 Seedbeds, concrete pavements
 Seedboxes

 Seedling trays

 Pots, plastic bags, improvised containers

Planting Material Preparation
Nursery Operations (except direct-seeded plants)

 Seeds are maintained until ready for pl

anting, transplanting, or repotting/reb
agging
 desired seedling size at transplanting

 Asexually propagated plants grown un

til ready for planting in the field
Planting Material Preparation
Nursery Operations (except direct-seeded plants)

 Soil medium:
 ordinary soil/garden soil for germination
 light-textured soil (sand/ garden soil/organic ma
tter) for rooting

 Necessary nutrient, water, pest manag

ement & special requirements imposed
during seedling stage
Planting Material Preparation
Nursery Operations (except direct-seeded plants)

 Size and age of Seedlings at Tran

splanting
 Seedling height
 generally 30 cm
 may vary with crop species

 Number of developed leaves

 3-4 leaves
Planting Material Preparation
Nursery Operations (except direct-seeded plants)

 Size and age of Seedlings at Field

Planting
 Age at planting
 2-4 weeks --- cereals & field crops (annuals)
 2-3 months --- papaya

 4-6 months --- jackfruit/guayabano

 3-4 months --- guava

 6-10 months --- coffee

 6-9 months --- coconut (splitting of leaves)

 8-15 months --- oil palm (5-8 leaves

developed)
Planting Material Preparation
Nursery Operations (except direct-seeded plants)

 Shade Management
 Germination/rooting stage require p
artial shading
 Coconut, mango, citrus can be exposed to f
ull sunlight
 Coffee, cacao, rambutan, mangosteen, lanz
ones, banana, & grafted/budded planting m
aterials need 25-50% partial shade
Planting Material Preparation
Nursery Operations (except direct-seeded plants)

 Hardening
 Pre-sowing hardening
 soaking of seeds in water for 1-48 hr (depe
nding on seed)
 then air-drying to their original moisture co
ntent before sowing
Planting Material Preparation
Nursery Operations (except direct-seeded plants)

 Hardening
 Starting 1 month to few days before planting or
transplanting (depending on crop) --- cultural pr
actices to reduce transplanting shock are impos
ed:
 Gradual withdrawal of water and fertilizer application
 Gradual exposure to sunlight (if grown in partial shad
e)
 Partial pruning/cutting of leaves & roots (blocking)
 Gradual balling/burlapping of big trees (1 mo before t
ransplanting)
 Use of protectants/anti-transpirants to reduce transpi
ration
Thank You

SELECTION AND PREPARATION

OF PLANTING MATERIAL